The world of Klyrode is a world of swords and sorcery, of magic beasts
and demihumans, in which humans and demons had waged war since time
immemorial. But the Maiden Queen of the Magical Kingdom of Klyrode,
the greatest of the human kingdoms, and Dark Regent Calsi'im of the Dark
Army brokered a peace treaty between their forces, and the land has been at
peace for several months.
Many demons were driven away from the Dark Army by the Dark One
Yuigarde's violent despotism. Now, Calsi'im is making earnest entreaties
for them to rejoin the Dark Army and work together for a better future. The
Maiden Queen, meanwhile, has focused her attention on her kingdom's
domestic affairs, repairing roads and fortifying her cities' defenses so that
the people of Klyrode can live in peace. Her dedication has earned her the
lasting approval of the populace.
And so, the stage is set. The curtains open...
◇A Road, East of Houghtow City◇
Flio and Rys drove their wagon along a road in the forest far to the east
of Houghtow City. Flio had once been a merchant from another world, but
then he was summoned to the world of Klyrode as a Hero candidate by the
former king. He received a powerful blessing when he arrived in this world,
granting him mastery of every spell and skill to exist within it. Now, he
managed the Fli-o'-Rys General Store and raised his children with his wife,
Rys, a lupine demon who was a former soldier of the Dark Army. Upon
being defeated by Flio, she'd chosen to walk alongside him as his wife. She
adored her husband to a somewhat excessive degree, and together they had
a pair of twins—Garyl and Elinàsze.
"It's been some time since you and I made a delivery alone like this, my
lord husband." Rys smiled happily, looking up from her perch in the
driver's seat at Flio sitting beside her. Her wolf tail, which she usually kept
hidden when she was in human form, was wagging from side to side.
Flio gave her one of his usual easygoing smiles. "Thanks to Tanya
helping out at home and Minilio disguising himself as me at the store, we
have enough time to make deliveries ourselves if we like now. I haven't
been east of Houghtow City much, you know. I thought it would be a good
idea to travel out this way so if we ever need to go again, I can use
Teleportation."
The spell Teleportation enabled the caster to conjure a portal leading to a
place they had visited previously, enabling them to travel instantaneously.
"Your magic is incredible, my lord husband," said Rys, a look of envy
crossing her face. "You can travel to places it would take months to reach
on even the fastest of horses."
"Oh, I wouldn't go that far," said Flio, smiling wryly. "I'm sure anyone
in the Klyrode Magic Corps or one of the Dark Army's spellcasters could
do what I do easily."
Quite some time had passed since Flio had been summoned to this world
as a Hero candidate, but he still underestimated his own magical ability. In
his previous world, he'd had barely any magical ability at all. So he was
still working under the preconceived notion that any spells he could cast
must be typical fare for spellcasters of this world.
Rys widened her eyes in shock at her husband's words. He seemed to
lack any awareness of the absurdity of what he had said. "N-Not at all, my
lord husband! There are very few magic users in the world who can cast
Teleportation in any capacity! There were only a handful during my time in
the Dark Army who could cast it, and I've heard that there aren't many
more in the Magical Kingdom of Klyrode. Moreover, it takes a tremendous
amount of magic power to teleport the sorts of distances you do! Usually, it
would take a mage several days to make such a trip, and they'd need to rest
in between casts."
Sybe, who was pulling the wagon, nodded its head in agreement as if it
could understand Rys's words. Sybe was a massive, wild psychobear who
had randomly encountered Flio in the Delaveza Forest. Sensing that it had
no hope of victory, Sybe had surrendered on the spot and went on to live
with Flio as his household pet. Sybe spent most of its time transformed by a
spell of Flio's into the body of a unicorn rabbit. But now, it was in its
original form in order to pull the wagon.
Flio looked between his wife and his psychobear pet, his easygoing
smile back on his face. "Thank you for saying so, you two. It makes me
really happy to hear." But even as he said so, he thought to himself, Those
two are just flattering me a bit, that's all. "Anyway," he continued, "I
haven't been this way before. There's quite a number of magic beasts
around here, aren't there?"
"There do seem to be. Greanyl said that her teams drove off every magic
beast they encountered when they were out this direction. It's peculiar..."
She inclined her head, puzzled. The area around the wagon was full of giant
magic beasts drawing closer. Rys was tracking their presence with her
senses, while Flio knew their positions thanks to his Search spell.
Thirty-two in total... Flio thought, looking over a window displaying the
results of his spell. That's quite a number of them.
They were all displayed in red, the color indicating a creature with
hostile intentions. Ordinarily, a wagon under attack by so many magic
beasts would have no choice but to flee, even if they happened to have a
force of mercenaries protecting them. The creatures kept advancing. They
could sense Sybe—a magic beast in its own right—but they themselves
were much larger and more ferocious beasts. They paid Sybe no mind.
When Sybe had lived in the wild, it would perhaps have run away. But
now, it pulled the wagon onwards, completely unconcerned despite the
warnings its senses were giving.
Rys sighed. "I can't believe they're attacking our wagon, of all things.
This is precisely why everyone hates wild magic beasts. They have no
ability to sense the true strength of their opponent." Looking around the
area, she slowly took to her feet. She stripped off the clothes she was
wearing until she was stark naked. Flio couldn't help staring at his wife's
beautiful body as she leapt off the driver's platform and transformed into a
great white wolf.
Lupine demons, like Rys, were among the strongest species of demons
to exist in the world. Rys kept her power hidden in her daily life—she
tended to stay disguised as a demihuman, after all. But here, she could show
off her true nature, her power on full display.
"Awooooooooo!" Rys let out a howl and the magic beasts surrounding
the wagon immediately began to back off. She darted off into the forest to
investigate.
Flio watched as the red dots in the Search spell window decreased in
number. Wherever the blue dot indicating Rys went, the red dots would
vanish instantly. It wasn't that the enemies were slow to react—no, they
would sense Rys in her lupine form, and their wild instincts would tell them
they had no hope of victory. They were in a full retreat. In fact, they had
been retreating since Rys had let out that howl. But even so, Rys pursued
them at shocking speed until there were none left.
"Rys really is something else..." Flio watched Rys's blue dot dart around
the window, erasing red dots all over the map. Sybe came up behind Flio
and looked over his shoulder.
"Gwor?" said Sybe.
"Ah, of course," Flio replied. "We can't just leave magic beast carcasses
lying around or they could spread disease. Sybe, would you mind picking
them up for me?" He handed Sybe a Bottomless Bag, which the psychobear
manipulated dexterously with its big paws, tying it around its left arm.
"Gwor!" it said when the bag was firmly in place. Flio gave Sybe an
approving nod, and it, too, ran off into the forest.
Sybe came upon a dead magic beast that had fallen relatively close to
the wagon. It reached out, and the beast's carcass was absorbed into the
Bottomless Bag. Sybe sniffed proudly before continuing, following Rys's
trail deeper into the forest to clean up the magic beasts she'd left in her
wake.
Flio smiled as he watched Sybe work. I could have just used magic to
clean up the carcasses, he thought. But then Sybe told me it wanted to help
out if it could. It sure is a hard worker! He returned to the Search spell
window he had been looking over earlier. There were only a few red dots
left. Rys's blue dot, ever persistent, was in hot pursuit.
Just then, Flio felt something new arrive—something disconcerting. He
looked up and noticed a dark cloud rising in the clear blue sky. It literally
seemed to be welling up out of the ground. "Huh?" he said, curiously
cocking his head. "That looks like the dimensional rift..."
Flio zoomed out the display on the window and went to inspect the site
of the dark cloud swelling into the sky. "I'm not sure what that is," he said,
"but it looks like something pretty big is forming..."
In the Search spell window, a much larger red dot blinked ominously.
◇Meanwhile, Inside the Dimensional Rift◇
The Median Plane was an expanse of space, with a world known as the
Celestial Plane at its heart. The world of Klyrode was only one of many
planetoid worlds that existed inside the Median Plane. The planetoids
moved around, sometimes drawing closer together or farther apart.
Celestials called the space between worlds the "dimensional rift."
The Celestial Plane had many disciples with the power to move through
the dimensional rift. Right now, they were in a state of great consternation.
"Where could the Beast of Disaster have escaped to...?"
The head of the disciples was a woman whose body was half that of a
young girl and half fleshless skeleton, and she wore a ragged cloak. She
shouldered her scythe and hissed in frustration. "The Beast of Disaster...
Capable of wielding magic powerful enough to destroy a world. To think it
would escape again after we had finally cornered it. As your commander,
this is my failure. We must locate it at once and seal it within the Prison
World Ghuma." She began casting Search, but then...
N-No... Cold sweat came to the commander's brow. There are too many
worlds in this part of the Median Plane! I can't tell which reaction is
coming from the Beast! There are too many entities that could be it...
The other disciples were casting Search as well, looking as hard as they
could for a sign of their enemy. But their commander had them beat when it
came to magic. If she couldn't locate the Beast of Disaster, there was no
chance that they were going to be able to. Clearly, this was going to take
some time.
We need to stop the Beast of Disaster before it enters another world! It is
sure to spell ruin for any world it comes to...
◇A Road, East of Houghtow City◇
Flio looked up at a corner of the blue sky where a black cloud was rising
up out of the dimensional rift. "Jeez," he said, glancing between the Search
window and the cloud itself. "That's quite the reaction. I've never seen
anything like it before. What in the world...?" A smaller window appeared
beside the large, blinking red dot, labeling the hostile presence as the
Calamity Wyrm, Beast of Disaster. "Beast of Disaster?" Flio repeated.
"Calamity Wyrm? I've never heard of anything like it."
Just then, another small window appeared next to the thing's name.
Threat level: extreme. Extermination
recommended.
"Extermination, huh?" Flio said, looking up. "I dunno..." He could see a
golden dragon begin to materialize inside the dark cloud. Its enormous maw
was followed by an even more enormous body, long and vast. Lightning
flashed about its wicked fangs and claws. Its roar echoed throughout the
forest. "That's a pretty big dragon," Flio said. "Now, how to go about
exterminating it..."
As Flio gave the matter some thought, another window appeared before
him.
Recommendation: Celestial Spell, Twilight of the
Gods.
"Oh, that's right!" Flio said. "I learned how to use Celestial Magic the
other day! I could cast one of those spells! But 'Twilight of the Gods'?
That's quite a name, isn't it? It looks like it takes a lot of magic power to
cast too..."
As he ruminated, the Calamity Wyrm began to unleash bolts of lightning
on the surrounding forest. They struck the ground with deadly force,
exploding and lighting fires everywhere. And it was only a matter of time
before the dragon itself descended upon the land.
"I see..." Flio said. "We wouldn't want to let that magic beast destroy
any more of the forest, would we? I suppose I had better hurry up and
exterminate it." He nodded to himself and held up his hands, facing the
Calamity Wyrm.
Flio chanted an incantation, and an immense magic circle appeared,
slowly revolving. Another, even greater magic circle appeared, only to be
followed by a third, and then a fourth and fifth. It was a truly stupendous
array. The dragon noticed the magic circles forming and stopped in its
tracks. It had been diving for the ground, but upon seeing Flio casting his
spell, it changed directions. Bellowing, it charged straight for Flio at the
center of the magic circles.
The circles grew larger and larger. Before long, they were bigger than
the Calamity Wyrm itself. They continued expanding as if to envelop the
dragon. The dragon's head passed inside the circles and they stopped, not
moving an inch.
Flio watched, continuing the incantation. Finally, he finished. He closed
his outstretched palms into fists. "Twilight of the Gods!"
The magic circles, big enough to contain the dragon's entire body, shone
with a golden light. Then, the color deepened to the red of the evening sky.
The circles began to shrink, and with them, the Calamity Wyrm helplessly
grew smaller and smaller until it was no larger than a gem. It descended
slowly from the sky.
"My lord husband!" Rys came running up. She had been hurrying
through the forest as fast as she could. Now part human and part wolf, she
was still naked, but was covered in fur and had a tail, wolf ears, and vicious
fangs.
"Good to see you, Rys!" said Flio. "Did you finish cleaning up the
magic beasts?"
"I-I did," she said. "All of them are taken care of. B-But...my lord
husband, that enormous creature that appeared from the hole in the sky... It
had such vast magic power. Do you suppose that was one of the Beasts of
Disaster? A creature with enough strength to destroy worlds...?" She looked
up, and her eyes shot open wide. "H-How strange!" she said. "I'm sure I
saw the dimensional rift in the sky just moments ago. And I thought I saw
something that looked like a Beast of Disaster come out of it..."
She still looked astonished as she went to put on her clothes and fully
change into her human form. Rys and Sybe searched the skies, wide-eyed
and blinking, but the dimensional rift and the dark cloud both had vanished
without a trace.
Flio smiled wryly at the two of them. "Oh, the Beast of Disaster?" he
said. "Would that be this?" He held up the gem for Sybe and Rys to see.
"M-My lord husband..." Rys looked no less astonished at the gem than
she had at the sky. "Is that a magic circle in the form of a solid gem? I-I've
never seen such a thing. I had no idea it was even possible!" She looked
over the solidified magic circle until she noticed what was inside it. "O-Oh!
My lord husband! This thing inside the magic circle... Could that possibly
be the Beast of Disaster that appeared from the rift? It...It can't be, can
it...?" Her voice quivered with fear as she looked up at Flio.
"Yes, that's right," Flio said, wearing the same easygoing smile as
always. "I guess I was able to capture it with one of my spells!"
Flio's words made Rys and Sybe freeze up entirely. "Th-Then..." Rys
said. "You were able to capture a Beast of Destruction, a monster capable of
ending the world, with one of your spells...?"
"Gwowf..." added Sybe.
The two began to tremble, glancing between Flio and the gem in his
hand.
"Surely you're exaggerating," said Flio, smiling bashfully. "If someone
like me can cast that spell, I bet it would be easy for a professional mage.
And it cost me a solid eighty percent of my magic..."
Incidentally, Flio was at a much higher level now than he had been back
when he had used the spell Purify in the Delaveza forest upon first coming
to this world. His magic power had grown by tens of thousands of times
since then, far more than what his status screen could display. All of his
stats were simply listed as ∞, meaning that they were too high to be
calculated. Flio, however, didn't know what the symbol meant, and set his
status screen not to display. He had no idea how high his level was. He also
had an impressive array of defensive, sensory, and security magics active at
all times. One of them was the spell Concealment, which prevented others
from sensing his magic power. It was impossible to tell from looking at him
just how powerful he was.
As Flio spoke, a magic circle appeared in the sky behind him, and Hiya
and Damalynas appeared. Hiya, the djinn who commanded the origin of
light and darkness, was a being who wielded magic powerful enough to
destroy the world, but after they were defeated by Flio, they took to calling
him "Exalted One" and moved into his house. Damalynas was known as the
Grand Magus of Midnight—the master of the dark arts. But she had been
defeated by Hiya, and now, she lived in Hiya's mindscape where she served
as their companion and "training" partner.
Flio turned around to see the pair floating in the sky. "What's up, you
two?" he asked.
"E-Exalted One..." Hiya began. "We came because we sensed an
uncommon malevolent magic entity in this area..."
"We came as quickly as we could..." said Damalynas. The two looked
around, clearly baffled.
"How peculiar..." said Hiya. "I was sure that I sensed something."
"I don't see anything that fits the bill, though..." said Damalynas.
"Oh," said Flio, holding out the solid magic circle in his hand. "Is this
what you're looking for, by any chance?"
Hiya and Damalynas looked on in shock. Even Hiya, whose eyes looked
like nothing more than thin straight lines most of the time, opened theirs
just slightly. For them, that was equivalent to the wide-eyed expressions
Rys and Sybe were making. "Is this... Could this possibly be the legendary
spell Temporal Seal? No, that doesn't seem right. This must be of a higher
level than even that..."
"I've mastered all of the black arts, and I've never heard of a spell that
could seal away a monster like that..." said Damalynas. "What on earth is
this guy...?"
Flio watched on, pursing up his lips. Those two are real experts on
magic... I must have done something wrong if it has them so stumped...
"Exalted One!" said Hiya.
"Lord Flio!" said Damalynas.
"Y-Yes?!" Flio exclaimed, startled by their mutual address.
"Exalted One, what manner of magic is this? I beg of you, if I may be so
bold, please teach your lowly servant your secrets!"
"I want to learn too, Lord Flio!" added Damalynas. "This is
fascinating!"
The two pressed in close. Flio instinctively took a step back, smiling
stiffly. "I don't think it's anything too special," he said. "But I believe it was
called Twilight of the Gods..."
"What?!" Hiya and Damalynas exclaimed together, going stiff with
shock themselves.
"U-Um... Hiya? Damalynas?" Flio waved his hand in front of their
faces, but the two didn't respond at all, utterly frozen.
"Excuse me, my lord husband...?" Rys gently took Flio by the arm. "I'm
terribly sorry to interrupt you, but we need to do something about the fire..."
Flio turned his gaze towards the forest to see plumes of black smoke
rising here and there, where the Calamity Wyrm's lightning had struck. "We
do, don't we...?" he said. "First, I'll do something about the flames."
He held out his arm and opened up a window displaying a list of spells.
Then, he opened dozens more, each full of lists of spells to look over. Even
the greatest magic users in the world of Klyrode were unable to call up
more than one window at a time. But Flio was a master of four different
worlds' magic systems: the world of Klyrode, the Realm of Evil, the
Celestial Plane, and Damalynas's black arts, which had originated in yet
another world. Conjuring dozens of windows at once was a feat only he
could do.
Flio picked out a number of spells from the voluminous list. "I know!"
he said. "This sounds like just the thing for putting out a fire." He touched
one of the spells, and an enormous magic circle appeared in the sky.
Hiya looked up, their eyes open as wide as they could. "It's...huge...!"
Damalynas stared up at the sky beside them, not believing her eyes.
"You never cease to amaze, my lord husband..." said Rys, astonished.
"Such a vast magic circle..."
"Gwor! Gwor!" Sybe bobbed its head up and down in agreement.
Before their eyes, mist began to descend over the forest. Wherever the
mist touched, the fire vanished. What had been threatening to become a
raging forest fire was gone in a second.
"I-Incredible!" said Rys. "The fire's gone!"
Flio smiled his usual easygoing smile. "That spell's called Requiem
Mist," he said. "In this case, I just thought a magically enhanced mist might
be useful for putting out fires. It seems like it went okay!" He moved on to
the next fire, and the next, using his Search spell to see what areas of the
forest were in danger, and extinguished them with mist too.
Hm...? Flio thought. It looks like there are some demons fighting the fire
to the north of here. Most of the fire's out already. Maybe I could leave the
rest of the fire to them...? Still, he prepared to cast another spell.
"The spell the Exalted One is casting, Requiem Mist..." Hiya mused. "If
my memory is correct, that is one of the innermost secret arts of the Grand
Magus of Midnight, is it not?"
Damalynas's face twitched, but she nodded. "Yeah... That's right, Your
Divinity. Even among those of us who've mastered the dark arts, there are
only a couple who can cast it. It should neutralize all fire magic cast within
its area..."
"Can you cast that spell, Damalynas?"
"I can..." Damalynas said, swallowing hard. "But if I did, I'd give
myself instant magic depletion..."
Damalynas was the Grand Magus of Midnight, master of the dark arts.
The spell Flio was casting over and over again was one that might cost her
her life if she tried to cast it. But Flio looked like he could do it all day.
"Truly, he is the Exalted One, I suppose..." said Hiya.
"It feels presumptuous to call myself the Grand Magus of Midnight
around him, honestly..." said Damalynas.
The two shared a look and nodded.
◇ ◇ ◇
"Well, we got the fire under control," said Flio. "Should we head home
for today? This isn't a particularly urgent delivery."
"That sounds wise." Rys nodded. "It's almost time for Elinàsze and
Garyl to come home from school."
Flio held out his hand. Without an incantation, he summoned a magic
circle. In it appeared a portal. Teleportation was one of Flio's most
frequently used spells; he had gotten to the point that he could pull it off
wordlessly.
When the Magical Kingdom's elite spellcasters from the Magic Corps
cast Teleportation, it took a number of them chanting for some time to
manage the spell. Hiya and Damalynas, as well as the former Dark One
Ghozal, were all capable of using it on their own, but all of them needed to
use an incantation, unlike Flio.
Flio opened the regular-looking door as Damalynas watched on with a
supremely dry smile. "Incantation-less, huh?"
"Indeed," said Hiya. "He is, after all, the Exalted One." Nothing would
startle them any longer after what they had seen. They headed through
Flio's portal completely unfazed.
On the other side of the door was the front entryway of Flio's house.
Once everyone was through, Flio followed himself. The door vanished after
him, like it had never been there.
◇Meanwhile...◇
Just after Flio's portal vanished, a number of figures appeared in the sky
and fell to the earth. Their bodies were half those of young women and halfskeletal, and they wore ragged cloaks. They approached the spot where the
portal had been and began to look around.
"Strange," one said. "We followed the Calamity Wyrm's trail, but there's
no sign of the thing..."
"Indeed..." agreed another. "We even found where it had created a
dimensional rift to force itself into this world..."
These were the disciples of the Celestial Plane who had been
transporting the Calamity Wyrm when it escaped. They had tracked the
Beast and arrived here.
"It really is peculiar. I can sense the Calamity Wyrm's magic lingering in
the sky..."
"Yes, it's as if its magic power was suddenly reduced before completely
vanishing..."
As they spoke, some angels began casting Search while others flew
around the skies, searching the area. Suddenly, their captain seemed to
realize something.
"A sudden reduction in magic power..." she muttered quietly to herself.
"Could it be...someone imprisoned it using the spell Twilight of the
Gods...?" She shook her head. "N-No, that's impossible. Twilight of the
Gods might be the only spell that could seal away a Beast of Disaster, but it
is one of the greatest mysteries of Celestial Magic. Only a very few of the
gods can cast it. It's preposterous to think that one of them would have been
on an ordinary planetoid world like this one..."
The captain gave up on that line of reasoning and turned her attention
back to searching the forest. But the Calamity Wyrm was already far away.
Flio had taken it with him to Houghtow City, imprisoned in the magic circle
gem created by Twilight of the Gods.
◇Houghtow City—In Front of Flio's House◇
Flio and the others emerged from the portal in front of their house to see
Elinàsze running up, a big smile on her face from the moment she caught
sight of her father.
"Welcome home, papa!" she said. Elinàsze was the older of Flio and
Rys's twins. Thanks to her mother's demon blood, she and her brother had
been aging at an alarming pace. She was a serious girl who loved her father
very, very much. She was also very fond of her adopted older sister, Wyne.
Flio hugged Elinàsze tight and patted her on the head. "I'm home," he
said. "Were you a good girl while I was gone?"
"Yes, papa, of course! I've been helping Miss Byleri since I arrived
home from school!"
"Helping Byleri..." Flio repeated. "You've been looking after the
horses?"
"I have! Miss Byleri has been feeling sick. I tried to cure her with
magic, but it didn't seem to work very well..." Her expression darkened, the
difficulty casting the healing spell having upset her somewhat. "She's
resting in her room now. I'm helping out by doing her chores."
Behind Elinàsze, Flio could see Wyne and Garyl leading the horses back
into the stable for the night. Wyne was a dragonewt, the race said to be the
strongest warriors among dragonkind. She had once collapsed mid-flight,
only to be rescued by Flio and Rys. She went on to become part of their
family. She loved being the big sister to Elinàsze and Garyl, and would
often adoringly dote on them. Garyl was Elinàsze's twin brother, the
younger of the two. Like his sister, he had accelerated growth from his
demonic heritage and was very fond of his big sister Wyne.
"Oh! Dad! Welcome home!" Garyl exclaimed, giving his father a big
grin. All of the horses in Byleri and Sleip's pasture were magic beasts. They
were very hard to handle, but Garyl was riding one comfortably.
Wyne, though, was a different story. "Bleh!" she cried, crossing her
arms in a pout. She was dressed in a baggy poncho-like outfit. "They won't
listen to me!"
Most of the horses she was trying to corral were still young foals. It
seemed less like they were willfully disobeying Wyne and more like they
thought she wanted to play. Wyne would run up only for them to disperse,
circle around her, and rub their muzzles against her cheeks or nibble at her
clothing.
Wyne honestly seemed to be mostly playing as well. She had a big smile
on her face as she chased the horses around.
Just then, Sleip stepped out from the stables. "Don't make too much
trouble for Wyne, now, you hear?"
Sleip was a former member of the Infernal Four. He had quit the Dark
Army and now resided at Flio's house, where he helped look after the
horse-type magic beasts in the pasture. He was getting up there in years, but
he had still ended up in an intimate relationship with the much younger
Byleri. Things seemed to be going well between the two of them. In
practical terms, they were essentially married.
Wyne beamed brightly back at Sleip. "Don't worry, don't worry! You
handle the other horses, Slei-Slei! I'll take care of these!"
"Hah. All right. I'll leave them in your hands, then."
"Yay! Thank you, thank you!" Wyne grinned and bobbed her head
before she took off after the foals. She jumped, making a great leap to a
corner of the pasture where several horses were milling about. As she did,
the baggy hem of her outfit floated up around her arms, revealing her bare
skin underneath.
"Big sis Wyne!" Elinàsze exclaimed, her face turning red. "How many
times—?!"
Wyne wasn't wearing her underwear. She wasn't wearing anything at all
underneath her poncho, in fact. With her poncho fluttering up in the air, her
whole naked body was on full display.
Flio made a dry smirk. "Well, dragonewt bodies retain a lot of heat. She
gets overheated sometimes..."
"I'm sorry if I've made trouble for your children, Mister Flio," said
Sleip.
"No, no," Flio reassured him. "They look like they're having fun, and
it's good for them to help out. Besides, the horses here are an important part
of Fli-o'-Rys."
The horses in the pasture included a company of Sleip's handpicked elite
demon horses, who had been his subordinates during his time as an
Infernal, as well as the wild magic beasts they had caught. All of them
pulled wagons for the Fli-o'-Rys General Store supply team. On top of that,
they sometimes lent their wagons out to other companies for heavy work.
Recently, they had been facing a veritable deluge of requests, so it was no
surprise that the value of the horses was fresh in Flio's mind.
The supply team itself had once been part of the Dark Army as well.
They had been known as the Silent Listeners, the intelligence arm of the
Dark Army led by Uliminas, a confederate of the Dark One. The supply
team was led by Uliminas's former subordinate, the shadow demon
Greanyl.
Sleip nodded cheerfully in agreement with Flio's words. "Mister Flio.
We had nowhere to go when we were driven from the Dark Army, but you
welcomed us into your house and treated us kindly. Not only that, but you
gave us meaningful work. We are truly grateful to you, Mister Flio."
"I'm very glad to hear that," Flio said. "But may I ask..." He cocked his
head, slightly puzzled. "Elinàsze told me Byleri isn't feeling well. Is she all
right? Elinàsze said her healing magic wouldn't work..." Elinàsze is still
young, but her healing magic is pretty good... Flio had been teaching
Elinàsze how to use magic whenever the two of them had a moment of
spare time. He knew her abilities better than anyone—well enough to know
that the story sounded strange.
"Oh," said Sleip. "Well, she does seem a bit better now, thanks to
Elinàsze's magic. But I really do wonder what could be the problem..." He
lowered his head and folded his arms in thought.
"Maybe I should take a look, then?" Flio offered.
Sleip nodded. "I'm sorry to trouble you with this, but thank you for your
help."
Before Flio could get moving, Ghozal came out of the house and up to
Flio. "Oh, Mister Flio! You're home!"
Ghozal was, in actuality, the former Dark One Gholl. He had abdicated
his throne in favor of his younger brother Yuigarde and disguised himself as
a human to freeload at Flio's house. He and Flio were something along the
lines of best friends. Since moving in, he had taken two wives: Uliminas,
his former confederate from the Dark Army, and Balirossa, who had once
been a knight of Klyrode and a skilled swordfighter.
Flio gave Ghozal one of his usual easygoing smiles. "Yes, I teleported
back just a moment ago."
"I guess it was nothing after all, judging by how you're acting," Ghozal
said. "We sensed an enormous magic beast in the direction you were
headed, you know..." Ghozal had been in the Fli-o'-Rys General Store when
the Calamity Wyrm spawned. Houghtow City was quite some distance
away, but Ghozal could sense it easily. After all, he was the former Dark
One and a powerful magic user in his own right.
"Yes," Filo confirmed. "We managed to get it under control."
"I see. That's Mister Flio for you, I guess! I wanted to run out there and
help you, but Uliminas and Balirossa have been under the weather..."
"Uliminas and Balirossa have also been unwell?" asked Flio.
"Curious..." said Sleip. "My Byleri has been sick as well..."
"Hrm... Byleri too?" said Ghozal. "Then all three of them got sick at the
same time..."
Ghozal and Sleip shared a look and lowered their heads in thought. Flio
held up his finger, getting their attention. "In any event, it doesn't seem like
it's contagious. Maybe letting them rest would be the best thing to do." He
had been using a spell to check the area around the house for a contagious
disease. It was a high-level spell with a complicated incantation, and he had
cast it without uttering a single syllable. Ghozal and Sleip, however, knew
all too well how absurd Flio was. They didn't doubt his words for a second,
nor did they seem at all surprised.
"I see..." Hiya said, observing Sleip and Ghozal carry on a normal
conversation despite Flio's incantation-less Detect Disease spell. "Perhaps
theirs is the correct reaction to the deeds of the Exalted One."
"Yeah..." Damalynas agreed. "I kinda feel like it might be..."
◇Flio's Living Room—That Night◇
That night, all of the house's residents gathered together for dinner in the
living room, as they typically did.
Blossom was laughing merrily as she dug into a great hunk of meat. She
had once been a heavy knight in service to Castle Klyrode, but she had quit
the knighthood along with her best friend Balirossa and they had come to
live together at Flio's house. She came from a farming family and was quite
good in the fields. In the time she had lived here, she had turned a large plot
of land next to Flio's house into a sprawling farm.
"So I was helping out at the store today," Blossom said. "Y'know, Tanya
is somethin' else..."
"I believe I did no more than would be expected of Master Flio's maid,"
Tanya said, her expression blank. She was standing in the back, dressed in
her maid uniform, while the rest of the house was gathered around the large
table.
Tanya's full name was Tanyalite. She was, in fact, a disciple angel from
the Celestial Plane sent to keep an eye on Flio due to his outrageous magic
power. But a freak collision with Wyne had robbed her of her memory, and
now, she really believed herself to be the maid of the household.
"Hey, there's no need to be modest!" said Blossom. "I cut my farmwork
short and came running 'cause I heard Uliminas and Balirossa got sick and
had to leave early. But when I got there, I found Tanya running the store by
herself! It was like she was everywhere at once! Tanya, Tanya, Tanya,
wherever I looked! It was a bit of a shock, y'know."
"I did nothing special," Tanya said, her blank expression not changing in
the slightest. "I simply used light speed movement to maneuver around the
customers as I needed."
Garyl's eyes lit up at Tanya's words. "Whoa! You can move that fast?"
"Yes, Young Master Garyl. I believe that no less should be expected of
the maid of this house. I simply did as I must."
"Huh. I wish I could move that fast..." Garyl said wistfully.
"Then," Tanya ventured, "forgive my boldness, but perhaps, when we
both have the time, I can teach you to move as I do?"
"Wh— Really?!" Garyl exclaimed, his face bursting into a grin. "Yeah!
Let's do it!"
"Garyl..." Elinàsze scolded him, glancing over at her brother. "Aren't
you busy studying swordsmanship with Uncle Ghozal? You do have trouble
with magic. Perhaps it would be better to spend your time studying your
spells?"
"Y-Yeah, I guess so..." said Garyl. "Fine... But I just like moving my
body better!"
Elinàsze sprang from her seat, placing her hands on her hips as she
carried on her lecture. "Listen to yourself! You're trying to avoid it! I know
it's not moving your body, but you should spend some time learning magic
from papa and Hiya with me!"
"All right, all right! Next time, I'll join in on your magic practice..."
"You say that now, but I can tell you're planning on running away from
practice again tomorrow! You need to study properly, even if it isn't your
strong suit. Skipping lessons is bad!"
Garyl could only stammer and stutter before Elinàsze's assault. Wyne
wrapped her arms protectively around her brother, still chewing on a
mouthful of meat as she patted him on the head. "Stop it, Eli-Eli! GareGare's a good boy! He works really, really hard!"
"I know Garyl works hard, big sis Wyne," Elinàsze responded. "But
recently, he's been so preoccupied with sports and running around! He
hasn't had much time to practice his magic. And that's why..."
Elinàsze continued arguing in that vein. She seemed so grown-up that all
Wyne and Garyl could do was hold each other tight and grimace as she
lectured on.
Flio smiled as he looked over at his children. Elinàsze's grown up to be
such a serious girl! She must get that from Rys. And Garyl likes to do
whatever he feels like, but he always gives it his all. And Wyne takes such
good care of both of them...
Flio glanced over the handful of empty chairs around the table. Usually,
for dinner, every chair was full. "Are Uliminas, Balirossa, and Byleri not
having dinner with us?" he asked.
Ghozal shook his head. "Hrm," he said. "They're asleep in my room.
They've been out since they got back from the store. Healing magic makes
them feel better, but only for a bit. I'm at a bit of a loss myself..."
"I see..." said Flio, folding his arms in thought. "So it wasn't just
Elinàsze. You couldn't cure them either?"
"Indeed..." said Sleip, who was sitting next to Ghozal at the dinner table.
He looked troubled. "Byleri's been putting a brave face on, but it seems to
be bothering her as well. I think she doesn't want to worry me..."
"Perhaps I should have a look myself after dinner," Flio offered.
Rys, still wearing her apron, stepped up beside him. "May I accompany
you, my lord husband?" Rys had once been in the Dark Army as well. She
was well acquainted with Ghozal and Sleip, and considered Uliminas a
friend. She wanted to be there to give them her support.
◇Later—Ghozal's Bedroom◇
Ghozal's room was large—big enough for himself and his two wives.
The bed, too, was big enough for all three to sleep on together. It was the
biggest bed in the whole house—the perfect place for Uliminas, Balirossa,
and Byleri to rest.
"Lord Flio..." said Balirossa. "I must apologize for causing you worry..."
Balirossa was a former knight of Klyrode Castle. Now, she lived at Flio's
house and worked in the Fli-o'-Rys General Store. She was one of Ghozal's
two wives.
Uliminas and Byleri blinked awake and sat up. It seemed like
Balirossa's words had awoken them.
"You too, Uliminas?" asked Rys, stepping up to the bed with a worried
look on her face. "What could be the matter? You haven't taken a day off
since you first became the Dark One Gholl's assistant."
"Mrow..." Uliminas said. "I've never been this sick before in my whole
life. I can't believe I've let mew see me like this. I'm so humewliated!" She
smiled back at Rys, but it was clear she was faking it. Her eyes looked
miserable.
Uliminas was a hellcat and had been both Ghozal's aide and confederate
back when he was the Dark One. When he'd given up the throne, she left
the Dark Army alongside him and now worked at the Fli-o'-Rys General
Store disguised as a demihuman. She was Ghozal's other wife.
"Like, same..." moaned Byleri. "When I was a knight, never getting sick
was, like, the only thing I had going for me..." Her smile didn't seem any
less forced than Uliminas's.
Byleri had been an archer in Balirossa's knightly company. She, too, had
quit and now lived at Flio's house. She put her considerable equine
expertise to use looking after the horses in the pasture and spent her time
with her lover, Sleip, to whom she was practically married.
"Don't be too hard on yourself, Byleri," said Sleip. "We all have days
like this." He had accompanied Flio and Rys to check on the girls. After all,
he was in a hurry to return to Byleri's side. Sleip considered himself very
fortunate to have found such a loving partner at his age and treasured Byleri
a great deal. Her illness had him worried all day—a far stretch from the
fearsome aura of the oldest and most dangerous member of the Infernal
Four.
Ghozal folded his arms and nodded. "That goes for you two as well," he
said, turning to Uliminas and Balirossa. "Don't push yourselves. I'll take
care of everything at the store."
Uliminas, who had been devoted to Ghozal since back when he was the
Dark One, and Balirossa, whose beauty had captivated him from the
moment he set eyes on her, were Ghozal's wives, whom he loved from the
very bottom of his heart. In demon society, it was legal for a man to take as
many as three wives, but Ghozal was fond of saying that he was more than
satisfied with just the two.
Ghozal was trying to act his usual nonchalant self, but with his precious
wives sick in bed, he could hardly disguise his worry. His forehead was wet
with nervous sweat.
Flio took a look at Uliminas, Balirossa, and Byleri and began to cast a
spell. They really don't seem to be sick with a disease, but something has
them all feeling under the weather. He lowered his head in thought. What
could this be? I feel like I've seen something like this before...
Flio had a curious inkling in the corner of his mind. Then, his eyes fell
on a basket resting on the bedside table. Inside was a great pile of yellow
fruit. It seemed the girls had been eating them—a pile of peels had
accumulated in the basket. "Have you been eating these?"
"Ah, yes..." said Balirossa. "Somehow, it's the only thing that seems
appetizing right now."
"I know it's purrculiar," added Uliminas. "But I suddenly wanted to eat
'em."
"Like, I know, right?" said Byleri. "Normally, they're, like, way too
sour. But somehow, they taste good now."
Rys stepped up to the basket and took one of the fruits in her hand. "My,
are these lembons? That takes me back! I asked my lord husband to buy a
lot of these because I had anticipated craving them..."
"Yeah!" said Uliminas. "Mew bought way too many lembons back then!
Mew baked a lot of 'em into cakes to sell at the store, but there's still a ton
in the magic box in the kitchen. We've been purrusing them a bit."
Flio's eyes shot open. "Wait just a second! That time when you were
buying all those lembons... Didn't you suddenly feel sick around that time
yourself?"
"Yes, I suppose I did! I believe it was when— Oh!" Rys's eyes opened
in recognition.
"Wh-What is it, Mister Flio?!" asked Ghozal.
"Did you figure something out?!" demanded Sleip.
The two leaned in, eager to know what was wrong with their wives. The
women on the bed, too, turned to look at Flio in surprise.
Flio held out his hand and pointed it at the three girls—specifically, their
bellies.
"My lord husband..." Rys said, her eyes sparkling. She thought she had
an idea what Flio was thinking. "Could it be...?"
Flio nodded. "Exactly. We've been thinking they were sick, but I had
forgotten about how fast part-demons develop. The possibility completely
slipped my mind. But there's no mistake." Flio breathed a sigh of relief, a
happy smile returning to his face. "Congratulations! All three of you are
pregnant! I believe you're suffering from morning sickness."
"No way!" said Ghozal.
"Can it be?!" said Sleip.
"P-Pregnant?!" repeated Balirossa.
"Mreow!" exclaimed Uliminas.
"Like, oh my gosh?!" said Byleri.
"Hrm!" Ghozal beamed and gave his two wives a great big hug. "We did
it, Balirossa! Uliminas!" He no longer looked anything like the strongest
Dark One in history—rather, simply a proud human father.
"Sir Ghozal..." Balirossa gasped. "T-To think that I would bear such a
highborn child..."
"I-I guess with all the lovemaking we had going on, it was only a
meowtter of time..." said Uliminas.
Next to them, Sleip had pressed up close to Byleri. "I can hardly believe
it! A child, at my age..."
"Tee hee hee!" Byleri giggled. "Lord Sleip... I'm so happy..."
Everyone embraced, sharing their joy. Flio and Rys watched on, smiling
at the happy scene. "I suppose if they were pregnant, it makes sense that
Elinàsze and Ghozal weren't able to cure them."
"Yes, I suppose it does," said Rys. "But what a blessing..." She pressed
up close to him, closing her eyes. "My lord husband, no matter how large
our household grows, I, Rys, your wife, will do my utmost to support
everyone."
Lupine demons had a strong pack-forming instinct. It was their way for
the pack's leader to direct the group and for the others to assist them. To
her, the people living at Flio's house were like her pack. And as the leader's
wife, she saw it as her duty to see to everyone's needs.
"You don't have to do everything on your own, Rys," said Flio.
"Remember, I'm here to help you."
"My lord husband... Thank you so much..." Rys smiled fondly. Then,
she blushed a soft pink and leaned in to whisper in Flio's ear, "But you
know, with all these new children in the house, Wyne and Elinàsze and
Garyl might want some more younger brothers and sisters... I wouldn't
mind having another pair of twins..."
"O-Oh!" said Flio, taken a bit off guard. "I-I see!"
◇Some Days Later—Castle Klyrode Throne Room◇
The Maiden Queen stood up from her throne, her face pale. "Th-Then
we have yet to obtain any reliable information?!"
The Maiden Queen's father had been a selfish and wicked king. When
his evildoings had come to light, he had been forced to flee the country, and
his daughter took the throne. She was a hard worker with a strong sense of
justice who cared deeply for her people. She was a good queen, beloved the
land over. She had a very anxious disposition, though, and with the stress of
work, she had been suffering from terrible stomachaches.
Knight Captain MacTaulo stepped forward. "Your Majesty, the Magic
Corps elite are doing everything they can. Please be patient for a while
longer while they search."
"Y-Yes, you're right. I must apologize. That was quite unbecoming."
MacTaulo's words seemed to return the Queen to herself. She sat back
down on her throne. "But if the reports of a magic beast with terrific power
appearing within our borders are true, we must act quickly."
"All companies are ready to move on a moment's notice," MacTaulo
reassured her.
The Maiden Queen nodded, but the color did not return to her face. We
received the report from our soldiers charged with monitoring the
fluctuations of magic energy within our borders, she thought. If it's a magic
beast from this world, I have every confidence that MacTaulo and his
knights will be enough to defeat it. But if my worst fears are true, a
harbinger of chaos has come to our world—a Beast of Disaster... She
swallowed. We're finally rid of my father and his wickedness. We've been
setting the kingdom in order. We've even signed a peace treaty and ended
the ancient war with the Dark Army! The land is at peace! So why are there
still more problems every day?!
She felt a sharp pain in her stomach and pressed her hand against it.
Clenching her teeth, the Maiden Queen shook her head. "No. I mustn't
waste time on self-pity! The survival of the Magical Kingdom rests on my
shoulders!"
She bit her lip, steeling her resolve. Yes... she thought. I suppose I have
no choice but to ask Lord Flio for his assistance once again. If only he
would accept the post of Hero and lead our armies, that would be a
tremendous help. But thanks to my father's foolishness, we lost the
opportunity. It is truly a pity to have lost such an extraordinary man...
Under her father, the Magical Kingdom of Klyrode had begun
summoning people from other worlds to try to find a worthy Hero. Anyone
summoned from another world was granted a blessing from the gods. They
would name ones with particularly strong blessings "Hero" and give them
whatever assistance they could, hoping for someone who could vanquish
the Dark One. But Flio seemed to have had no blessing whatsoever when he
first appeared. He was labeled a failure and sent away.
When Flio reached Level 2, however, his true blessing activated, and he
proved to be powerful indeed. And although he had refused any official
recognition, he had helped take care of all sorts of trouble in the past. As far
as the Maiden Queen was concerned, Flio had the makings of a true Hero.
But the kingdom had named another man Hero already and were incapable
of giving the title to Flio. According to the laws of the Magical Kingdom,
once a Hero was officially named, they would remain Hero until their death
or their departure from the world. Only then could a new Hero be selected.
As the Maiden Queen mulled over her thoughts, a man from the Magic
Corps burst into the throne room. "Your Majesty! I have news!"
The Queen rose to her feet again, her face once again pale white. The
man's behavior had her worried. "Y-Yes! What is it?"
"It's the magic beast we sensed, Your Majesty—the one with
unimaginable magic power. We've completed our magic wavelength
analysis. There's only one match... The legendary Beasts of Calamity."
Everything seemed to go white. I-I knew it! the Queen thought. It is said
that when one last visited our world, it slaughtered all in its path until the
disciples of the Celestial Plane appeared to contain it... "W-We must act at
once!" she said. "Oh, how terrible..."
"Y-Yes, well," the mage began. "We are almost certain that the beast in
question was a Beast of Calamity. But it doesn't make any sense. It had
hardly appeared when it vanished, nor did it leave a trace!"
"Excuse me...?" The Maiden Queen was shocked.
"It vanished?" asked MacTaulo. "What do you mean?"
The man looked extremely confused himself. "W-Well, we're still trying
to learn what exactly happened," he said. "It seems that an enormous magic
beast appeared and immediately vanished."
"I can't believe it..." the Queen said, frozen still and staring in shock. "A
Beast of Disaster, powerful enough to destroy the entire world...vanished in
an instant? What could this possibly mean?"
The Beast of Disaster which had threatened Klyrode had already been
dispatched by Flio, of course, but the Klyrode Magic Corps did not know
that.
"I-In any event," said MacTaulo, breaking the Maiden Queen out of her
stupor, "I suppose the danger has passed...?"
The Maiden Queen nodded. "Y-Yes. So it seems. But we also cannot
discount the possibility that it is merely lying in wait. Dispatch teams to the
area where the beast was detected and see if they can find any other signs of
it."
"Yes, Your Majesty." MacTaulo knelt and bowed his head. The
atmosphere in the throne room was a strange mixture of relief and tension.
◇Houghtow City—Flio's House◇
Behind Flio's house stood a two-story building—the workshop he used
to develop new merchandise. Flio invented the items, and the magic doll
Flio had made, Minilio, produced them at volume.
That night, Flio came to the workshop with the gem he had sealed the
Calamity Wyrm in. He folded his arms and gave it a long look. "With as
much magic power as this thing has, I'm sure I can use it for some kind of
new item..." he said. He poked and prodded the gem with his index finger,
the dragon still sealed inside. Everywhere he touched, a new window
appeared.
Calamity Wyrm Scale: Used in the manufacture of
protective gear. Confers heat resistance,
regeneration... (etc.)
Calamity Wyrm Horn: Used in the manufacture of
magical catalysts. Reduces magic expenditure and
confers lightning elemental... (etc.)
Flio looked over the windows until one in particular caught his eye.
"Hm? What's this...?" He took the gem in both hands. "Okay! How about
that one? Rather than a weapon, I'd much rather make something that will
improve people's lives."
A magic circle appeared and slowly began to revolve. "Using that
beast's parts as components for crafting looks like it takes a lot of magic
too," he said. "Oh well, it's nothing I can't manage."
Flio got to work. It took an amount of magic power that the entire
Klyrode Magic Corps elite would struggle to produce, but Flio went on,
blissfully unaware of the absurdity of the forces he was manipulating.
◇Meanwhile, with Hero Gold-Hair◇
Hero Gold-Hair and his companions were making their way up north.
As they walked, Tsuya turned to Hero Gold-Hair with a worried look on her
face. "Um... Is everything okaaay, Hero Gooold-Hair? That was a reeeally
big sneeze!"
"Y-Yeah! Don't mind me; I'm fine," Hero Gold-Hair said, coughing into
the back of his hand. It feels like someone out there is talking about me... he
thought. Worse, I think they might be saying I'm a failure who never should
have been made Hero in the first place!
Tsuya handed Hero Gold-Hair a handkerchief and he wiped his nose,
grumbling to himself in irritation. The blessing I got when I was summoned
to this world raised my abilities to a pretty high level, but... He called up his
status window.
Level: 38
Strength: 999
Defense: 999
Speed: 999
Magic: 999
HP: 999
Skills: Dig
My level's gone up a bit, but my stats haven't increased at all since I was
first summoned! I'm more than strong enough to handle human opponents,
but plenty of demons and magic beasts have abilities in the thousands!
Hero Gold-Hair thought back to what had happened when he took the
role of Hero and led the armies of Klyrode into battle. He had no ability as a
commander, stumbling even when fighting weaker magic beasts. And as his
allies fell around him, he had fled from the fight, shrieking, "I'm not going
to die in this dump!!!"
I was a mess back then, wasn't I...? he thought. But now, I have them...
He glanced back over his shoulders, where Valentine, formerly one of the
Twelve Evil Generals, and her familiar, Riliangiu, were walking along
behind him. And Dawkson's a real tough guy. I'm pretty sure he used to be
a big shot in the Dark Army. And she might not be with us right now, but
there's Wuha G, the mansion djinn! I have all these outrageous folks putting
their trust in me. We've become a real team. I'd sacrifice myself in a
heartbeat for them! He grinned, the picture of heroic confidence.
"Ummm..." Tsuya said, sidling up close beside Hero Gold-Hair and
pressing her fingertips together. "Didn't you leave me ooout...?"
"H-Hm?! No! Never! What makes you say that?"
"I don't knooow..." Tsuya lamented. "Maybe I'm being stuuupid. But it
felt like you left me ouuut of something..." She puffed out her cheeks in a
pout, looking up at Hero Gold-Hair with jealous eyes.
A pang of stress crossed Hero Gold-Hair's face. I-Incredible! Her
intuition is as sharp as always! How can she tell what's going on in my
head?!
"We've knooown each for a long tiiime!" she said. "I can tell what
you're thinking juuust by looooking at you!"
"W-Well, quit it! You shouldn't read people's minds like that!"
Tsuya pouted and whined.
"Look at them," Valentine said, watching the two from a ways away
with Dawkson and Riliangiu. "They know each other so well! I must say, I
do envy her."
"You are every bit as alluring as Lady Tsuya, if not more so," said
Riliangiu. "Alas, I believe she has already claimed the position of Hero
Gold-Hair's sweetheart."
"Huh?" Dawkson asked. "'Swee tart'? What's that?"
"Oh, have you never heard the term?" Valentine asked. "It means she's
so close to him that she can read his mind without any need for speech."
"Oh, really!" said Dawkson, nodding along. "I see!" Y'know, he thought,
back when I was the Dark One Yuigarde, my minion Phufun always knew
what to do without me telling her... Although, now that I think about it, she
got it wrong more often than not. She kept insisting that her intuition was
never wrong, but she made mistakes all the time! And then I'd get all mad
and send her flying... He sighed, lost in memories of his previous life.
Valentine glanced over at Dawkson, her lips curved up in a flirtatious
smirk. "Oooh?" she said. "Could it be that you have a sweetheart yourself?
Dawkson, you sly fox."
"N-No!" Dawkson protested. "She's not like that at all!"
"'She'?" echoed Valentine. "So there is someone!"
"G-Gh..." Dawkson's words caught in his throat as Valentine wrapped
her arms around him in a sensual embrace.
"You may have a sweetheart, Dawkson, but I have needs as well," she
said. "And my stomach is nearly empty, I'm afraid. Might I help myself to a
taste of your magic? The usual way—through the lips."
"H-Hold on! You wanna do it here?!"
"Ah ha ha..." Valentine laughed, ignoring Dawkson's distress. "I'm
sorry, what was that?"
"Nghh—" Dawkson objected, but Valentine cut him off with a kiss.
Valentine was originally from the Realm of Evil, a world in which the
ambient magic in the atmosphere was much thicker than in Klyrode. In
order to remain here, she had to continually absorb large amounts of
magical energy. Until recently, she had been indulging in vast quantities of
food, feasting on the minute amounts of magic contained within the matter.
But now, she had come to a different arrangement with Dawkson.
"Tee hee!" Valentine giggled. "My, but taking it directly from you really
is the easiest way to get magic. One kiss and I'm already just about full!"
"H-Hey! Be careful! I don't have infinite magic, you know!"
"Of course, of course," Valentine said, planting another kiss on
Dawkson's lips.
"Mhrhf..." Dawkson mumbled, his lips pressed against hers and his
magic flowing into her body.
Hero Gold-Hair watched the two with a bemused expression on his face.
"You know, from the outside, it really does look like they're kissing. Quite
deeply too..."
"They aaare kissing, I think..." said Tsuya.
"Still, thanks to that little trick, we don't need to pay for Valentine's
exorbitant appetite! It's much lighter on our wallets. I hope they keep it up
for many years to come."
They watched as Valentine helped herself to a generous serving of
Dawkson.