◇Houghtow City—Flio's House◇
Uliminas and Balirossa gazed out the window from their second-story
bedroom, each holding her child in her arms.
"The wind feels purrfect today..." Uliminas mused.
"It does," agreed Balirossa. "Folmina and Ghoro seem to be enjoying it
as well."
It had only been a few days since their births, but the two babies had
already grown quite large. Uliminas and Balirossa looked down at them and
smiled.
"They'll be walking in a week, mew know."
"Yes," said Balirossa. "And then we must return to our work. I would
hate to cause trouble for Lord Flio and everyone else."
The two looked out the window at the pasture in front of Flio's house.
Sleip was in his centaur form, galloping fast. Byleri was riding on his back,
holding Rislei from behind for safety as her child clung to Sleip's neck.
"Ha ha ha!" Sleip laughed. "You two having fun back there?"
"Totally!" said Byleri. "Feeling the wind when you run like that is
totally the best!"
Like Folmina and Ghoro, Rislei had been growing up quickly. She was
already able to take tottering steps. She loved riding on her father's back as
he ran.
Uliminas and Balirossa smiled as they watched Sleip and his family.
"Looks like they're having fun," said Uliminas. "Folmina can almost walk,
mew know. I wonder if it'd be safe for her to take a ride on Sleip's back
too..."
"I wonder..." said Balirossa. "Ghoro can't quite walk yet either. If he
were to take a ride, I would insist on riding with him."
Uliminas looked out towards the road. Her brow furrowed. "What is
that...?"
"Hm?" Balirossa echoed, following Uliminas's gaze. Something was
approaching the house. As it got closer, they could see that it was an
enormous crowd of people, in rows that took up the entire width of the
road, drawing closer and closer. The crowd stretched out of sight, over the
crest of a hill.
Rys was hanging up the laundry to dry on the drying rack to the side of
the entrance. Her eyes went wide when she saw them coming over the hill.
"No... Could that be...demons arriving to celebrate the birth of Ghozal and
Sleip's children?!" She froze, a wet sheet dangling from her arms as she
stared.
Sleip galloped up beside her from the pasture. "You think so too, Rys?"
"Yes..." She nodded. "I can't think of any other reason so many demons
would be headed towards our house..." Returning to her senses, she picked
the laundry basket back up. "My lord husband and Ghozal are at the store.
I'll go summon them." She took the laundry and ran back inside.
"All right," said Sleip. "I suppose we'll get Uliminas and Balirossa and
go welcome the guests..." He let Byleri and Rislei down off his back and
changed into human form, hurrying inside the house after Rys.
Uliminas and Balirossa were watching from the second-story window.
"I... I guess we'd better go get purrepared..." said Uliminas.
"Y-Yes," agreed Balirossa. "We should head downstairs..."
They hurried down to the first floor.
◇Houghtow City—Fli-o'-Rys General Store◇
It had only been a few minutes since opening, but the Fli-o'-Rys General
Store was already bustling with customers. Flio was busy explaining one of
the magic swords to Sireul, one of their regular customers, when he
suddenly cocked his head. "Hm?"
"Is something wrong, Mister Flio?" Sireul asked.
"No, no," Flio reassured him with one of his usual easygoing smiles.
"It's nothing to worry about." What's this? he thought. A huge number of
demons are coming towards our house! I don't sense any hostility, at least...
Just then, Rys burst into the store from the employee door behind the
register.
"Rys?" said Flio. "I suppose something really is happening, then?"
"Yes, my lord husband. The truth is..." Rys leaned in to whisper in his
ear. "The truth is, an enormous crowd of demons is here to pay their
respects to Ghozal and Sleip's children..."
"I see," said Flio. "I suppose Ghozal and I should return to the house for
the time being, then."
"I suppose so." Rys nodded. "Good luck to all of us."
Flio twitched one of his fingers and immediately vanished.
"H-Huh?!" exclaimed Sireul. Then, he felt a tap on his shoulders. He
turned around to see Flio, smiling his usual easygoing smile. "Huh?!" he
repeated. "Weren't you in front of me a second ago? When did you get back
there?"
In fact, this was Minilio, disguised to take Flio's form. Before returning
to the house, Flio had stopped by the shop's storeroom and switched places
with Minilio, who had been creating magic items in the workshop. This was
called Simultaneous Teleportation—a spell of Flio's own invention. Flio
cast Teleportation so often that he felt the need for a more convenient
version of the spell. It had taken him almost no time at all to create an
improved version.
Simultaneous Teleportation didn't require the use of a portal. It also
affected two people at once, bringing them to wherever Flio desired. The
possibility of such a spell had been proposed by the storied Magical
Research Center of the Magical Kingdom of Klyrode, but up until now,
there had been nobody in the world who could cast it. It was considered to
be one of several theoretical legendary spells. Flio, for his part, had no idea
how outlandish the thing he had invented truly was.
Minilio had arrived on the shop floor already in Flio's form. He smiled
at Sireul and glanced at the sword in his hand.
"Am I imagining things," Sireul said, "or did you just shrink? I must be
getting tired..."
"In that case, perhaps I can recommend a potion for recovery?" Minilio
offered. Perhaps it was because Flio was unused to creating magic dolls, but
unlike Tia, Minilio was unable to really open his mouth. Instead, he
communicated telepathically.
"That would be good, I think," said Sireul. "I'll take one, then..."
"Very good," said Minilio. "Now, regarding this sword..."
Sireul didn't notice at all that Minilio's words were telepathic rather than
spoken. He kept on chatting away as if nothing at all had changed.
◇Flio's House◇
Flio, Rys, and Ghozal, who had been tidying up the shop's storeroom,
exited a portal leading to Flio's house. Flio glanced out through the front
window. "Well, that's going to be a handful..." he said, folding his arms as
he looked over the parade of demons making their way towards the house.
"I knew there were a lot of them, but I didn't expect this many..." said
Rys, her eyes wide with shock.
"Hrm..." said Ghozal, nodding in agreement as he looked out the
window. "Looks like a lot of them are old veterans who worked under me.
They don't have much magic power anymore, so I guess it's no surprise you
didn't notice them. But even I couldn't tell you who all of those demons
are."
Outside, Blossom, Maunty, and Hokh'hokton—who were normally
working on the farm at this time of day—as well as Hiya and Damalynas,
were doing their best to get the mass of demons to form an orderly line.
"It would be a shame to send them all away without any word from you
or Mister Sleip..." Flio said.
"Hrm," Ghozal agreed. "I can't argue with that..."
As the two spoke, Uliminas and Balirossa descended the stairs with their
babies. "This is quite the purrdicament, eh, Ghozal?" said Uliminas.
"No kidding," Ghozal said. "Mister Flio was just saying that me and
Sleip had better greet them one way or another. I don't think they'll be
satisfied unless they get a glimpse of the babies..."
"Mew're right," Uliminas grimaced, lowering her head in thought. "But
how did the infurmation get meowt so fast? We didn't tell the Dark
Citadel... And Selestutz and the rest should have been keeping their
meowths shut..." Nobody at the house had any idea that the Dark Regent's
own familiar had told him of the birth, or that Calsi'im had notified the
entire Dark Citadel.
In the notification, the demons had been told that the Ghozal was living
disguised as a demihuman. They had been asked not to use their demonic
powers while visiting. Half of their number were disguised as demihumans.
They had come from all over, using private carriages rather than flying the
colors of the Dark Army. And so, they had taken the household completely
by surprise.
◇Houghtow College of Magic◇
Class was on recess at the Houghtow College of Magic. In Class A's
classroom, a number of students were gathered around Garyl's desk. "There
are more babies at your house, Lord Garyl?!" exclaimed Salina, astonished
and excited. She squeezed her hands together, pressing them against her
cheek.
Garyl grinned. "Yeah! Uncle Ghozal and Uncle Sleip had three babies
between the two of them! They're all super cute."
"Oh, how lovely! I do hope I can meet them some time," said Salina.
And that would give me a pretext to visit Lord Garyl at his house! she
thought, pressing up closer to the object of her affections. I must make a
favorable impression on his mother and father as soon as I can, if I am to
be his future bride...!
Suddenly, Salina felt a plush cat pressed up against her face. "Mghf!"
she grunted, forced back.
Irystiel forced her way between Salina and Garyl, pushing Salina away
with her plushy. She held the cat in front of her own face. "Irystiel wants to
see the babies with Garyl too!" she said, speaking through the plush cat
using ventriloquism.
Leina Raina and Reptor crowded in close as well.
"I-I'd like to come too, if it's not too much of a bother..." said Leina.
"I wanna see the babies!" said Reptor.
"All right!" Garyl agreed. "Then let's go to my house after school
today!"
"Thank you!" said Irystiel's plush. "Irystiel is delighted!"
"Really?" said Leina. "I can't wait!"
"I wonder what the babies will be like!" said Reptor.
Behind them, Salina furrowed her brows. "J-Just a minute, you three! I
was the one who asked first! Why must I be accompanied by you lot?!"
Garyl gave Salina a light smack on the top of the head with the edge of
his hand. "Don't say that, Salina! Babies are super cute, y'know. I want
everyone to see them!"
"L-Lord Garyl..." Salina looked up at him, her cheeks growing pink. In
her mind, Garyl's words were edited from "Babies are super cute, y'know"
to "Our babies will be super cute, y'know." She blushed harder, getting lost
in her thoughts. So...this is practice for when Lord Garyl and I have
children! "I understand!" she said, grinning goofily as her eyes went heartshaped. "I, Salina, for Lord Garyl's sake and for the sake of all the people,
shall accompany you!"
Irystiel pushed her back again using the cat plush.
"Mghf! Wh-What was that for?" Salina protested.
"Irystiel says you were annoying her," the plush explained.
"Excuse me? You can't push me just because I'm annoying you!" Salina
fumed.
Irystiel looked the other way, ignoring her.
Their classmates' eyes were focused on the pair's antics. Oh boy, they're
at it again... the students were thinking. Those two are always arguing...but
I think they like each other?
As Salina and Irystiel bickered, Elinàsze stepped up from behind Garyl.
"Garyl, the babies are still very young," she said. "If you're going to invite
people to our house, make sure it's only a few friends."
"Okay, got it! It'll just be Salina, Irystiel, Leina, and Reptor!" said
Garyl.
Elinàsze looked over the group and smiled.
Meanwhile, Wyne, who was peeking in the window from outside the
classroom, grinned widely. "What's this, what's this?!" she exclaimed.
"Gare-Gare and Eli-Eli look like they're having fun!"
Wyne adored her adoptive younger siblings. Although she was still
physically immature, Wyne was already past the human age of maturity.
She wasn't allowed to attend class with the lower grade students, but she
still came to secretly check on her brother and sister whenever she could.
She was flapping her dragon wings, flying outside the window—in plain
sight of the classroom on the other side of the hallway.
"Look," one of the students said. "That dragon girl is back!"
"I think she's Garyl and Elinàsze's older sister," said another. "You
know, the two from Class A."
"She really loves her brother and sister, doesn't she?"
Wyne's attention, however, was focused on Elinàsze and Garyl. She
didn't hear them at all.
◇Later—In Front of Flio's House◇
Hiya and Damalynas, along with the farmworkers Blossom,
Hokh'hokton, and Maunty, worked together to divide the demons into three
orderly queues, lined up along the road. Ghozal, Uliminas, and Balirossa
stood before the crowd, now having changed into formal wear. Uliminas
and Balirossa were holding Folmina and Ghoro in their arms.
"Everyone," Ghozal began, "thank you for coming all this way just to
visit a retired man like me."
The demons all raised their voices in a cheer. Thinking quickly, Ghozal
raised his arms, activating the defensive barrier Flio had put up around the
house to prevent the demons' clamor from being heard all the way in
Houghtow City.
"Well, I'd hate to disappoint you after your long trip," said Ghozal.
"Behold—my children!" He spread his arms wide, and his wives bowed
deeply. Uliminas was wearing a red dress, while Balirossa was wearing a
men's dress uniform. They both looked stunningly beautiful. The demons
let out another cheer at the sight.
Before long, they were advancing one at a time to meet Ghozal and his
wives. First, they would offer their congratulations to Ghozal and shake his
hand, then they would give Uliminas and Balirossa their regards in turn and
be given a view of the children.
Sleip, meanwhile, was running around the pasture with Byleri riding on
his back, their baby in her arms. A few demons noticed him and waved.
"Oh! Is that Lord Sleip, the former Infernal?"
"And I believe that's his wife and child on his back!"
Flio and Rys were shepherding the demons who wished to give their
blessings to the former Dark One and his wives.
Rys leaned in to whisper in her husband's ear. "If anyone starts
dawdling, we need to hurry them along by any means necessary..."
"I know," Flio whispered back. "But everyone's being pretty courteous
about it." It was true—the demons weren't lingering overlong at all. They
finished their introductions, had a look at the babies, and promptly stepped
away. Thanks to their mindful behavior, the line was moving along at a
fairly fast clip. But more demons disguised as demihumans kept showing
up, hour after hour, so the line was only getting longer.
Flio heard Hiya's telepathic voice in his head. "Exalted One. If we are to
proceed to allow the demons to queue up along the road, the back end of the
line will soon stretch to Houghtow City itself."
"Hmm..." Flio said back. "That might be a problem." He lowered his
head. What should I do? he thought to himself. Then, an idea struck him.
Oh, I could copy that thing Hiya does all the time! He held out his hands,
and a large magic circle appeared at his fingertips.
"Mister Flio, what are you doing?" asked Ghozal, peering dubiously at
Flio's spell.
"Oh!" said Flio, his usual easygoing smile on his face. "I just thought of
a way to help make the line a bit more manageable!"
The event went on for several hours. "What an adorable child!" a sickleweasel woman squealed as she got a look at Folmina and Ghoro, who were
being held in their mothers' arms. She pressed her hands to her cheeks,
unable to contain her excitement. "Why, I've never been happier in my
life!"
Uliminas and Balirossa bowed politely.
"Well, thank mew fur saying so!"
"I am much obliged for your kind words."
Ghozal nodded. "Thanks for coming all this way."
All around the three was an expanse of pure white space. The queue
stretched out ahead of them long as ever, but now, it was situated in this
blank abyss. This was Flio's mental world—his mindscape. It was
something he had learned from Hiya, who spent most of their time inside
their own mental world. This had inspired Flio to invite the enormous
crowd of demons inside his mindscape.
Flio had spent the past few hours sitting in front of the house—where
Ghozal had previously been standing—focusing with his eyes shut. He had
conjured a pair of portals with two more magic circles. New arrivals could
enter through the door on the right, and once they had finished meeting
Ghozal's children, they could leave through the door on the left.
Hiya stood beside Flio, giving directions to the guests. "Right this way,
honored guests," they said, smiling pleasantly.
Damalynas stood by the other door, directing the departing guests away.
"All right! Leave in this direction, please! Take care on your trip home!"
"Thank you for having us!" said some as they made their way back
towards the road they had come from.
Others had parting remarks more along the lines of, "On the contrary,
thank you for giving us the opportunity to behold the children of Lord
Ghozal! I will never forget this for as long as I live!"
Suddenly, Flio opened his eyes and spoke. "I gotta say..." He grimaced,
still keeping his control of the portals and his mindscape. "It's really hard to
keep the mindscape up with so many people inside it. I can't believe you do
this all the time, Hiya!"
Hiya shook their head insistently, a bead of sweat running down their
brow. "E-Exalted One... It is true that I sustain my mindscape in perpetuity.
But bringing thousands of individuals inside it at once... That would be far
beyond me."
There was no time to discuss the matter. though. The next guests came
almost immediately, forcing them to put it aside. Flio once again closed his
eyes, concentrating his mind and magic on stabilizing his mindscape.
Hiya kept stealing sidelong glances at Flio as they guided demons
through the portal. His power would be more than sufficient to conquer the
world, but he would rather use it to help his friend. Truly, the Exalted One
has transcended worldly desire...
Hiya couldn't help smiling despite themself.
◇Evening—In Front of Flio's House◇
After school that evening, Elinàsze and Garyl brought their friends home
with them.
"S-So that's Lord Garyl's father..." said Salina, watching the
proceedings with her mouth agape in disbelief. "Incredible..."
Irystiel nodded, as did her plush cat. "All these people here to
celebrate..." the cat said. "Irystiel never expected such an incredible
number..."
"There are a lot of people..." said Leina Raina. "But what I can't believe
is that magic space he's created! It's incredible!"
"No kidding!" agreed Reptor. "A magic space you can fit thousands of
people in at one time? I've never heard of an incredible spell like that!"
"Precisely." Elinàsze nodded. "Papa is simply incredible, isn't he?"
Elinàsze was usually a modest and reserved girl, but with so many
people calling her beloved father "incredible," she couldn't help joining in.
The children watched as Ghozal greeted demon after demon and
Uliminas and Balirossa showed them the babies. But Flio's mindscape was
simply too incredible for them to be able to talk about anything else for a
while.
◇ ◇ ◇
Eventually, Elinàsze and Garyl's friends went home, and the sun set.
"My apologies," said Flio. "But we'll have to stop here for today."
They put up a sign in front of the house: "Greetings have concluded for
the day. If you have urgent business...et cetera." And then, they went back
inside.
The group gathered in Flio's living room. "Well, somemeow, we made it
through the day..." said Uliminas.
"Yes," agreed Balirossa. "And what a day it was..."
Uliminas and Balirossa settled into their chairs, sighing with relief.
Folmina and Ghoro were sleeping peacefully in their arms.
"You did good, you two," said Ghozal, patting both of them on the back.
"Mew were working the hardest of all," said Uliminas.
"You were," agreed Balirossa. "Thank you for everything..."
Ghozal smiled and bowed his head. Then, he turned to where Flio was
sitting in his own chair. "Sorry to ask so much of you, Mister Flio," he said,
clapping his hands on Flio's shoulder and slumping his shoulders.
Flio, however, smiled the same easygoing smile as always. "It's nothing.
We're friends and housemates, after all."
"Friends?" Ghozal smiled. "Hrm. I suppose so. Thank you, friend." He
held out his hand. Flio gave it a firm shake. The rest of the room couldn't
help smiling at the happy scene.
Rys stepped up behind Flio. "Now, our next order of business..." she
said, peering at the far end of the living room where Sybe's hutch stood, big
enough to accommodate it in its psychobear form. Next to it was an empty
space for the children to play, but currently, it was occupied by a mountain
of gifts they had been given by their demonic well-wishers.
"Those," Rys said. "The gifts we couldn't quite squeeze into not one but
two magic bags." She held up the two bags for effect, smirking wryly. "In
any event, we made a point of getting the perishable gifts in the bags first.
There's no hurry to get rid of the excess gifts. But we can't just leave them
on the floor there, can we?"
"I agree," said Ghozal. "Here, I'll handle this. Lemme just tidy up a bit."
He went to pick up one of the gifts. "Hrm? This is a deed to a manor on
Chiuya Slope! And this one's a castle in Tocana Forest! Hrm... These are
pretty expensive gifts..."
"What was that?" asked Flio, impressed and surprised. "You got a manor
and a castle?"
"Huh...?" Garyl looked worried. "Manors and castles? Uncle
Ghozal...are you going to move away?"
Ghozal walked up to Garyl and gave him a gentle pat on the head. "I'd
like to stay here as long as your father will have me, actually," he said. "I
kinda like living with so many friends!"
"Of course!" said Flio, giving Ghozal one of his smiles. "You're very
welcome. You're one of my most important friends as well, Mister Ghozal."
"Hooray!" cheered Garyl, jumping into the air. "I don't have to stop
training with Uncle Ghozal!"
"Mister Flio," said Sleip. "If I may be so bold, might I be one of your
friends as well?" Byleri and Rislei were both sound asleep. Sleip was
carrying them in his arms—his wife in one and daughter in the other.
"I would be happy to be your friend!" Flio agreed readily, smiling
cheerfully. Sleip smiled back.
Just then, Tanya entered the living room wearing her maid outfit.
"Everyone, thank you for your hard work today. I have completed my
preparations for dinner. Do I have your permission to serve it?"
"Yes," said Rys. "We can deal with the gifts later. First, we should have
a meal!"
"All right, let's get to our seats, everyone," said Flio.
The party, who had converged around the pile of presents, made their
way back to the dining table.
"I'll help serve the food, mama!" said Elinàsze.
"Oh! Me too!" chimed in Garyl.
"Me too! Me too! Nom, nom, nom..." said Wyne.
Elinàsze was indignant. "Big sis Wyne! Do you already have food in
your mouth?!"
As the children made their way to the kitchen, Flio suddenly
remembered something. "Ah, yes, that's right!" he said, reaching into his
Bottomless Bag and producing a bottle. The flask was a type they often
used for potions, but the contents shone with all the colors of the rainbow.
"I made this healing potion from the materials I picked up the other day. It
seems like today's been a lot on everyone, so go ahead and have one if you
like."
Ghozal, Sleip, Uliminas, Balirossa, and Byleri each took one of Flio's
potions.
"Meow're right," said Uliminas. "I'm exhausted. Thanks fur the potion."
She popped the bottle open and knocked the potion back in a single gulp.
"Mreow?!" Her body shone with a brilliant light for just a second before
returning to normal. "Th-This potion is something else! I-It's like I'm good
as mew! I have meowre magic power than ever! A-And...I think my skin's
even gotten smewther!"
"What?!" exclaimed Balirossa.
"Huh?!" cried Byleri.
"Really?!" asked Rys.
The three looked curiously at their own potions. The next second, the
rainbow-colored liquid vanished down their throats. Just as had happened to
Uliminas, their bodies were enveloped with light for just a second.
"I-It's true!" said Balirossa, her eyes going wide as she opened her own
status window to check her condition. "I usually have scarcely any magic
power, but it seems that this potion has given me a respectable amount!"
"But like..." began Byleri, who was checking out her reflection in the
windowpane. "More importantly, y'know, it, like, totally did make my skin
smoother!"
"My lord husband," asked Rys, holding the empty bottle in both hands
as she nuzzled up to Flio, "do you plan to sell this potion?"
"Y-Yeah, that's the plan," Flio answered, slightly flustered by the sudden
show of affection. "Right now, I'm working on building our supply, but I
was thinking of eventually selling them."
"May I perhaps have some more of this delightful potion?" Rys asked.
"M-Me too!" said Balirossa. "I would like more too, please!"
"Like, can I have another also, Lord Flio?" begged Byleri.
The three of them crowded around Flio, clamoring for more of the
potion, when another resident of the house came up from behind.
"Can I have one of those too, Lord Flio?" asked Blossom. "I'd love to
have something to bring some of the smoothness back to my skin after
getting sunburned in the fields all day! That looks perfect!"
Next was Belano. "M-May I have some too? I get so tired when I stay
up all night preparing practice tests..."
"So you're telling me that potion would make my body even more
alluring..." mused Damalynas.
"Exalted One," begged Hiya, "please allow your humble servant a dose
as well..."
Then, Tanya came up to him. "Master Flio, I would like to requisition
one of these potions...to improve my efficiency as a maid."
The women of Flio's house were eager to get their hands on his new
handiwork. Flio looked over the assembled crowd with a tight-lipped smile.
I... I guess it does work pretty well... he thought. But I wasn't expecting it to
be so popular! He acquiesced, giving all of them another dose of the potion.
◇One Month Later—Flio's House◇
It had been a month since Ghozal's and Sleip's children were born. The
number of new guests had declined, of course, but Flio's house was still
getting a number of repeat demon guests every day. Flio had set a ground
rule of refusing to take guests after sunset, and for the most part, the
demons respected it. But one night, a woman came to visit the house. She
arrived on their doorstep, accompanied by a number of guards, and knocked
on the door.
From inside the house came the loud sound of someone running down
the hall. "I knew it!" cried Garyl. "It's Ellie! Come in!"
The woman Garyl had called Ellie was in fact none other than the
Maiden Queen of the Magical Kingdom of Klyrode herself.
"I-I must apologize for calling on you so late at night," she said. "I sent
a letter ahead concerning my visit, which your lord father most graciously
accepted. But I am afraid that due to a variety of pressing circumstances, I
was unable to pay a visit until this hour." She made to bow deeply, but
Garyl took her by the hand and pulled her inside.
"You don't gotta be so formal! Come in, come in!"
"G-Garyl?!" Flustered and discombobulated, Ellie allowed Garyl to lead
her inside by the hand. "T-Tell me, Garyl..." she said. "Have you gotten
bigger again?"
"Who knows!" said Garyl with a grin. "I have no idea!"
Ellie's eyes went wide. I've scarcely had time to see him since I've been
so busy dealing with the aftermath of the peace treaty with the Dark Army...
she thought. He looks even more grown-up and handsome than ever...
Despite herself, a pink blush crept into her cheeks.
Garyl led Ellie into the living room where they were met with a girl
blocking their path. "No!" she declared. The girl had dark skin and a short
horn growing out of her forehead. Right now, her cheeks were puffed out in
a pout as she glared daggers at Ellie.
"E-Excuse me...who is this young lady?" the Maiden Queen asked.
"Oh, this is Folmina!" said Garyl. "She's Uncle Ghozal and Uliminas's
kid!"
"My! Then this is the daughter of Lord Ghozal!" Ellie crouched down to
meet Folmina's gaze at eye level. "It is a pleasure to make your
acquaintance, Lady Folmina. You may call me Ellie." She smiled.
Folmina met Ellie's smile with a fierce glare and yanked Garyl towards
her by the arm. "Garyl is my big brother!" she declared, puffing her cheeks
out even further.
Garyl winced. "Sorry about that, Ellie..." he said. "Folmina's really
attached to me for some reason. She gets angry whenever she sees me
holding hands with a girl..."
Folmina's face turned red as she held Garyl tighter. Ellie looked at the
young girl and smiled brightly. "I see!" she said. "You love your big brother
very much, don't you, Folmina? I think I understand. Garyl is a very kind
and dashing young man."
Ellie's words of praise for Garyl did the job. Folmina's face lit up. "He
is!" she said. "Big brother's kind and dashing! I love him lots!" Ellie
breathed a sigh of relief at the return of Folmina's good mood.
Another girl, slenderer and taller than Folmina, came running down the
stairs. "Oh, Folmina..." she said. "Are you bothering Garyl again?" She
patted Folmina on the head for a second before noticing Ellie. "Oh! Do we
have a guest? My name is Rislei. A pleasure to make your acquaintance."
"What a polite young girl!" Ellie marveled. "You may call me Ellie."
"And this is Ghoro," Rislei went on. "He's Folmina's little brother."
"Hm...?" Ellie's eyes opened in surprise. She hadn't noticed anyone but
Rislei coming down the stairs. But there he was, clinging to his sister
Folmina.
"Go on, Ghoro," said Folmina. "Say hi." Ghoro timidly looked up at
their guest.
"A pleasure to make your acquaintance, Ghoro," said Ellie. "I am..." But
before she could finish her sentence, Ghoro had hidden himself behind
Folmina.
Garyl smiled sheepishly. "Sorry about that, Ellie. Ghoro's really, really
shy. He's always hiding behind Folmina..."
"I see," said Ellie. "He must really love his big sister."
Ghoro peeked his head out from behind Folmina and nodded meekly,
blushing.
The plucky Folmina, the level-headed Rislei, and the bashful Ghoro...
They're all so adorable! Ellie thought. Perhaps someday, when I am
married, my children will be like that... Without meaning to at all, she found
herself staring at Garyl as she thought that.
Just then, Flio finally showed himself, startling Ellie out of her reverie.
"Excuse me," he said. "I hope the children haven't been any trouble."
Ellie shot up straight. "A-Ah! Oh, no, no, no, no, no! I was hoping to
meet the children, actually! I'm very happy to have run into them here.
They're all so precious." She cleared her throat and bowed deeply, trying to
at least maintain a semblance of etiquette.
Flio smiled one of his easygoing smiles as he led Ellie to the first-floor
parlor. "Mister Ghozal and Mister Sleip will be overjoyed to hear that, I'm
sure," he said.
◇Flio's House—Second Floor◇
On the second floor of Flio's house was the children's room, where all
of the house's children stayed together: Flio's twins, Elinàsze and Garyl,
and his adopted daughter, Wyne; Ghozal's children, Folmina and Ghoro;
and Sleip's child, Rislei. All six of them now shared a single large bed.
"Folmina, Ghoro, are you going to get ready for bed?" asked Rislei.
"You shouldn't keep Wyne waiting. Garyl, are you going to study before
you sleep again?"
"I already finished my homework." Garyl grinned. "I can go to sleep
with everyone tonight." I wanted to talk more with Miss Ellie... he thought.
It's been so long since I've seen her! But she's here to have some kind of
important conversation with dad, so I shouldn't get in the way...
Folmina hugged Garyl tight. "Yaaaay!" she cheered. "I get to sleep with
big brother Garyl!"
"If you're happy, Folmina, I'm happy..." said Ghoro, smiling as he clung
to the hem of Folmina's clothes.
"All right," said Rislei. "Then let's go to bed. Wyne's waiting for us."
She headed towards their bedroom, when...
"Riiisleeei!!!" A man appeared at the far end of the hallway, bellowing
Rislei's name as he charged towards her.
Rislei furrowed her brow and wheeled around. "Gh! This again,
papa...?!"
Indeed, the one running towards her was none other than her father
Sleip. He picked her up and nuzzled his cheeks against hers lots and lots
and lots. "Ooh! Rislei! You're as cute as ever today! Sleep well tonight,
won't you?"
"I-I-I-I know! I will!" Rislei protested, her face turning red as she flailed
her arms and legs. "N-Now let me go! You're embarrassing me!"
But Sleip paid no heed to her struggles. He held her tight and nuzzled
and nuzzled. Sleip was already up there in years by the time Rislei was
born, and thus doted on his precious little girl. His wife Byleri loved their
daughter too, of course, and doted on her an appropriate amount, but Sleip
took it to another level entirely. He had been a bit too enthusiastic already
when Rislei was a baby. But now that she was the equivalent of a five-yearold in terms of human development, it was far more affection than Rislei
appreciated.
"Papa! I keep telling you to stop picking me up all the time!"
"Don't be like that, Rislei! You know your papa loves you so, so, so, so,
so much!"
"I-I-I-I know! I know you love me! Just... Really, papa!" Rislei furrowed
her brow, but she seemed more embarrassed than that she actually disliked
her father's affection. If you're going to keep doing that, at least do it when
nobody's watching... she thought as Sleip squeezed her tight.
Wyne and Elinàsze, who were already in the bedroom, came running out
when they heard Rislei's cries of protest. "Ah ha ha! Slei-Slei!" laughed
Wyne. "Slei-Slei's being all cutesy-cutesy again! Then I'm gonna be all
cutesy-cutesy with Gare-Gare!" Her dragon wings appeared on her back
and she soared down the hallway, hugging Garyl tight. She wasn't wearing
any underwear beneath her nightclothes. Garyl could feel her soft chest
pressing up against his body.
"Wah!" he cried, his face turning red at the touch. "Wyne! You're
embarrassing me!"
Elinàsze, meanwhile, was fixing Rislei, still in her father Sleip's arms,
with a piercing stare. Rislei's so lucky... she thought. I wish my papa would
do that, even if it was only sometimes... Her eyes glazed over and her
cheeks turned pink as she watched.
Lately, Flio's house was full of noise and commotion every day around
bedtime.
◇Flio's House—First-Floor Parlor◇
"Excuse me... Did I hear something? It sounded like a scream..." Ellie
looked around the room, puzzled by the sounds of the scuffle happening
above them on the second floor.
"Oh, no, it's nothing," said Flio, smirking wryly. "Please, pay it no
mind." Flio's senses were easily sharp enough to tell what was happening
on the second floor. It looks like Mister Sleip and Wyne are getting a bit
carried away again... He wiggled his index finger almost imperceptibly,
conjuring a tiny magic circle at his fingertips and blocking sound from the
rest of the house past the parlor. With the sounds quieted, he showed the
Queen and her guards into the parlor and sat down on a sofa facing them.
The Maiden Queen bowed her head deeply. Her guards followed suit.
"First, I really must apologize for coming at this hour. It may have been a
necessity to avoid prying eyes, but I realize it is quite inconvenient to you."
"Oh, it's perfectly all right," said Flio. "You sent me a letter letting me
know ahead of time. Besides, I'm generally awake at this time of night
anyway. Now, what was it you wanted to talk to me about?"
"Well..." the Queen began. A rather modest smile crossed her face. "The
truth is, about a month ago we received reports that a magic beast of
phenomenal power had been detected. But almost as soon as it appeared, it
was gone. We searched the area thoroughly but were unable to locate any
trace of it. It is possible that the beast is in hiding and may one day go on a
rampage. If such a thing were to happen, the world itself might be in
danger..." She looked very serious as she bowed once more. "I thought,
Lord Flio, that with your magical prowess, you might be aware of what
happened to the magic beast. That is what brings me here today. If you
know anything at all, even the slightest detail, please let me know."
As Ellie spoke, Rys entered the room carrying a pot of tea. "Oh?" she
said. "This magic beast you mention...could it be the Calamity Wyrm my
lord husband vanquished the other day?"
"Excuse me?!?!?!" Ellie and her guards exclaimed at once.
Flio took the glowing gem out of his Bottomless Bag and held it out for
all to see. The Maiden Queen gasped. She regarded the gem with a
narrowed gaze. "What...is this?" she asked, her voice trembling. "It seems
to be a magic circle condensed into a solid gem. But there's something
sealed inside..."
Flio smiled his usual easygoing smile. "Yes, that's the Calamity Wyrm I
defeated the other day. As you can see, it's sealed within that magic circle."
The Maiden Queen's eyes went wide. She froze on the spot. I did think
that this might have been what happened... she thought, swallowing hard.
But did Lord Flio really defeat the Calamity Wyrm, one of the legendary
Beasts of Disaster...?
Everyone just stared, confused, at the gem containing the sealed
Calamity Wyrm. Nobody could figure out what to say.
"Oh, that's right!" said Flio, producing a bottle and setting it on the
table. It was a standard bottle used to store potions. Its contents shone with
all the colors of the rainbow. "This is a healing potion I made using the
Calamity Wyrm's blood. Please try it. Rys and all the other women of our
house are big fans." His calm smile didn't falter for a second.
"O-Oh!" said Ellie. "Thank you very much!" Before Flio's smiling face,
she couldn't think of anything else to say. So he didn't only vanquish a
legendary magic beast—he made a potion from its blood as well...? This
man is simply beyond belief!
◇Dark Citadel—Basement Clinic◇
The clinic in the basement of the Dark Citadel also doubled as the
laboratory of Phufun, minion of the rightful Dark One Yuigarde, but at
present, per Dark Regent Calsi'im's instructions, it was being operated
solely for its medical function. Doctor Mephisto, the mad scientist devil,
watched his final patient of the day walk out of the clinic doors and heaved
a powerful sigh. "That's the last one... Finally..."
"Finished with the day's labors, Doctor Mephisto?" Coqueshtti, the little
mad scientist girl, stepped out from the neighboring room, a smile on her
face.
Doctor Mephisto smiled dryly. "Such that they are," he said. "Nothing
that we do here is out of the ordinary. Day after day, nothing but more
demons looking for routine medical treatment. Compared to treating the
wounds our comrades sustained in the war with the humans, or performing
surgery to enhance the strength of demons under Lady Phufun's guidance, it
hardly feels worth doing!"
Coqueshtti hastily brought a finger to her lips. "Doctor Mephisto, you
know Lord Calsi'im has strictly prohibited that! You mustn't say such
things!"
Doctor Mephisto sighed again. "Well, then, Coqueshtti. Allow me to ask
you—are you satisfied with our current lot? To merely treat the medical
problems of aging demons when we have the power to manipulate the body
howsoever we wish?"
"Well..." Coqueshtti scratched the back of her head, mumbling shyly. "I
did enjoy our time doing all sorts of things under Lady Phufun... But I think
I like what we're doing now better. It makes me happy to see everyone go
home healthy."
Doctor Mephisto sighed yet again. "How fortunate for you, that you can
be satisfied with your peaceful life as a domesticated animal under Dark
Regent Calsi'im."
"Tee hee hee!" Coqueshtti giggled, pressing her hands against her
cheeks and squirming bashfully. "Oh my gosh! You really think I'm that
lucky?"
"That was sarcasm! Don't take it as a compliment!" Doctor Mephisto
rose from his seat and made his way towards the doors. "Now, I believe I
will be returning to my private chambers."
"Okey dokey! Have a good evening!" Coqueshtti waved goodbye as
Doctor Mephisto left.
My power! Being used for a bunch of damned peace-lovers! Doctor
Mephisto fumed as he turned a corner and started up the stairs. His room
was on the second floor of the Dark Citadel, but to get into the Dark Citadel
itself from the clinic, he had to walk a distance through the forest. He had
made it a short ways down the path when two women stepped out from
behind the trees.
"We've been waiting, Doctor Mephisto," yipped one.
"I take it from your expression that you've made up your mind?" yipped
the other.
"Indeed," Doctor Mephisto answered. "Rather than living this dull,
peaceful life, this new dynasty you hope to build sounds far more
entertaining. I, Doctor Mephisto, hereby pledge my allegiance to you." He
held his hand to his heart and bowed, long and deep.
The fox sisters Kintsuno the Gold and Gintsuno the Silver, dressed as
ever in their gold and silver cheongsams, nodded in satisfaction.
"Are you certain of your information, Doctor?" asked Kintsuno.
"Of course I am certain," Doctor Mephisto said. "Dark Regent Calsi'im
has been having Coqueshtti and me give him longevity treatments out of the
public eye, but even those are nearing their limit."
"Then, with the Dark Regent Calsi'im gone, the Dark Army will fall
into chaos!" cheered Kintsuno. "And in that window of opportunity..."
"...We'll take over the Dark Citadel ourselves!" Gintsuno finished.
The pair of foxes laughed, hiding their mouths behind folding fans.
"You will have the support of myself and all my family," Doctor
Mephisto said. "So when the new Dark One takes the throne, I trust you
will abide by our contract and give me a most cordial welcome..."
"Of course, of course!"
A deep, masculine laugh joined the chorus of sinister laughter as the
new member of their group walked up. "Ahh!" exclaimed Doctor Mephisto.
"You must be the Shadow King, the human who has achieved the
meritorious feat—alone of all monarchs in history—of having sat on both
the throne of the Magical Kingdom of Klyrode and the Dark Citadel! I am
pleased to see you alive, Your Majesty."
"Indeed I am!" The Shadow King snickered wickedly. "I had a rough
time of things thanks to that ingrate Zanzibar, but scum like that are never
going to be the end of me."
"Well said! Words befitting the future Dark One!" Doctor Mephisto
knelt down and bowed his head.
The Shadow King gazed down at Doctor Mephisto. Hmph, he thought.
Empty words. He is a demon, after all. He could betray me at any time.
Well, I suppose I shall simply use him for everything he's worth until the
throne is mine! A sneer crossed his face.
Doctor Mephisto glanced up at the Shadow King and smiled, a strange
glint in his eyes...
◇Calgosi Coast◇
"I'm back here again... How many times has it been?" The Dark One's
minion Phufun surveyed the familiar coastline with her arms folded. "It
feels like it's been years since Master Yuigarde vanished from the Dark
Citadel...and I've been searching all this time. But now, my intuition is
telling me that he is somewhere on the Calgosi Coast!"
A bearded man with white hair and a small-bodied woman watched
Phufun from a distance. "Polseidon..." the woman said. "That woman... She
stood in the exact same spot delivering a very similar speech just a week
ago, right?"
"So she was!" the man answered. "That woman shows up two or three
times a month to yell at the ocean for a bit."
"What do we do? Should we tell Countess Van Biel?"
"Hmm..." Polseidon ruminated. "I do sense the presence of a demon
about her, but... Well, this is hardly the first time she's shown up, and she's
never done anything particularly evil..."
"So we should just keep an eye on her for a bit longer then, right?"
"Yes, I think that would be best." Both nodded. The two worked for
Junia Van Biel, the countess who governed the Calgosi Coast.
Just then, a dire crow flew from the sky and landed in front of Phufun.
"You!" she said. "You're Calsi'im's familiar—the skeleton I asked to be
Dark Regent!" She pressed her glasses up against the bridge of her nose and
took another look.
The crow cawed, in a tone that almost sounded like the word "Moron!"
It pointed with its wing off to the north.
"Hmph. So you're telling me you think the Dark One is in the north?"
Phufun pressed her glasses up again. "No, I will choose to trust my
intuition! Master, your Phufun is coming to you!"
Phufun ran off along the coast. The dire crow flapped its wings and flew
after her as fast as it could, catching hold of her hair with its beak. But there
was no stopping Phufun.
"Looks like she's off running, right?" said Rolindeim.
"So she is..." Polseidon replied. "Looks like she intends to keep us
busy!"
◇Meanwhile, with Hero Gold-Hair◇
"Kachoo!" Dawkson hastily covered his nose as he was overcome by a
loud sneeze. "The hells was that? Someone gossiping about me...?" He had
been sitting atop a boulder, looking up at the starry night sky with a wistful
look on his face.
"Still can't sleep, Dawkson?" Hero Gold-Hair stepped out of the forest.
The party had been camping by the base of a nearby great tree.
"Oh, Blondie," said Dawkson. "I dunno. Just got a lot on my mind..."
"I see. Well, you can always come talk to me, you know," Hero GoldHair offered.
"I feel kinda bad making you spend your time on me..." Dawkson said,
wincing awkwardly as Hero Gold-Hair sat down facing him. "I've told you
before that I have a half brother, right? Well, my brother's gotten married,
and now, he has a couple kids..."
"Oh! Well, that sounds like good news!"
"Well...I can't tell you the details, but my brother had a really, really
important job, and I drove him away..." Dawkson sighed heavily. "And,
well, you know. I took over, thinking I could do a better job than he, but
then I messed up everything I tried to do! Everyone started to hate me! So I
ran away..."
Dawkson once went by the name Yuigarde, and the older brother he'd
mentioned was none other than the Dark One Gholl from whom he'd
wrested the throne. But Yuigarde had been arrogant and despotic, and
resolved all of his problems with brute force. Demons, fed up with
Yuigarde, started leaving the Dark Army or rising up in rebellion.
Eventually, their disapproval got to him, and Yuigarde had abandoned the
throne, leaving it empty. He changed his name to Dawkson and began
traveling with Hero Gold-Hair, whom he met by chance.
"But while we were traveling together, Blondie, I realized something..."
Dawkson said. "That I don't know what I'm doing. That I'm not a
replacement for my brother. Hah. I was just an idiot back then, and now, he
has children, and all these folks giving him their blessing. It's just too much
sometimes, y'know?" he grimaced with self-deprecation and shook his
head.
"Hm." Hero Gold-Hair nodded. "Well, I won't ask you to tell me the
details if you don't want to. But just learning that you don't know what
you're doing is valuable in itself, isn't it? Seems like it was worth running
away for."
"Does it...?"
"If you had stayed where you were, you might have become set in your
ways. You might never have realized that you didn't know what you were
doing. Or worse, you might have ruined everything and been driven away
for that! But we've gone on this journey together, and you've learned how
much you still have to learn. You won't make the same mistakes again, I
think."
"Blondie..."
"Well, all I can promise you is this." Hero Gold-Hair looked Dawkson
straight in the eyes. "Whatever happened in your past, you are still my
precious companion."
"Blondie..." Dawkson met Hero Gold-Hair's gaze. "Thanks."
The two sat there for a while, chatting and gazing at the starry sky.