◇Houghtow City—Flio's House◇
A teleportation portal appeared in front of the house. Flio stepped out,
with Uliminas following after him. "Uliminas, I know you're worried about
the store, but right now, you need to take care of your body. Please, go to
your room and get some rest."
"M-Meowll right..." Uliminas said, wincing apologetically and
scratching the back of her head. "Sorry to cause trouble when we've been
so busy..."
It had been half a month since Uliminas, Balirossa, and Byleri
discovered that they were pregnant. Everyone had been urging them not to
push themselves too hard—to limit their exercise to walks and get plenty of
rest. But Uliminas, who had been handling the store's accounting on her
own, felt her responsibilities strongly. This wasn't the first time she had
snuck out of the house to visit the Fli-o'-Rys General Store only to be
escorted home by either Flio or Ghozal.
Flio smirked wryly. "You and Ghozal are both demons, so the pregnancy
should be shorter than it is for humans, like it was for Rys. Honestly, the
child could be born any day now. You're worrying everyone by sneaking
out like this!"
"S-Sorry. I won't do it again." Uliminas bowed her head, mortified.
"Uliminas! Did you sneak out of the house again?!" Rys, who had
noticed her husband returning home, strode angrily towards them, coming
right up in front of the hellcat.
"I-I'm sorry! Really! I just felt purrturbed all of a sudden and thought
I'd just take a little peek to see how things were going at the store..."
Uliminas got an earful from Rys about her behavior. All she could do
was meekly bow her head before Rys's wrath.
Eventually, Rys finished her tirade and sighed kindly. "I really wish you
would stick to taking walks around the house like Balirossa and Byleri
have. We're all just concerned for your well-being. Please, try to
understand." She held Uliminas's cheeks in her hands, staring her directly
in the eyes.
"I-I understand..." Uliminas said, drooping her shoulders and placing her
own hands on top of Rys's.
Rys's expression softened into a smile. "Honestly... I was perfectly wellbehaved when I was pregnant with my Elinàsze and Garyl. Why can't you
be like me?"
"Excuse me?" Uliminas said, a look of disbelief crossing her face. Even
Flio, who was standing next to her, smirked sardonically at his wife's claim.
"Squats..." Flio muttered beneath his breath. Rys turned her head to face
him.
"Hunting..." Uliminas added. Rys's head turned in a different direction
entirely, away from both of them.
Indeed, much to Flio's chagrin, when Rys herself had been pregnant, she
had done squat workouts nonstop in her room, saying she couldn't let her
body go soft. On top of that, she insisted on doing the food preparation
herself, heading out time and time again to go hunting in the forest. Flio had
had to retrieve her quite often.
"And you wouldn't stop cleaning the house or doing laundry..." said
Flio.
"And mew went meowt shopping constantly..." added Uliminas.
The two went on listing Rys's own misdeeds when she had been
pregnant. Rys clapped her hands over her ears and turned the other way.
Flio and Uliminas looked at her and chuckled.
"Yeah..." Uliminas said. "Feels purretty bad to be scolded like that. I'll
take care in the future."
"Thanks," said Flio, smiling his usual easygoing smile. "I appreciate it."
Rys kept facing away, her ears determinedly plugged.
◇Houghtow City—Fli-o'-Rys General Store◇
"Bring that product there, please," said Greanyl, the store's substitute
accountant, double-checking her paperwork as she directed the team.
Greanyl had been a member of the Silent Listeners, an organization of
shadow demons that had once served as the intelligence network of the
Dark Army. She and the rest of the Silent Listeners had left the army,
though, and now, they worked as the supply team for the Fli-o'-Rys General
Store, with Greanyl at their head.
I've been doing okay as the leader of the supply team... she thought. But
with my Lady Uliminas—to whom I owe everything—pregnant and unable
to work, I can hardly handle all of these responsibilities! I'm making Lady
Uliminas worry; she's coming here multiple times a day to check in... She
pursed her lips, remembering Uliminas's most recent visit as she glanced
around the store.
There were four people inside working—Ghozal, Tanya, Blossom, and
Minilio, who was disguised as Flio. Flio had traded places with Minilio
when he went to take Uliminas home. They had done it under the cover of
the spell Concealment in order to avoid causing a scene.
Tanya was doing the bulk of the customer service, using her uncanny
speed to deal with multiple people at once. But even she couldn't handle
every customer in the shop.
Miss Tanya has been a huge help, but we just don't have enough staff...
Greanyl thought. Whenever Lord Ghozal tries to help customers, one look
at that magnificent face of his knocks them flat on their backs! I had to ask
him to stick to moving inventory...
Greanyl respected Ghozal enough to leave the Dark Army herself when
he had abdicated the throne. She was cold and analytic in her assessment of
anything else, but when it came to the former Dark One, her estimation was
abnormally high.
Miss Blossom's been very helpful, though, she thought. We just need one
more. Perhaps I should call someone from the wagon staging area for
help...
Greanyl stood up and turned in the direction of the door leading to the
wagon staging area in the back of the shop, only to see a man already
standing there. "Hey!" said Dalc Horst. "Lord Ghozal told me to come help.
Sounds like you've got your hands full in here."
Dalc Horst was a demon horse and the former head of the Infernal
Sleip's handpicked company of elite soldiers. He had left the Dark Army
along with Sleip and now lived in the stables outside Flio's house. Since he
had led the company during their time in the Dark Army, it only made sense
for him to take the leadership position in their new profession as draft
horses for Fli-o'-Rys.
While pulling wagons, he took the form of a demon horse. But while
dealing with customers, he assumed his human form. He had a handsome
face and a slender, well-toned body under his half-open shirt. He was
attracting a considerable number of stares from the younger women in the
store, but he showed no signs of noticing as he stepped up to Greanyl.
"So, what do you want me to...do?!" Dalc Horst raised his voice in
surprise. Greanyl was standing up, facing him, but her face was hidden
behind a Wolf of Justice mask. "Um...Greanyl?"
"D-D-Don't mind me, please!" Greanyl said from beneath the mask.
"Th-Th-This is just an...an advertisement campaign! Now, Dalc Horst, I'd
like you to deal with the customers. Good luck!"
"O-Okay," said Dalc Horst, nodding. "I'll do my best!" He headed over
to the shop floor.
Greanyl watched Dalc Horst get to work. Beneath the mask, her face
was bright red. Not long ago, Greanyl had overheard Dalc Horst saying he
had a crush on her. Ever since, she had been overly conscious of Dalc
Horst, unable to look him in the face without turning bright red. She had
hastily equipped the Wolf of Justice mask so as not to be found out.
Aaaaah!!! Greanyl thought. I hope he didn't see how red my face is! I-I
need to calm down! This is unbecoming of a shadow demon of Lady
Uliminas's Silent Listeners! How could I let this unsettle me so badly?!
"Um, Greanyl?" asked Dalc Horst, shocking her out of her thoughts.
"Eeeeek!" Greanyl shrieked and jumped into the air, startling Dalc Horst
almost as much as he had startled her.
"S-So, um..." he said when he recovered. "A customer wants five of
these swords. Do we have more in storage?"
"A-Ah! I-I understand! I'll go check right away!" She hurried off
towards the storeroom, but with the mask blocking her field of view, she
kept bumping into objects on the way, making strange vocalizations every
time. "Ghah! Whrg! Kehh..."
Dalc Horst watched her go, plainly worried. Greanyl's been acting
strange for a while now... he thought. I hope she hasn't found out that I've
been arranging things so I can pull her wagon. It feels like she's been
avoiding me... Dalc Horst clutched his head in pain.
Blossom watched the pair's little kerfuffle out of the corner of her eye as
she helped a customer, smirking. Those two are in love with each other,
plain as day... Why don't they just hook up already?
As she had the thought, Tanya zoomed past on her way to help another
customer. Without a doubt, the greatest problem for the Fli-o'-Rys General
Store that day was its sheer popularity.
◇That Night—Flio and Rys's Room◇
Flio and Rys's room was on the second story of Flio's house. Their three
children, Wyne, Elinàsze, and Garyl, slept together in their own bedroom,
leaving this room for two of them. It was partitioned into two parts—the
bedroom, and their private chambers. At present, Flio was sitting at the desk
in his chambers, looking over his sales ledger.
The Fli-o'-Rys General Store had three locations in total—the main
branch in Houghtow City, a branch in front of the Dark Citadel, and a
school store within the Houghtow College of Magic. At the end of the
business day, each of the branches gave him a ledger enumerating both
stock intake and sales.
Business has really been picking up at the Dark Citadel Branch... Flio
thought as he looked the paperwork over. Wolf of Justice merchandise is
selling well as always, but other items have been selling more and more
too...
Rys came up beside him and set a cup of black tea down on his desk.
"Shall we take a short break, my lord husband?"
"All right. Thank you, Rys," Flio responded, giving Rys one of his
typical kind smiles.
Rys smiled back at her husband. "You seem to be having fun."
"Well, you know..." Flio smiled. "Before I came to this world, I was in
charge of stocking inventory for a large conglomerate. Doing the books like
this always reminds me of those days. I guess I'm just enjoying the
memories."
"You truly are a strange man, my lord husband," Rys said. "You have the
strength to conquer the entire world, but instead you would rather enjoy
'doing the books'..."
"You give me too much credit, Rys," said Flio. "My power isn't that
incredible. But even if I could, I wouldn't want to rule the world. I would
much rather use my power to create a world where everyone can live their
lives with a smile on their face. For Wyne and Elinàsze and Garyl, and for
Ghozal and Sleip's new children." He took a sip of tea, smiling happily.
"Yes," said Rys. "You always do say so, my lord husband."
"I suppose I do!" Flio pursed his lips apologetically. "But back then, I
never thought about things like world peace or everyone's happiness..."
"Back then?" Rys asked. "What do you mean?"
"Oh," said Flio. "Before our first time meeting Hiya, I mean. When
they..." He trailed off.
Hiya had been sealed beneath Castle Klyrode until they were one day set
free and sent after Flio. Rys had blocked the attack with her body and ended
up cut entirely in half. Flio saved her by reversing time, and then beat Hiya
within an inch of their life with pure, overwhelming power. "I know I say I
want peace for everyone," Flio said, pulling his wife into a gentle embrace,
"but the truth is, you're the most important person in the world to me, Rys."
"My lord husband..." Rys closed her eyes and rested her head against her
husband's chest. "It makes me happy beyond words to hear you say that."
Rys gazed up at Flio. Flio gazed down. The two spent a while simply
gazing into each other's eyes. Then, they leaned in, pressing their lips
together in a kiss.
Shortly, Flio was carrying Rys in his arms, princess-style. They entered
the sleeping chambers and extinguished the magic lantern...
◇Midnight, Several Weeks Later—Flio's House◇
Flio lay in bed, resting his head against Rys's arm. Suddenly, his eyes
shot open. He could feel a presence approaching. Careful not to disturb Rys,
he slipped out of bed. But halfway through extracting himself from Rys's
tight embrace, she woke up.
"Are they here again, my lord husband?" she asked, looking in the
direction of the front entrance.
Flio stood up, smirking. "To them, the night is like daytime is to us. But
why do they need to visit so many times at this hour...?"
"Shall I send them away?" Rys asked, getting out of bed herself and
transforming her hands and feet into lupine claws.
"They're here to wish us good fortune," Flio said, still smirking as he
put on his clothes. "I'd rather you didn't." Suddenly, Flio sensed something
moving in the house at a high speed. Hm? "We need to hurry..." He held up
his arm, conjuring a small magic circle. A second later, another magic circle
appeared around Flio's body. He cast Accelerated Teleportation, a variant of
Teleportation designed for short distances.
Meanwhile, Wyne was running through the hallway, making for the
front entrance. "I sense something!" she called out. "Something weird!"
She was partly in her dragonewt form—her tail was out—and she raised her
arms to fight as she ran for the door.
"B-Big sis Wyne!" Elinàsze called. "Wait! At least put on your clothes
first!" She was chasing after her sister through the air, using the spell Fly.
She was dressed in her nightclothes and had a second pair of them in her
arms for Wyne.
Dragons of all kinds had high body temperatures, and Wyne was no
exception. Because of her physiology, she hated wearing clothing in human
form. Even unconscious in bed with Elinàsze and Garyl, her aversion was
so strong that she would frequently take off her clothes in her sleep.
Tonight, again, she was running through the halls stark naked.
"B-Big sis Wyne!" Garyl cried after her, running out of the bedroom
after her and Elinàsze. In his hand, he grasped Wyne's discarded underwear.
"Don't forget your panties! Your panties!" Thanks to his mother Rys's
demon blood, Garyl had been growing up at an incredible rate. His face was
turning red at the sight of Wyne's swishing tail. He kept turning his gaze to
avoid getting a direct look at anything too private. Big sis Wyne! he thought.
I can't look at you if you won't at least wear your underwear!
Wyne, however, could not be stopped. Flames spouted from the corners
of her mouth as she ran. "Something weird is coming!" she said. "I'll
protect everyone!" Her skin, which was already reddish, grew even redder.
She was ready to unleash her fire breath.
"That's as far as you go, young mistress Wyne." Suddenly Tanya
appeared from the darkness, catching Wyne by the scruff as she ran past.
"Mrrrf!" Wyne exclaimed, startled by the sudden stop.
"Eek!" shouted Elinàsze.
"Aaah!" shouted Garyl.
The twins had been chasing after Wyne at high speed. They couldn't
stop themselves in time to prevent a collision! But...
"Are you two okay?" Flio, who had hurried over with his Accelerated
Teleportation, grabbed Elinàsze in his right hand and Garyl in his left,
preventing them from colliding with Wyne.
"Papa!" cried Elinàsze. "Thank you!" She beamed brightly and threw
her arms around Flio's shoulders and nuzzled her cheeks against his, safe in
the arms of her beloved father.
"Thanks, da...d?" Garyl began, but Elinàsze interrupted him with a
telepathic message.
"Garyl, don't interfere."
Telepathy was a good method for conveying a message to someone
privately. Ordinarily, there would be no way of knowing the contents of a
telepathic communication, but Flio could understand thought waves
transmitted by his daughter. Of course, he understood the contents as well.
That Elinàsze... he thought, smirking to himself as she rubbed her cheeks
affectionately against his.
While Tanya and Elinàsze dressed Wyne, Flio went to open the door,
meeting the elderly couple outside with his usual easygoing smile. "Would
you happen to be guests for Mister Ghozal or Mister Sleip?" he asked.
The couple outside looked visibly relieved at Flio's welcome. "Yes,
that's quite right. I must apologize for bothering you at this time of night.
We vampires can only move freely after dark, you understand. I'm afraid
we've caused you a great deal of trouble."
"We stopped by for a visit, but everyone seemed to be asleep," said the
other vampire. "My husband and I were at quite a loss..." They bowed
courteously to Flio.
"I'm terribly sorry," the husband said, "but could you tell Lord Gholl,
the Dark One— Oh, it is Lord Ghozal now, no?" he corrected himself.
"Could you tell him that we have arrived?"
"We merely wish to offer him our blessings for the birth of his
successor," said the wife. The two bowed again.
Flio smiled at the couple. "I understand. Mister Ghozal asked me to let
him know if he had guests arrive, whatever time of night. Although...I'm
terribly sorry, but would you mind concealing your magic power just a little
bit more? Your magic seems to have caused a bit of a stir in the house."
By all appearances, the vampire couple looked like average elderly
humans, but their magical power was so vast that it distorted the space
around them, like a visible aura. It was obvious at a glance that the two
were immensely powerful demons. They did seem to have cast the spell
Concealment, but even so, they were leaking a considerable amount of
magic—enough that Wyne had thought the house was under attack.
"Oh, my apologies!" the man exclaimed. "It has been quite some time
since we have had cause to leave our domain."
"We thought we had our magic concealed properly..." his wife added.
"How rude of us! I must apologize." The two hurried to recast Concealment
on each other. Their magical energy became gradually harder and harder to
sense, until most in the house couldn't sense it at all. When he was satisfied,
Flio led the couple to the first-floor living room.
"But I must say," the husband said, "the barrier you've erected around
this house is marvelous. If you hadn't created a pathway to the front door, I
might never have made it here!"
Flio winced at the vampire's words. "We've had a great number of
guests here to visit Mister Ghozal or Mister Sleip. We had to open up the
barrier around the front entrance to make sure you could all get in."
When they reached the living room, Tanya led the children back upstairs
to bed, while Rys came downstairs to prepare tea for the guests.
"Hm?" Rys said, smiling at the sight of the guests Flio had led into the
room. "I was wondering who it was! If it isn't Master Selestutz and his
wife!"
"G-Goodness!" cried Selestutz. "Are you Ser Fenris, the lupine demon?!
To think the little tomboy I knew would grow up to be such a beautiful
woman!"
"You really have grown up beautifully," his wife agreed. "Back then,
you were always covered in someone's blood..."
"I still remember you defeating that nasty giant who was so mean to
you! You were just a little girl back then..."
"Or the time you vanquished the renegade lizardmen all on your own!"
The two went on, regaling each other with tales of Rys's old exploits.
Rys looked back at them, her body trembling. "E-Excuse me... P-Perhaps
that's enough stories about me for today? Ah ha ha ha ha..." she laughed
nervously. Rys worked hard to make sure her husband saw her as proper
and ladylike. In the face of so many stories about her past as a fearsome
warrior, her smile was becoming increasingly strained. "Tell me... Where
have you two been living as of late?"
"Ever since we were exiled from the Dark Army, we've been spending
our time alone together in our old castle, deep in the mountains around the
Dark Citadel."
"But my, Rys, you really did grow into a beautiful woman..."
"Didn't she just! Why, I remember when you were a little thing, chasing
around a snake ten times your size. You were such a little tomboy..."
"Would you please...please not talk about that?" Rys asked, trying
desperately to change the subject. But Selestutz and his wife seemed to
view Rys as something like a granddaughter. They regarded her fondly,
barely pausing their stories for a second. Rys was powerless to stop them.
Flio slowly took to his feet. "O-Oh!" Rys exclaimed. "My lord husband,
are you going to summon Ghozal? Perhaps I should—"
"It's okay, Rys," Flio said, giving her one of his easygoing smiles. "I can
handle it myself." I'm sorry, Rys, he thought as began to ascend the stairs to
the second floor. But Mister Selestutz and his wife look so happy to see you.
I'll be down with Ghozal in a second. You just keep them company until
then...
"M-My lord husband..." Rys protested.
"Now, now, Rys," said Selestutz. "It's been so long since we've seen
you! Talk with us some more about old times."
"Speaking of old times, you even got in a few tussles with Lord Gholl's
younger brother, didn't you? I remember you leaving him rather black and
blue!" Selestutz's wife reminisced, smiling fondly as she chatted on.
My lord husband... Rys thought, forcing herself to smile as the pair
continued to discuss her misspent youth. Please hurry!
A few minutes later, Flio arrived with Ghozal in tow. "Well, if it isn't
Selestutz and his wife!" said Ghozal. "Welcome!"
"Oh! Lord Ghozal! How long has it been?"
"I am honored to be in your presence once more!"
Ghozal smiled and nodded as Selestutz and his wife smiled happily,
bowing and bowing.
"We heard the news that your wives are with child! We simply had to
hurry over and give our blessings!"
"I quit the Dark Army, you know," Ghozal said. "You don't gotta call
me 'Lord.'" He quickly settled into chatting happily with the vampire
couple.
"You weren't a moment too soon, my lord husband..." said Rys. "I don't
know how much more I could have endured..." She looked over at Ghozal
and his friends, an exhausted smile on her face.
Flio pulled her into a gentle embrace. "Thank you for keeping them
occupied, Rys. You did good."
"I am glad to be of service to my lord husband..." Rys said. "Or so I
would like to say..." She smirked, resting her head against Flio's chest. "But
I must say, it seems there have been more demons coming to offer Ghozal
their blessings every day..."
"You're not wrong..." Flio said, pressing his head against Rys's.
Ghozal was currently living at Flio's house disguised as a demihuman,
but before that, he had been known as the mightiest Dark One in history. "I
quit the Dark Army," he was fond of saying. "I don't consider myself a
demon anymore." He meant it honestly, and hadn't spoken a word about his
wives' pregnancies to anyone having anything to do with demonkind. And
yet, there was no end to his visitors.
"I don't think Ghozal's spoken to his demon acquaintances about his
wives' pregnancies at all. I wonder how they all found out...?"
"Now that you mention it..." Rys said. "I don't think Uliminas or Sleip
have told anyone either..."
The two lowered their heads, puzzling over this new mystery.
◇Meanwhile, in the Fli-o'-Rys Dark Citadel Branch Store...◇
The Fli-o'-Rys Dark Citadel Branch Store was located right in front of
the Dark Citadel itself, a symbol of the peace between the Dark Army and
the Magical Kingdom of Klyrode. Unlike the Houghtow store, it was open
late into the night—many demons were nocturnal, after all. Behind the
register tonight were the goblins Hokh'hokton and Maunty.
"Thank you for your payment, good sir!" said Hokh'hokton.
"And thanks for visiting our store!" added Maunty.
The two goblins lived and worked on Blossom's farm. They had
originally been with the Dark Army, but they felt indebted to Flio and
Blossom for sparing their lives and had pledged themselves to their service.
"You know, Maunty," Hokh'hokton said to his companion after the
customer had left, "with the Fli-o'-Rys General Store in crisis, now is the
perfect time for us to take the spotlight!"
"You said it!" Maunty agreed. "With Lord Ghozal's wives, Lady
Uliminas and Lady Balirossa, pregnant and unable to work, us goblins must
pick up the slack!"
"Quite right!" said Hokh'hokton. "I am quite proud of my stamina, you
know. Every day, after my chores at the farm, I come here to work! Ah ha
ha! Behold! I will guide this store through these trying times!"
"And make a tidy sum, at that!" said Maunty. "I need the money to
support my wife and thirty-one kids!"
"What?! Wait a moment, Maunty. Did you have more children again?!"
"Yes! They were born just the other day! It must be a blessing that it
happened at the same time as Lord Ghozal's wives' pregnancies!
Personally, I don't mind if they're a bit rough-and-tumble, as long as my
kids grow up healthy."
"A-Ah," said Hokh'hokton. "I see... Well, let's both do our best. You, at
raising your children, and me, at hunting for a wife..."
They chattered on as they briskly did their work. Meanwhile, all
throughout the store, demons were whispering to each other.
"D-Did you hear what those goblins just said?"
"I did! I can't believe Lord Gholl's wives are pregnant...!"
"Lord Gholl was an amazing ruler—nothing like the useless deserter of
a Dark One we have now..."
"Maybe I should go offer him my blessings..."
Hokh'hokton and Maunty went on spreading word of Ghozal's wives'
pregnancies through sheer carelessness. Then, the information spread from
demon to demon, many of whom opted to pay Ghozal a visit. Even Flio and
Rys had no idea what was happening.
◇ ◇ ◇
"Uliminas and Balirossa wanted to see you too," Ghozal said, "but
they're taking it easy, what with the births so close. I hope you understand."
"Of course, of course!" said Selestutz. "This is the critical period! I
understand completely."
"To think, Lord Ghozal's children!" marveled his wife. "I'm sure they'll
be adorable and full of energy. They're yours, after all!"
Rys came over to the table, bringing Ghozal and the vampire couple a
fresh pot of tea, while Flio watched from a short distance away. Demons
sure do admire Ghozal! he thought, smiling kindly.
Tanya stepped up next to Flio. "Master Flio..."
"What is it, Tanya?" Flio asked.
"Master, the count of the necrobats and his wife, as well as the chief of
the thanatos owls, are here to offer their blessings to Master Ghozal. Shall I
let them in...?"
Flio grimaced. "I see..." he said. "It seems like we have quite a number
of guests today. Rys and I can take care of this. Tanya, you go rest."
"What are you saying?" Tanya said, biting her lip from stress. "I am the
maid of Master Flio's house! I could never leave the master of the house
himself to tend to the guests' needs! I should be preparing a pot of tea right
now!"
Tanya had been taking care of the house while also doing customer
service for the Fli-o'-Rys General Store, all to utmost perfection, but for
some reason, the tea she made was absolutely terrible. It doesn't seem like
she's necessarily doing anything wrong... Flio thought. He winced,
remembering what had happened the last time he had asked Tanya to make
tea.
"You see the guests in," Flio said. "Rys can handle the tea."
"Understood, Master," Tanya said, lifting her skirt in an elegant curtsy.
"I shall show the guests inside." She turned and headed towards the
entrance.
Rys stepped up beside Flio. "If it's like this before the births, how many
more demons will come to visit us once the children are born?"
"Good point..." Flio said. "I'm not sure I can imagine it. Or maybe I just
don't want to."
The two looked over at the table where Ghozal was chatting animatedly
with Selestutz and his wife. Just then, Sleip, who had been staying in the
same room as Uliminas, Balirossa, and Byleri, burst into the living room.
"Someone, come quick!" he said. "A-All three of them went into labor
at once! The babies could be here any second!"
◇ ◇ ◇
"To think I would have the honor of assisting in the birth of Lord
Ghozal's children!" Lady Celestutz was beside herself, crying tears of joy.
"I hardly know what to say!"
"I have the water," Rys said. "Someone fetch a towel!" Rys entered the
room, carrying an enormous bucket of hot water as if it weighed nothing at
all. She had firsthand experience with childbirth and knew how important
water would be.
Elinàsze and Garyl trotted up, each carrying a massive pile of towels in
their arms.
"Here's the towels from the dresser, mama!" Elinàsze said.
"I have some towels too!" said Garyl.
"Mama! I brought some too! I brought some too!" Wyne followed
closely behind the twins. In her hands was not a pile of towels but an entire
dresser! So burdened, she found herself unable to make it through the
room's door—the edges of the dresser bumped up against the doorframe.
Belano ran up to Wyne, clearly frazzled. "W-Wyne, calm down,
please...!"
Belano was the final member of Balirossa's old knightly company—the
witch. Now that they had all quit the knighthood, she lived with the other
three at Flio's house and taught defensive magic at the Houghtow College
of Magic. Sometimes, if she had time off from her work at the school on a
day Fli-o'-Rys was open for business, she would stop in to help out at the
store.
But Wyne never listened to anyone when she got worked up like this.
"Geh!" she cried. "It won't go in! It won't go in!"
"O-Oh, no... W-Wyne, please... Calm down!" Belano begged.
But it was too late. Wyne backed up, readying herself to charge and bash
through the wall above the doorframe into the room. But Belano leapt into
action, grabbing Wyne tightly around the waist and casting Gravitation.
Belano had learned Gravitation from Flio, but when Flio cast the spell, it
was much stronger than Belano's version. It wasn't enough to stop Wyne,
who charged forward. But when all hope seemed lost, Minilio came running
up, grabbing Wyne from the other side and helping Belano pull using his
own Gravitation spell.
Minilio was a magic doll created by Flio. He looked like a younger
version of Flio himself, hence the name. Sometimes he would use magic to
grow to adult size and interface with customers as if he were the real Flio.
Minilio's spell did the trick. "H-Hwuh?!" Wyne exclaimed. "I-I can't
move! I can't move!"
"Th-Thank you, Minilio..." Belano said. Minilio simply smiled and
nodded.
Belano looked up to Flio as something of a surrogate for her departed
brother and father, and Minilio looked like a younger version of Flio. A
smile from him was a reliable way to turn Belano's face red.
Wyne flailed helplessly, immobilized by the Gravitation spell. Blossom
and Sybe, in its unicorn rabbit form, were waiting restlessly in the hallway
outside along with the necrobat counts and the rest. Inside the room, Flio,
Hiya, and Damalynas were tending to Uliminas, Balirossa, and Byleri by
continually casting healing spells. Uliminas may have been a demon, but
Balirossa and Byleri were both humans giving birth to children of demonic
heritage. It was placing considerable stress on their bodies. It was going
well enough thanks to the efforts of Flio and the other spellcasters, but still,
the women's faces would spasm now and then in pain.
Ghozal took Uliminas's and Balirossa's hands firmly in his.
"Ghozal..."
"Sir Ghozal..."
The two looked up at their husband and nodded, reassuring him that they
would be all right. Next to them, Sleip and Byleri were holding hands as
well.
"How are you holding up, Byleri?" Sleip asked. "Dealing with the pain
all right? You just have to hold on for a little while longer..."
"Don't worry," Byleri said. "I'm, like, totally okay. You can relax..."
"B-But I..."
"Like, seriously! Look at Mister Ghozal! He's, like, totally calm,
y'know?"
"I... I suppose so..." Sleip admitted. Sleip had been the opposite of
Ghozal, pacing nervously about the room, unable to calm down. He seemed
to be in a state of significant nerves, quite unbecoming of the onetime head
of the Infernal Four. The whole room shared an amused smirk at his
expense.
"Don't worry, Mister Sleip," Flio said. "It's almost done."
"Y-Yes, Mister Flio, I understand that," Sleip said. "But—"
Sleip never finished his sentence, though, because just then, the sound of
a baby crying filled the room.
First Uliminas's child, then Balirossa's, and finally Byleri's, were all
born without incident.
◇ ◇ ◇
"Hrm," Ghozal said, hugging Uliminas and Balirossa tight. "You both
did great." Beside them, the newborn babies were lying next to each other,
asleep. The three embraced, looking over at their children.
Next to them, Sleip was celebrating in his own way. "You did it, Byleri!
You gave birth to our child!" He was clasping both of her hands in his,
sobbing such tears of joy that it looked like waterfalls were streaming down
his cheeks.
"Like, Lord Sleip..." Byleri said. "You'll, like, upset the babies if you're
too loud..." Smiling with forbearing fondness, she wrapped her arms around
Sleip and pulled him in close. He pressed his face against her bosom and
began to weep all the more.
She might have been imagining it, but Byleri could have sworn she saw
the babies plug their fingers in their ears as if to say, "Keep it down!"
"Wow! The babies are adorable!" Elinàsze gasped.
"They really are super cute," agreed Garyl.
"Really, really! Super cute!" chimed in Wyne. The three of them were
holding towels in their arms, watching the babies from nearby the bed.
Garyl took a closer look at the baby who happened to be closest to him
—Uliminas's child. "So this one's a girl, huh?" he said, grinning. "She's
way cute!"
"Bwah," the baby said.
"Huh," said Garyl. "This baby's face is kinda red."
"It is! It is!" Wyne chimed in. pressing her face up right next to Garyl's.
"I bet she's blushing 'cause she thinks you're cute, Gare-Gare!"
The baby wrapped her arms around Garyl's face, crying out a happy
"Ga-ga!" She flailed her arms at Wyne as if to say, "Don't touch my Garyl!"
But Wyne was in too high spirits to even notice she was being shooed away.
Once the babies were all safely born, a joyous mood settled over the
bedroom. Flio watched everyone resting in the bed with his usual easygoing
smile as Rys, who had just finished cleaning up, stepped up beside him.
"I'm glad the children were all born healthy," she said.
"Yes, I am too." Flio nodded in agreement. Then, he glanced over at
Lady Selestutz and the necrobat count and the rest. "Although..."
"Yes, my lord husband?" asked Rys.
"With so many demons coming to offer their blessings while they were
pregnant, how many more do you suppose will come now that the children
are born...?"
"I must apologize," Rys answered. "I believe it's somewhat beyond my
ability to imagine. Perhaps we had best keep this a secret from the Dark
Army for a little while..."
"I agree," said Flio. "I think that would be best."
Rys's smile twitched. Flio nodded his head in understanding.
Outside the window, a giant crow sat watching. There had been so much
running about for the births that nobody in the house had noticed it—not
even Flio.
The following morning, the children were given names. Uliminas named
her daughter Folmina, after her favorite flower. Balirossa's son's name was
taken by combining parts of Ghozal's name and hers: Ghoro. And Byleri's
daughter was named Rislei using a similar scheme: "ri" from Byleri, and
"slei" from Sleip.
◇Dark Citadel—Throne Room◇
Flap, flap, flap! A dire crow flew into the throne room and alighted in
front of the Dark Regent Calsi'im. "Caw! Ca-Caw—!"
"Oh, indeed?" said Calsi'im, his skull rattling merrily as he nodded.
"Lord Ghozal and Lord Sleip's children, you say?"
Calsi'im had been running the Dark Army since the Dark One Yuigarde
had vanished. He refused to sit on the throne, saying it would be
"presumptuous" for a temporary stand-in like himself. Instead, he had a
cloth laid out beside the throne where he sat. His minion, the magic doll
Tia, was always by his side.
"Excuse me, Tia," Calsi'im said, turning to her. "Would you mind
notifying the residents of the Dark Citadel that the retired Dark One
Ghozal's children have been born?"
"Understood. We will have those who wish to pay their respects disguise
themselves as demihumans in order to visit. We are at peace with the
Magical Kingdom of Klyrode, but I still believe prudence to be in order."
"Yes, yes, good idea, Tia! I can always count on that clever mind of
yours!"
"If I am clever, Calsi'im, it is because you taught me well," Tia said,
bowing graciously.
"I can't tell you how happy it makes me to hear that..." The skeleton
sniffled.
Tia looked up at him. "Calsi'im..." She hesitated. "May I say
something?"
"Hm? What is it, Tia?" Calsi'im asked, tilting his skull.
"No... Never mind. It's nothing. I will deliver your notification." She
bowed again, deeply, and trotted out of the throne room. Of course I can't
ask him that! she thought. But I wonder... Is there any way for a skeleton
and a magic doll to...have a child together...?
Magic dolls were an artificial life-form created by magic. They were
said to not have emotions. But Tia's cheeks were clearly flushed red with
embarrassment as she walked along, muttering to herself.
"Well! I wonder what that was about..." Calsi'im mused as he watched
Tia leave. He held out his arm. Suddenly, there was a sharp sound. Crack!
Calsi'im looked and saw a deep crack in the bone. He sighed and turned to
face the dire crow. "I'm sorry, my friend. Could I ask you to find the Dark
One Yuigarde and Lady Phufun for me? And quickly, now!"
"Caw—!"
Good Sir Caw-lins the dire crow stepped up to Calsi'im and nuzzled him
on his bony cheeks. Then, he spread his wings and took flight.
Calsi'im watched as he vanished into the sky. He's been a good familiar
to me for many years... I'm sure he's noticed it too. I'm afraid I'm almost
out of time...
◇Meanwhile, with Hero Gold-Hair◇
Hero Gold-Hair and his party were deep in the mountains, camping in a
tent under a big tree off the side of the road. When morning came, they
roused themselves and headed off into the forest. They came to a point
where a couple of paths intersected, a large hole directly in the middle.
"Not bad!" Hero Gold-Hair nodded, satisfied. "It looks like the trap we
set last night caught a magic beast!"
"Hey, you're right!" Dawkson said, grinning as he nodded back at Hero
Gold-Hair. "That one'll fetch us some good money!"
Behind them, Valentine was cheering and jumping in the air with joy.
"That means we get to eat something tasty! Ooh, I can't wait!"
Tsuya smiled at Valentine. "I'll do my beeest negotiating a priiice!" she
said. "So we can aaall eat tasty food!"
"That's right!" said Hero Gold-Hair. "We're counting on you, Tsuya!
Our money is in your hands."
"Just leave it to meee!" Tsuya declared, posing and flexing her right
arm.
"All right, Valentine," Hero Gold-Hair nodded. "Bind up that magic
beast with the Threads of Evil!"
"Yes, right away!" Grinning seductively, Valentine entwined her fingers.
Threads shot out from her fingertips. She swung her arms, moving in an
elegant dance. Each time she did, the strands of thread wove together,
becoming thicker and thicker. Finally, the threads plunged into the hole like
a living creature. Upon reaching the bottom, they wrapped around the
lifeless magic beast, tying it up.
"All right, Valentine and Dawkson," said Hero Gold-Hair. "We'll leave
this to you. Tsuya and I will go check on the other traps."
"'Kay, 'kay!" sang Valentine. "Good luck!"
"Yeah!" said Dawkson. "We'll take care of this one, same as always."
"And don't forget—" Hero Gold-Hair started.
"Yeah, I got it," said Dawkson. "We gotta fill the hole back in when
we're done, right?"
"Exactly!" Hero Gold-Hair nodded. "I'm counting on you!" Hero GoldHair was surprisingly scrupulous about his traps. He made sure to fill in the
holes when he was done, whether the traps had caught anything or not.
"When Riliangiu gets back from scouting the area, we'll head out for the
nearest town."
"Understood!" said Valentine.
Hero Gold-Hair and Tsuya left to check on the traps they had left deeper
in the forest. "By the waaay, Hero Gooold-Hair," Tsuya said. "Have you
heeeard?"
"Hm? Heard what?"
"Weeell, before Riliangiu went scoutiiing this morning, she met a biiig
group of demons going the other way!"
"Oh, yes! A huge party of demons heading for the Magical Kingdom of
Klyrode, wasn't it?"
"The deeemons said that the retired Daaark One had kiiids! Did you
hear thaaat?"
"Yes, that's right. And they're going to pay their respects?"
Tsuya lowered her gaze and looked up at Hero Gold-Hair, blushing and
muttering to herself. She took Hero Gold-Hair's hand in hers, pressing her
chest up against his arm. And as they walked through the forest, she
stared...
And stared...
And stared...
And stared...
And stared...
Hero Gold-Hair glanced at Tsuya out of the corner of his eye. He sighed.
"You're very easy to read. Did you know that?"
"I aaam? I had nooo idea..."
"A-Ahem!" Hero Gold-Hair cleared his throat. "Well, at the very least,
I'd like us to wait until we aren't on the run. A-And don't cling to me like
that! I don't like it when you cling!"
"Awww..." Tsuya pouted, her eyes misting over. "Reeeally?"
Hero Gold-Hair couldn't say no to those eyes. "Well... At least let go of
me before we get back to everyone."
"O-Okaaay! Thaaank you!" Tsuya's eyes lit up and she pressed up even
closer against Hero Gold-Hair's arm.
As Valentine and Dawkson filled in the hole, a dire crow perched on a
tree overhead, watching. But it was too far away for either of them to
notice. It observed them for a while before flying off towards the north.