◇Dark Citadel—Throne Room◇
In the center of the Dark Citadel's throne room was set a great and
elaborately carved throne. It was an ancient treasure on which the Dark
Ones had sat since ages long past. Now, however, the Dark Regent Calsi'im
sat on the stone floor in front of the throne.
Calsi'im's minion Tia, who had been standing at attention beside him,
drew closer to the Dark Regent. "Shall I prepare a cup of tea for you,
Calsi'im?"
"Oh, hello, Tia!" Calsi'im replied. "Thank you for thinking of me, but
I'm afraid that our next guest is going to be here shortly!" He waved his
hand, dismissing her.
"I see," Tia said. "Perhaps after, then..." She did an elegant curtsy and
stepped back.
Just then, the throne room doors opened. "I've brought him as you
asked, Lord Calsi'im." It was Rayne, the pandaman serving as prison guard.
He was at the front of the group, with the spider demon Iuki in the back.
Their prisoner, the devil Zanzibar, walked along between the pair.
Rayne and Iuki stepped before Calsi'im and signaled for Zanzibar to
step forward. The two kept their spears trained on him, though, menacing
him from behind. If he tried something, he would be skewered on the spot.
It was the obvious thing to do given that the prisoner was the former head
of a rebel army. But Calsi'im signaled for the two to stand down.
"Ah! Thank you for showing Mister Zanzibar to me, you two! There's
no need for your spears."
"Hm? B-But Lord Calsi'im!" Rayne protested. "This man is the leader
of the rebels! He's declared himself the enemy of the Dark Army!"
"Quite so," Iuki agreed. "You never know what someone like him will
do..."
The two seemed on guard. But Calsi'im just smiled cheerfully. "Come
now, come now! No need for that! It will be terribly difficult for me and
Mister Zanzibar to have our chat with those things poking into his back!"
"I... I suppose that's true..." Rayne admitted.
"If it truly is your will, my lord..." said Iuki. Reluctantly, they lowered
their spears and stepped back.
Calsi'im nodded, satisfied. "Very good. Now we can have a good and
proper talk with no distractions."
"Hm," Zanzibar grunted. "I surmise that you recovered my treasures,
then. Is that why you've called me here?"
Not long ago, Calsi'im had visited Zanzibar to discuss the Dark Army's
cash flow problem. Even though they had been enemies until only recently,
he had been frank about the danger the Dark Army was in and asked
Zanzibar for help. Zanzibar was impressed by the Dark Regent's
willingness to use even a surrendered enemy if they had talent and told him
where the villas in which he had hidden his treasure were. He had suggested
Calsi'im use that treasure to bolster the Dark Citadel's coffers.
"Well, actually, it seems we're in a bit of a pickle..." Calsi'im said,
slumping his shoulders.
"A pickle? What do you mean by that?"
"Well, right after I spoke with you, I set out with Tia and my dire crow.
We visited all of the manors on the map you gave us! The villas were there,
all right, but the treasuries were all empty. They'd been completely
hollowed out!"
"What?!" Zanzibar's eyes went wide. A tremor ran through his body.
"H-How could this be? None of the treasure was intact?"
"Indeed..." Calsi'im said. "I checked each villa three times just to be
sure..."
"We searched the hidden rooms you told us of, but there was indeed
nothing there," Tia confirmed, sighing deeply.
"It seems your fears have come to pass, Mister Zanzibar," Calsi'im
concluded. "Someone must have already taken your treasures!"
"No way! There's just no way! I-It's true that I thought someone might
plunder my villas while I was away, but this is far too soon! There's no way
someone would have been able to find my hidden treasure in so short a
time! Ghh..." Zanzibar clutched his head in pain, looking up at the throne
room's ceiling. Why?! I never breathed a word about the villas to anyone!
Those treasures were my personal savings for an emergency like this! I
thought it was possible that one or two of them might be found, but all of
them?! That's simply impossible!
Suddenly, Zanzibar opened his eyes wide. "No... Wait. I did use parts of
my treasure. Many times, back when the Dark One was chasing us through
the desert. I had need of it to pay some acquaintances of mine to help guide
my army to a safe hiding spot..." Zanzibar's shoulders were shaking. He
could remember it clearly.
"I see..." Calsi'im sighed. "Well, it sounds like that deal didn't go well at
all! What a pity... I had been hoping that money would help us keep the
Dark Citadel running properly until the Dark One gets back..."
Tia once again stepped up to her master. "I know I cannot do much," she
said, "but I am at your side, Calsi'im. We will find a way through this
together."
"Thank you, Tia..." Calsi'im said. "I know! Perhaps you should make
tea for Mister Zanzibar and myself!"
"Of course! Just a second!" Tia's face lit up at being asked to make her
famous tea. She ran out of the room.
"Hmm..." Calsi'im heaved a sigh. "I have to do my best for little Tia as
well! But nobody has seen the Dark One anywhere... Or Lady Phufun, for
that matter."
◇Meanwhile, in Osahka Town◇
The Dark One Yuigarde's minion, the succubus Phufun, was at that
moment flying around the world in search of her missing master. That day,
her travels had taken her to the town of Osahka.
Osahka Town was within the territory of the Magical Kingdom of
Klyrode, so Phufun disguised herself as a demihuman in order to do her
work. Right now, she had a man in her grasp. Phufun was a slender woman,
and the man was nearly three times her size, but she was holding him up by
the throat with phenomenal strength. It was an awesome display of
intimidation.
"I hear a man resembling Master Yuigarde took part in this Osahka
Town Eating Contest of yours..." she said. "And you had the nerve to try
and feed him cyarrots?! Well?!"
"W-W-W-Wait!" the man stammered, speaking desperately as Phufun
held him in the air by his throat. "I-I-I was just one of the workers at the
contest! I don't have anything to do with the dishes they give contestants!
A-A-And the ingredients are posted publicly, in accordance with Magical
Kingdom's decree s-so that if there's something a contestant can't eat, they
can— Ghh..." The man, who had been growing whiter and whiter in the
face, finally lost his power of speech and trailed off, gasping for air. But
Phufun's rage was unabated. She squeezed his throat harder.
"Master Yuigarde hates cyarrots!" she said. "Just the sight of them
makes my mighty, proud, majestic master snivel like a wretched cat! I will
not permit you fools to see him in such a state! Only your death will satisfy
me." Still holding the man above the ground with one hand, she used her
other hand to push her false glasses up against the bridge of her nose.
There was a group of men surrounding her, but in the face of her sheer
murderous aura, they were too frightened to even take a step.
But then a woman's voice rang out. "You there! Is someone making
trouble?!" The woman jumped out in front of the crowd of men. She was a
beguiling woman wearing an eastern-style kimono, artfully loose around
the shoulders to show a hint of bare skin. "You have quite some nerve
causing a commotion in my territory," she growled. "I am Fetabetcz, wolf of
the cloth conglomerate Silkfleece! We'll take care of this." She gestured
with her long-handled pipe towards Phufun.
"Aye-aye!" A group of men and women burst onto the scene at
Fetabetcz's words. They were dressed in a variety of eastern-style garments.
They must have been other employees of the cloth conglomerate Silkfleece.
The Silkfleece head clerk Lil-Lil readied an array of magic guns she had
hidden in the sleeves of her kimono. "Taaaake...that!" she sang merrily.
"And that, and that, and that! I'm not gonna let you bother Lady Fetabetcz!
No way!" She blew a raspberry at Phufun as she unleashed a volley of
magic bullets.
"Wait!" Phufun cried. "What are you doing, young lady?! Can't you see
I'm still holding this human man?! Do you want to injure him?!" Indeed,
Phufun brought the man in front of herself to block Lil-Lil's attack. The
man's body took one bullet after another.
"Gwaaaahhhhh..." he cried, losing consciousness.
Lil-Lil aimed the still-smoking barrel of the gun in her right hand at
Phufun. "Oh! How terrible! Poor Mister Gorrick! I won't let you hurt him
any more!"
"Wait!" Phufun said again. "You're the one who hurt him, young lady!
O-Oh!" She jumped back quickly, just in time to avoid being skewered by a
great number of throwing weapons. "Like an arrow crossed with a spear..."
She adjusted her glasses as she examined the weapons she had narrowly
avoided, starting to sweat. "Is this, perhaps, the kunai used by the shinobi of
the east? I hate to say it, but I'm not certain I can defeat this many of them.
Perhaps I had best take my leave..."
"Phun!" Phufun shouted, focusing her magic power into her gaze,
overwhelming them with pure malice. They stopped in their tracks. She
sighed deeply. "Well then," she said. "Excuse me." Phufun was disguised as
an avian demihuman—she spread her wings and flew up high in the sky.
"What are you fools doing?!" Fetabetcz demanded, running up to Lil-Lil
and her team. "You almost had her! Why did you let her get away?"
"Hee hee hee..." Lil-Lil giggled, hugging Fetabetcz tight. "Lady
Fetabetcz, I love you..."
The others were right behind her. "Lady Fetabetcz!"
"I adore you!"
"Hold me! Please!"
They rushed their leader, crying out needily for her attention. Looking
closely, their eyes seemed to have gone heart-shaped.
Earlier, Phufun had used one of her succubus skills: the magic eye
ability Love Pact. It caused her victims to temporarily lose control of their
desires. Lil-Lil and the rest of the shinobi were all very fond of Fetabetcz.
Phufun's ability had caused that fondness to rampage out of control. Some
of them had found their ways into the arms of their other companions, but
more than half of the team was crowding around Fetabetcz, desperate for
her attention.
"Wh-What are you doing?!" Fetabetcz demanded, fending the amorous
horde off as best she could. But in the end, it was no use. "I'm glad you all
feel that way, b-but we are still in broad daylight! A-Ah! Lil-Lil! Where are
you touching— Hey! Who grabbed my chest?! A-Ahhh...!"
◇ ◇ ◇
"Well..." Phufun sighed with relief as she soared above the clouds. "I
was able to make it out unscathed. But it seems Osahka Town is under the
control of that Fetabetcz woman. To think that ordinary humans and
demihumans could overwhelm a demon! Perhaps I need to revise my
opinion on inferior life-forms..."
Phufun recalled the scene in her head—her master Yuigarde had just
claimed the throne from his younger brother Gholl and marched out in force
to attack Klyrode Castle. "With my power," he had boasted, "this'll be like
taking candy from a baby!" Yuigarde had been festering with secret anger
for a long time over Gholl's cautious disposition. He was furious that they
hadn't gone to attack Klyrode Castle yet. It was only natural that this would
be his first act as Dark One.
Most of the demons Yuigarde had led into battle shared his view—the
humans would simply crumble before their awesome power. Phufun had
been among them. But in the end, the invasion had been a failure. The Dark
Army had advanced with no plan whatsoever, simply charging ahead only
to fall prey one after another to the traps and ambushes of the Magical
Kingdom's army. In the end, they were forced to retreat without ever
coming within sight of the walls of the castle.
If I had stopped Master Yuigarde back then, Phufun reflected, the Dark
Army would have never been weakened, and Zanzibar's rebellion would
never even have happened...
Gritting her teeth, Phufun pushed her false glasses up against the ridge
of her nose. "Master Yuigarde..." she said. "I will find you, and I will bring
you back to the Dark Citadel. And together, we will resurrect the Dark
Army!" She nodded in determination and beat her wings, picking up speed
as she soared through the sky.
"If I know Master Yuigarde, he'll have gone north from here. This time,
I'm certain of it! I just hope he hasn't found a wife. A strong, tough woman
he can punch as hard as he wishes..." Phufun's face flushed red, and she
began to squirm just thinking about it. "Oh, the sweet pain of my Master's
fist..." she moaned. "Simply thinking of it is making my panties all..."
Yes, Phufun was enough of a masochist that she took the beatings she
received from Yuigarde as the highest form of pleasure.
"But this isn't the time for that! I haven't a second to lose! I must find
Master Yuigarde before some parasite hooks her claws in him!" Clearing
her throat and adjusting her glasses, Phufun beat her powerful wings and
sped off towards the north.
◇Hilnanse City◇
Hero Gold-Hair and his party were staying at an inn in the outskirts of
the shopping district of Hilnanse, a city to the north of Osahka. There,
Dawkson, the newest addition to the crew, was pressing his lips against
Valentine's, one of Hero Gold-Hair's followers. Secretly, Dawkson was the
Dark One Yuigarde. He had changed his name and was currently disguised
as a demihuman.
Dawkson was sitting cross-legged. Valentine, her arms draped over his
shoulders, was kissing him back. "Mmm..." she moaned. A trail of saliva
formed as their lips parted. It was shining faintly with magical light.
They kept it up for a few minutes, until Valentine pulled away with a big
smooch sound. "Wonderful!" she chirped. "Your magic is as delectable as
always, Dawkson."
Dawkson wiped the drool from his mouth. "H-Hey!" he said, averting
his gaze to hide his blush. "No problem! You can help yourself to all the
magic you like!"
"Hee hee hee!" Valentine giggled, planting a teasing kiss on Dawkson's
cheek. "Thank you for breakfast, Dawkson! My magic reserves are running
at a hundred and twenty percent!"
Valentine was from the Realm of Evil, a world separate from Klyrode.
She made the decision to cut ties with her home and live in this world as a
follower of Hero Gold-Hair, but the density of ambient magic in the world
of Klyrode was much lower than in the Realm of Evil. In order to maintain
the vast amount of magic power her own body needed, Valentine needed to
constantly seek out sources of power.
She had a few options: She could absorb magic energy from beings with
the ability to use magic, or else she could devour them entirely. She could
convert food into magic energy and sustain herself that way. And finally,
she could consume a magic item and take its power.
Up until now, Valentine had been getting her magic mostly from food.
But because the magic power contained within normal food was so small,
she had to eat a vast amount every day in order to survive. This had driven
Tsuya, the group's treasurer, nearly to despair.
"We wooork and wooork and wooork, but our wallets are aaalways
empty..." Tsuya had complained, tears in her eyes. In the end, they had
decided that Dawkson, who had the most magical power of the group,
should share some of his magic with Valentine.
"B-But Valentine!" Dawkson stammered. "We don't need to k-kiss for
me to transfer magic to you, do we? You know we can do it by holding
hands, right?" Still flustered by the kiss, Dawkson scratched at his cheek
with one of his fingers, holding out his other hand demonstratively. A pale
light was glowing in his palm—his magic power.
But Valentine just laughed. "But what about etiquette?" she said.
"You're sharing your precious magic with me! Isn't the proper thing to
accept it with my mouth, so that I may show my gratitude? It seems much
better than simply handing it over. Or is there someone you're afraid might
see us?" She smiled flirtatiously, touching a finger to her lips.
Dawkson's face turned bright red at that. "Q-Quit messin' around!" he
snapped. "You're just making things more complicated! There ain't no one
like that!"
But despite Dawkson's words, the image of Phufun's face appeared
unbidden in his mind. "H-Huh?" he muttered to himself, covering his face
in embarrassment. "Wh-Why would I think about Phufun at a time like
this? I-I mean...it's true that she's done lots of good work for me, but...but it
isn't like that..."
"Now, now, Dawkson," Hero Gold-Hair said, laughing as he placed a
hand on Dawkson's shoulder. "Let's not lose our heads! That's just
Valentine's way of thanking you. The manly thing to do is take it in the
spirit it's intended!"
"B-But Blondie..." Dawkson objected, furrowing his brow and
scratching at his cheek with increasing fervor.
"That aside," Hero Gold-Hair said, smiling at him, "thanks to you,
Valentine doesn't need to eat great big feasts every day! I should thank you
as well!"
"Y-Yeah?" Dawkson said, a smile crossing his face. "I guess I appreciate
that coming from you, Blondie..."
Tsuya stepped up close to Hero Gold-Hair to whisper in his ear. "UUmmm," she said, "Hero Gooold-Hair... Maaaybe you shouldn't flatter
Dawkson toooo much..."
"What do you mean, Tsuya?" Hero Gold-Hair tilted his head, puzzled.
"I'm only telling him how I really feel. Is something wrong?"
"Nooo..." Tsuya said. "Nooothing's wrooong..." But her face was
screwed up like she was on the verge of tears.
While the two were having their whispered conversation, Dawkson was
beaming wide. "Gah ha ha!" he laughed. "Gettin' praised by you always
makes me hungry, Blondie! Let's get some breakfast!" He cast his arm over
Hero Gold-Hair's shoulder, and led him off in the direction of the
restaurants.
◇ ◇ ◇
Some time later, Dawkson was sitting in the crowded dining hall,
greedily devouring a rice bowl. All around him, customers were whispering
to each other about his gustatory exploits.
"That man... He sure eats a lot, even for his size!"
"I can hardly believe there are people out there who eat that much for
breakfast!"
"Just watching him go at it is making me hungry..."
Dawkson finished up his bowl and held it aloft. "That was great!" he
bellowed. "This is the life... Eating great meals from breakfast to dinner!
Hey! Bring me another!"
A restaurant worker took Dawkson's bowl, smiling happily as he
replaced it with another heaping helping. "It's a real pleasure seeing you
enjoy our food, mister!"
Hero Gold-Hair and Tsuya were watching this scene play out from their
seats nearby. "You seeee?" Tsuya said. "Dawkson aaalways eats a looot
after he gives Vaaalentine his magic energy... I really wish you wouldn't say
things that make him want to eat even mooore..."
"Indeed..." Hero Gold-Hair said, sweating as he watched Dawkson
devour his bowl. "I had no idea it had gotten this bad... I suppose I had
better go hunting for magic beasts after breakfast today..."
"Th-That would be a biiig heeelp..." Tsuya said, nodding earnestly.
All that Hero Gold-Hair and Tsuya had to eat was a small portion of rice
and a bowl of soup each.
◇The Forest Outside Hilnanse City◇
After breakfast, Hero Gold-Hair's party ventured forth to the forest
located behind the inn.
"Hero Gooold-Hair!" Tsuya cried, smiling happily as she pointed to a
corner in the forest where they could see a great big round hole in the
ground. "It looks like sooomething fell in that traaap!"
"Indeed!" Hero Gold-Hair nodded, following Tsuya. "It must have
caught a magic beast!" The two peered into the hole to see a huge magic
beast inside, unmoving, its neck snapped. Hero Gold-Hair had dug this pit
trap the night before, and it looked like it had done its job.
"The Adventurer's Association is sure to pay good money for a catch
this big!" Gold-Hair declared. "Have at it, Valentine!"
"Leave it to me!" Valentine held out her arms, releasing a great array of
thread from her fingertips. The threads went down into the hole, and after
some time, the beast was wrapped up nice and tight in a spider cocoon and
pulled out of the pit.
"And now it's your turn, Dawkson!" instructed Hero Gold-Hair.
"Yeah! I've got this!" Dawkson hefted the beast onto the pile of five
magic beasts he was already carrying on his shoulders. The sixth catch of
the day rested neatly on top. He didn't seem to be struggling at all with the
enormous weight he was carrying. "Not a bad haul today, eh, Blondie?" he
said, laughing loudly.
"Not bad at all!" Hero Gold-Hair agreed, resting his shovel on his
shoulder and laughing along. "With this much just from our traps, we can
probably wrap up our hunt early today!"
◇On the Highway◇
The Maiden Queen's carriage continued along the highway. She was
currently in the middle of her inspection of the kingdom. The carriage was
accompanied by Knight Captain MacTaulo as well as the Queen's elite
guard, led by Guard Captain Boralis herself.
"Tell me, Boralis," the Queen said. "Has there been any news
concerning the whereabouts of the criminal Hero Gold-Hair?"
"Your Majesty..." Boralis began. "We had wanted posters sent to every
city and village in the city—even small hamlets—and we have guards in all
corners of the kingdom on the lookout for him, but I'm afraid we lack any
solid information as of yet..."
"I see..." the Queen said. "At the very least, I would like to retrieve the
treasure he stole from the castle sanctuary: the Drilldozer Shovel. It is a
legendary magic item of great power, and very useful for rebuilding in the
aftermath of a disaster..."
"I understand very well," Boralis said, bowing deeply. "The Drilldozer
Shovel is a treasure of the Magical Kingdom and should be used for the
good of the land. It pains me to see it in the hands of that false hero..."
The Maiden Queen nodded in emphatic agreement. I wonder what Hero
Gold-Hair is using it for... she thought. If he tried to sell it, he would be
caught right away, but I've heard no reports of such a thing happening. I
wonder if he is using it to trap magic beasts in holes or some other such
nonsense...
Worried, the Maiden Queen turned her gaze outside the carriage
window.
◇The Forest outside Hilnanse City◇
"Right, that does it!" Hero Gold-Hair let out a breath and shouldered the
Drilldozer Shovel. All around him was an enormous number of freshly dug
pit traps.
Tsuya stared at the scene in front of her with wide eyes. "Wooow..." she
said. "That Drilldozer Shovel is amaaazing! I can't belieeeve you dug aaall
those traps in just a seeecond!"
"You're not wrong," Valentine said. She was looking on with no less
awe than Tsuya. "There aren't a lot of magic items that can do that, even in
the Realm of Evil!"
"Believe me, I know full well how amazing this thing is!" Hero GoldHair said, beaming with pride. "It's my trusty partner, after all!"
"That thing's your partner, Blondie?" Dawkson asked.
"Quite right, Dawkson! I'm sure you have some weapons that suit you
better than others, no?"
"W-Well, I suppose so..." Dawkson said. "But in the end, it all comes
down to power, right?"
"Well, power is important for a weapon," Hero Gold-Hair admitted,
grinning. "But what I'm talking about is more... Well, you know! Weapons
can give you unexpected strength if you treat them right!"
"Yeah?" Dawkson said, a mysterious, faraway look on his face. "You
don't say..."
When he had been the Dark One, Dawkson had never been picky about
his weapon. "My own power is the strongest weapon!" he would say.
Whether it was a greatsword or a halberd, he would just swing it around
wildly, charging ahead. If it broke, he would simply replace it with another.
I don't really get it... he thought. But if Blondie says it, it must be true.
Afterwards, Hero Gold-Hair hid his pitfall traps underneath layers of
grass and fallen leaves. Valentine further concealed the presence of the traps
with magic, and the group set out back towards Hilnanse City.
◇Hilnanse City—Adventurer's Association◇
"Wooow!" Tsuya's eyes lit up. "Hero Gooold-Hair! Looook at all the
moooney they gave us for the magic beeeasts!" She ran up to him,
overjoyed.
"I-Idiot!" Hero Gold-Hair snapped, clapping a hand over Tsuya's mouth.
"This is the Adventurer's Association! What if someone's seen my wanted
poster?!"
"Mhf!" Tsuya said. "Mhrhrf!" (Translation: "Oooh, that's riiight...")
Hero Gold-Hair cleared his throat and put on a theatrical voice. "IIndeed!" he said. "This is quite the sum of money! I, Golden-Haired
Braveman, am most pleased! Truly!"
"Golden-Haired Braveman" was a pseudonym he had come up with to
fool anyone hunting for Hero Gold-Hair.
"Got it?" he whispered into Tsuya's ear. "Valentine might have changed
my appearance with magic, but we never know when we're gonna be found
out! At the very least, be careful when there's a lot of people around!"
Hero Gold-Hair's hand still over her mouth, Tsuya nodded. "Mhrf..."
she said. (Translation: "Okaaay...")
They left the Adventurers' Association in a hurry, hoping to avoid as
much notice as they could, when they were greeted by another one of Hero
Gold-Hair's followers: the shadow demon Riliangiu, who had soundlessly
appeared behind them. "A moment," she said.
"Hm?" Hero Gold-Hair said. "What's wrong, Riliangiu?"
"There is something I wish to show you, Sir Hero Gold—I mean, Sir
Golden-Haired Braveman." She held out a piece of paper—a wanted poster
for someone named Wuha Gappoli.
"What's this?" Hero Gold-Hair asked. "A wanted poster with a name but
no portrait? Hmm... The bounty is quite high, though..."
"Precisely," Riliangiu said. "Wuha Gappoli, it seems, is a djinn. Nobody
has yet been able to glean their true form."
"A djinn?!" Hero Gold-Hair and Tsuya exclaimed in perfect unison.
"Just so," said Riliangiu. "A djinn."
"But..." Hero Gold-Hair protested. "How are we supposed to hunt this
djinn if nobody knows what they look like?"
"Ordinarily we could not," Riliangiu said. "However, it just so happens
that I have obtained information that may be of use to us."
Riliangiu had once been one of Valentine's subordinates—a spy of sorts.
Her job was to monitor the state of affairs of the world of Klyrode. Now
that she was Hero Gold-Hair's follower, she used her abilities to find
information that could be useful to the party.
"Meaning," Hero Gold-Hair said, "there's a chance we could collect this
bounty..."
"Precisely." Riliangiu nodded emphatically.
"All right. In that case, let's get on it! We'll meet up with Valentine and
Dawkson outside, and head out immediately!"
"Yes, sir. I will show you the way." Riliangiu opened the door to the
Adventurers' Association, allowing Hero Gold-Hair to step outside before
following him out herself.
◇Deep in a Forest—Part 1◇
A wagon clattered down a forest path, somewhere deep in the woods.
The driver was a small-bodied woman—Greanyl of the Fli-o'-Rys General
Store. She inclined her head, puzzled. "Are you certain this is the right road,
Lord Dalc Horst? It seems different from how it was laid out on the map..."
"Nothing to worry about, Greanyl," Dalc Horst said. "This is just a
shortcut to Hilnanse City. There are rumors about this place, so it doesn't
see much use."
"Rumors?" Greanyl asked. "You mean about Wuha Gappoli?"
"Ah, of course a former elite Silent Listener would know. Yes, it seems
Wuha appears in this part of the woods. Ordinary wagons would never get
past."
"I see..." Greanyl said. "The mysterious djinn who makes a habit of
waylaying merchants and departing with their inventory..."
"We shouldn't have any problems, though!" Dalc Horst declared. "My
former subordinate Iracus said there were no issues when he passed through
these parts!"
"Indeed. If the rumors are true, we are unlikely to come under attack."
Greanyl nodded knowingly. "By the way, Lord Dalc Horst, may I ask you
something?"
"Oh? What is it, Greanyl?"
"Just something that's been on my mind. I'm certain that it was your
subordinate Iracus you mentioned earlier who was meant to be pulling my
wagon today. Why did you swap in right before we left?"
"A-Ah! Well... Iracus had some other work he had to attend to, you see.
I'm just covering his shift!" Dalc Horst spoke quickly. He was obviously
hiding something.
Strange... Greanyl thought, cocking her head. Didn't I hear Iracus say
Dalc Horst had bullied him into switching...?
"W-Well," Dalc Horst went on. "Putting that aside, would you like to get
dinner together in Hilnanse City, perhaps?"
"No, thank you," Greanyl said. "I have some intelligence work I need to
do in the area. You can eat dinner by yourself."
"Wh-What? Another no?"
"I have work, I'm afraid."
The wagon continued down the road and out of sight. Then, a voice rose
from somewhere in the forest. "Jeez! Those guys were crazy strong! I'm not
attacking them, that's for sure!"
◇Deep in a Forest—Part 2◇
"Hmm..." Hero Gold-Hair muttered as he inspected the state of the road.
"It looks like a wagon passed by not too long ago." True to his words, there
were fresh wheel tracks on the highway.
"Hm?" said Valentine. "Did Wuha Gappoli not attack this one?"
"So it seems." Riliangiu nodded. "Perhaps it had a guard of formidable
mercenaries, or perhaps the wagon driver themself was too dangerous to
attack."
"Huh?" Dawkson asked. "What does that mean?"
"I don't believe Wuha Gappoli will attack the strong, sir," Riliangiu
explained.
"They won't attack the strong?" parroted Dawkson.
"So it seems. Their reasons are unknown, but Wuha Gappoli apparently
only targets the weak."
"Well, that's pretty pathetic," said Dawkson. "You sure they're a djinn?"
"I am certain. According to my investigations, they will only attack if
they are certain they can win. Perhaps they are simply cautious..."
"Hm." Hero Gold-Hair ruminated on this information. "I suppose I can
understand that. But Riliangiu, doesn't that leave us out of luck?" He cast
his gaze behind him at Dawkson, who was in truth the Dark One Yuigarde,
and Valentine, one of the Twelve Evil Generals from the Realm of Evil.
"Won't the djinn avoid us with you two here?"
"Yes," said Riliangiu. "I had that concern as well. That is why I made
preparations of my own with some help from Lady Valentine's
Concealment magic..."
Riliangiu led the party into a thicket, where they found a rickety old
wagon. Before long they were on their way down the road—with Dawkson,
dressed in a slave's rags, pulling the wagon. Thanks to Valentine's spell, he
looked like an emaciated dwarf. In the wagon was Valentine, disguised as
an aged witch, and Riliangiu, who was dressed in a maid uniform, playing
the part of her servant. Hero Gold-Hair and Tsuya sat in front, on the
driver's platform.
"H-Hey, Riliangiu!" Hero Gold-Hair objected. "How come me and
Tsuya aren't wearing disguises?"
"I can explain, sir," Riliangiu replied. "If all of us were to wear such
disheveled clothing, Wuha Gappoli might refrain from attacking for that
reason instead. The djinn's objective, after all, is to rob wagons of their
valuables."
"I see... All right, then." Hero Gold-Hair nodded.
Huh! Dawkson thought as he listened in on the pair. She learned
everything she could ahead of time, and used that information to make sure
the plan doesn't fail! Back when I was the Dark One, I thought I could do
everything with raw power! If I had known how important information was,
I'd have tried to stop Gholl's Silent Listeners from leaving the Dark Army...
He bit his lip, reliving painful memories of his failed march on Klyrode
Castle and pursuing Zanzibar's rebel army through the desert on a fruitless
chase.
Dawkson pulled the wagon on through the forest road. The trees were
growing thick around them. "Hm?" Hero Gold-Hair suddenly uttered.
"Wh-What iiis it, Hero Gol—mpfffh?!" Tsuya began, but Hero GoldHair clamped a hand over her mouth again before she could let slip his
identity.
"Idiot!" he chided, leaning in to whisper in her ear. "You'll put Wuha
Gappoli on guard if they hear you use the word 'Hero!' I told you! Just call
me Gold-Hair!"
"Mfff! Mfffff!" said Tsuya, nodding agreeably. (Translation: "Oh, riiight!
I'm sooorry...")
Valentine glanced over at Hero Gold-Hair and Tsuya from her seat
inside the wagon. That's amazing... she marveled. My lord Hero Gold-Hair
can understand Lady Tsuya even when her mouth is covered! Goodness!
I'm a bit jealous of her... She puffed out her cheeks in a pout.
"Lady Valentine..." Riliangiu said, stepping up to the former Evil
General.
"I know, I know!" Valentine muttered back quietly. "My lord has noticed
as well. It seems they've made their appearance..." The pair turned to look
outside the wagon cover with an air of nonchalance.
Hero Gold-Hair, from the driver's seat, surveyed the woods around
them. "Look, Tsuya! That tree seems quite peculiar!" He pointed at a
strangely shaped branch with seven large knobs along its length. They
passed the tree by, but a moment later, Tsuya's eyes went wide.
"H-Huuuh?!"
Ahead of them, the tree they had passed with the weird branch was back,
waiting for them. "I don't believe you could find two trees with a branch
like that in the whole forest!" Hero Gold-Hair whispered. "Looks like
we've been going in circles for a while now..."
"Whaaa—?!" Tsuya exclaimed. "Th-Then, Wuha Gappoli is after our
haaard-earned moooney?!" She clutched the Bottomless Bag containing
their wallet tightly.
Hero Gold-Hair placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. And the
wagon rattled on, circling the same spot again and again.
◇ ◇ ◇
They continued circling for quite some time indeed.
"H-H-Hero— N-No, I mean, Lord Gooold-Hair, what do we dooo?"
Tsuya asked, trembling beside Hero Gold-Hair. "We're gonna be stuck in
the fooorest after daaark..."
Indeed, the already dimly lit forest was growing darker by the minute.
"Hey, Blondie!" said Dawkson, putting down the reins to the wagon he
had been pulling and scratching his head. "I think it might be dangerous to
keep pulling the wagon when it's this dark!"
"I suppose..." Hero Gold-Hair said. "Perhaps we should light the magic
lamp..." He turned to look back over his shoulder at the inside of the
wagon, where Valentine and Riliangiu sat. But before he could do anything,
Tsuya cried out, pointing ahead to a corner of the forest.
"Ah! Lord Gooold-Hair! There's a liiight! I can see a liiight!"
"A light?"
"Yeees! A liiight! Look! It's right over theeere!" Tsuya beamed happily
at him. "It muuust be a mountain iiinn! We should stay theeere for the
night!"
"Yeah..." Dawkson grunted, nodding. "I'm getting hungry too. Wonder
if they've got food..."
"Hm..." Hero Gold-Hair cocked his head, musing. "Well, we're not
getting anywhere like this. Let's try going towards the light."
"All right!" Dawkson cheered. "Leave it to me, Blondie! Finally, some
food!" He picked the reins back up and pulled the wagon onwards, a new
spring in his step. Dawkson was extremely hungry, and eager to waste no
time.
Before long, the wagon came up to the place they had seen the light to
find an inn. There was a lantern lit, illuminating the inn's signboard.
"There's lights on inside!" Dawkson said. "Looks like they're open,
Blondie! Hells yeah! We're getting food after all!" He gleefully pulled the
wagon into the wagon stop beside the building.
"Oh, an inn?" Valentine whispered to Riliangiu. "This certainly seems
like something."
"Perhaps they mean to ambush us inside..." Riliangiu whispered back.
"Sooo..." Tsuya said, still clutching the Bottomless Bag tight in her arms
as she interjected, "I gueeess we should go insiiide?"
The three looked at Hero Gold-Hair, who was staring fixedly at the inn.
"Hero... I mean, Lord Gooold-Hair?" Tsuya asked. "What's wrooong?"
"It's certainly fishy..." Valentine said. "But I don't sense any magic
energy..."
"Even if this is their doing," said Riliangiu, "it seems likely that they are
observing us from somewhere else."
"Well, if Valentine and Riliangiu say so, Blondie, what are we waiting
for?" bellowed Dawkson. "I'm starving!" He took off at a run for the inn's
entrance.
"Wait!" said Hero Gold-Hair. "Hold on just a minute, Dawkson!"
"Gwah?! What's up, Blondie?"
"Look," Hero Gold-Hair said. "Just wait a bit." He continued staring at
the entrance to the inn. Dawkson, Tsuya, and Valentine lined up behind him.
"I can hardly believe it, but my intuition is telling me..." He trailed off,
retrieving the Drilldozer Shovel from his Bottomless Bag. Then, holding it
in both hands, he turned back to face the inn. All four of his party—Tsuya,
Dawkson, Valentine, and Riliangiu—watched with bated breath. "...That the
inn itself is Wuha Gappoli!"
"Whaaat?!" all four exclaimed at once, expressions of utter surprise on
their faces.
"N-No waaay! Um... There's no way, right, Lord Gooold-Hair?" said
Tsuya.
"Come on, Blondie!" said Dawkson. "That's just ridiculous!"
"I must agree," Valentine added. "I don't sense even a trace of a djinn's
magic energy..."
"Indeed," agreed Riliangiu. "As much as I may hate to say it..."
But whatever the others had to say, Hero Gold-Hair had already started
digging a hole. In mere seconds, it was already deep enough that he had
vanished out of sight under the ground.
"Huh?! L-Lord Gooold-Hair?!" Tsuya shouted down the hole.
The others came up behind her to look, when suddenly, while they were
staring down the hole Hero Gold-Hair had disappeared into, the inn began
to shake. The four shouted in bewilderment.
"Whaaa?!" cried Tsuya.
"H-Hey! What's going on?!" demanded Dawkson.
"I-I don't know!" said Valentine.
"This wasn't in my intelligence!" Riliangiu despaired.
The inn shook and shook, and then a giant eyeball appeared on the wall,
leering at the party.
"Impossible!" the house said in a shrill voice. "To think someone could
see through the cunning disguise of Wuha Gappoli!"
"What?!" All four of Hero Gold-Hair's companions stared back in utter
shock.
"S-So..." said Tsuya. "The inn really waaas Wuha Gappoli?"
"I thought Blondie was just kidding..." said Dawkson.
"It must be!" said Valentine. "Once that eyeball appeared, I started
sensing their magic as well!"
"It really was Wuha Gappoli..." echoed Riliangiu.
They glanced at each other and nodded, finally understanding the
situation.
"Fwa ha ha!" Wuha Gappoli laughed. "I suppose you've found me out!
Indeed, it is I, Master Wuha Gappoli, the mansion djinn! I use my powers to
lead merchants' wagons astray on the road, making them pass the same
place time and time again! And when they're good and exhausted, I appear
to them in the form of an inn! Why, that wretched dwarf of yours was just
seconds away from stepping inside of me looking for food! My mouth
would have given him quite the welcome! And then, when you were all in
my stomachs, I was going to help myself to your merchandise!" Wuha's
doors and windows opened and closed, their shrill laughter filling the air.
"I see!" said Valentine. "So you have the ability to hide your magic
energy while you're disguised as a house. But I suppose it's not much use to
you if we know who you are." She took a step forward.
"Oooh?" said Wuha Gappoli. "What's an ancient old crone going to do
against the likes of me? You'd be better off preparing yourselves to be
eaten!" With their doors opened wide, the inn's entrance expanded left and
right, becoming a mouth full of rows and rows of needle-sharp teeth.
But Valentine didn't even flinch. "My, my..." she said. "Judging your
opponent by her appearances, are we? What a foolish house." Snickering,
she raised her hand in the air. "Now, let's see who this old crone really is!"
The very ground began to rumble.
"Whaha?! Wait! Wh-What's that noise?! Wait! M-My foundation! Oh,
no, no, no, no, no!" Wuha Gappoli cried out frantically. Their house frame
began to shake more and more, until...
Crash!
An enormous hole appeared in the ground beneath the inn. Wuha
Gappoli fell out of sight.
"Ah...ha?" Valentine said, frozen in her transformation pose. Her
opponent was gone. The four of them peered down the hole to see Hero
Gold-Hair, shovel in hand, climbing his way out of the pit.
"Guess I made it just in time!" he said.
Hero Gold-Hair had immediately sensed that the inn was Wuha Gappoli
transformed, and dug a pitfall trap big enough to catch an entire inn. The
whole thing took very little time to finish, all thanks to the legendary
artifact, the Drilldozer Shovel, which was capable of digging thousands of
times faster than any mundane tool.
◇ ◇ ◇
With the rest of the party's help, Hero Gold-Hair climbed his way out of
the pit he'd dug. He stood at the edge, surveying his handiwork with folded
arms.
"Oooh, I'm faaaaalling! I'm faaaaaalling!" Wuha Gappoli cried out, and
then their voice fell silent, as though they were unconscious. And their form
was...
"Oh nooo," said Tsuya. "They're still an iiinn..."
"Hey, look!" said Dawkson. "I think they're getting smaller!"
Just as Dawkson said, the inn in the hole was growing smaller and
smaller, until it finally assumed a form resembling a human girl.
"I suppose that must be Wuha Gappoli's true form..." said Valentine.
"Yes." Riliangiu nodded. "I sense about as much magic energy as I did
before."
"Hmm..." said Hero Gold-Hair. "So that's our bounty, then? Valentine,
care to string 'em up?"
"Gladly!" Valentine held out her arm, transforming from her old crone
disguise back to her usual beguiling form as one of the Twelve Evil
Generals. Threads shot out from her fingertips, down into the hole, where
they wrapped the unconscious Wuha Gappoli up in a spiderlike cocoon. She
set the girl down in front of the party.
"Now," said Hero Gold-Hair, "let's get them back to the Adventurers'
Association so we can collect the prize!"
Tsuya cheered and jumped in the air, holding her Bottomless Bag tight
even now. "Yaaaay! With a prize thaaat big, we don't have to worry about
money for haaalf a yeeear!"
Just then, Wuha Gappoli's eyes shot open, awakened by the sound of
Tsuya's celebrations. "Hey!" she protested. "What the heck?! What's with
all this thread?! I can't move my body!" Try as she might, all she could do
was wiggle in the cocoon. Wrapped tight by Valentine's spider thread, she
could hardly move at all.
Hero Gold-Hair knelt down and brought his face close to the
mischievous djinn's. "So you're the famous Wuha Gappoli, I take it?"
"I am," Wuha said. "What of it, old man?"
"O-Old?! You little brat! I'll have you know I'm quite young!"
"Shut up! You're old to a teenager like me! All of you losers look like
lame old geezers."
She couldn't move her body, but Wuha Gappoli was determined to use
whatever means she had to attack the party. At the moment, that was limited
to words.
"May I gag her, my lord Hero Gold-Hair?" Valentine asked. "Please?"
"Wait, Valentine," Hero Gold-Hair answered. "First, I need to give her a
good talking-to!"
"I dunnooo..." said Tsuya. "That sounds boooring. Can't we just gaaag
her?"
"I agree with Miss Tsuya," said Riliangiu.
"N-Nooo!" Wuha Gappoli shrieked, halfway to tears. "I'm sorry! I'm
sorry! You're all lovely young men and women! I was just being mean!
There—I apologized! Please don't do anything mean!"
Hero Gold-Hair crossed his arms and regarded the girl sternly. "Wuha
Gappoli," he said. "You are wanted by the Adventurers' Association. For a
considerable sum, no less! And we'll be handing you over to them, in
exchange for..."
Wuha Gappoli looked up frantically. "N-No! Forgive me! I'm so sorry! I
won't do bad things anymore! Please don't take me to the Adventures'
Association! I don't wanna go to jail!" She begged and begged for all she
was worth.
"But," said hero Gold-Hair, "weren't you just telling us about how you
like to lead merchants astray, devour them, and take their goods? We can't
exactly let someone like that go free, can we?"
"Th-That was all lies! I thought it would make me sound cool! I-I'm
practically a vegetarian! I don't eat humans! B-But...I do steal things,
sometimes..."
"Hmph. Then I suppose we'd better turn you in to the Adventurer's
Association after all!"
"No! Anything but that! I'll do anything! I'll grant you any wish you
could ask for! I don't want to spend the rest of my teenage years in jail!"
Hero Gold-Hair sighed in exasperation. Now that she's been caught,
she's just your average delinquent, isn't she...
◇Hilnanse City◇
A few days later, Hero Gold-Hair went to the Adventurers' Association
in Hilnanse City. When she saw the enormous amount of merchandise he
had brought, the rabbit girl working as the Association's receptionist
opened her eyes wide in shock.
"A-Amazing! This must be everything stolen by Wuha Gappoli! Even
this thing! And this!" She was going through the items with a list of stolen
goods in her hand, checking it against the recovered loot. Her eyes sparkled.
"If you've recovered all this, Mister Golden-Haired Braveman...that must
mean you've caught Wuha Gappoli!"
"I'm afraid not..." Hero Gold-Hair said, grimacing. "They're pretty good
at running away, it turns out! But as they fled before me, I heard them say
something like, 'I'm never coming back to this forest!' I think they've
probably left for good. Terribly sorry."
"Oh no, not at all!" the rabbit girl said. "We're very grateful for all that
you've done! Now people will be able to use the forest road without
worrying about getting attacked! I'll talk with the chief, and see if I can get
them to pay you the bounty." Without waiting for a response, she bounded
off towards the back room.
"Personally, I'd like to get this over with as soon as possible..." Hero
Gold-Hair muttered as he took a seat in a nearby chair. "Well, she's
thanking me, I suppose. I can wait."
But no sooner had he sat down than the adventurers in the building
began to crowd around him. "Wow!" one of them said. "You must be
something else! You got back everything Wuha Gappoli stole? But no one
even knows what they look like!"
"And you chased them out of the forest to boot!" added another.
"I knew from the moment I set eyes on you that you had potential!" a
third piped in.
"Hey, who are you, anyway?" said a fourth. "You kinda look like that
wanted criminal, Hero Gold-Hair!"
Hero Gold-Hair couldn't help flinching at that last one. They're
gossiping about me... he thought. We'd better get out of this city as soon as
we can... He forced himself to smile, though, and gave all the adventurers a
friendly greeting.
The rest of Hero Gold-Hair's party was watching from outside the
window.
"Eee hee hee!" Wuha Gappoli giggled, grinning to herself as she
watched. "Thanks to me, Hero Gold-Hair's the talk of the town!"
Valentine bopped the girl lightly on the head. "Don't get a big head,
girl," she said. "All I remember you doing is wailing and screaming."
"Gah! Valentine! Stop rubbing it in!" Wuha Gappoli scratched the back
of her head, clearly embarrassed. "But still," she said, "I'm part of the
group now, and I'm gonna do my best! Wuha Gappoli, at your service!
Wuha G for short!"
Meanwhile, inside, things had only continued to intensify. The
adventures had grabbed Hero Gold-Hair by the arms and legs and were
preparing to toss him in the air in celebration.
"Hooray for Golden-Haired Braveman!" they cheered.
"Hooray!"
"Okay, toss him on three!"
"W-Wait!" Hero Gold-Hair protested. "I'm not—!" But it was too late.
Despite his best efforts to escape, he was hurled into the air by the crowd
with a celebratory whoop. The rest of the party, the newest member Wuha
G included, smiled as they watched.
◇Meanwhile...◇
Far to the north of Hilnanse, where Dawkson and the rest of the party
were staying, Phufun was deep in the snowy mountains. The wind was
fierce and cold.
"I-I was certain I'd find Master Yuigarde somewhere around here..." she
chattered through frozen teeth. "But I must have been mistaken..."
She pressed her glasses up on the ridge of her nose, but it didn't help—
the lenses were covered in snow. She couldn't see anything.
Th-That's strange... she thought. I know my intuition was leading me
here...