Chereads / Untitled Novels / Chapter 41 - Capriccio for the Dark Citadel

Chapter 41 - Capriccio for the Dark Citadel

◇Houghtow City—Flio's House◇

The summer camp was over. For a while, the days passed uneventfully.

And then, one day, a dire crow came flying from Houghtow City, landing

on the road leading to Flio's house.

"Thank you, Good Sir Caw-lins! That's quite close enough," said a

cloaked man riding on the dire crow's back. "Mister Flio's house is outside

the city walls, you know! He puts up a defensive barrier after dark. It's

dangerous to get too close!" The man dismounted, followed by an

expressionless girl dressed in gothic lolita fashion. "Now..." he went on,

turning to look in the direction of Flio's house. "I just need to ask Mister

Flio to let the barrier down for me."

Suddenly, the cloaked man found a broom shoved violently in his face,

wielded by a woman in a maid uniform standing inside the barrier. "This is

the residence of Lord Flio," she declared, regarding the pair with sharp eyes

and violent intent. "What business do you have here in the early hours of

the morning? Answer well, or I—Tanya, maid of Lord Flio—shall be your

opponent!"

"O-Oh! Goodness, gracious me!" the man said. "Don't worry! I'm no

trespasser!"

"So you say," said Tanya. "But you are dressed for stealth, are you not?"

"Indeed! That I am!" the man said, removing his hood. "Miss Maid, I'm

terribly sorry to bother you, but I'm afraid I have some very urgent business

to discuss with Mister Flio! I'm happy to wait until he's awake, if you'll

give him a message for me! My name is..."

◇Later, in Flio's Parlor◇

Flio's house was built around a large living room on the first floor, big

enough for the entire household to use at once. Separate from that were the

additions Flio had built, including a number of guest rooms, and a parlor for

entertaining visitors. That was where Flio was now.

"I had no idea what to expect when Tanya called me over here," Flio

said, smiling his usual easygoing smile at the Dark Regent Calsi'im, sitting

across from him. "To what do I owe the pleasure so early in the morning,

Mister Calsi'im?"

Calsi'im's hood was down. To his left and right were the dire crow Good

Sir Caw-lins and the magic doll Tia, both sitting quietly. Seated next to Flio

were Ghozal, the former Dark One, and Uliminas, who used to serve as his

confederate. They had come running when they heard who was here.

As Rys and Tanya placed cups of tea in front of everyone, Calsi'im

looked over to Ghozal. "First, I must apologize to the retired Dark One,

Lord Gholl, for accepting the post of Dark Regent without paying a visit to

you first! That was a dreadful breach of etiquette on my part!" He bowed

deeply, but Ghozal held up his hand, indicating for Calsi'im not to lower his

head.

"That's all right," he said. "I abdicated the throne, you know. You don't

gotta pay me courtesy visits. I'm just an employee at a local general store."

Ghozal laughed.

"Well, that's a relief!" said Calsi'im, his skull rattling as he laughed

along with Ghozal. "I'm glad I don't have to be on my best behavior!"

They kept chatting for some time, until the conversation hit a lull.

Calsi'im cleared his throat and turned to face Flio directly. "Now, the thing

that brings me here today, so early in the morning..." he said. "I'm terribly

ashamed to say it, but I need your help once again, Lord Flio!"

Calsi'im had come here before to ask Flio for the Wolf of Justice's help

saving the Dark Army. At the time, he hadn't known that the Wolf of

Justice was Flio himself, but he noticed in his reports that the Wolf of

Justice and his companions would appear almost every time they attacked a

wagon carrying goods from the Fli-o'-Rys General Store. Based on those

reports, he had surmised that Flio, the store's manager, must have some

means of contacting the Wolf of Justice.

"I see..." Flio said, his carefree smile not slipping in the slightest. "If

there's something I can do, I'd be glad to help!"

Calsi'im finished his cup of tea and sighed. "The Dark Army has been

driven from the Dark Citadel!" he said. "And as much as it pains me, I'm at

a loss as to how to take it back!"

"What?!" Flio, Ghozal, and Uliminas's eyes all shot open at once.

"D-Driven from the Dark Citadel?" asked Flio.

"Hrm..." said Ghozal. "What... What happened?"

"Meowt are mew talking about?" said Uliminas.

Tia, who had been sitting next to Calsi'im, stood up from her seat.

"Allow me to explain the details," she said. "I am the magic doll Tia,

minion of the sitting Dark One Calsi'im." Calsi'im interrupted her, pulling

her aside. "What is the matter, Calsi'im?" she asked.

"I'm not the Dark One, Tia! I'm the Dark Regent! Take care not to get

them mixed up!"

"You're running the entire army on your own," said Tia. "I don't think

anyone would mind."

"Not at all! It would be quite improper! You must use my correct title..."

"Very well..." Tia agreed, reluctantly. "If it is your will, Calsi'im." She

turned back towards Flio and continued. "After subjugating the rebels, the

Dark Army signed a peace treaty with the Magical Kingdom of Klyrode.

The treaty brought peace to the demons living in our territory as well, but

many do not look kindly at the prospect of a treaty with the human and

demihuman kingdoms. Many of our vassals have stopped paying tribute. As

of now, our war chest is in dire straits."

Uliminas was stunned enough to do a spit take. "Bleh!" she said, wiping

the tea from her face. "H-Hold on a meowment! I handled the meowney

when Ghozal was Dark Meown. We were getting regular tribute the whole

time! There should be enough saved up to last decades!"

"Ah, alas," said Tia, narrowing her eyes. "Many demons stopped paying

tribute during the reign of Yuigarde, the previous Dark One, due to his

heavy-handed and tyrannical ways. Furthermore, he wasted our resources

on his fruitless expedition against the rebels. Our financial situation was

already quite dire." Once again, Calsi'im pulled her aside. "Yes? What is it,

Calsi'im?"

"Tia!" chided Calsi'im, bringing his skull up close to her ear to whisper.

"Lord Yuigarde is the current Dark One, not the previous! And don't forget

to address him as Lord Yuigarde, please!"

"He's the idiot king whose failures are to blame for our current

situation," countered Tia. "I don't see a need to address him as Lord."

"No, no! It's very important to use the Dark One's proper title!"

"Very well..." Tia said, even more reluctantly than last time. Her

shoulders were quivering with suppressed anger as she nodded. "If you

insist, Calsi'im..." She turned back to Flio. "And now Calsi'im is the Dark

Regent, but we have very little money left, and almost no income at all."

Ghozal sighed deeply. "Well, I can't say I'm too surprised. All of the

Dark Ones of history—myself included—used pure force to subjugate the

demons they ruled over. You can call yourself Dark Regent or Dark One if

you like...but with a weaker demon like you in charge, they're not gonna

feel inclined to do what you say."

"Yeah... Demeown society runs on the purrinciple of 'might makes

right'..." Uliminas sighed, nodding in agreement. "But I still can't believe

they spent all of that meowney in such a short time! What was Phufun

thinking...?"

"Phufun seems smart at first glance, with her glasses and everything,"

said Ghozal. "But she goes with her gut on important decisions. And her gut

has a terrible sense of judgment."

"Meow're not wrong..." Uliminas said, nodding again. "I guess that's

how she ended up with a meowron like Yuigarde..."

◇The Calgosi Coast—Meanwhile◇

"Achoo!" Phufun sneezed. "Ack! Where did that come from?!" Puzzled,

she took out a handkerchief and wiped the snot off her nose. "I'm all

recovered from the cold I got from visiting the north... I wonder if someone

was talking about me?"

She put away the handkerchief and pushed her glasses up against the

ridge of her nose. "Surely, it must be Master Yuigarde! I can feel it! Master

Yuigarde must be close by! Oh, my Master! Today, at long last, is the day I

find you!"

Squeezing her fists tight in determination, Phufun flew off for the beach,

looking around every which way.

◇Back at Flio's Parlor◇

"We spoke with Zanzibar, the former rebel leader," Tia explained. "He

offered us his own resources to use for the Dark Army. But someone has

already stolen the treasure from his villas! Belianna and I are currently

working to pursue the suspects, but the Dark Army's coffers are still nearly

empty. And then, a man appeared before us..."

◇Tia's Memory—The Dark Citadel Throne Room, a Few Days Earlier◇

"So, you're the human merchant who wants to do business in Dark

Army territory?" Calsi'im sat on a cloth spread out before the throne. Tia

had told him time and time again that he should sit on the throne when

visitors came, at the very least, but he refused to listen.

The man before him was accompanied by two women, who seemed to

be his servants. He bowed deeply, the women lowering their heads behind

him. "Dark Regent Calsi'im," he said. "My most humble thanks for

allowing me into your presence. It is a great honor."

"Not at all, not at all!" said Calsi'im, waving aside the formalities with

his honest humility. "I'm nobody important!"

"We are merchants, struggling to make our living in the Magical

Kingdom of Klyrode," the man said. "But I heard that you signed a peace

treaty with the Magical Kingdom. With your permission, I would like to

open a business on your side of the border."

"Hm..." mused Calsi'im. "A merchant, eh? What precisely do you have

in mind?"

"By your leave," the man said. "A friend of mine told me that the lands

near the Dark Citadel are rich in magic gems. I would beg your royal

license to excavate them for sale."

Calsi'im cocked his head. "Hmmmm... It's true that there are veins of

magic gems all throughout the valleys near the Dark Citadel. But the gems

there have so many impurities that they're hardly worth— Mnhfff?!"

Tia clapped a hand over Calsi'im's bony mouth. "Calsi'im!" she

whispered. "These people are here because they don't know that the gems

are impure! It would be to our advantage to feign ignorance on the matter

ourselves."

"Mgghf..." Calsi'im whispered back. "B-But Tia! That would be a lie!

Mfffhf...!"

"We need money more than anything right now," Tia said. "Even a little

bit would help. Please, just don't bring it up..."

"Mhmhfff..." Calsi'im nodded, giving in. "All right. If you say so, Tia,

I'll go along with it."

Tia turned to face the man. "Ahem!" she said. "I apologize for the

interruption. Please, continue."

"V-Very well," the man said. "Our plan is to send the magic gems back

to the Magical Kingdom of Klyrode for processing, and then sell the

finished products. I will gladly offer up half of my profits as tribute to the

Dark Citadel."

"Half of your profits?!?!?!" Calsi'im and Tia exclaimed at once. The

two had been planning to ask for a tenth, but the man's deal was better than

they could have imagined.

Tia leaned in close to whisper again with Calsi'im. "C-Calsi'im!" she

said. "That's a very attractive offer..."

"It is..." Calsi'im whispered back. "But this man has a bit too much of a

silver tongue for my taste..."

"I agree..." said Tia. "I was thinking the same thing. But..."

"If it's real, it would be a tremendous help to our finances..." Calsi'im

agreed.

Watching Calsi'im and his minion whisper away, the man snapped his

fingers. At his signal, the two women accompanying him brought out a pair

of large treasure chests and presented them to Calsi'im. "I am prepared to

offer you this as a deposit, provided we can come to an agreement quickly."

Calsi'im and Tia opened their eyes wide in shock. The chests were

stuffed full of gold bars.

"T-Tia!" said Calsi'im. "We could solve our money problems with that!"

"Yes!" said Tia. "Yes, we could!"

Calsi'im and Tia hugged each other tight, breaking out into a

spontaneous dance.

"Then," said the man, smiling as he held out a piece of paper on which a

contract had been written. "Could I trouble you for your signature?"

Tia read the contract over and over again. "It's written very plainly," she

said. "Just as he said. It even mentions the money he paid in advance.

Nothing about it looks suspicious..."

"Well, then!" said Calsi'im, putting his signature on the contract. "If Tia

says so, then so it must be!"

◇Houghtow City—Flio's Parlor◇

"And this is that contract," said Tia, removing a piece of paperwork

from her pocket. "There are two copies, and this is ours. It's this contract's

fault we had to leave the Dark Citadel!" she shrieked, biting angrily at the

hem of her own skirt.

Flio took the contract and looked it over. "I don't see anything wrong

with it..." he said, tilting his head. It was exactly as Tia had described in her

account.

"Hmm..." said Uliminas. "Everything seems to be in meowrder to me

too..."

The document had the following two provisions: one giving the man's

company mining rights within Dark Army territory, and the other promising

fifty percent of the profit from sales of the magic gems as tribute to the

Dark Citadel. They were exactly the terms Tia had been given. Other than

that, all there was was the man's signature and blood seal, and Calsi'im's

signature and the chip of bone he was using as a seal in place of blood,

sealed in wax.

"I thought so as well," said Tia. "But..." She flipped over the contract,

showing them the reverse side.

"Huh...?" Confused, Flio and Uliminas looked where Tia was pointing

to a line of tiny letters, too small to actually be read.

Flio enlarged the letters with magic so that everyone could read them.

"With the signature of this contract, the Dark Citadel will become property

of the Shadow Conglomerate."

◇Dark Citadel—Throne Room◇

A man sat on the throne—the merchant who had appeared before Tia

and the Dark Regent Calsi'im the day before. But the look on his face now

was nothing like a merchant's; he wore a wicked grin befitting a true

evildoer.

"Bwa ha ha ha ha!" he cackled. "To think that I, a human, would be the

first to sit on both the throne of the Magical Kingdom of Klyrode and the

throne of the Dark One!" For this man, in truth...was the Shadow King!

Once, he had reigned as king of the Magical Kingdom of Klyrode. But

when his daughter, who was then the First Princess, discovered that he had

been using his position to pursue his criminal enterprises at the expense of

the country, he was driven from the throne and thrust into exile. Afterwards,

he gained the loyalty of the demon fox sisters Kintsuno the Gold and

Gintsuno the Silver, and continued to pursue his underworld business with

their aid.

The Shadow King grinned as he sat on the throne. Flanking him to his

right and left were the aforementioned Kintsuno and Gintsuno.

"The Shadow King's done it again," Kintsuno marveled. "To think I

nearly killed you when you lost all of our money off the Calgosi Coast!"

"Yes indeed!" yipped Gintsuno. "I suppose letting you live was the right

decision after all."

"Bwa ha ha!" the Shadow King laughed again. "You'll never find a man

as competent as me, even if you search the whole wide world! Behold! I

have lawfully obtained the Dark Citadel using nothing more than a contract

and a chest of gold!"

The Shadow King and the demon fox sisters had gone to the Calgosi

Coast intending to enjoy a rollicking holiday. But they were hit by a stray

cannonball from the battle with the demon pirates and lost everything they

had. Alive, but with nothing to their name, the trio heard that the Dark

Army had been dealing with its own money problems and hatched a

cunning scheme.

"But I can hardly believe the Dark Army would back off with just one

piece of paper..." said Kintsuno.

"Don't be a fool," said the Shadow King. "This is no ordinary contract!

This is a magic item from another world I obtained through my secret

contacts while I was still king of Klyrode: a Blood Oath Contract!" A

sinister grin spread wide across his face.

"I've heard stories about those..." said Kintsuno. "I didn't realize they

actually existed!"

"Tell me about it!" Gintsuno agreed. "I had no idea they were real, let

alone that the Shadow King had been holding on to one." The fox sisters

smiled lasciviously as they pressed up close to the Shadow King from either

side.

"But you used a false identity on that contract, did you not?" asked

Kintsuno. "Would the magic still be effective?"

"Certainly!" the Shadow King said, proudly stroking his beard. "It isn't

the signature that matters, but the blood seal! Or the splinter of bone, in that

skeleton's case, seeing as he doesn't have any blood. That's what

determines the validity of the signatures on the contract. I can use whatever

name I please!"

"I see!" yipped Gintsuno. "No wonder your scheme went so flawlessly,

with your knowledge and expertise!" She wrapped her arms around the

Shadow King's shoulders.

"Then I suppose we shall be proceeding with the plan?" asked Kintsuno.

"That we shall," said the Shadow King. "We'll auction off the Dark

Citadel! The highest bid can be its master if they so please. Bwa ha ha ha

ha! Imagine all the demons who would love to sit on this throne! Why, if

the Dark Citadel was theirs, the title of Dark One might not be so distant a

dream! Imagine what kind of price the Dark Citadel itself could fetch..."

"And once the money's ours, we get out of here!" Gintsuno finished.

"Exactly! And we use the money to further expand the operations of the

Shadow Conglomerate! The three of us will keep getting richer and richer

and richer!"

"Oh, my Shadow King!" yipped Kintsuno.

"We'll follow you to the ends of the world!" declared Gintsuno.

Wedged between the two sisters, the Shadow King laughed and laughed

and laughed.

◇Houghtow City—Flio's Parlor◇

"This is a Blood Oath Contract..." said Ghozal, tilting his head in

surprise as he looked over the contract in his hand. "I've heard legends

about these things, but I had no idea there were any in this world..."

"Meowt's a Blood Oath Contract?" asked Uliminas, a dubious

expression on her face. Uliminas had been one of the most knowledgeable

members of the Dark Army during Ghozal's day, but even she had never

heard of such a thing.

"Hrm..." said Ghozal. "The Blood Oath Contract is a magic item from

another world—the Celestial Plane. Any contract written on one of these

will be enforced by a goddess called the Contract Executor. It's called a

'Blood Oath' because you need to use a seal of your own blood to activate

it. Or a bit of bone in Calsi'im's case, seeing as he doesn't have any blood."

Suddenly, Calsi'im leaned his bony body forward. "Most gracious!" he

said. "I had been hoping to ask Mister Flio to look into this Blood Oath

Contract business for me. I thought a great man and friend of the Wolf of

Justice like him just might have some experience with magic items from

other worlds, or else be able to introduce me to someone who would! But I

seem to have hit the jackpot!" Flio and Ghozal exchanged a look as

Calsi'im nodded along to himself. "Tell me, Mister Ghozal," he continued.

"All I know is that anyone who breaks the terms of the contract will face

divine retribution at the hands of the gods of the Celestial Plane, but what

does that mean, precisely? Do you happen to know what the retribution

would actually be?"

"Hrm..." Ghozal mused. "From what I've heard, the Contract Executor

will appear and cast your soul into Purgatory."

"Oh, is that all?"

Ghozal furrowed his brow. "'Is that all'?! We're talking about Purgatory

here! Your soul would be purified through unimaginable torment for all

eternity, never to be reborn again!"

But Calsi'im seemed perfectly cheerful. "Pishposh!" he said, his

jawbone clattering with laughter. "Why, then I could have settled the matter

simply at the cost of my one soul! If I had known that, I would have never

told my army to withdraw!" He turned to face Tia. "Come, Tia! Let's rally

the whole army and take back the Dark Citadel! I'll gladly let my soul be

cast into Purgatory!"

Calsi'im shot to his feet, but Tia grabbed him by the arm and forced him

back into the chair, her expression resolute. "I won't allow it! If you were to

order me into Purgatory, I would gladly obey! But I won't allow you to

speak of falling there yourself! Never!"

"N-Now, Tia!" protested Calsi'im. "You know I'm just an old skeleton.

I'll be gone sooner or later no matter what. What's the harm, if this problem

of ours can be resolved at the cost of one old man's soul...?"

"I won't allow it!"

"B-But..."

"I! Won't! Allow! It!" Tia tightly clung to Calsi'im's arm, refusing to let

go.

Flio stared intently at the duo as they argued. Tia's a magic doll like

Minilio... he thought. I had no idea they were capable of expressing so

much emotion!

"I won't!" Tia insisted, pulling harder on Calsi'im's arm. "I will never

obey such an order, no matter what!" But just then...pop! Calsi'im's arm

came clean out of its socket.

"Gaaah!" he shrieked. "M-My arm! My aaaaaarm!"

"C-Calsi'im?!" Tia exclaimed. "Oh, no! I forgot myself!" She did her

best to return Calsi'im's arm to its proper place, but she, too, was starting to

panic. In her haste, she stuck Calsi'im's arm straight through his eye socket.

Flio rushed over to set the situation straight. "Um..." he said as he

affixed Calsi'im's arm back to his shoulder. "I think I might have an idea..."

◇Later, in the Dark Citadel Throne Room◇

The Shadow King sat on the Dark One's throne. To either side, the

demon fox sisters waited at attention. Before him stood the Dark Regent

Calsi'im, accompanied by Tia.

"If it isn't the Dark Regent Calsi'im!" said the Shadow King, no longer

concealing his personality. He leaned back on the throne, spreading his legs

in a show of arrogance and leisure as he looked down at the skeleton before

him. "What business have you with the Shadow King?"

Tia took a step forward, her expression cold as ice. "How dare you

speak that way to the Dark Regent?!" she demanded. "Unforgivable!" She

attempted to step closer to the Shadow King, but Kintsuno and Gintsuno

moved in front of her, blocking her way.

Tia clicked her tongue and returned to Calsi'im's side, but her cold

expression did not leave her face. "I can't stand seeing such filth sullying

the Dark Citadel..."

"I know, Tia," said Calsi'im. "But you can leave the rest to me." He

gave Tia a reassuring pat on the shoulder before turning to face the Shadow

King. "Well then, Mister Shadow King! You seem to be in a good mood!"

"Oh?" the Shadow King said. "Don't tell me you came all this way for a

social call. I am quite busy, you know. If you're just here to exchange

pleasantries, I'm afraid our business is over. Go on, hurry along home." He

waved his hand to shoo Calsi'im away.

But Calsi'im only laughed, his jawbone rattling. "Now, now! There's no

need for that! My business will be over in just a moment."

"Business?" The Shadow King cackled, triggering a titter of laughter

from the demon foxes, hiding their mouths behind their open hands. "But I

have no business with you! Now, begone!"

"No business with me?" said Calsi'im. "Is that any attitude to take with

the cosigner of your very important contract?" He beckoned to a man who

had been waiting behind him, who stepped forward to his side. Whoever the

man was, he was wearing a white mask decorated with a spade symbol.

"This man you've brought with you..." the Shadow King observed. "He

seems to be human, but why is he masked?"

"My friend here is a teeny tiny bit shy, that's all!" said Calsi'im. "You

already searched him for weapons, didn't you? I don't see any reason he

shouldn't be allowed to wear a mask!"

The Shadow King sneered. "You are aware, aren't you, that the throne

room is under the effect of an antimagic field? There will be no summoning

friends or attacking me with magic."

The man—Flio—took another step forward. At first, he had planned to

wear his blue wolf mask and accompany Calsi'im as the Wolf of Justice,

but it occurred to him that the Shadow King might not be willing to grant an

audience if Calsi'im had the Wolf of Justice among his party. So instead, he

grabbed one of the generic masks the Fli-o'-Rys General Store sold for use

in masquerades and the like.

"Mister Shadow King," Flio said. "It is my understanding that you are

party to a Blood Oath Contract, along with my associate Mister Calsi'im?"

"Yes, quite," the Shadow King answered. "Everything is in order. He

looked over the contents and applied his blood seal. Although, in this

skeleton's case, he had to use a bone chip instead."

"Yes, so I've been told. And then, under the terms of the contract, you

evicted Mister Calsi'im and the rest of the Dark Army from the Dark

Citadel?"

"'Evicted' is an ugly word." The Shadow King pointed to the back of

the contract, drawing everyone's attention to the line of minuscule text.

"Look! It's written right here in the contract he signed: 'With the signature

of this contract, the Dark Citadel will become property of the Shadow

Conglomerate.' Although I suppose the letters are a bit too small to read

without some sort of magnification!"

The demon fox sisters snickered at the Shadow King's trick, but Flio

ignored them. He touched his finger to his mask. "Yes, I am aware of that as

well," he said. "However, there's something I wonder if you know about the

mechanisms of a Blood Oath Contract."

"The mechanisms?" The Shadow King furrowed his brow.

"Yes, the mechanisms. Mister Calsi'im told me about the Blood Oath

Contract, so I decided to do a little research of my own. It's a magic item

that binds its signers to an absolute contract, enforced by a goddess of the

Celestial Plane."

"Oh?" the Shadow King said, his tone somewhat more respectful. "So

you do know a thing or two about it..." He frowned, puzzled, staring at

Flio's mask. The only reference to the Blood Oath Contract in the whole of

the Magical Kingdom is in a grimoire in the royal archives, accessible only

to a select few of the royal family! Who is this man...?

"Are you aware, Mister Shadow King, that there are exceptions to this

rule?" Flio asked.

"Exceptions?"

"Yes. Even if both parties come to a mutual agreement and mark the

contract with their blood seal, if the contract itself contains some kind of

trick meant to prevent one party from understanding what they are signing,

the Contract Executor has the authority to declare it void."

"Hmph. You know about that too, do you...?" He grumbled. "Well then,

my mysterious masked friend. Are you going to summon the Contract

Executor for us? You'd need to cast the spell Judgment, and that is Celestial

Magic! Or do you mean to tell me that there is someone in this world of

ours capable of wielding the magic of the gods?" The Shadow King

grinned, confident in his victory.

"Well," said Flio, "I can cast it right away, if it isn't any trouble."

"What? O-Of all the preposterous..." The Shadow King grumbled and

clicked his tongue. But then he noticed something. Calsi'im, Tia, his own

underlings lurking in the edges of the throne room, and the demon fox

sisters themselves to his left and right were all staring at something above

his head.

"I-Is there something above me?!" He looked up.

There was a woman floating in midair, dressed in a tattered cloak. Her

body was that of a young maiden, but her head was nothing but a skull. She

held a scythe in her arms, nearly ten times as large as her body. "Be not

afraid," she said, speaking in their minds. "I am the Contract Executor. The

spell Judgment has been cast. I am here to see it done."

The Shadow King broke out in a cold sweat. "I-It can't be!" he said in a

shrill falsetto. "Someone cast Celestial Magic?! But nobody even did an

incantation! N-Nobody can cast Celestial Magic without an incantation!"

Flio stared at him from behind his mask. He had been the one to cast the

spell. Not long ago, when he had been treating Tanya's wounds, Flio had

accidentally taught himself Celestial Magic. It had been a simple matter of

searching his spells for any pertaining to the Blood Oath Contract.

I cast it without an incantation because I thought it would be less

conspicuous... he thought. But I guess most people need an incantation to

cast Celestial Magic! I'll be more careful next time not to stand out.

In fact, among all the humans, demihumans, demons, and everyone else

living in the world of Klyrode, there were only two individuals capable of

using Celestial Magic. Flio was one of them.

The Contract Executor floating above the Shadow King's head swung

her scythe, and the two copies of the contract between Calsi'im and the

Shadow King floated up into the air before her.

"H-H-Hold on a moment!" said the Shadow King, putting on his best

smile and his most humble affect. "I-I realize that that bit is a little bit

difficult to read, but I made certain he understood it! I assure you I certainly

was not trying to deceive Mister Calsi'im..."

Kintsuno and Gintsuno ran up close to him.

"Y-Yeah!" yipped Kintsuno. "It wasn't on purpose!"

"He understood the terms!" Gintsuno yipped. "The contract is valid!"

The two smiled as kindly as they could, but their voices were

unmistakably shrill.

The Contract Executor looked over the contracts. Then she cast her gaze

towards the Shadow King and the demon fox sisters and raised her scythe

over her head. She uttered a single word. "Guilty." And down came the

scythe. The contracts, which had been floating in the air, were torn to

pieces. The scraps rained down on the Shadow King's head.

"I-It can't be..." said the Shadow King.

"The Blood Oath Contract..." Kintsuno continued.

"...It's gone!" finished Gintsuno.

The three stared, dumbfounded.

"Well, how about that!" said Calsi'im. "It looks like that contract of

yours is no more! I suppose you'd best be showing yourselves out of the

Dark Citadel!"

The Shadow King sighed and turned to face Calsi'im. "You don't have

the strength to cast me out!" he said. "There are only three of you, and I

have two thousand elite mercenaries and the demon fox sisters on my side!

We'll take you prisoner by force!"

But as he spoke, the Shadow King noticed something else. His

underlings, who had been keeping a perimeter around the throne room,

were all lying unconscious on the floor. Not a single one was on their feet.

He did a double-take and saw that a great white wolf had somehow made its

way into the throne room.

"H-How did this wolf get here?!" he demanded, grinding his teeth

together as he shot to his feet and rushed for the back of the throne room.

"You can't use teleportation magic in the Dark Citadel's throne room! What

did you do?!"

Just then, a crow's caw rang out. "Caw—!"

"Ngh?!" The Shadow King turned to see a dire crow land next to

Calsi'im and Tia. "Did that crow carry the wolf in here?! That's one way to

get around the antimagic field, I suppose. And she's using physical attacks

to get around the restriction on offensive magic! Damn them!" he angrily

muttered, hiding himself. "Kintsuno! Gintsuno!" he barked at his

underlings. "What are you doing?! It's just one wolf! Gang up on it!"

But the demon fox sisters didn't seem eager to follow his orders.

"G-Gintsuno..." Kintsuno whispered to her sister. "You don't suppose

that wolf is a lupine demon, by any chance...?"

"I-I had been wondering the same thing, K-Kintsuno..." said Gintsuno.

"I wonder... Is that the same lupine that's been running around playing

guardian deity for the Magical Kingdom's supply shipments? This might be

a bit more than we can handle..."

"If she's that lupine, does that mean that that man is...?" Gintsuno trailed

off, her body shaking with fear.

A look of shock came over the Shadow King's face. He pointed a

trembling finger at the masked Flio. "Y-You!" he said. "Are you...the Wolf

of Justice?!"

During the war, the Wolf of Justice and his companions had fought off

attack after attack on the Magical Kingdom's supply lines. There wasn't a

demon alive who hadn't heard of him. That should have made him a figure

of hatred among demonkind, but demons were a people who respected

power. Many of them saw him more as an object of envy for his strength. It

was common knowledge that the Wolf of Justice always fought with a great

white wolf by his side, as the Shadow King and the demon fox sisters were

certainly well aware.

Flio, however, cocked his head in innocent puzzlement. Huh...? he

thought. I wore a different mask this time so they wouldn't recognize me!

How did they figure it out?

"I-In that case," yipped Kintsuno, "we should get out of here!" She

transformed from her beguiling feminine figure into a golden demon fox.

"Run awaaaay!" Gintsuno agreed, turning into a silver fox not unlike her

sister. She picked up the Shadow King, who was still hiding in the back of

the throne room, by the scruff of his neck.

"Byeeee!" The foxes yipped, escaping through a secret passage behind

the throne.

But Rys—the lupine nuzzling affectionately up to Flio—made no move

to chase them. In fact, Calsi'im, Tia, and the dire crow all simply stood

there as the foxes fled.

"Oh!" Flio, who had gotten distracted wondering what had given away

his disguise, suddenly remembered where he was and turned to address

Calsi'im. "I suppose that's all you need from us, then?"

"Yes, thank you, Mister Flio!" said Calsi'im. "You were a tremendous

help! Thanks to you, we were able to take back the Dark Citadel with no

harm done!" Calsi'im gave another one of his rattling laughs. "They can

take care of things from here!" He looked on at the secret passage through

which the Shadow King and the fox sisters had vanished.

◇Later, in a Forest Behind the Dark Citadel◇

At first glance, this corner of the forest looked completely unremarkable

—just another overgrown thicket. But then, out jumped Kintsuno and

Gintsuno, still in their demon fox forms.

"I-It looks like we got away..." said Kintsuno. Gintsuno couldn't reply,

as she was carrying the Shadow King in her mouth, but she nodded in

fervent agreement.

"The lupine must have worn herself out defeating the mercenaries in the

throne room!" said the Shadow King, grinning in relief at their near escape.

"Ah ha ha! I thought they were a useless lot, but I suppose they came in

handy in the end!"

Suddenly, Kintsuno came to an abrupt stop. "Yip?!"

Gintsuno skidded to a halt beside her.

"Watch out!" blustered the Shadow King. "Wh-What was that about?!

You nearly choked me!" Indeed, the force of the large fox stopping abruptly

had gotten his neck caught rather badly in the collar of his shirt.

Just then, a number of figures had jumped out of the underbrush. "Ah!"

said the Shadow King. "The mercenaries I ordered to lie in wait in case of

an emergency, is it? I'm glad to see you remembered your— Huh?!" The

words died in his mouth. These weren't his reinforcements, in fact. They

were the members of the Dark Army he had driven out of the Dark Citadel,

along with Calsi'im.

"Lord Calsi'im was right," one of them said.

"So they tried to escape this way after all!"

The Shadow King and the demon fox sisters were outnumbered five or

six to one.

"N-Ngh!" the Shadow King exclaimed. "What happened to my

mercenaries?! I-I'm sure I ordered them to wait here..."

"Oh, them?" said a man, stepping out in front of the Shadow King.

"They're long gone, I'm afraid."

When they saw who it was, the Shadow King and the demon fox sisters'

eyes went wide with shock. The Shadow King put a friendly smile on his

face as he addressed the newcomer by name. "W-Well! What a surprise to

meet you here, Mister Zanzibar...!"

Yes! The one who stood before them was none other than the former

rebel leader Zanzibar! Behind him, apparently keeping an eye on the

prisoner, was Belianna.

"W-We have been most worried about you!" the Shadow King went on.

"We heard a rumor that you were taken captive by the Dark Army after we

parted ways in the desert!"

"Y-Yeah!" said Kintsuno, putting on a friendly smile of her own. "We

tried all kinds of tricks, looking for ways to break you out..."

Gintsuno still had the Shadow King in her mouth and couldn't speak, so

she just nodded in agreement.

"You don't say," said Zanzibar, shooting a withering glance at his

interlocutors. "You were looking for ways to break me out, were you? So

you mean to say you weren't busy stealing my hidden treasure."

"O-Of course!" The Shadow King said, furrowing his brow with stress.

"Th-That's what the mercenaries were here for..." The Shadow King and

the demon fox sisters had once demanded a hefty sum to shelter Zanzibar's

army. Worse, they were the ones who plundered Zanzibar's villas of their

treasures. Zanzibar was the last person any of them wanted to see.

"They must have had a difficult time of it," said Zanzibar, cracking his

knuckles as he strode forward. An aura of malicium welled up behind him,

shaking with fury. "They were in a terrible hurry to get away once they saw

me. Although, thanks to Miss Belianna, we were able to catch them. I'll

give them back, of course. After all, they've already confessed to

everything."

Belianna stepped up beside Zanzibar, hefting her scythe on her shoulder.

"You three are a damned great deal of trouble," she said, her own malicium

aura manifesting. "Me and the old man here have been looking damned

near everywhere for you! I had to miss my sister's damned summer camp!

I'm looking forward to venting some of my damned frustration..."

"N-N-Now hold on just a moment, Mister Zanzibar!" said the Shadow

King. "And you, young lady! You have it all wrong! I haven't stolen a

single coin from you! This is slander!" He gesticulated furiously from his

dangling position.

"I see..." said Zanzibar. "And are you prepared to sign on it?"

"S-Sign?"

"Yes," Zanzibar confirmed. "Perhaps you will sign this contract for me,

if you will be so kind?"

The Shadow King balked. "Th-This is a Blood Oath Contract! H-How

did you...?!"

The contract consisted of a single sentence. "The Shadow King will use

neither falsehood nor trickery in his dealings with Mister Zanzibar."

"I received it from a benefactor of mine," Zanzibar said. "Regardless, if

what you are saying is true, then you should have no reason to hesitate.

May I have your blood seal, O Shadow King? An honest man like yourself

should have nothing to worry about." He smirked wickedly. "Unless you're

afraid of the Contract Executor coming for your head."

He punctuated his last statement by pulling his thumb across his own

neck demonstratively.

"I could take his damned head," said Belianna, spinning her scythe in a

lethal-looking arc. "There's no damned need for this."

Unsurprisingly, the Shadow King's face blanched white. The three had

been on the verge of escape, only to find themselves surrounded on all

sides. They were trapped, like flies in a web.

◇Later, in the Dark Citadel Throne Room◇

Calsi'im sat on his cloth in front of the throne. "Little Belianna tells me

that they've safely seen our malefactors to the underground prison! It seems

they fainted of their own volition! It might be some time before we can

question them... I do wish we could have captured them without anyone

getting hurt..." Calsi'im scratched the top of his skull.

"True enough," Flio said, smirking. "We do need to question them about

the Shadow Conglomerate. How about it? Do you want me to heal them

with magic?"

"Oh, no, no, no, no!" insisted Calsi'im. "We mustn't do that! Mister

Zanzibar told me to leave them as they are! I suppose he's still angry at

them for stealing all of his treasure!"

"Ahhh," Flio said. "I see." His face relaxed to his usual easygoing smile,

but with the spades mask on, nobody around him could see what

expressions he was making.

Rys, who had turned into her human form and put on a change of

clothes, stepped up beside her husband. "Incidentally, my lord husband,

why did you ask Zanzibar and the others from the Dark Army to arrest

those three? If you had asked me, I could have easily done it on my own..."

"That's true," Flio said. "But I figured Mister Zanzibar and the rest of

the Dark Army could afford to do some of the work. Right, Mister

Calsi'im?"

"Quite right!" Calsi'im agreed. "Mister Zanzibar has committed some

rather serious crimes! Treason, for instance! And most of the others I sent

were his fellow rebels who rejoined the Dark Army, you see. They'll have

to answer for those crimes when the Dark One Yuigarde returns! But if they

were the ones to arrest the people who tried to take the Dark Citadel from

us..."

"I see!" said Rys, clapping her fist against her palm in realization. "Even

a useless idiot brute like Yuigarde won't be inclined to punish them if

they're doing such good work!"

Rys's words brought another smirk to Flio's face. "A useless idiot brute,

you say?" It sounded like Rys knew Yuigarde well from her time in the

Dark Army.

"Well spoken, Rys," said Tia, nodding in agreement. "I myself could not

have described Yuigarde more accurately."

"N-Now, Tia..." said Calsi'im. "How many times have I told you? You

mustn't forget to call him Lord Yuigarde, or at least Dark One! MMoreover, you mustn't use words like 'idiot' to...to..." Calsi'im trailed off.

Even he couldn't deny the accuracy of Rys's words.

Flio smiled happily. "Well, we got the Dark Citadel back!" he said.

"That just leaves one more problem for us to solve."

Calsi'im and Tia's expressions suddenly turned dark. "That's right..."

said Calsi'im. "We got the Shadow King and his minions, but that doesn't

do anything for our financial situation..."

"And Zanzibar's hidden treasure was lost..." said Tia. "How are we

going to pay our army's salaries or the Dark Citadel's utility bills...?"

The two folded their arms in thought.

"Actually..." said Flio. "I might have an idea..."

"What was that, Mister Flio?! Y-You do?!"

"Wh-What kind of idea?!"

Calsi'im and Tia came running up. Flio began to explain...

◇Days Later—The Fli-o'-Rys General Store◇

"Let's see..." Greanyl looked over the contents of the wagon, paperwork

in her hand, making sure the inventory was in order. "That seems to be

everything. We're heading out! Take care while we're gone!"

She jumped up on the wagon platform while everyone else busied

themselves with their own tasks.

"Seems like a large load this time," said the demon horse pulling the

wagon as the two left the store behind them.

"Yes," answered Greanyl. "Today's delivery is for the new shop, after

all." Then she noticed who the horse was. "Wait... Lord Dalc Horst? How

strange. I could have sworn it was Locrah today..."

"O-Oh, well, you know Locrah. He doesn't really like working all that

much. So I guess I'm pulling your wagon again! Nice working with you!"

For some reason, Dalc Horst seemed nervous about something.

"Hm..." Greanyl replied. "Well, it's no trouble on my end. I always

know I have nothing to worry about with you pulling the wagon. Do you

think you can double-time it?"

"Of course! Leave it to me! By the way, Greanyl... After this delivery,

do you want to get a bite to eat?"

"I have more intelligence gathering to do," said Greanyl. "Don't worry

about me. You can go out to eat on your own if you like."

"B-But..." Dalc Horst protested, "Th-That's not what I want..." He

sighed as he sped up. "Oh, well. Today's another miss..."

"Hm?" Greanyl looked puzzled as the pair sped along.

◇Dark Citadel—Front Gate◇

A great crowd of demons stood in front of the Dark Citadel. This group,

however, was lined up facing the opposite direction of the Citadel itself.

They were queued up, making their way towards a building that had once

been a barracks, and had now been remodeled as a shop.

There was a sign outside. It read, "Fli-o'-Rys General Store: Dark

Citadel Branch."

The inside was packed with demons, looking over all the weapons,

magic items, and sundry goods on display and taking what they liked to the

register for purchase.

"This sword is something else!" said one of the demon customers. "It

looks like a normal sword, but it's got a ton of enchantments!"

"These magic gems are incredible too..." marveled another. "It's almost

twice as powerful as the gems you can buy in the market town! And the

price is good..."

There was a market not far from the Dark Citadel where demons went to

do commerce. But the goods on sale at the Fli-o'-Rys General Store were

much higher quality than what you could purchase there, and far more

reasonably priced. It was no surprise that the store had been tremendously

busy since the day it opened.

"Whoa!" Rayne the pandaman exclaimed as he ran up to the display

case carrying a wooden crate. "I just restocked these things, and they're

already almost gone! I guess I'd better restock them quick..." Indeed, the

shelf had just about been picked clean.

"Th-This display case is empty too," said the spider demon Iuki, fighting

back a cold sweat and unsteady on his feet. "We're even running out in the

back room..."

Just then, the shadow demon Greanyl bolted into the store. "Greanyl of

the Fli-o'-Rys Main Branch, reporting in! We have your supplies!"

"G-Greanyl!" Rayne cried in relief.

"Oh, good, you're here!" said Iuki. "We had just started to run out of

inventory. I was at my wit's end..."

"I see," said Greanyl. "Then I'll help. We'll have this store restocked in

no time."

Greanyl hurried back towards the wagon she had ridden here from

Houghtow City to retrieve its inventory. Rayne and Iuki were close on her

heels.

Three figures stood a ways away, watching the scene play out inside the

store—the Dark Regent Calsi'im, his minion Tia, and Flio, the manager of

the Fli-o'-Rys General Store.

"My, I didn't know what to think when you said your plan was to open a

Fli-o'-Rys branch store in the Dark Citadel!" exclaimed Calsi'im. "But it

seems to be going off without a hitch!"

Tia clasped her hands together in front of her chest, pure joy on her face.

"You've been most generous," she said, her eyes shining. "Giving us a full

third of the proceeds from sales just for rent on an empty building...

Employing demons who live in the Dark Citadel... Even paying us a

finder's fee for introducing them to you! You truly are our savior..."

Flio smiled his usual easygoing smile as he watched the bustle inside the

store. It showed no signs of abating. "I'd been thinking of opening a second

store for a while," he said, "but there's so much I would have to figure out. I

would've had a lot of trouble without you to recommend the location and

introduce me to people you know who might make good merchants. I

should be thanking you."

"Well, I'm very happy to hear that!" said Calsi'im, a slight look of

anxiety crossing his face. "But...is this really what you want, Mister Flio?"

"What do you mean?" Flio asked.

"Well, you know! True, the Dark Army and the Magical Kingdom of

Klyrode are at peace, but so far, that's only while I'm serving as Dark

Regent! There's no telling if the Dark One Lord Yuigarde will wish to keep

the treaty when he returns..."

Flio nodded and smiled. "In that case, I'll just have to ask the Dark One

personally when the time comes. I'm sure I can bring him around, with your

help."

"Hmmm..." Calsi'im thought. "It's strange! With you saying so,

somehow it doesn't seem so impossible!" He laughed merrily, his jawbone

rattling in his skull.

Tia and Flio simply smiled.