◇Deep in a Forest◇
In a forest, deep in the mountains, far from Castle Klyrode, the twoheaded doppeladler Hugi-Mugi, formerly of the Infernal Four, was making
a life for themselves, disguised in their human form.
"Waaah!!!"
"What is happening to us?!"
A group of adventurers, numbering in the dozens, were running lost
through the forest, screaming their heads off. A mixture of humans and
demihumans, they all looked quite strong, wielding top-quality equipment.
But right now, they were running all out, trying desperately to escape the
forest.
It was no surprise; chasing after them was a huge horde of rampaging
wolf-type and bear-type magic beasts.
"So much for our plan to get rich by finding that giant gold magic
beast..."
"Where did all those magic beasts come from, anyway?!"
The adventurers ran for their lives, the horde in hot pursuit. Eventually,
they made it out and vanished every which way. The magic beasts stopped
at the edge of the forest, picked up the high-quality gear the adventurers had
dropped in their haste, and went back, making their way to a small hut deep
in the forest. One of them, a giant bear, went up to knock gingerly on the
door.
"Who is it, yes? Yes, who is it?" Hugi-Mugi said, opening the door to
their hut. They only had one head in their human form, but they still spoke
with two voices. The magic beasts knelt before them.
Shortly after Hugi-Mugi had moved into the forest, the magic beasts had
gathered together, thinking to expel the outsider. But as soon as they saw
the enraged Hugi-Mugi in their true form—an enormous two-headed
monster bird—they realized that they had no chance of victory.
Ever since then, they treated Hugi-Mugi as the ruler of the forest,
chasing the adventurers who came after them out of the woods and bringing
them their gear as tribute.
"We see, yes!" said Hugi-Mugi. "You've chased away some adventurers
again, yes! Yes, chased them away again! I'll buy you something tasty as a
reward, yes. Yes, tasty rewards!"
The horde of magic beasts let out a cry of joy.
Hugi-Mugi placed the weapons they'd been given in a set of wooden
chests, which they carried on their back. There were five chests in total, all
of them quite heavy, but Hugi-Mugi carried them along as if they weighed
nothing at all. Eventually, they made their way out of the forest and arrived
at the village.
A woman wearing round glasses came running out of a nearby shop the
moment they arrived. "Ee hee hee! Hugi-Mugi! What a delight to see you!"
The shop had a sign outside, reading "Shino's General Store."
"Shino!" said Hugi-Mugi. "We were just looking for you, yes! We have
some weapons to sell to your shop, yes! Yes, weapons for sale!"
They hadn't finished speaking before Shino grabbed them by their free
arm and began pulling them into her shop. "Oh, my! How wonderful! Your
weapons always sell well, you know. You're such a big help, Hugi-Mugi!"
When Hugi-Mugi had first moved to this part of the world, the sight of
them carrying five wooden chests stacked taller than their entire body
would have drawn disbelieving stares from the village folk, but the people
walking by greeted them like nothing was out of the ordinary.
"If it isn't Hugi-Mugi!"
"Hard at work with your deliveries, I see!"
Inside Shino's shop, Hugi-Mugi saw Cartha, who worked on a nearby
farm. "Hugi!" she exclaimed, her expression brightening as she ran up to
them, interposing herself between them and Shino.
"Oh, Cartha!" said Hugi-Mugi. "What are you doing here, yes? Yes,
what are you doing?"
"I'm just here to sell some of our farm's vegetables. What about you,
Hugi?"
"We are here to sell some weapons we found in the forest, yes! Yes, and
use the money to buy some food!"
"You are? Then you should buy some of my vegetables! I'll sell them
extra cheap to you, Hugi!"
Shino pushed Cartha out of the way. "Wait just a moment!" she said.
"You can't do business with someone else in my shop! Hugi-Mugi was in
the middle of talking to me just now. Don't be a bother!"
"Excuse me?" said Cartha. "Me and Hugi are quite close, you know. Am
I not allowed to speak with my friends? If we can't do it in your shop, then
we'll do it outside. I trust that won't be an issue!"
"Of course it's an issue!" Shino snapped back. "Hugi-Mugi and I were
in the middle of some friendly sales negotiations! You can jabber all you
like once we've finished."
"What did you say?!"
"How dare you!"
The two butted heads, glaring daggers at each other just inches apart.
Hugi-Mugi sighed deeply.
"What's wrong, you two?" they asked. "Yes, what's wrong? Why do you
keep shouting at each other? We can sell our weapons to Shino, and Cartha
can sell her vegetables, and we can use the money to buy Cartha's
vegetables from Shino, yes? Yes, no problem!"
"You're right. That's not a problem," said Cartha. "And perhaps
afterwards, Hugi, we can eat dinner together at my place! I'll cook
something delicious, just for you!"
Hugi-Mugi grinned, making Cartha blush. "Yes, yes! Cartha's cooking is
delicious, yes!"
Once again, Shino pushed her way in between the pair. "All right, all
right! But first, we need to do business! Shall we deal over a cup of tea in
my room on the second story...?"
Cartha grinned triumphantly. "Oh, but weren't you in a hurry to get
those weapons on display in your shop? Are you getting distracted on the
job?"
Hugi-Mugi nodded. "Let's hurry, yes! Yes, no distractions."
"O-Oh..." said Shino, slumping her shoulders. It looked like she was
about to cry.
In the end, Hugi-Mugi bought up all the vegetables Cartha had brought
to Shino's store, as well as some meat. They left with Cartha's wagon,
which was now fuller than when she had arrived.
"Are you going to eat all of that yourself, Hugi?" Cartha asked.
Hugi-Mugi, who had been pulling the wagon as if it were light work,
looked surprised. "Not at all, yes! Yes, this is for our friends!"
"Your friends?"
"Our friends, yes! Yes, our friends in the forest. The food is for them!"
"I see! But Hugi...do you know how to cook?"
"Not even a little, yes! Yes, but our friends love it raw!"
When she heard those words, a thought struck Cartha's mind. She
should cook for Hugi's friends! They would be delighted and beg HugiMugi to marry Cartha, who was so kind to all of them. She giggled, losing
herself imagining her married life for a second, before remembering where
she was and wiping off the line of drool that had trickled down her chin.
"I know, Hugi!" she said. "Why don't I cook for those precious friends
of yours?"
"You mean it?! They'll be delighted, yes! Yes, delighted!"
"Hee hee! I'm sure they will! Leave it to me!" Cartha beamed as wide as
she could.
The two made their way to Hugi-Mugi's hut in the forest. Cartha,
however, had no idea that what awaited her was an enormous horde of
magic beasts...
◇Flio's House—The Stables◇
Flio's house was located outside the walls of Houghtow City, right next
to a forest full of dangerous magic beasts. There were no other buildings
anywhere nearby. When Flio had first moved the house to its current
location, it was surrounded by empty land. They had used that land to build
a pasture for horses, managed by Sleip and Byleri, as well as an enormous
farm run by Blossom.
In a corner of the pasture stood the stables, where the demon horses who
pulled the wagons for the Fli-o'-Rys General Store slept. Half of the horses
here were once elite soldiers under the command of Sleip, when he had
been one of the Infernal Four. The first floor was where the wild horses they
had caught made their homes, in individual stalls with straw spread out on
the floor. The second and third floors were for Sleip's former soldiers, who
had the ability to take human form and slept in private rooms.
In one of those rooms, Dalc Horst was lying on his bed, staring up at the
ceiling. "How am I supposed to get closer to Greanyl?!" he lamented. "I've
been swapping jobs with the other horses so I could be assigned to her
wagon, and we've been spending a lot of time together, but she won't talk
about anything other than work! And every time I ask her to eat dinner with
me, she says she's gotta go do intelligence gathering and runs off
somewhere!"
He sighed. "Well, it is what it is. She's so serious and hardworking—it's
why I fell for her in the first place. And now I'm setting time up for us to be
alone together...although we've had a lot of time alone together already at
this point..." He sighed again. "With as many difficulties as I've been
having, who knows when I'll be able to ask her out on a date...?"
With one final sigh, Dalc Horst pulled the blankets over his shoulders
and closed his eyes. "Anyway, it's another early morning tomorrow. Better
get some sleep..."
Greanyl, meanwhile, had been outside Dalc Horst's window the entire
time. As a shadow demon, stealth was one of her specialties. She had
concealed herself beside the window frame, eavesdropping on Dalc Horst
talking to himself.
"I came here to see if I could learn why Dalc Horst had been acting so
strange lately..." she said to herself, blushing red. "B-B-But is that true? HH-He wants to go on a date with me? Oh... Oh, my! What could he possibly
see in a scrawny, unfeminine girl like me, who's so awkward I can't even
hold my end of a conversation...?"
Blushing to the tips of her ears, Greanyl leapt down from Dalc Horst's
third-story window, landing silently on the ground below. She pressed her
palms to her forehead as she vanished into the night. "H-H-How am I
possibly supposed to look Dalc Horst in the face tomorrow, now that I've
heard all that?!"
The next morning, Dalc Horst was in his demon horse form, standing in
front of the wagon and turning his head this way and that. "Strange..." he
said. "I got assigned to Greanyl's wagon again today, but I don't see her
anywhere! It's already time to leave. It's not like her to be late..."
Suddenly, Greanyl appeared soundlessly in the driver's seat. "Ah,
Greanyl!" Dalc Horst said. "I'd been waiting! Well, then...shall we...huh?!"
His eyes opened wide. Greanyl, for some reason, was wearing a Wolf of
Justice mask. "Er... Are you planning on going out like that?"
Greanyl nodded silently.
"Well..." said Dalc Horst. "It doesn't bother me if that's how you wanna
dress..." And he set off, pulling the cart.
Aside from the mask, Greanyl looked the same as ever. But secretly,
behind her mask, her face was bright red. She kept recalling the words she
had heard Dalc Horst say the night before.
N-N-No way... she thought, doing her utmost to keep her heart from
beating out of her chest. There's just no way I can talk normally like this!
M-M-My face feels like the surface of the sun! Oh... What do I do?! I won't
be able to apply myself properly!
◇The Celestial Plane—Central Management Tower◇
The Central Management Tower was located in the very center of the
Celestial Plane, gazing down over the buildings below. In one of the tower's
rooms, two goddesses were conversing in serious tones, poking and
prodding at the viewing crystal set in front of them.
"What do you think, Celbua?" asked Zofina.
"L-Let me see..." Celbua answered. "I believe we are close to being able
to reconnect with the world of Klyrode..."
The crystal had once been set to monitor the world of Klyrode, where
Flio lived. But the other day, while they had been checking in on Tanyalite,
the agent they had sent to infiltrate Flio's household, the connection was
somehow interrupted. Even now, the crystal still would not display images
from the world of Klyrode.
"We've been unable to monitor that world since the viewing crystal lost
its connection..." said Zofina.
"Yes..." Celbua agreed. "Leaving us unable to respond if an emergency
were to occur. We must fix this before that happens, for the sake of peace in
that world."
The two kept pouring their magic into the crystal, feeding it for all they
were worth. It took a bit of time, but eventually, an image gradually came
into view.
"Celbua! We did it!" Zofina exclaimed.
"Yes, Lady Zofina! Just a bit more!" The two shared a smile.
But just then, the crystal made an unfortunate noise. Kshh!
"Wh-What was that sound?"
"I-I don't know..." Celbua answered. "It sounded like it was coming
from the crystal..."
The two goddesses looked over the crystal they were pouring their
energy into, puzzled expressions clouding their faces. Ksssshhhh! The
crystal rang out, deep rifts forming along its body. And then, with a crack, it
split cleanly in two.
"What?!" demanded Zofina.
"Ah?!" exclaimed Celbua. The color drained out of their faces as they
stared at the inert husk of the viewing crystal.
Meanwhile, in front of Flio's house, Tanya stood looking up, her arm
extended skyward.
"They're certainly persistent villains," she said. "To think they would try
a second time to spy on Master Flio's house! I can't imagine who these
people are, but I believe I've destroyed the crystal they were using to look
into this world. It will not happen again!"
Nodding, satisfied, Tanya looked back down at the basket she was
carrying in her other arm, full to the brim with the house's laundry. "Oh, no!
I mustn't waste time like this! I must hurry and dry the laundry, so I can
leave to hunt for our dinner!"
And so, Tanya ran off in the direction of the drying racks.
◇The Calgosi Coast◇
"N-Ngh?! Wh-What's this?!" Captain Eddsarch of the Blackbeard
Corsairs looked around at his fleet with a look of perfect confusion on his
face. His ships were sinking fast, one after another. They had come face-toface with a great fleet of military ships in formation, firing volleys of
cannonballs, one after another. They struck with deadly accuracy, each hit
sending one of his ships to the ocean floor.
"Impossible! I would have heard if my Junia had a navy like this! At this
rate, I'll never have my lovey-dovey check-in time with her! C-Come on,
men! Return fire!"
"A-Aye-aye, Sir!" At their captain's orders, the intact pirate ships began
to fire back on the navy, but before they could reach their targets, a giant
squid burst out of the sea, blocking them off.
"Gah ha ha!" laughed Polseidon, striding into the waves in his giant
form. "You'll never win!" He struck the water, sending a great wave at the
pirates. Rocked by the turbulence, their cannon shots went flying wildly in
every direction. The navy unleashed another deadly volley, sinking more
and more of Eddsarch's fleet.
"C-Captain Eddsarch!" one of his crew shouted. "A-At this rate, we're
done for!"
"Nghhhh!" Eddsarch cried. "Curse those landlubbers! That's enough for
today! Pull back!"
Cries of "Heave-ho!" rang out everywhere as the surviving pirates
worked to turn the ships around to flee. But as they did, the navy closed the
distance. They opened fire at close-range, their cannons nearly horizontal,
putting hole after hole in what was left of Eddsarch's fleet, which began to
sink beneath the waves.
"Damn you!!!" Eddsarch cried, making unspeakably vulgar gestures at
the navy ships. "Don't think this will be enough to make me give up on my
check-in with my Junia! I'll be back! You'll rue the day!" The water had
reached above the deck. Eddsarch himself began to vanish under the water.
The last to disappear from view were his gesticulating hands.
The force that had obliterated Captain Eddsarch's Blackbeard Corsairs
so utterly was none other than the former demon pirates who had been sent
away by Flio and then beaten to a pulp by Zarmas. Now they bore the crest
of House Van Biel on their boats.
Junia Van Biel looked out at the scene. "I-I didn't even need to fight this
time!" she said, a look of rapture on her face.
"Right?" said a small-bodied, dark-skinned woman—Rolindeim—as she
stepped up to Junia. "With those demon pirates on our side, we don't have
to worry about Eddsarch's gang at all!"
"It really looks that way," Junia agreed, nodding happily.
Another woman was watching the scene unfold from atop a nearby
boulder—Shaxablena, captain of the Ladyshark Pirates, one of Eddsarch's
allies. She had been watching the one-sided battle from start to finish, cold
sweat running down her brow.
"Holy hells..." she muttered. "When did Van Biel get her hands on a
powerful navy like that?! Eddsarch got all the local pirates for his fleet, but
they just got wiped out like it was nothing! I wonder... There's that rumor
that says the Magical Kingdom of Klyrode and the Dark Army went and
made peace. Did the anti-demon forces take up pirate-hunting with all the
free time they have now? Maybe I should think seriously about whether
piracy's a good game to be in anymore..."
Following the overwhelming defeat and utter obliteration of Captain
Eddsarch's pirate fleet by Junia Van Biel's new navy, news of pirate activity
on the Calgosi Coast died down to almost nothing for quite some time.
◇Dark Citadel—Fli-o'-Rys Dark Citadel Branch Store◇
Belianna's eyes went wide when she entered the branch store. "N-No
way..."
She had been away from the Dark Citadel for some time, officially
keeping an eye on Zanzibar. When she got back, she decided to check out
the new store they had set up in front of the Citadel on a whim. "What's this
damned store?" she had said. "I suppose I'll check it out..."
But now, in her hand, she clutched a single one of the Wolf of Justice
masks they had for sale. Back at the main branch, this had been a number
one seller—it was the mask of the hero who brought peace between the
Dark Army and the Magical Kingdom, after all. It was only natural that
they would stock them in the new store as well.
It turned out to be a huge hit with the demons. "Whoa! Is that a Wolf of
Justice mask?"
"He was our enemy, to be sure, but his strength is worth respecting."
"All right! I'll take one!"
"Me too!"
Before they knew it, it had ended up as a number one seller in the Dark
Citadel too.
Belianna's eyes shot open at the scene. "Th-They were selling these, so
close to the Dark Citadel! Damn! I've been caught off my damned guard!"
She scooped up all the remaining masks for herself.
Belianna had faced the Wolf of Justice in battle and had been utterly
defeated. Ever since then, her respect for his overwhelming power had only
grown and grown, until it became something more like infatuation. Now
she was clutching the Wolf of Justice masks in her arms, her pupils going
heart-shaped.
Ahh... she thought. So many of my lord Wolf of Justice's face! I could
damned well die happy...
None of the fierce valor she had shown when confronting the Shadow
King and the demon fox sisters was on display now. She looked like
nothing more than a lovestruck maiden.
Ever since that day, Belianna began making regular visits to the Fli-o'-
Rys Dark Citadel Branch Store to see if they had more Wolf of Justice
merchandise in stock.
◇Houghtow City—Flio's House◇
"Easy does it..."
After returning home from the Houghtow College of Magic, Garyl went
to practice his flight magic in front of the house. He had made a daily habit
of practicing martial arts with Ghozal once in the morning and once in the
evening, but recently, all he had wanted to do was practice flying.
"Hrm..." said Ghozal, nodding up at the boy in the sky. He had returned
to Flio's house from his job at the Fli-o'-Rys General Store to help Garyl
practice after school. "You've gotten pretty good. Now you just need to get
good enough to fight in midair."
Garyl winced painfully. "I dunno, Uncle Ghozal... There's just no way!
This seems like it's all I can do... Easy does it..." He waved his hands back
and forth like he was trying to balance on a beam.
"Everyone has trouble at first," said Ghozal. "Here. Try throwing a
punch." Ghozal held up his hand.
"O-Okay! I'll do what I can!" Garyl tightened his hand into a fist.
"Hiyah!" He punched Ghozal's hand as hard as he could.
"H-Hrm?!" Ghozal's eyes shot open. Even though his feet were firmly
on the ground, Garyl's punch had sent him back a good ten centimeters. ThThat was his first midair punch?! How strong is this kid?!
A grin came over Ghozal's face. "Hrm," he said. "Not bad. Worth
training, at any rate. Are you ready for today's training, boy?"
"Wha?! I gotta train and keep my Fly spell up?!"
"Yes! If you want to get better, then you need to train!"
"I guess that's true..." Garyl said. "All right! I'll do my best!" He
screwed up his face in determination and launched another attack at Ghozal.
Ghozal was holding back, of course. He didn't launch any strikes of his
own, focusing entirely on fending off Garyl's assault. Garyl was grinning
happily the whole time.
Elinàsze watched the two of them from the living room window. "How
peculiar..." she said. "Garyl was having so much trouble stopping in midair,
but now that he's training with Uncle Ghozal, he's flying like it's second
nature..."
"I wonder," said Flio. "Maybe he's going all out because he doesn't
want to lose to Mister Ghozal. Your brother is quite the talented boy, you
know."
"I see..." said Elinàsze. "Well, I won't lose to him either!" She grabbed
hold of her father's arm. "Papa! Please train me as well! As his older sister,
I would hate to lose to Garyl!"
"E-Elinàsze..." Flio protested. Your papa still has work to do, he was
about to say, but Elinàsze was smiling so eagerly that the words died on his
tongue. "All right. We can practice flying together until dinner time."
"Thank you, papa! I won't let you down!" Elinàsze was cheerful as she
ran outside, dragging Flio along behind her. The four of them kept training
until dinner was ready—Ghozal with Garyl, and Flio with Elinàsze.
Belano was making her way home from the Houghtow College of Magic
when her eyes went wide at the sight of Garyl and Elinàsze effortlessly
using their magic to fly around.
"What's the matter, Belano?" said Balirossa, who was coming home
from a different direction. "You seem surprised."
"Oh..." said Belano. "Garyl and Elinàsze are using flight magic..."
"Well, they have been practicing," Balirossa responded. "I suppose it's a
spell they learned at school?"
Belano shook her head. "We...haven't taught them that. It's very highlevel magic..."
"What? O-Oh, really!" Balirossa's eyes went wide as well. "W-Well, I
suppose Lord Flio must have taught them, then..." She nodded, but she was
starting to sweat as she glanced between the twins. D-Don't tell me they
were born knowing how to use flight magic! That would be impossible... BBut since they're Lord Flio's children, there's no telling what's possible or
not...
As the pair watched, Elinàsze alighted on the ground. "Oh, papa!" she
said. "Look at the new spell I figured out how to use!" She held out her
right arm and uttered an incantation. The jewel on her forehead, which she
usually kept hidden behind her bangs, began to glow. A magic circle
appeared in front of her, and a portal began to appear. It was halfway there
when... "—choo!" Elinàsze sneezed. She lost concentration. The magic
circle vanished and the door disappeared, halfway through being
summoned.
"Oh, no!" Elinàsze cried. "And I cast Teleportation so well last time!"
She puffed out her cheeks in a pout.
"That was amazing, Elinàsze!" said Flio. "You already figured out how
to cast Teleportation?"
"Do you remember when you took everyone from the school to the
Calgosi Coast, papa?" Elinàsze asked. "I watched you very carefully then.
Although, I'm still a long way from perfect..."
"I see! Well then, let's keep practicing until you can get it perfect every
time!"
"Thank you, papa!" Elinàsze's pout was instantly replaced by a bright
smile.
Belano and Balirossa's eyes opened even wider as they froze in shock.
"B-Belano..." said Balirossa. "D-Did you teach them how to do that at
school?"
"N-No..." said Belano. "It's not in the curriculum. None of the teachers
know how to cast it..."
"I-I thought not..." Balirossa replied. "Only a small number of the
Klyrode Magic Corps can cast that spell, I believe..."
Flio's and his children's abilities were simply unbelievable. Belano and
Balirossa were so shocked that they didn't move from the spot for quite
some time. Before them, Garyl and Elinàsze carried on their training with
Ghozal and Flio respectively, until the sun set below the mountains and the
delicious smell of dinner wafted out from the kitchen.