◇Deep in a Forest◇
In a forest in the mountains far from Castle Klyrode, the two-headed
doppeladler Hugi-Mugi, formerly of the Infernal Four, walked through the
forest. They had gotten fed up with Yuigarde's tyrannical disposition and
retired from the Dark Army to live disguised as a human.
"That lightning was quite something, yes!" they said, inclining their
head as they walked on. "Yes, it was quite something!"
Behind them followed a retinue of enormous wolf- and bear-type magic
beasts. They had lived in this forest before Hugi-Mugi had arrived here.
When Hugi-Mugi first took up residence in the middle of the beasts'
territory, the beasts had tried to drive them out with the full force of their
numbers, only to be met with an enormous doppeladler. Instinctually, they
knew they had no way to win, so they pledged their service to Hugi-Mugi
as familiars. Now, Hugi-Mugi walked through the forest with them like an
escort.
Walking along on either side of Hugi-Mugi were two human women,
each pressing up close.
Cartha, who ran a farm outside of the forest, smiled and wrapped herself
around Hugi-Mugi's right arm. The other woman, Shino, who ran a general
store in the village, gave Cartha the side-eye as she held on to their left.
"I saw something like a golden dragon in the sky!" exclaimed Cartha.
"And then, before I knew it, there was fire everywhere! If Hugi hadn't
shown up to put out all those fires, my house might have been burnt too!"
"You're quite right," said Shino. "If it weren't for Hugi-Mugi, my
wagon and merchandise would be ashes now." She gazed up at Hugi-Mugi
with a smile that put Cartha's to shame.
"We weren't trying to save you two, no," said Hugi-Mugi. "Some flying
magic beast caused a forest fire, yes, and I went to put it out! If it had
spread much farther, my friends would have been in danger, yes!" They
glanced back, at the magic beasts who had become their familiars following
along.
Just one day prior, the Calamity Wyrm had escaped from the angels of
the Celestial Plane mid-transit and fled to the world of Klyrode, where it
happened to run into Flio, who captured it with the spell Twilight of the
Gods. But the lightning it had released had lit fires all over, including in the
forest where Hugi-Mugi made their home. They had extinguished the fire in
order to protect their own house and the place where their familiars lived.
Cartha's house and Shino's wagon were caught up in the fire as well, and
Hugi-Mugi had saved them by pure coincidence.
"We've told you many times, yes! Yes, many times! We were just
focused on fighting the fire, yes! We weren't trying to save you two, no, so
there's no need for thanks. But we are happy to see you safe, yes. Yes, very
happy." Hugi-Mugi looked between the two women holding each of their
arms.
Cartha smiled back. He saved my life, she thought, but he doesn't want
me to think I owe him anything. Hugi is so gallant! I was born on a farm
and grew up doing nothing but farmwork. After my relationship with my
childhood friend Gorric went sour, I thought I would never marry. But now,
this handsome person is in my life! Their past is a mystery, but they're so
cool and mysterious... And so youthful and handsome! They have just the
kind of face I like, and they're strong enough to have all those giant magic
beasts as familiars! Oh, I simply must become their wife!
On Hugi-Mugi's opposite side, Shino, too, gazed up at them with a smile
on her face. How kindhearted of them, not only to not ask for a reward for
saving me, but to refuse to take it as a debt at all! It's been a few years since
my parents died and left me a general store in a village in the middle of
nowhere. Most of my customers have been old men coming around to
harass me! There have been all those adventurers recently, coming here to
hunt that golden magic beast, but most of them have partners... I can't
believe that I ran into such an attractive person at my old friend Cartha's
house! I don't really know anything about them, which worries me a bit, but
they look young and handsome and put-together, and they're strong enough
to have all of those magic beasts as familiars! I simply must marry them!
Both girls' eyes went heart-shaped, their cheeks flushed as they pressed
up closer to Hugi-Mugi.
"W-Wait, both of you?!" Hugi-Mugi protested. "I can't walk if you
crowd me so much, yes! Yes, no crowding!"
"That's right, Shino!" Cartha said. "Don't crowd Hugi so much!"
"What about you?" Shino shot back. "Why don't you stop crowding
them?"
"Excuse me?!"
"Excuse yourself!"
The two glared daggers at each other, with Hugi-Mugi trapped between
them. Hugi-Mugi sighed. "Why do human girls press so close to you when
they walk, yes?" they muttered to themselves, but they didn't particularly
try to escape from the girls' grasp.
At first, Cartha and Shino had been surprised to learn about the magic
beasts, but by now, they had learned that the beasts were absolutely loyal to
Hugi-Mugi. They paid them no mind, simply focusing their attention on
Hugi-Mugi as the group made their way deeper into the forest.
Meanwhile, in the nearby village, a number of men ran into the square,
shouting loudly. "Th-There's trouble! A pack of magic beasts moving
through the forest!"
The villagers blanched with fear as they gathered around.
"That pack again? So soon after that horrible enormous monster?"
"There've been fewer adventurers coming to the village lately, thanks to
that group."
"Most adventurers get taken out by the magic beasts before they even
lay eyes on the golden one."
"They don't usually injure people... But still, something must be done."
"Yes. Before someone gets seriously hurt..."
They talked on and on, but nobody in the village realized that it was
Hugi-Mugi leading the magic beasts around the forest.
◇After Dinner—A Hallway in Flio's House◇
Dinner was over and Belano was making her way through the house
back to her room. Folmina was only just born, and she's already incredible
with magic... she thought. And Ghoro and Rislei are going to be enrolling in
the Houghtow College of Magic soon for their primary education...
Elinàsze and Garyl have been in school for a while, and they're learning
magic at an incredible rate. As their teacher, I need to work hard myself so I
can hold my head high in front of them...
Belano squeezed her fists tight and sped up as she walked. Yes... she
thought. I need to work harder...so that Lord Flio will praise me...
Belano saw Flio as something of a surrogate for her brother and father,
who had both died in the war against the Dark Army. She admired him
quite a lot.
Although, that magic doll Lord Flio made, Minilio... He's usually no
bigger than a child, but he can use magic to make himself look just like
Lord Flio. I believe he's working at the store today too, in Lord Flio's place.
He's really incredible, but he's so cute when he's child-sized... He looks just
like a child version of Flio... Yes, he's very cute... He's cute that way...and
the other way too...
Belano's cheeks turned red as her thoughts turned to Minilio. Then,
suddenly, her eyes locked on to something in front of her—Minilio was
standing in the hallway. He was carrying a wooden box and making his way
towards the stairs, headed towards the workshop behind the house that
doubled as his living space.
Belano went stock-still and followed Minilio with her eyes. Oh! she
thought, her face turning redder still. He's so cute! So, so cute! I can't
believe there's such a cute thing living in this world! Oh, although I suppose
Minilio is a magic doll. He isn't exactly "alive." But that doesn't matter!
Cuteness is justice! Cuteness is supreme! All sorts of strange thoughts ran
through her head as she stared at Minilio.
Minilio cocked his head and looked back at Belano, puzzled by the way
she was acting. But he didn't seem very troubled by it. He just bowed
politely in passing and carried the box down the stairs.
Oh... Belano thought. He bowed! Minilio bowed his head! So precious!!!
She mentally replayed the scene again and again, just barely suppressing
a powerful nosebleed.
◇Meanwhile, in Hiya's Mindscape◇
Hiya, the djinn who commanded the origin of light and darkness,
generally spent most of their time in their own mental world with their two
so-called training partners: Damalynas, the Grand Magus of Midnight, and
Maglion, formerly one of the Twelve Evil Generals of the Realm of Evil.
Unlike Damalynas, who could venture out into the world as a body
constructed of psychic mass, the djinn Maglion required a tremendous
amount of power to sustain their psychic body. They could only exist within
Hiya's mindscape, where they were sustained by Hiya's wellspring of
magic.
"What's wrong, Your Divinity?" Damalynas asked, a worried look on
her face as she cuddled close to Hiya. They all lay on a bed surrounded by
an endless expanse of whiteness. "You suddenly went all pale..."
"My Kin," inquired Maglion, cuddling close from Hiya's opposite side
and looking up with an identical worried expression. "Your heart was
suddenly disturbed. Has something happened?"
Hiya smiled at the two sharing their bed. "It is nothing to worry about,
you two," they said. "I was simply reliving old traumas..."
"Old traumas?"
"Indeed..." Hiya said, shaking their head in shame. "I was thinking of
my old foolish self, who bared their fangs at the Exalted One only to be
beaten within an inch of their life." I was so conceited back then... they
thought. I looked down on the Exalted One as nothing more than a common
human. And foolishly, I challenged him, only to face such a merciless
beating.
Back then, Flio had flown into a rage at Hiya for hurting Rys and
pummeled them into submission with his bare fists. The thought of it made
Hiya tremble a little even now.
"The deeds of the Exalted One..." Hiya began. "Defeating a Beast of
Disaster on his own... Fusing a magic creature from another world with the
faintest of psychic bodies... They tell me that I cannot be satisfied as I am
now. I must seek greater and greater heights. I have been permitted the great
honor of playing the least role in the Exalted One's household. As the djinn
who commands the origin of light and darkness, I must train ever more so
that I may draw even slightly closer to his level." They nodded with
determination, squeezing both hands tight.
"I'll gladly train with you, Your Divinity!" said Damalynas.
"Although I am terribly unworthy, My Kin," said Maglion, "I, too,
would accompany you, if you would have me."
The pair took Hiya's hands in their own.
"You two would seek ever greater heights with me, together as training
partners?"
"Yes! Gladly!"
"Of course!"
The two both nodded their firm assent. Then, Damalynas leaned in to
whisper in Hiya's ear. "Although, Your Divinity..." she said. "Which
training would you like to do first? The magic...or me?" Blushing, the
Grand Magus of Midnight crawled up on top of Hiya, pushing them down
onto the bed.
"Excuse me, may I join in as well?" Maglion said, crawling on top of
Hiya and blushing furiously themself.
Maglion was a djinn from the Realm of Evil and a specialist in magic.
But just like Hiya, they had known nothing of sex until recently. But after
getting a taste of the fruits of Hiya and Damalynas's training, they came to
desire participation in the training themself.
Maglion and Damalynas gazed at Hiya with hot lust in their eyes.
Magic, of course! Well, that is what I had meant to say, Hiya thought. But
my dear training partners Damalynas and Maglion likely wish to do this
part first instead. Such is life, I suppose. They smiled and gently took
Damalynas and Maglion in their arms. The pair beamed with delight.
The three spent quite some time training in Hiya's mindscape. It was
two days before anyone in Flio's house saw them again.
◇Houghtow College of Magic—Faculty Office◇
In one corner of the Houghtow College of Magic faculty office sat a
woman with blue hair she wore in braids that came down to the back of her
neck, looking over the papers on her desk. This was Nyt, formerly the
Serpent Princess Yorminyt of the Dark Army's Infernal Four. The name
Yorminyt, however, was known to many in the Klyrode army—not just
demons. But she had lost faith in the Dark Army thanks to the former Dark
One Yuigarde's tyrannical disposition and now taught at the Houghtow
College of Magic in the form of a demihuman.
Nyt glanced at the newspaper lying on her desk. Hmmm... she thought.
Ssso Yuigarde changed hisss name to Dawkssson, and now they're calling
him the new Dark One. I, for one, can't imagine that a persssonality like
that could be ssso easily fixed. But I sssuppose it no longer hasss anything
to do with me... Nyt cleaned up her desk and began getting ready for her
next class.
"Oh, Miss Nyt. Do you have a moment?" Oryou, the head of the
college's primary school class and the offensive magic teacher, called Nyt
over to her.
"Yesss, Miss Oryou? Is there sssomething you need?"
"The teacher for Class A's next lesson is out sick, I'm afraid. Would you
be able to fill in?"
"Yesss, of course. But are you sssure? What is the lesssson about?"
"Magic projection arts."
"Ah, Metálzobi's sssubject. Yesss, I believe I can handle that."
"Thank you! That's a big help. Good luck with the class!" Oryou bowed
her head. Nyt waved goodbye.
Magic projection artssss... she thought as she left the room. The art of
creating an image with magic and materializing it into the world as a magic
beassst or the like. It's jussst a parlor trick, really, but it'sss an important
firssst ssstep to mastering sssummoning magic. I'm not ssspecialist, but I at
leassst know enough to teach young children.
An hour later, Nyt returned to the faculty office, having finished her
lesson on magic projection arts.
"Oh," said Oryou, calling her over again. "Miss Nyt, do you have a
moment?"
"Yesss, what is it?"
"I'm terribly sorry to keep asking this of you, but could you please fill in
for Class C's next lesson?"
"And what is the sssubject?"
"Shadow magic."
"Ah, Miss Cathbeir's sssubject. Yesss, I believe I can handle that."
Some hours later still, Oryou called Nyt over again. "I'm so sorry, but
could you teach Class B's class on pharmaceutical magic?"
"Yesss, I believe I can handle that."
And hours later again...
"Class D needs someone to teach magiophysical education..."
"Yesss, I believe I can handle that."
When Nyt finally returned to the faculty office, she took a look at the
school's class schedule. I sssuppose a magic ussser like me is as good as
almighty as a teacher in thisss school. It ssseems I can handle every
sssingle sssubject they teach...
Nyt glanced around the room. Across from her was Belano, a defensive
magic specialist. And sitting next to her was Hiero, a specialist in magic
outdoorsmanship. Metálzobi and Cathbeir, whom she had substituted for
earlier, were specialists in magic projection arts and shadow magic
respectively. Perhaps it was difficult to find faculty of a high enough level
to teach multiple kinds of magic in such a rural school. Houghtow College
of Magic had a very small faculty, after all.
I sssuppose I am good at teaching too, after all that time training my
sssubordinates to use magic... Nyt thought. But then, something struck her.
She folded her arms. Hang on a minute. Did they actually put me down as
able to teach any sssubject?!
They really were assigning her as a substitute for far too many classes. It
seemed like they might have forgotten what the job they'd hired her for
actually was.
◇The Celestial Plane—Central Management Tower◇
One day, a group of angels arrived at the central management tower in
the middle of the Celestial Plane to deliver a report on the outcome of their
mission.
"Your mission was to destroy the Calamity Wyrm that appeared in the
world of Lillica, or else imprison it in the underground world Dogorogma.
Have you achieved this?" a goddess asked, looking over the report. This
was the goddess responsible for overseeing the world of Lillica, where the
beast had first appeared, and the direct superior of the group of angels.
"Let me see..." she read, furrowing her brow. "You say you captured the
Calamity Wyrm, but it broke free en route to Dogorogma and fled to a
nearby world, where you were able to exterminate it with the help of the
world's inhabitants. Is this true? Even the goddess of an entire world would
struggle to simply kill a Beast of Disaster. For mere angels and denizens of
a random world to defeat such a being beggars imagination. Do you mean
to tell me that there is someone residing in one of the planetoid worlds who
has the power to defeat a Beast of Disaster? If so, we must take measures at
once."
The leader of the group of angels quietly clicked her tongue in
frustration. I knew it... she thought. She doesn't believe us after that case a
few years back when a group of angels fabricated a false report to avoid
punishment for losing a Beast of Disaster mid-transit and letting it destroy
a world. It's something they take very seriously. Even the goddesses, our
superiors, are punished with exile sometimes for lying in their reports... She
reached into her Bottomless Bag and pulled out a bottle filled with some
kind of potion. "My goddess, please examine this potion. It is proof that the
Calamity Wyrm has been defeated."
"This is your proof? What is this? It glows with the light of the
rainbow... I have never seen a potion this color before." The goddess
inspected the bottle the angel leader gave her closely, holding it up to the
light from all angles.
"This is, in fact, a potion made with the vanquished Calamity Wyrm's
blood."
"Wh-What?!" the Goddess opened her eyes wide in shock. "The
Calamity Wyrm's body is protected by impenetrable scales, and when one
dies it is said that its body turns hard like stone. It should be impossible to
extract one's blood! But this is even more than that. Its blood's been made
into a potion. How in the heavens...?" The goddess furrowed her brow and
held her other hand up to the bottle, emitting light from her palm and
showering the potion with beams of light. She peered at it dubiously,
uncertain what to think. "I would dismiss this as nonsense, but this potion
truly does contain the essence of the Calamity Wyrm. I suppose, one way or
another, this does serve as solid proof that the Calamity Wyrm has been
slain." The goddess sighed. "Shall I deliver your report to the Central
Management Tower as it is written, then?"
A wave of palpable relief washed over the angels.
The next day, a goddess from the Central Management tower was
inspecting a potion given to her by the goddess in charge of the world called
Lillica along with her report. "This... This is..." she stammered, her hands
beginning to shake. "She told me that this potion was made with materials
from a Beast of Disaster, but I assumed it would be an inferior product,
made by planetoid world dwellers who lack our magic techniques. But this
is..."
She stared into the rainbow-colored liquid and swallowed nervously.
She opened the bottle with a pop and drank it in a single gulp. Immediately,
her body began to glow.
"This is incredible! A single drink was enough to cure my chronic back
pain, my stiff neck, my sleep deprivation, and my general fatigue! And not
only that! My skin, which had gone dry and flaky from years of overtime,
has become smooth and youthful once more! You couldn't find such a
potion even in the best apothecaries on the Celestial Plane!"
She spent some time looking over her face in the mirror, not bothering to
conceal her excitement in the slightest. "A-According to the report, a
resident of the planetoid world of Klyrode made this potion... I simply must
have more, no matter the cost! As much as possible! Regular shipments if I
can!"
◇Calgosi Coast—In front of the Van Biel Manor◇
"Wh-What? Why?!" Countess Junia Van Biel, the governor of the
Calgosi Coast, stared in disbelief at the guest who had appeared before her
house. Behind her stood her familiars Loplanz, Rolindeim, and Polseidon.
They, too, looked like they couldn't believe their eyes.
In front of the four stood a man with a patchy long black beard and a
robust physique. "I told you," he said. "I, Captain Eddsarch of the
Blackbeard Corsairs, and all of my men are pledging allegiance to Countess
Junia Van Biel." He laughed with a mighty "Gah ha ha!" as he grinned
wildly at Junia. Behind him, nearly fifteen pirates flashed perfectly identical
grins.
Polseidon looked out at the crowd, stroking his long white beard.
"You..." he said. "Time and time and time and time and time and time and
time again, no matter how often we beat you, you always come back to start
another fight, saying this time you're gonna 'check in' with the Countess,
whatever that means. So what in the hells is making you suddenly reverse
course?"
"Well, you know," said Eddsarch. "Until recently, all you had in your
corner was the white-bearded old man, the dark-skinned girl, and the bird. I
thought we'd be sure to overwhelm you with sheer numbers eventually..."
"H-Hang on!" objected Loplanz. "Did you just call me a bird?! I'll have
you know that I am the rukh avian Loplanz!"
"Yes, yes," said Rolindeim. "But be quiet for a moment, would you,
birdie? Let's keep the conversation on track, right?"
"Hey! Not you too, Rolindeim!" Loplanz's temper flared even higher,
but Rolindeim clapped a hand over his mouth, silencing him.
Junia glanced at Loplanz and then back to Captain Eddsarch. "CContinue..." she said.
"Right, right. Well, we did our best trying to wear you down with our
numbers, but then, suddenly you got a whole bunch of new crewmates!"
"Ah," said Polseidon. "You mean the Van Biel Navy!"
The Van Biel Navy was composed of former demon pirates, who now
served directly under Junia Van Biel herself.
"Exactly!" said Eddsarch. "With them in the picture, us pirates are out of
luck! Even Shaxablena of the Ladyshark Pirates ended up getting a job at an
inn somewhere. Lots of pirates ended up finding new careers. At this rate,
the future looks bleak for the Blackbeard Corsairs. We wanna switch sides
and work for you like the old demon pirate crew did. Gah ha ha!"
But secretly, Eddsarch had other things in mind. Hur hur hur... With that
as my excuse, my sweet Junia will believe me to be one of her companions!
But when she lets her guard down, I will sneak into her bed, and finally,
finally, I'll check in! It's the perfect plan! And when she's my woman, I'll
become the boss of the whole Calgosi Coast! I'll be able to do whatever I
want!
"Hmm..." said Junia. "Let me see... He's thinking, 'With that as my
excuse, my sweet Junia will believe me to be one of her companions! But
when she lets her guard down, I will sneak into her bed, and finally, finally,
I'll check in! It's the perfect plan! And when she's my woman, I'll become
the boss of the whole Calgosi Coast! I'll be able to do whatever I want!'"
"Yes, exactly!" said Eddsarch. And then, realizing what Junia had said,
he jumped up into the air, his eyes bulging out in shock. "Wait, what?! H-
How did you know exactly what I was thinking?!"
Junia looked up at him, her shoulders trembling. "I-I can r-read the
minds of the people around me using magic..." she said. "Y-You'll never
check in, you know...!"
Behind her, Polseidon suddenly grew giant-sized, while Loplanz
transformed into his rukh form. The members of the Van Biel navy standing
nearby reached for their weapons, glaring daggers at Eddsarch.
"C-Curses!" Eddsarch spat. "We may be retreating for now, but... WWait! When did we get surrounded by the Van Biel Navy?!"
Eddsarch and his Blackbeard Corsairs finally realized that members of
the navy were all around them, standing in a circle with Eddsarch at its
center.
Junia waved her arm. "D-Do it!" she commanded. Her face was pure red
—after all, she had just had to witness Eddsarch's mental image of herself
in a state of being checked in on. At her signal, Polseidon, Rolindeim,
Loplanz, and the members of the navy attacked as one.
"Drat and damnation!" yelled Eddsarch, making a lewd gesture with his
thumb as he was overrun. "I'll check in next time, Junia Van Biel!!!"
◇Houghtow City—Flio's House◇
Flio's household by now had grown to an impressive number of
residents. They had not only a men's bath and a women's bath, but also a
mixed-gender bath big enough to accommodate ten people at once.
That night in the women's bath, the mothers of the house—Rys,
Uliminas, Balirossa, and Byleri—were taking a soak together.
"Folmina, Ghoro, and Rislei have all grown up so fast..." Rys said,
looking around with a smile. "Soon it will be time to start thinking about
school."
"Meow're right," Uliminas nodded. "Folmina can mewve around by
herself now. I guess it's something we've gotta think about..."
"Do you remember how Folmina tried to climb on Ghozal's head right
after she was born?" said Balirossa.
"Of course! She was clinging onto his hair fur dear life! And then
Ghozal got all serious and went, 'You're gonna make me go bald!'"
Uliminas said, doing an uncannily accurate imitation of Ghozal. The other
three burst into laughter.
"But..." said Rys, "How was Folmina able to climb so high on his body,
I wonder?"
"Mew know, I asked her myself at the time," said Uliminas. "She was
meowll, 'I dunno... I guess because my papa Ghozal's head was up
there...'" This time she did an impression of her daughter Folmina, and
again, it was eerily accurate.
The other three grinned in amusement.
"That, like, totally sounds like her!"
"Yes, you're spot on!"
"You know," said Rys, "Ghoro is quite fond of Folmina. He's always
following along wherever she goes."
"Yes, you're quite right..." Balirossa furrowed her brow. "I actually
asked him the other day if he likes Folmina or his mother better, since he's
always following her around, and he just smiled and said, 'I like big sis
Folmina!' without a moment's hesitation..."
"Th-That's terrible!" exclaimed Uliminas.
"Like, jeez! That must've been a shock..." said Byleri. The two placed
their hands on Balirossa's shoulders.
"No, it's all right," said Balirossa. "I admit it was a shock at the time,
but...when I see Ghoro smile like that, I just... I just... Ahhh!" Her face
turned bright red as she desperately tried to explain.
"Oh, I understand," said Rys. "Ghoro's smile has a healing effect on
people."
"Yeah!" agreed Uliminas. "He's always taking it easy, but that's what
makes him so cute!"
The two nodded in agreement.
Balirossa squeezed her hands together tight. "Yes! Yes! Oh, it makes me
so happy that you understand how cute Ghoro is!" Tears of passion welled
up in her eyes.
"And like, my Rislei is so serious?" said Byleri. "She helps me out more
than I help her, sometimes..." She pressed her finger against her cheek,
reflecting.
"Yes," said Rys. "Rislei is very grown-up for her age. She really takes
after our Elinàsze."
"No, no!" objected Byleri. "Like, Elinàsze's on a totally different level.
I'm pretty sure she could just about pass as someone's wife already."
Rys gave a dry smile. "Yes..." she said. "But Elinàsze is such a papa's
girl. I'm a bit worried about finding a suitable partner for her..."
"We're, like, the opposite," said Rislei. "Our papa loves his daughter,
like, a little too much..."
"Yeah," said Uliminas. "Sleip'll come running at a meowment's notice,
shouting 'Risleiiii!!!' And then he'll pick her up and rub his cheeks all
meowver her... I think I might actually hate him?" This time, Uliminas did
an impression, just as spot-on as the previous two, of Sleip's voice, causing
the other three to burst into laughter.
"Like," said Byleri, "but you know, I wonder... Rislei totally acts like
she hates it when her papa picks her up, but she really does love him.
Sometimes she says stuff like, 'I never said I didn't like it...' She's so
unbelievably shy! It's totally adorable!" Byleri's cheeks turned red, her
arms practically vibrating as she explained. The other three nodded along.
"Incidentally, Garyl seems to be quite popular with the ladies at school,"
said Balirossa.
"Yes, doesn't he?" Rys gushed. "There are so many girls coming to our
house every day before school! At first, I thought they were Elinàsze's
friends, but she told me, 'They're my friends too, but everyone always
wants to spend time with Garyl after school...'"
"Hey," said Byleri. "Like, do any of you feel like Her Majesty is, like,
coming over so often to see Garyl?"
Rys cocked her head. "I wonder..." she said. "But Garyl is quite fond of
the Maiden Queen himself. He always calls her 'the nice and pretty lady'..."
"Garyl always speaks his mind, after all," said Balirossa. "When Her
Majesty was with us in the Alips mountains, he called her 'nice and pretty'
directly to her face. I believe it caused her some amount of distress! Her
Majesty has always put the kingdom first, you know. I've never heard any
rumors to suggest she's had any love affairs at all."
"Well, as far as I'm concerned, he can marry anyone he likes as long as
it's someone who can hunt alongside us," said Rys.
"What?!" said Uliminas. "Hold on a meowment, Rys. Isn't that kinda a
high bar? Even I struggle to keep up with mew on meowr hunts..."
"Oh? You do?" asked Rys. "But Wyne has no trouble..."
"Rys!" Uliminas shouted, her eyes going wide. "Wyne is a dragon! She's
a regular killing meowchine! If you base meowr expectations around her,
Garyl will never find a bride!"
"Oh, but like, wasn't there a boy who liked Wyne?" asked Byleri. "You
know...the kid from Calgosi Coast. Was his name Loplanz?"
"No," said Rys. "I forbid it."
"What?! Rys, why?!" Uliminas demanded.
"Well, it's true that he's an honest and good child. But Wyne needs
someone strong enough to stop her when she's acting foolish. I can't
imagine it working out."
"Ahh..." Uliminas nodded. "I suppose that makes sense... Wyne does
everything at full power, after meowll..."
"Well, it's up to us to protect these adorable children," said Rys.
"Yeah," agreed Uliminas. "I gotta do my best too..."
"Me too," said Balirossa. "I'll do everything I can."
"Like, totally," said Byleri. "I'll do my best raising the kids... But I
kinda wish Lord Sleip would spend more time doting on me, y'know?"
"Oh, I get it," said Uliminas. "It's been furever since we've had time,
with the kids and everything. Although Balirossa's been sneaking off alone
with Ghozal, mew know..."
"What?!" Balirossa exclaimed. "H-How did you find out?"
"Ah ha ha!" Uliminas laughed. "Did mew really think Ghozal could
keep that a secret?"
"N-Now that you mention it, I suppose not..."
"Come to think of it, it's been some time for me too..." said Rys.
As the occupants of the women's bath carried on their lively
conversation, the three fathers—Flio, Ghozal, and Sleip—were also
together in the men's bath.
"Um..." said Flio. "Talking about the kids is one thing, but..."
"Yeah, I know..." said Ghozal. "I get so embarrassed when people talk
about what they do in bed. And I have twice as many wives, so it's twice as
embarrassing..."
"Well, I'm terribly sorry, you two!" said Sleip in a loud cheerful voice.
"But at my age, well...it hardly seems to matter at all!"
Flio and Ghozal glanced at Sleip, almost impressed by his cavalier
attitude.
The men kept chatting for some time. It was a while before either group
got out of the bath.