◇Meanwhile—Flio's House◇
Tucked away in one corner of the vast fields of Blossom Acres that
stood outside Flio's residence was a tea orchard run by Tia—a magic doll
originally created by a mage who served in the Dark Army long ago.
Calsi'im had discovered her in her ruined state and rescued her, restoring
her to working condition. She had accompanied him ever since and
currently resided together in Flio's house. At that moment, Tia was in her
orchard wearing a black gothic lolita dress, basket full of tea leaves in hand
and a cheerful smile on her face.
"Thank you so very much for helping harvest the tea leaves again today,
Calsi'im!" she called.
"Of course!" said the old skeleton, poking his head out from behind a
nearby tea tree. "I'm glad to help, for the sake of your delicious tea!" He
laughed joyfully, his jawbone rattling against his skull.
Calsi'im was a skeleton warrior who had ruled the Dark Army for a brief
time as Dark Regent, a stint of service that ended with his death. He had
been resurrected by Flio's hand, however, and now resided with the others
at Flio's house.
"To hear you say such a thing is the greatest joy I could possibly
imagine," Tia said, smiling and bowing deeply.
"Of course, of course!" Calsi'im said, his jawbone rattling all the while
as he stepped up beside her. "And hearing you say that makes me a very
happy skeleton indeed!"
Just then, Calsi'im and Tia's daughter Rabbitz came leaping in their
direction, a great big smile on her face. "Papa! Mama!" she cried.
As the daughter of a skeleton and a magic doll, Rabbitz was an
exceptionally rare sort of being. She always wore a smile on her face, and
her favorite thing to do in the world was climbing atop her father Calsi'im's
head.
"Oho! Rabbitz!" said Calsi'im. "Have you been a good girl and—
Gawaah!" Calsi'im's speech was interrupted when Rabbitz, hopping around
on all fours like a genuine bunny, leaped straight onto his grinning face,
draping herself over the back of his head and rubbing her cheeks against
him.
"Now, Rabbitz," Tia said, frowning as she placed her hands on her
daughter's back. "Haven't I told you that you must stop clinging to
Calsi'im's head like this? We wouldn't want his skull to come off again,
would we...?"
Rabbitz, however, turned to face Tia with a cheerful grin. "Mama! A
mountain! A mountain!" she cried happily, pointing at something behind the
magic doll.
"A mountain?" Tia asked, a dubious look on her face. "Why, whatever
do you mean? There's only a small hill there, I believe..." but as she turned
to look, her eyes went wide and she froze on the spot. "E-Excuse
me...Calsi'im?"
"Yes? Wh-What is it, Tia my dear?"
"Is there really a mountain outside the tea plantation, do you
suppose...?"
"A mountain?" Calsi'im asked, managing to shift Rabbitz around to the
back of his skull so he could see what was happening. He looked in the
direction his daughter was pointing, but instead of the familiar hill, there
stood a small mountain he had never seen before, towering over them like
an enshrined deity. This was the very mountain Flio had transported using
his earlier spell, atop which stood Ura's village. Ordinarily, a spell like that
would have required an enormous magic circle and a long incantation even
for the highest level of practitioners, but Flio had achieved the feat with
only a few short words.
"Well, that does seem to be a mountain!" Calsi'im confirmed.
"Yes..." Tia agreed. "It really is a mountain..."
"A mountain! A mountain!" Rabbitz chanted.
With no way of knowing what was going on, Calsi'im, Tia, and Rabbitz
could only gawk at the mountain that had appeared out of nowhere.
◇The Magical Kingdom of Klyrode—Throne Room◇
"I see... so that is the state of things." The Maiden Queen of Klyrode
sighed softly as her agent finished their report, kneeling on the ground
before her as she sat on the throne.
The Maiden Queen was the reigning sovereign of the Magical Kingdom
of Klyrode. Her full name was Elizabeth Klyrode, but her friends knew her
as Ellie. She had taken reign of the kingdom when her father, the former
King, was exiled for his many misdeeds. She was a woman in her thirties,
but so devoted to politics that she had never so much as had a boyfriend.
"Then this group has been secretly excavating rare minerals—minerals
so rare they are not to be mined without the express permission of the
crown—and selling the ore through unlawful routes," the Maiden Queen
repeated. "And using counterfeit coins to operate their business, no less..."
"I swear..." the Third Princess said, puffing out her cheeks in an angry
pout in her seat to the Maiden Queen's right. "I thought we had earned a
reprieve when we signed that peace treaty with the Dark Army, but now we
must contend with counterfeiting? How dare they, after my sister the Queen
and all of her assistants worked so hard to bring peace to Klyrode!"
The Third Princess, Swann Klyrode, was the Maiden Queen's younger
sister. She had graduated from a noble academy out of a desire to serve as
the Maiden Queen's right hand, and had quickly become an indispensable
advisor. Her chief duties were in the Magical Kingdom's internal affairs. If
she had a flaw, it was the overbearing infatuation she had for her sister.
"It must be the local nobility, turned to unscrupulous business now that
they can no longer make their fortunes in war! We must investigate them
immediately!" The Third Princess bundled up her skirt in her hands to
prevent it from flying everywhere as she ran. She appeared to be prepared
to bolt out of the throne room at a moment's notice.
"Wait a minute, Third Princess," said the Second Princess, who was
seated to the Maiden Queen's left.
The Second Princess was the middle of the three sisters. Her name was
Leusoc Klyrode, and like her younger sister the Third Princess, she served
as one of the Maiden Queen's arms. She had been dealing in diplomacy
since the days when the old King Klyrode was on the throne and they were
still at war with the Dark Army, and was well used to negotiations with the
other human nations.
"What is it, my sister the Second Princess?" the Third Princess asked.
"Would it not be most effective for us to begin gathering information as
soon as we can so we can work to counteract this immediately?"
"I don't disagree," the Second Princess said with a heavy sigh, "but wait
a minute, okay?" She stepped between the Third Princess and the Maiden
Queen. "You know, if nobility from the Magical Kingdom of Klyrode were
behind this, all we would have to do is send in the knights, and that would
be that. But I don't think this is gonna be that simple..."
"What do you mean by that, Second Princess?" the Maiden Queen
asked, her expression grave.
"This is still unconfirmed," the Second Princess began, "but I have
reason to believe that our counterfeiters are involved with another kingdom
altogether."
"Y-You can't mean...!" the Third Princess exclaimed, her eyes going
wide.
"And given that situation, we must avoid making rash moves. If we cast
suspicion on a foreign kingdom without adequate proof of our claims, they
may simply refuse to even speak with us."
"Kh!" The Third Princess stomped her feet in aggravation. "How
vexing!"
"Calm yourself, Third Princess," the Maiden Queen said in a level voice.
"No doubt, you are correct to say that we must act with haste. However, as
the Second Princess says, if other nations are involved, a careless move on
our part could result in conflict between our lands. It would not do for us to
sully our hard won peace with the Dark Army by sparking a needless war.
We must learn everything we can first before we begin devising our
countermeasures." With quiet grace, she rose from the throne as she spoke.
"First, I will pay a visit to our collaborators and discuss with them what to
do."
"Please give them my regards," the Third Princess said, curtsying
elegantly.
"Yes," said the Second Princess, bowing her head. "And deliver my
regards to our collaborators' eldest son, as well."
At those words, the Maiden Queen's serene face suddenly turned bright
red.
It was an open secret among many in the castle that the Maiden Queen
regularly visited Flio to discuss matters of the state, as was the fact that she
and Flio's son Garyl were lovers.
"My sister the Queen?" the Third Princess asked, frowning in confusion.
"What does she mean, your collaborators' eldest son?"
"N-Nothing whatsoever!" the Maiden Queen said, blurting out the
words a little too fast before darting out of the throne room.
The Second Princess watched her sister go, a mischievous smile on her
face. My older sister has always had to bear the weight of governing the
kingdom alone, thanks to our father's criminal deeds, she thought. It's a
relief to see she's finally found a decent guy. And personally, as the
designated diplomat, I'm just hoping they'll get engaged and married as
soon as possible so I can stop dealing with all of the princelings hoping for
an interview...
"Excuse me, my sister the Second Princess?" the Third Princess asked.
"What did you mean by your words earlier? Who is this 'eldest son,'
exactly?"
"Don't worry," the Second Princess said. "I'll tell you all about it when
you're just a bit older."
"What?!" The Third Princess pouted. "That's not fair! I graduated from
the Knight Academy, you know! I'm a proper grown-up, and I'm tired of
you treating me like a child!"
"Ah ha ha!" the Second Princess laughed, grinning in amusement at her
little sister's red-faced anger. "Oh, don't be silly!"
The two kept arguing, but the Maiden Queen herself had already left the
throne room.
◇In a Forest◇
In a forest somewhere in the world, a solitary carriage rolled down a
lonesome road. You could call it a road if you wanted anyway—it didn't
look like the rugged path saw much in the way of traffic at all. At a glance,
it was hard to tell it was even there.
Inside the carriage, Hero Gold-Hair was laughing merrily with his
companions. "I tell you, it's good to have some decent paying work for a
change, isn't it?" he said.
"I knooow!" Tsuya agreed, a great big smile on her face as she adoringly
rubbed her cheek against a pouch stuffed full of coins. "The client must be
reeeally nice to give us thiiis much money just to carry some luuuggage!
But I dooo wonder why they wouldn't tell us who they weeere..."
"Well, they paid us half the money upfront anyway, so we don't need to
worry about getting stiffed like last time," Hero Gold-Hair said. "In fact,
since we have all this money, I say we use it to treat ourselves to some
proper food tonight!"
"I quite agree!" opined Valentine, smiling jubilantly from her seat across
Hero Gold-Hair. "With such a sizable advance payment, surely no harm will
come from a single night of luxurious dining!" Tsuya nodded along
enthusiastically.
Wuha Gappoli, for her part, seemed no less excited from where she sat
with her arms folded behind her head as she cheerfully kicked her legs.
"Eee hee hee!" she cackled. "I can't wait! Tonight we're gonna go all out!"
"All right," Hero Gold-Hair confirmed, glancing over the party over his
folded arms. "Riliangiu will be back from scouting before long. After that,
we'll find the nearest town and go all out with the food and drinks."
"Hooray for Hero Gold-Haaair!" cheered Tsuya.
"He's so understanding!" gushed Valentine.
"I would quite like to let loose for a single night as well!" the voice of
Aryun Keats, who was at that moment transformed and serving as the
party's means of transportation, echoed throughout the carriage.
Tsuya gave the group a cheerful smile, but beneath her carefree exterior
she was already busy calculating the most economical plan for the group's
night on the town.
Ummm... L-Let me seeee... she thought. Fiiirst we should have them
bring out looots of cheap food to fill everyone's stomaaachs...but we should
start with the expeeensive alcohol and switch to the cheeeap drinks once
everyone seems druuunk. We miiight have to pad it out with some waaater
too... Anything to save a bit of moooney... She tightened her grip on the bag
of coins. I knooow this job is paying a fair bit of money, but we caaan't
expect it to be around foreeever! We haaave to build up some saaavings
while we can! After all, Hero Gooold-Hair put meee in charge of the
finances! I have to do this...
"But I must say," Aryun Keats opined, interrupting Tsuya's thoughts. "I
understand the client specified we were to use this road, but it really is
rough going..."
"It is..." Hero Gold-Hair agreed. "I wonder if this road's been abandoned
or some such..."
"I wonder if it ever saw much use to begin with," said Aryun Keats. "It
seems to be so disused that it's become little more than an animal path. I
suppose we should be grateful for it, however, if it will enable us to avoid
inspection..."
"True enough..." Hero Gold-Hair grumbled, folding his arms over his
chest. "Unfortunately, I am still a wanted criminal in the Magical Kingdom
of Klyrode." He lowered his head in thought for a moment. "Well, there's
no denying that it's strange, but Riliangiu's still off doing her advance
scouting and hasn't reported any emergencies yet. I say we keep on down
the path."
"Aye aye, Hero Gold-Hair!" Aryun Keats replied in high spirits.
"Hey, now!" said Wuha Gappoli. "If the client instructed us to use this
road, what's the use fretting about it? More importantly, let's hurry on to
town! I can just about taste it...the fragrant liquor...the succulent food...!"
"Well said, Wuha! I quite agree!" Valentine said, embracing Wuha as the
two laughed in jubilation.
Hmm... Hero Gold-Hair thought, his arms stubbornly folded in thought
as he sat in his seat. I can't say this whole situation sits quite right with my
intuition... What to do...?
Aryun Keats continued through the forest in her carriage form as the
conversation inside carried on and on.
◇Dark Citadel—Throne Room◇
In the throne room on the second floor of the Dark Citadel, the Dark
One Dawkson—ostensibly the master of the grand building itself—sat as he
always did, on the ground in front of his throne. His minion Phufun stood to
the side.
"Excuse me..." Phufun said, pressing her false glasses up the ridge of
her nose. "My master?"
"Huh?" Dawkson asked. "What's up, Phufun?"
"Please forgive my boldness, Master, but I must speak..." Phufun began.
"I understand that you still refuse to sit on the throne, saying you are yet
unworthy of the position of Dark One. It is a worthy sentiment, I suppose,
not to let your recent success go too much to your head. However, since the
peace treaty you forged with the Magical Kingdom of Klyrode, you have
been doing admirably in reestablishing harmonious relationships between
demons who live within your territory. I do not imagine any would object if
you were to take your rightful seat." Having said her piece, she adjusted her
glasses once again.
Dawkson glanced in Phufun's direction and sighed ever so slightly.
"Thank you for sayin' so," he said. "But you're wrong. There is someone
who'd object—me myself."
"But—" Phufun protested.
"Thank you for sayin' so," Dawkson repeated. "Really. But let's leave
that topic there and get on with the daily reports."
"Y-Yes, Master," Phufun said with a bow before turning her attention
back to the papers in her hand. "I have a report from Lord Zanzibar of the
Infernal Four, detailing unsavory rumors spreading among your domain."
"Unsavory rumors, huh?"
"Yes. It seems that someone in the hinterlands has been employing
demons and paying them in counterfeit coins. Zanzibar himself is traveling
to the area in question in order to discern the truth."
"I see..." said Dawkson. "Well, let me know if anything comes up there.
For the time being, I'd say we can leave it to Zanzibar."
"Understood, Master," Phufun said with a deep bow. When Master
Dawkson still went by Yuigarde, he would never trust his subordinates with
something like that... she reflected. He would have said he would take care
of it without a moment's thought and then leave before anyone could stop
him...
"Anything else?" Dawkson asked.
"Yes, Master. Princesses Nerona, Selinaphott, and Snow White are
requesting an audience with you."
Dawkson slumped his shoulders in disappointment at the news, sighing
audibly. "Those three again?" he said. "But they were just here yesterday..."
"That is true..." Phufun confirmed. "However, all three of them are here
as representatives of demon tribes of considerable power..."
"If they were here for their tribes it'd be one thing," said Dawkson. "But
it seems like they're just coming to exchange pleasantries, hoping I'll take
one of 'em as my bride..."
The Dark One Dawkson, as it happened, was quite correct. Nerona was
the princess of the dark elves to the north, and a childhood friend of
Dawkson himself. Selinaphott, meanwhile, was the daughter of the current
chief of the Western demons, whereas Snow White was the princess of the
fable folk. The three women had all journeyed from their homes as
candidates for the Dark One's hand in marriage. They held a cooking
contest for Dawkson's hand, only for all three to be defeated by Phufun and
forced to withdraw for the time being. With affairs among demonkind once
more in order, however, Dawkson's fame as an enlightened ruler only
continued to soar, and the three of them had once more begun to actively
appeal for his hand.
Dawkson heaved a second sigh and pulled himself to his feet. "Well
anyway, I've got somewhere to be on business. They'll have to have their
audiences another day."
"May I ask where you are going?" Phufun inquired.
"The Fli-o'-Rys General Store in front of the citadel gates," Dawkson
answered. "Gotta see how those malicium-nullifying magic gems are
comin' along."
"The magic gems you requested be developed so that demons who lack
the ability to control their own malicium could live alongside humans
without injuring them?"
"That's right. If we had somethin' like that, we could kick our trade with
the humans up another notch or two." Dawkson left the throne room, still
sighing over the business with the bridal candidates.
Phufun saw him off, bowing deeply. "Now then," she said, pressing her
glasses up the ridge of her nose. "I must let those three know that the Dark
One will be unable to answer their petition today, due to some urgent
business."
Off to the side of the room, the little mad scientist girl Coqueshtti of the
Infernal Four watched Phufun out of the corner of her eyes. Huh? she
thought. Am I imagining it, or does Lady Phufun look rather pleased about
something...?
◇Houghtow City—Flio's House◇
The morning after Flio moved Ura's village mountain and all, Blossom
found herself greeted by scores of oni standing in organized rank and file
when she went to begin work on the farm.
"A good morning to you, Lady Blossom!" said Ura, who was standing at
the head of the group.
"Mornin', Ura!" Blossom answered. "Y'all sleep okay? No issues with
the new place?"
"No issues at all!" Ura said with a hearty laugh. "It is a new place, as
you say, but Lord Flio brought over the same houses we've been living in
all this time. In fact, with all the food we had to eat last night, I'd say we
slept better than usual!"
"Seems like your first night went well," said Flio, walking up to Ura
with Rys at his side. "I'm glad to hear that."
"Oh! Lord Flio!" Ura came running up when he saw Flio approach,
wringing his hands together. "You've given all us villagers a place to live
where we won't need to worry about going hungry!" he said, tears of
gratitude streaming from his eyes as he bowed his head over and over
again. "I thank you! Truly!"
"Such an expressive oni, aren't you? Always laughing or crying..." said
Rys, a wry smirk coming over her face. "However, Ura, and your
underlings too..." she added, transforming her right hand into a lupine
demon claw as she glanced over the group with eyes like ice. "Now that
you are the vassals of my lord husband, take care to attend properly to your
work, won't you? Do not expect forgiveness if I discover you to have been
inconveniencing my lord husband."
The group of oni felt a chill run down their collective spines. Only Ura,
their leader, kept a level head in the face of Rys's intimidation.
"Understood," he said, a serious look on his face. "I assure you, madame, if
one of our number is so ungrateful as that, I'll take care of the matter
myself." He thumped his chest with his closed fist to punctuate the
statement.
Ura makes a good leader for those oni, Flio thought, smiling his usual
easygoing smile as he watched. It's no mean feat to speak normally when
Rys starts acting like that.
"Now, then!" Ura declared. "As thanks for last night's magnificent
welcome feast, we'll be sure to work especially hard today! Gah ha ha!"
"Thank you for last night!" another oni chimed in.
"It was delicious!" added another.
"Your cooking is the best in the world, madame!" said a third.
One by one, the oni offered their thanks to Rys.
The night before, Flio had held a banquet in the oni village to welcome
the residents to Blossom's Farm. It had been Rys who was in charge of the
food preparations. Rys's cooking skills had been improving at an alarming
pace thanks to her experience running the kitchen of Flio's House. Flio's
household had become quite large, after all, and many of its members were
blessed with prodigious appetites. The oni, as it happened, had been moved
to tears of gratitude by the taste of Rys's cooking.
"I am very glad you enjoyed it!" said Rys. "Now, you had best work
your hardest, for my lord husband and for your dinner."
"Yeaaaaah!!!" came a rousing shout as the oni made their way into the
fields.
"Long live our madame!" cheered an oni.
"I'd gladly die for you, madame!" added another.
At that, the goblins Maunty and Hokh'hokton came running up in front
of the oni. "H-Hello, everyone!" said Maunty. "Please follow our
instructions to begin with, would you?"
"Th-That's right!" added Hokh'hokton. "First things first, would you
please kindly assemble over by that ridge?" The oni did what they were told
and gathered around the middle of the farm.
"What a sight!" Rys remarked as she watched. "It really is quite
incredible..."
"Oh?" Flio asked. "What is?"
"Oni are a higher ranked species than goblin," Rys said, frowning.
"Demons of all sorts respect power above all else, you know. At the very
least, I can assure you that I never heard of an oni taking orders from
goblins when I was in the Dark Army..."
"I guess that's just a sign that times are changing," Flio said, gently
placing a hand on Rys's shoulder. "Personally, I believe that if we keep
working hard, one day we'll have world where everyone can live happy
lives together. Just like how you and I learned to understand each other."
"My lord husband..." Rys said, her cheeks flushing pink. His face was
very close to hers indeed. Rys closed her eyes as Flio leaned in, nearly
about to kiss her, when suddenly they were interrupted by a horrible noise
—it sounded like a bloodcurdling scream, echoing throughout the farm.
"Agaaaaaaahhhhhh?!?!?!"
Jolted back to their senses by the sound, Flio and Rys sprang apart. "AAhem!" Flio said, clearing his throat and blushing as he glanced awkwardly
the side. "E-Erm, that was quite the sound, wasn't it? I wonder what that
was about..."
"Y-Yes..." Rys agreed, blushing and staring at her feet. "What was that, I
wonder...?"
◇ ◇ ◇
Telbyress stared dumbfounded up at the oni's mountain, freshly
teleported outside the farm just the other night. "A-A-Ahh..." she managed,
pointing a trembling finger up at the peak. "Wh-What happened to the big
tree that used to be around here...?" she asked. "Th-The big tree where I hid
all my hard-earned liquor...?"
Yes—when Flio moved the oni's mountain, he set it down right on top
of the tree Telbyress had used to hide her liquor. He had taken great pains
not to disturb Blossom Acres or Tia's tea orchard, but Telbyress had hidden
her liquor stockpile using a Concealment spell from the Celestial Plane, and
Flio had overlooked its existence entirely. Alas, the tree, and Telbyress's
stockpile, now stood far, far away, where the oni's mountain had once been.
"My liquor..." Telbyress sobbed, her eyes welling over with tears as she
fell to her knees in despair. "My liquor... Oh, where did you go?"
The mountain towered silently before her, as if it had stood there for
decades.