◇Houghtow City—Flio's House◇
"Mrrh..." Rylnàsze mumbled, rubbing her eyes as she woke. Sybe and
Shebe's children, Sube, Sebe, and Sobe, who had snuggled up to sleep
beside her, roused themselves immediately when they noticed she was
awake, nuzzling against her affectionately.
"Snuffle!"
"Bwor!"
"Sniff!"
"Ah ha ha!" Rylnàsze laughed, hugging the three house pets tight.
"Good morning, everyone!" she said, smiling brightly.
"Goodness," said Elinàsze when she heard her sister's voice. "Rylnàsze,
did you fall asleep in Sybe's hutch again?"
"Oh! Good morning, big sis Elinàsze!" Rylnàsze answered, beaming
back.
"Yes, yes, good morning to you too..." Elinàsze said with a wry smirk.
"Rylnàsze, you know you're not supposed to sleep there!"
Rylnàsze had woken up in the large hutch Flio had set up in one corner
of the living room for Sybe's family. She had her own bed, of course, but it
seemed that more often than not she had been coming into the hutch to
sleep with the magic beasts.
"Hee hee hee!" Rylnàsze giggled as she cheerfully hugged Sube, Sebe,
and Sobe. "I had to use the toilet last night, you see. I guess I ended up
falling asleep in here afterwards..."
"Snuff snuffle!"
"Bworor!"
"Snuffle snuff!"
The three cried out happily, rubbing their fuzzy bodies back against
Rylnàsze.
Elinàsze couldn't help smiling at the sight of the happy beasts. "Oh, I
can never be angry with you," she said. "Not when Sube, Sebe, and Sobe
look so happy from the attention, anyway! Just be sure to wash your face
before breakfast. And you had better do it fast! The family's going on an
outing today, remember?"
"Of course!" Rylnàsze replied, in high spirits. "Right away!"
"Snuffle!"
"Bwor!"
"Snuffle!"
The three cried happily, jumping up on their hind legs at Rylnàsze's
words.
From the very moment of her birth, Flio's youngest daughter Rylnàsze
had been adored by magic beasts everywhere. Sybe and his family loved
her, of course, as did the equine magic beasts Sleip and Byleri had been
raising together on the pasture. With so many companions around, hardly a
moment went by without Rylnàsze enjoying the company of some magic
beast or other.
◇ ◇ ◇
That day, when the family finished their breakfast, they found an
Enchanted Frigate waiting for them in front of the house. Hovering silently
in the air, it was half the size of the enormous ships that ferried passengers
all around the world on regularly scheduled flights.
Inside the helm room of the Enchanted Frigate, Flio was busy looking
over the readings displayed on the various panels set up all around him.
After a while he nodded, satisfied. "It's been a while since we used the
compact model Enchanted Frigate," he said, "but it looks like everything's
good to go."
"Hrm..." Ghozal grunted, looking all around as he walked up behind
Flio. "You know," he said, awe evident in his voice, "every time I get on
one of these things, I can't help thinking how amazing it all is. Back when I
was Dark One, I did some research of my own to see if there was any way
to recreate them, but the project never got anywhere no matter how hard I
tried."
"Meow kidding," Uliminas concurred as she followed Ghozal into the
helm, looking all around just like her husband had been. "Back then we
somehow meownaged to build something that looked like an Enchanted
Frigate, but the meowgic gem circuits never worked at all. No matter what
we did, we just couldn't get the thing to fly..."
"Besides, we never did manage to synthesize a magic gem with enough
juice to power the thing..." Ghozal reminisced.
Boom! Suddenly, they heard a loud sound coming from the direction of
the forest.
"Huh?" Flio said, looking up from the controls. "What was that?" The
sound seemed to be coming from the lake near the estate grounds. Flio
expanded one of the ship's monitors displaying the area surrounding the
Enchanted Frigate, and zoomed in on the lake to see Wyne in her dragonewt
form descending fast, dive-bombing something in the forest.
"Hrm?" Ghozal said. "What in the world is Wyne up to...?"
"It looks like we had an intruder in the lake area..." Flio said. "She must
be trying to chase them off..."
◇Meanwhile—The Lake◇
"Intruder-intruder!" Wyne cried as she flew higher and higher in the air,
draconic wings on her back and body covered in hard scales. Then, with a
"Take that!" she dived, aiming for something in the trees as she descended
rapidly. A second later she impacted the earth with an earsplitting explosion,
leaving a great hole where she struck the ground. The two women she was
targeting—both dressed in gothic lolita-style outfits—barely managed to
step out of the way in time, avoiding the attack by the breadth of a single
hair.
"E-Eeek!" one wailed.
"What was that, what was that, what was thaaat?!" the other sang.
They stood for a second, staring agape at the fresh hole, bodies
trembling with fear, before running off as fast as their legs could carry
them.
"We failed to secure the magic beasts!" the first woman cried. "RRetreat!"
"Retreat, retreat, retreeeat!!!" the other repeated in a singsong as Wyne
came flying out of the hole after them.
"You won't get away-away!" the dragonewt said.
"E-Eeeeek!"
"Somebody save us, save us, saaave us!!!"
The two ran for their lives into the trees with Wyne in pursuit. "You
won't get away-away!" she repeated.
"Young Mistress Wyne!" Just then, Tanya came flying at top speed from
the direction of Flio's house. "I am here to assist you!" Her angel wings
were fully manifested on her back and she was holding a mop in her hands
as she soared near ground level, quickly closing in on the intruders.
"A-Another?!" the first woman said with a gasp. "I can't take much
more of this..."
"Run away, run away, run awaaay!" the other sang.
The pair's expressions darkened still further, but in spite of everything,
they somehow managed to dodge Tanya's mop attack and ran farther into
the forest, hoping to lose their pursuers in the trees.
"You won't get away-away!" Wyne shouted a third time, flying high in
the air in pursuit.
"No intruders will escape on my watch!" added Tanya. Wyne flew up
and up before diving low to the ground, casting a wide net along with Tanya
as they chased after their quarry.
◇ ◇ ◇
Back on board the Enchanted Frigate, Flio, Ghozal, and Uliminas
watched Wyne and Tanya fly through the forest in hot pursuit of the
intruders on the monitor display.
"It looks like Wyne's taken a real liking to that lake," Flio said. "At
least, she's been spending quite a lot of time there. And I guess this time she
happened upon a couple of intruders!"
"Hrm..." Ghozal nodded. "And Tanya's taken up the chase too, I see. I
guess she noticed the disturbance at the lake while she was cleaning the
house and came flying. That's a former disciple of the Celestial Plane for
you, I suppose!" he said, clearly impressed.
As the three watched the angel and dragonewt chase the intruders from
the lake, Rylnàsze came up from behind with a big smile on her face—more
accurately, it was Sybe in his psychobear form who came up behind them,
Rylnàsze riding on his shoulders. "Papa!" Rylnàsze chirped. "Everyone's on
board!"
Garyl was the next to enter the ship's helm, arriving from the ship's
storeroom a deck below with a cheerful smile on his face. "Hi, dad! I
finished my inspection of the storeroom!"
Next came Rys, entering at a quick run, seemingly unencumbered by the
enormous backpack on her back, which was three times the size of her
body. "My lord husband!" she said, sidling up to Flio with a great big smile
on her face. "I've prepared drinks and snacks for our journey and have
gotten together everything we'll need for our lunch!"
"That womeown..." Uliminas said with a smirk. "Why not just let our
hosts take care of handling food for us?"
"Excuse me?" Rys rejoined, proudly puffing out her chest. "It seems
only natural to me that the wife of the master of the house should be
responsible for preparing food for the trip. After all, it's been some time
since we all went on an outing together!"
"Ha ha ha!" Ghozal laughed loudly. "Well, there's no question that your
cooking skills are up to snuff! Hard to believe you're the same woman who
used to eat nothing but raw meat back in the Dark Army!"
"Gh-Ghozal!" Rys sputtered. "I told you to stop bringing up that sort of
ancient history!" Suddenly, her hands transformed into deadly lupine
demon claws. It seemed she wasn't about to let the comment go without a
fight.
Flio winced when he saw what was about to happen. "Well, time to set
out!" he declared, hastily switching a lever on the ship's controls, causing
the Enchanted Frigate to begin its gentle ascent into the sky. "Everyone,
brace for liftoff!"
"Oh, wow!" gushed Rylnàsze, her eyes peeled to the scenery outside the
window. "This is amazing!"
Kora ran up beside her as well, likely curious about the view. "Here,
Kora!" Rylnàsze said, encouraging her to take a look herself.
"Whoa..." Kora gasped, color rising in her cheeks as she looked out at
the land below.
"Hee hee!" Rys laughed, sounding every bit as delighted herself. "You
two certainly seem to be enjoying yourselves!"
"All right!" said Flio, grabbing hold of the ship's wheel. "Next stop,
Dark Mountain Pudding Pudding Park!"
The Enchanted Frigate turned in midair, rising higher and higher as Flio
plotted a course to the north.
◇Dark Mountain Pudding Pudding Park◇
Not far from the dead center of the lands controlled by demons, a stone's
throw away from the Dark Citadel, was a large mountain named for the
Dark One: Dark Mountain. And on its slopes and peaks, utilizing the full
surface area of the mountain itself, stood Dark Mountain Pudding Pudding
Park, an amusement park for demons and their families to enjoy during
their time off.
A woman stood alone on the peak of Dark Mountain, just outside the
environs of the park. Her name was Peguilla. She was a rainy day demon
working as the manager of Pudding Pudding Park, an elegant beauty with a
calm and collected demeanor who never seemed to make any facial
expressions whatsoever, no matter the circumstance.
Another woman came running up to Peguilla, dressed in a light pink
nurse's outfit and carrying an oversized syringe—nearly as large as her
entire body—in her arms. This was Coqueshtti, the little mad scientist girl
serving as one of the Infernal Four. A specialist in medical magic and
technology, her primary responsibility was the treatment of injuries and
maladies that afflicted demonkind. "O-Oh, Miss Peguilla! There you are!"
she said.
"Well, this is a surprise," said Peguilla, bowing deeply in a somewhat
incongruous greeting to Coqueshtti's frantic energy. "If it isn't Lady
Coqueshtti. I trust the day finds you well?"
"Ah, yes!" Coqueshtti squeaked, awkwardly returning Peguilla's bow.
"My pleasure! Thank you for everything!"
The exchange of pleasantries out of the way, the two turned to look at
the installation before them—a grand structure with rounded oblong walls
built in the style of a coliseum.
"So?" Coqueshtti asked. "How's the magic beast racing hall coming
along?"
"Quite well," Peguilla answered with a decisive nod of the head. "I am
proud to say it has been completed precisely to Dark One Dawkson's
specifications."
"Thank you so much for going to all the trouble!" Coqueshtti chimed.
"Dark One Dawkson very much wanted to come thank you personally, but
something came up that he needed to attend to right away so I was sent in
his place! Although I'm hardly a substitute for the Dark One himself..."
"It was no trouble," Peguilla reassured her. "True, we built this racing
hall at the request of the Dark One in order to provide employment to
former mercenaries who lost their jobs due to the peace treaty with the
Magical Kingdom of Klyrode, and to create a place to send war trained
magic beasts who had been abandoned in the wilds. The Dark One also
provided the majority of the capital for the endeavor, and thanks to his
generosity, we were able to employ all the demons we needed. It did not
interfere with the regular operations of Dark Mountain Pudding Pudding
Park in the slightest."
"I'm very glad to hear that!" Coqueshtti said, cheerfully bobbing her
head. "Dark One Dawkson made it one of his highest priorities not to
interfere with your operations, after all!"
Peguilla looked ever so slightly surprised to hear those words. If it was
the previous Dark One, he would have given no consideration to our
operations at all... she thought. He would have demanded we secure the
funds ourselves, whether we had the ability or not!
"U-Um..." Coqueshtti ventured, studying Peguilla's face as the manager
lost herself in thought. "Is something the matter?"
"No, no, not at all!" Peguilla hastened to reply. "I was merely absorbed
in thought. Now then, shall we make our way onto the premises? The trial
race should be underway by now."
"Of course, of course!" said Coqueshtti. "O-Oh, and may I ask...will our
human guests be making an appearance today?"
"Quite right," Peguilla answered as she led the way into the arena. "If
I'm not mistaken, their ship should be arriving shortly."
Coqueshtti followed along behind, a cheery smile on her face.
◇Dark Mountain Pudding Pudding Park—Magic Beast Racing Hall◇
The magic beast racing hall was just as the name implied, a grounds to
hold competitive races among magic beasts, complete with stands for
spectators to sit and enjoy watching the sport. Peguilla and Coqueshtti made
their way into the reserved VIP seating at the highest part of the stadium.
"This stadium was constructed to hold contests between magic beasts
who were abandoned in the wild, with demons who found themselves
without work in the wake of the peace treaty serving as riders," Peguilla
explained as Coqueshtti busied herself looking curiously every which way.
"Dark One Dawkson conceived this project as a way to provide homes and
occupations to those who lost their places after the end of the war...as you
are well aware, of course, Lady Coqueshtti."
"Oh, yes!" Coqueshtti chirped. "I know all about that! But this is my
first time seeing the completed racing hall myself!"
"Look," Peguilla said, pointing towards the track itself. "The trial race is
about to begin."
Coqueshtti turned around to look out the window of the VIP box, a
bright smile on her face.
◇ ◇ ◇
The racing hall itself was divided into several distinct blocks. One
featured a straight track for linear sprints. Another showcased a round track
designed for magic beasts to run along its circumference. And another,
located on the other side of the spectator stands, was a winding course
incorporating the natural cliff face for magic beasts to contend against each
other in difficult terrain full of changes in elevation. As the third track was
difficult for the spectators to watch from the ordinary stands, the racing hall
was also built with an enormous magic window in the dead center of the
building displaying images of ongoing races for the convenience of the
guests.
As everyone waited with bated breath, a fanfare began to play, heralding
the beginning of a race to be held in the first block—the straight racetrack.
Four blue slimes of the same approximate size each took their positions
behind the starting line.
In the first lane: the slime Moluut.
In the second lane: the slime Delas.
In the third lane: the slime Goliath.
In the fourth lane: the slime Wobble.
Coqueshtti watched the slimes assemble from her seat in the VIP area.
Oh, dear... she thought, a bead of sweat forming on her forehead. All of
those slimes are the same color, aren't they? I can't tell them apart at all!
Nonetheless, she forced herself to smile as she watched a group of
especially small goblins step up from the side of the course and each mount
their respective slimes, grabbing hold of the reins that were partially
embedded in their mounts' gooey bodies in order to control the slimes with
their legs.
"Oh!" Coqueshtti exclaimed. "I see! The goblins are all dressed
differently! That will make it much easier to tell them apart!"
"Precisely!" Peguilla said with a nod. "In the preliminary race we held
the other day, the slimes ran on their own, and nobody could tell which
slime was which or who came in what place. The goblins were the measure
we settled on after reflecting on the problems from last time."
Soon, the slimes were in their places behind the starting line. A skeleton
stepped up, raising a flag as he prepared to begin the race. "Ready?" he
began. "And...start!" He lowered the flag, and the slimes took off as one.
"Ah ha ha!" Moluut laughed. "Alas for you, I am no ordinary slime! Mu
mu mu...!" As it repeated its verbal tic, the slime leaped up into the air.
Goblin still firmly on its back, it suddenly transformed, adopting a
humanoid appearance.
"Wh-What in the world is that?" Coqueshtti asked, astonished by the
turn of events.
"That is a slime emperor," Peguilla answered after a quick look over the
documents she had on hand. "A species of slime capable of changing their
body to a humanoid form. They're a rare high-level species known to
possess higher intelligence than most of their kin."
"Ah ha ha! We'll take first place by a landslide, thank you very much!
Mu mu mu..." Moluut said, effortlessly outpacing the other slimes with
their two-legged running.
"I won't! Let you!" said Wobble, extending part of its own body into a
long cylinder and wrapping around Moluut's legs, sending the emperor
slime tumbling face-first to the ground.
"What are you doing?! Mu mu mu..." Moluut cried.
"First place...is Wobble's!" Wobble declared as it passed, sparing a
glance back at the fallen Moluut. "Running ahead! Not allowed!"
"Never! Mu mu mu..." rejoined Moluut, grabbing hold of Wobble's
body with their right hand.
"Stop it! Give up! Let go!" Wobble protested.
"As if! Mu mu mu..." Moluut spat back. The two shouted invectives at
each other as they struggled immobile on the ground.
"This is a race, you know, not a wrestling match!" said Goliath, passing
the two squabbling slimes and moving to the front of the pack. "Very well,
then. I shall take the lead!"
"You're so cooool!" Delas gushed in a feminine voice, keeping right on
Goliath's tail—although she looked somewhat less like a fellow competitor
and more like an infatuated stalker. "I think I liiike you! I'll follow you
aaanywhere!"
"N-Nrgh!" Goliath cried. Oh, dear... he thought. I seem to have attracted
the attention of a most troublesome female... Goliath was something of a
dandy by slime standards, but with Delas breathing heavily down his
nonexistent neck, his ordinarily dignified manner collapsed completely. It
was all he could do to keep running as fast as he could in a mad scramble to
escape his newfound admirer.
The whole thing was over in a matter of seconds. Goliath finished in
first thanks to his desperate efforts to shake off Delas, but the latter
wouldn't stop following him even once the race was over. He ended up
running off without taking his victory lap, all the way outside the racing
hall. In the end, neither Goliath, Delas, nor the two goblins who'd had the
bad fortune of riding them, returned to the track.
"U-Um..." Coqueshtti said, beginning to sweat once again as she
struggled to find something polite to say. "That was...something!" The two
slimes who were left in the racing hall were still squabbling in the middle of
the track.
"These are trial races, after all," said Peguilla, as cool and collected as
always. "Mistakes are bound to happen."
"A-Ah, y-yes, I suppose so..." Coqueshtti said, her smile looking
somewhat strained. "They're just trial races after all! Ah ha ha..."
The others in the racing hall, however, didn't seem quite so optimistic.
Coqueshtti could hear chatter all around.
"Oh come on! What was with that race?"
"That was just ridiculous..."
"I mean, what do you expect from a race between slimes..."
"Don't make excuses! Slimes or no, this is unacceptable!"
Suddenly, Peguilla looked up towards something in the skies above the
racing hall. "Oh?" she said. "It seems our special guests have made an
appearance." And without further ado, she stood and exited the VIP box.
"A-Ah!" Coqueshtti cried, hurrying after her. "I-I'm coming too!"
As they left, a new group of slimes took their places for the next race in
the linear track, much to the chagrin of the audience. Peguilla and
Coqueshtti, however, had moved on to other things.
◇Outside the Magic Beast Racing Hall—Carriage Parking◇
Right next to the magic beast racing hall was a large space set aside for
visitors to stable their steeds and carriages for their visit to Dark Mountain
Pudding Pudding Park or even just the racing hall. The racing hall was
reachable on foot, but the entrance to the park itself was located near the
peak of the mountain. To get there, guests would have to board one of the
park's bone dragon gondolas to be ferried up the high mountain.
In one corner of the carriage parking lot, an Enchanted Frigate came to a
landing. Actually, to be precise, it didn't quite land. The Frigate descended
until it was nearly touching the ground, and a flight of stairs extended from
the body of the ship, connecting it to the land below.
Rylnàsze was the first to disembark, wearing the wide-brimmed hat she
always wore outdoors to protect her eyes from the sun. "Oh, wow!" she
said, looking all around with a great big smile on her face. "This is
amazing!"
Following alongside Rylnàsze was Sybe in his unicorn rabbit form; his
mate, the unicorn rabbit Shebe; and their children, Sube, Sebe, and Sobe
coming along behind.
"That whole family sure loves you, huh, Ryl?" Rislei remarked with a
smile, glancing at the magic beasts as she came along behind them. Hearing
her voice, though, Sybe suddenly did an about-face and leaped straight into
Rislei's arms. "Whoa, Sybe!" she said, beaming as she caught him.
"Snuffle snuffle!" Sybe cried happily, nuzzling his cheeks against
Rislei's. He seemed to be saying, "We also love you, Rislei!"
"Ah ha ha!" Rislei laughed, holding the unicorn rabbit tight. "Thank
you, Sybe. I love you too!"
Next off the ship after Rislei came Flio, just in time for Peguilla to arrive
on the scene.
"Thank you, truly, for taking the time out of your busy schedule to
respond to my request, Mister Flio," Peguilla said.
"There's no need for thanks," Flio said, smiling his usual easygoing
smile. "Your proposal sounds like it will be a big help to us at the Fli-o'-Rys
General Store."
"Well then," Peguilla asked. "Where are the magic beasts you
mentioned?"
"Oh, yes," Flio said, pointing to the lower part of the Enchanted Frigate
they had flown in on, where the exterior door to the ship's storage space had
just been opened. "They're right there in the cargo hold of the Enchanted
Frigate."
"In that case, I shall go inspect the shipment right away," Peguilla said,
starting in the direction of the ship. Before she could take more than a few
steps, however, she was interrupted by a man's voice coming from behind.
"Just a moment if you please, Madame Peguilla..."
Peguilla turned to look over her shoulder and saw a crowd of demons
standing behind her. At the head of the group was a man dressed in a black
tuxedo, beckoning Peguilla over with a wave of his hand.
"I heard that you requested help from a human merchant to obtain magic
beasts to use in the racing hall," the man said. "Is this, perhaps, the
gentleman in question?"
"Yes, that's right," Peguilla confirmed. "This is Mister Flio,
representative of the Fli-o'-Rys General Store. The staff have been a
tremendous help in procuring supplies for the attractions in Dark Mountain
Pudding Pudding Park in the past."
"I see..." the demon man said, nodding along to Peguilla's explanation
before turning his gaze to Flio. "Then you would be the store's manager..."
Flio greeted the man with his typical smile. "A pleasure to make your
acquaintance!" he said. "My name is Flio. I represent the Fli-o'-Rys
General Store in Houghtow City."
"Ah, I see you understand the value of a proper introduction," the man
said, bowing deep with an exaggerated sweep of his arms. "Much obliged.
You may call me Brantacca, representative of the Brantacca Company." His
own smile had an air of cunning to it as he lifted his head to face Flio,
although the mirrored glasses he wore made it impossible to tell where
exactly he was looking.
"So," Brantacca continued, addressing Peguilla with the same cunning
smile. "You mean to say that this Mister Flio is to provide you with magic
beasts? You would truly choose them over the Brantacca Company in spite
of our long record in procuring war-trained magic beasts for the Dark
Army?"
Peguilla sighed. "I have already explained this matter to you, have I
not?" she asked. "We have no intention of ending our relationship with the
Brantacca Company. We will continue to purchase your magic beasts as we
have been. However, if we are to increase the diversity of magic beasts in
our races, we must find new supply routes as well. For that matter, the Flio'-Rys General Store is not our only new supplier. We have been making
wholesale purchases from independent tamers, and—"
Brantacca held up his hand, interrupting Peguilla's explanation. "That's
quite enough. I won't hear another word of such absurdities. With our
record of supplying the Dark Army, the Brantacca Company should be
more than enough to handle this matter on our own. You should have no
need of any other suppliers. It would serve you far better to send this Mister
Flio back to the Fli-o'-Rys General Store where he came from," he
concluded, giving another one of his exaggerated bows.
"It's just as Master Brantacca says!" one of the demons who had been
accompanying Brantacca added, stepping up from behind. He was an
imposing man with the musculature of a bodybuilder. "The Brantacca
Company will supply all the magic beasts you could ever want! No need to
worry!" He flashed a broad grin as he performed a side chest pose.
"Behold!" said another, a blue-skinned woman with a large horn on her
head and a voluptuous figure. She blew a kiss and winked as she stepped up
beside the man. "Do you see this splendid magic beast? We are ready at a
moment's notice to provide as many of these as you might want! What need
do you have of other supply routes?"
Behind the woman stood a four-legged magic beast, rippling with strong
pectoral muscles underneath its thick fur. It looked to be a savage
monstrosity indeed. The demon woman was quite tall, but the magic beast
was at least five times her size.
"I am certain a beast like this would make quite a stir at the races," the
woman said, smiling as she stroked the magic beast's head. "And we have
many more like it just waiting for a chance to shine..."
Suddenly, however, the woman was shocked out of her monologue by a
little girl's voice. "Oh, no! Miss, this poor magic beast!"
"Huh?" The woman looked down to see Rylnàsze at the magic beast's
feet. She was sitting on the ground near the beast's front right leg, staring at
it intently. "A-A little girl? What do you mean by that?" Poor magic beast?
she thought. Wh-What on earth does this girl mean, saying something like
that out of the blue...? Internally she clicked her tongue in annoyance, but
she forced a smile on her face as she addressed the child.
Rylnàsze reached out to touch the magic beast's leg. "I mean, this magic
beast is hurt, right here!" she said, looking up at the woman with tears
welling up in her eyes. It was almost as if she felt the magic beast's pain
were an injury on her own body. "It's in terrible pain just from coming all
this way!"
"What's that?" the woman asked, peering skeptically at the beast's limb.
"An injury on its front leg? But I don't see any wounds..."
"It's not the skin that's hurt!" Rylnàsze tearfully replied. "It's the bone!"
"Is this the spot, Rylnàsze?" Flio asked, stepping up to the magic beast
himself.
"Yes, papa, right there," she said. "Just look at its face...it's all twisted
up in pain!"
"Twisted up in pain, huh?" the demon woman repeated, failing to
suppress a chuckle. She covered her mouth with her right hand in a dainty
gesture until she got the laughter under control. "These beasts only ever
make the one expression, you know. If you're going to spout nonsense, you
should really just keep it to yourself."
Flio, meanwhile, ignored the woman and held out his hand to the magic
beast's leg, speaking a short incantation. A gently rotating magic circle
appeared just above the creature's paw, glowing with golden light. "I see..."
He nodded. "The ligament here seems to be hurt rather badly. I can only
imagine this was causing quite a lot of pain." He cast another spell, and the
golden magic circle turned blue. "All right," he said, turning to Rylnàsze
with a smile. "It should be all better now."
The magic beast gave Flio a great big lick in thanks and affectionately
nuzzled its head against Rylnàsze, licking her face as well.
"Aha ha!" Rylnàsze giggled. "It doesn't hurt anymore? I'm so glad!"
The beast licked her again, this time full on the face. Rylnàsze's face
was quickly becoming wet with magic beast saliva, but that didn't seem to
bother her in the slightest. She kept on beaming, hugging the magic beast's
head in her arms.
The demon woman's eyes went wide in shock as she watched the magic
beast cavort with Flio and Rylnàsze. H-Hang on a minute! she thought. WhWhat's this?! For these creatures, licking a person's face is a sign of deep
affection! It's certainly never done that to me. Don't tell me it actually was
hurt, and this Flio man healed its injury?
"A-Ahem!" Brantacca stepped in front of Peguilla, doing another one of
his exaggerated grandiose bows. "Well, it seems there has been a slight
mistake on our part," he said, "But do not forget that it was the Brantacca
Company who provided war-trained magic beasts for the Dark Army! We
have many magic beasts far more splendid than this one..." His smile had
only grown more conceited, perhaps in an effort to distract from the
embarrassment.
"Quite a fishy line, if mew ask me!" came a woman's voice from behind
where Peguilla was standing.
"Hrm," a man grunted in agreement.
"Oh?" Brantacca said. "And who might you be? I can't imagine what
you might be insinuating..." He lifted his head to see who had interrupted
him.
Standing there were none other than Uliminas and Ghozal.
"Mew keep saying 'Dark Army this,' 'Dark Army that'..." Uliminas
began. "Care to tell us purrcisely which Dark Meown mew supplied
meowgic beasts for again?"
"Why, in our long years of operation we have been a favorite supplier
for many Dark Ones throughout history! From Lord Gholl, renowned as the
mightiest of all Dark Ones, to—"
"Oh?" Ghozal said, cocking his head. "Me, huh?"
"Excuse me?" Brantacca said. "What did you just say? You are a mere
ordinary human, are you not? I am speaking of Dark One Gholl, the..."
"So, me?" Ghozal interrupted again, transforming back into his demonic
form. His body grew and grew to enormous size, his skin turning blue and
horns erupting from his forehead. There was no demon alive who wouldn't
recognize him in that form as Gholl, the former Dark One.
"Ngah?!" Brantacca exclaimed, his jaw hanging open in sheer
astonishment. The smile from his face had vanished; in fact, he seemed to
have gone completely stiff.
"Hey Uliminas," Ghazal said. "Did we buy any magic beasts from this
Brantacca Company back when I was Dark One? I can't say I remember
that."
"Meowr, me either," Uliminas confirmed, transforming from her
humanoid form back to her original hellcat body as she spoke. "The Dark
Army certainly never did any business with the likes of them. But I do seem
to remeowmber that name coming up in meowr intelligence reports.
Something about certain shameless companies selling meowgic beasts with
low abilities to noble demons fur inflated purrices..."
Brantacca just stood there, mouth agape, unable to believe his eyes. ThThat's the retired Dark One Lord Gholl! he thought. A-And his confederate,
the hellcat Lady Uliminas! Wh-What are such important people doing in a
place like this with a representative of some human company?! His mind
cast about desperately for a way out of his predicament. Come on, think! he
told himself. Think, think, think... All right...how about this?
Brantacca used his hand to force his jaw back into place, and once more
affected his haughty smile. "Ah, excuse me," he said, wringing his hands
and bowing his head over and over again. "My deepest apologies. It seems I
have committed a slight error of memory. We did indeed do business with
the Dark One, but I suppose it must have been during the time of Dark One
Yuigarde. Please, forgive my terrible rudeness!"
"Hmph," Uliminas said, giving the man a withering sidelong glance. "So
that obvious lie of meowrs was just some purrfectly innocent confusion,
huh? Know when to quit."
"A lie? Perish the thought!" Brantacca insisted, doing his best to
maintain his calm disposition and keep the smile on his face. "I can assure
you, deceit was most certainly not my intention in the slightest!" Endure
it... he told himself as he wrung his hands over and over again, smiling as
affably as he could. I must endure this, no matter what! If I do not, the
Brantacca Company is as good as done!
"Hrm..." said Ghozal, stepping up close and glaring down at Brantacca,
his eyes burning with anger. "If you know so much about my time as Dark
One, I suppose you'd have heard that I despise lies and trickery, hrm?"
N-N-No wonder they call him the strongest Dark One in history...
Brantacca thought, his body trembling beneath the immense pressure of
Ghozal's gaze, his congenial smile frozen stiff on his face as his shaking
teeth chattered loudly. The man and woman who had stepped up beside him
were trembling fiercely too, frozen where they were standing. J-J-Just one
look from him and I can't move my body at all!
"Now, now, Mister Ghozal," Flio said, his smile as calm and easygoing
as ever. The violent atmosphere that had come over the scene vanished in an
instant. "Everything's all right."
"Hrm?" Ghozal said. "Are you sure, Mister Flio?"
"I am," Flio said. "Just speaking personally, I prefer to conduct my
business without giving anyone cause for resentment."
"Oh, really?" said Ghozal. "Well then, if you'll just close your eyes for a
moment, I can make it so there's no one around to feel resentment in the
first place!" It was impossible to tell from his face whether he was joking or
serious. Nonetheless, Ghozal and Uliminas both turned back to their human
forms.
When he finally realized that nobody was about to kill him, Brantacca
breathed a sigh of relief. "W-Well, how about this...?" he suggested,
swallowing nervously and pointing a finger in Flio's direction. "The magic
beast racing hall is busy holding trial races as we speak. I challenge you to a
match between the Brantacca Company and the Fli-o'-Rys General Store—
our magic beasts against yours! Would that suit your sensibilities?"
"Oh! That sounds like an excellent plan!" Peguilla said, nodding eagerly.
"The racing hall is ready to go, but we still don't have enough magic beasts
to participate in the races. Right now all we can offer are slimes and other
small magic beasts. A race featuring such an enormous creature would be
excellent publicity!"
Fwah ha ha! Brantacca laughed to himself, over the moon with glee to
hear Peguilla so eager to take him up on the offer. If I can show my
superiority on the racing track, then everyone who wants to participate in
the races will beg to purchase magic beasts from the Brantacca Company!
Although I must say, I never expected that my opponent would be
acquainted with the retired Dark One Gholl...
"So!" Brantacca said, raising his voice loudly enough for everyone in
the area to hear. "What say you? Care to settle this with a one-on-one race
between the respective heads of our companies?"
That did the trick. At the sound of Brantacca's voice, the demons who
had been milling around the carriage packing lot all came to see what was
happening. Naturally enough considering they were demons themselves, the
crowd seemed to be on Brantacca's side.
"Did you hear that? There's gonna be a race between the Brantacca
Company and those human merchants!"
"Sounds like a blast!"
"All right! Go, Brantacca! You aren't about to lose to some human, are
ya?"
"I'll have to buy a magic beast or two myself once Brantacca wins this
thing!"
As the cheers from the crowd grew louder and louder, Brantacca's smile
started looking downright smug. Fwah ha ha ha ha! he thought. My ploy
worked perfectly! Now there's nothing the retired Dark One or his
confederate Lady Uliminas can do to interfere! With this Flio guy or
whatever he was called representing my opposition, winning this race
should be child's play! And then there will be nothing stopping us from
proceeding as we had originally planned...
"Sounds good to me." Flio nodded, still smiling as calmly as ever. "It
seems like everyone's excited by the idea too. I gladly accept!"
Perfect! Brantacca thought, grinning triumphantly as Flio gave his
consent. Just as planned!
As Garyl watched the proceedings from back by the Enchanted Frigate,
a cloud of mist materialized behind him. "H-Hey!" he said, hastily waving
the mist away with his hand before Ben'ne could emerge. "Not now, Miss
B! We're in the middle of something!" Soon, the mist vanished without a
trace.
What in the world is that boy doing? Brantacca wondered, peering
dubiously at Garyl's strange behavior. His thoughts were interrupted,
however, when Rys stepped out in front of him wearing an enormous
backpack on her back.
"Excuse me!" she ventured, raising her hand. "I have a question about
the rules for the race, if that's all right."
"Yes, what is it?" Brantacca asked.
"Does the magic beast my lord husband uses for the race have to be one
we have for sale? Say, for example, he had a particular magic beast he
always brought along whenever he went out hunting. Might he use that
one?"
"I see..." Brantacca mused, looking as smug as ever. "I certainly don't
see the problem with it. I imagine seeing the shop owner's favorite hunting
beast would be a good way to judge the quality of the magic beasts they
have on offer."
Rys smiled happily at Brantacca's answer and turned to face Flio. "Did
you hear that, my lord husband?" she said. "He said yes!"
A strained smile crossed Flio's face as he realized what Rys had in mind.
U-Um... he thought, looking over at his wife's beaming face. Could she
mean...?
Brantacca, however, gave no thought to the silent exchange of glances
between Flio and Rys. "Well then," he said, "I believe I will be seeing you
momentarily." He turned on his heels and went back the way he came,
accompanied by the demon man and woman. When they were out of
earshot, he turned to his subordinates and added in a whisper, "I believe you
know what to do."
"Yes, sir," the pair responded, nodding ever so slightly.
Satisfied, Brantacca nodded as well.
◇The Magic Beast Racing Hall—Half an Hour Later◇
The race between the respective heads of the Fli-o'-Rys General Store
and the Brantacca Company was to be held on the racetrack located in the
back of the spectator stands—one incorporating the natural cliffs of Dark
Mountain to create a course full of difficult changes in elevation. The large
display screens in front of the stands set up to provide live coverage of
races were currently projecting an image of Peguilla's head and upper body.
The actual Peguilla was standing in front of a screen, a magic camera
recording her image and broadcasting it for all to see. Right now, she was in
the middle of explaining the rules of the race.
"This race will be held around the outside perimeter of the racing hall,"
Peguilla said. "Contestants will be permitted to change magic beasts over
the course of the event."
That sent a stir through the crowd.
"Whoa! That sounds wild!"
"Talk about a heart-pounding race!"
"Yeah! I'm getting worked up already!"
While the spectators in the stands chattered and cheered, up in his seat in
the VIP box, Ghozal was busy devouring a boxed lunch. "Hrm!" he grunted
in appreciation. "This magic beast stir-fry ain't half bad!"
The backpack Rys had been wearing was stuffed full of boxed lunches,
one of which Ghozal was now happily shoveling into his mouth.
"Ghozal, meowt are you doing?!" Uliminas demanded, puffing out her
cheeks in anger as she confronted Ghozal. "We were gonna eat lunch
together as a group!"
"Hey, come on now!" said Ghozal. "There's an old human saying: you
can't fight on an empty stomach!"
"Meow're a demeown!" Uliminas shot back. "Mew don't get to dodge
the issue by throwing out some human platitude!"
"Seriously, though, this stir-fry is amazing!" Ghozal said. "Cut me some
slack!"
Rislei watched in wry amusement from her seat next to Garyl and
Rylnàsze as the husband and wife carried on their argument. "What about
you, Gare?" Rislei asked, turning to Garyl. "You gonna eat your lunch early
too?"
"Eating my lunch early, huh?" Garyl replied. "I know I used to do that
all the time, but we have Rylnàsze with us today. As her older brother, I
have to set a good example!"
"Oh? I see..." Rislei seemed surprised at Garyl's words. Back in the day,
Gare and Ghozal used to always turn lunch into a race to see who could
finish theirs faster... she thought. He sure has grown up fast. Well, I suppose
he does tend to take after the demonic side of his family...
Rylnàsze, meanwhile, pressed herself right up against the window, a
bright smile on her face. "Oh, wow!" she marveled. "Can you believe we'll
get to watch a race between magic beasts from a spot like this? I can't
wait!" On either side of her, Sybe and his family were pressed up against
the glass as well in imitation of her.
"Can you believe how adorable Rylnàsze and Sybe's family are like
that?" Garyl asked, his gallant features twisted in a positively dopey smile.
"It's just unbelievably heartwarming..."
"Yeah," Rislei agreed, a vacant smile on her own face as well. "She sure
is a cutie..."
Finally, the image on the central screen changed, showing a cave located
outside the magic beast racing hall that was being used as the starting line
for the race.
Peguilla's voice filled the racing hall, commentating the race—a benefit
of the magic speakers located throughout the building. "As the events on
exhibition today are trial races, the species or identity of the magic beasts
participating in the races are not known ahead of time," she said. "But
when we begin holding regular races, we plan to display profiles for the
magic beast and rider participants for the benefit of you, the audience."
As she spoke, a large number appeared in the top half of the screen,
starting the countdown to the start of the race.
In the cave, behind the starting line, Brantacca gloated to himself from
atop his magic beast, his smile as smug as ever. "Fwah ha ha!" he laughed.
"We should have no problem defeating them in a race. After all, I came
prepared with a magic beast of exceptional abilities to demonstrate the
excellence of the merchandise the Brantacca Company has on offer."
The beast he was riding was known as a mountain gore-illa—an
enormous creature that stood nearly ten meters tall on its two legs, with
arms powerful enough to splinter a hard wood pole with a single strike. It
was also capable of moving with alarming speed in spite of its enormous
body, easily keeping pace with the famously swift demon horse. According
to the records kept by the Klyrode Military, gore-illas were among the
fiercest fighters of all the magic beasts used by the Dark Army during the
war. Knights everywhere feared to face one in battle.
The mountain gore-illa was wearing a saddle on its back attached by a
harness, and had a bit in its mouth for Brantacca to steer from behind as he
rode. "Although I must say, the cost of maintaining a magic beast like this
one is nothing to sneeze at," he mused as he waited for the race to start.
"The bigger they come, the more they eat, I suppose! Still, I can't think of a
better choice to showcase the magic beasts our company can provide our
customers. When I heard they were building a racing hall at Dark Mountain
Pudding Pudding Park, I spent a fortune buying up all the mountain goreillas I could. Now, no one but we should be able to field such a creature.
And what magic beast could defeat a mountain gore-illa? Struggle all they
might, this match was over before it even began!"
Still... he thought to himself. I sent my employees to lie in wait in the
cameras' blind spots throughout the course. I will not allow for any
possibility of defeat!
Brantacca peered at the numbers floating in the air above the mouth of
the cave, counting down in time with the screen inside the racing hall.
Three...
Two...
One...
Go!
"The race is on!" Brantacca said, pulling the reins and cracking his whip
on the mountain gore-illa's back. "Go!"
"Wrorh!" The gore-illa gave a hearty cry and took off running, while
Flio emerged from the cave entrance beside them on his own mount.
Now, then... Brantacca thought, looking over to see what sort of magic
beast his competition had chosen. Let us see what variety of magic beast
our manager of the Fli-o'-Rys General Store has...cho...sen? Suddenly his
expression went stiff. Huh?
Before his eyes was the spectacular sight of Flio riding atop an
enormous wolf with deadly fangs and beautiful silver fur. It wasn't quite as
big as the mountain gore-illa, but it, too, moved with astonishing speed for
its size. In fact, although the race had only just begun, it had already left the
mountain gore-illa far behind.
"What?" Brantacca blinked, unable to comprehend what he was seeing
as the wolf vanished into the distance. "I-It can't be! Are my eyes playing
tricks on me, or is that a...l-lupine demon?!"
Farther ahead on the track, the silver wolf turned to speak to Flio as the
pair rode along, a deliriously happy smile on its face. "My lord husband,
this feels wonderful!"
"It sure does!" Flio agreed. "I always enjoy going for runs with you,
Rys!"
Yes—the wolf Flio was riding was none other than Rys in her magic
beast form. She sped along the bare rock that made up the curving
racetrack, her husband on her back. Running for all she was worth, she
refused to slow down in the slightest, instead going faster and faster over
the twists and turns.
"This is just like how we used to run through the forests back in the day,
when you were stopping all those demon attacks as the Wolf of Justice!"
Rys said, cheerfully wagging her tail as she ran.
"Now that you mention it, we haven't gone into the forest in a while,
have we?" Flio said, lovingly petting his wife on her furry neck.
"You know, my lord husband..." Rys ventured, looking back up at Flio.
"I understand perfectly well how busy you are with all your responsibilities
at the Fli-o'-Rys General Store, but it would make me very happy if we
could go on our hunting dates again once in a while..."
"Of course!" Flio answered, smiling kindly down at her. "I would love
to! I'll just have to find the time..."
Suddenly, Rys's eyes went heart-shaped, her tail wagging furiously. "It's
a promise!" she said. "In that case, I'll finish this farce of a race in the blink
of an eye!" Letting out a joyful howl, she sped up even further—so fast that
the magic cameras set throughout the course had trouble keeping up.
Meanwhile, in one corner of the track, the demon man and woman
Brantacca had brought with him lay in wait atop a cliff, hidden in the blind
spot of a camera, and ready to drop a large boulder on the course to impede
Flio's progress. However...
"Wh-What was that?" the woman asked. "Did something come running
past us just now?"
"Erm..." the man frowned, peering down at the track below. "I'm not
sure. I think I might have felt something pass by, but I didn't see
anything..."
The two missed Flio racing past entirely, leaving him and Rys to proceed
unmolested to the last section of the course. After all, at the speeds Rys was
moving, it was beyond their ability to perceive her with their naked eyes.
"Huh?" the man said. "Is that them?"
"Yes..." the woman concurred. "I suppose it must be..."
The two espied a magic beast making its way towards them along the
course.
"It's hard to make it out from on top of this cliff..." the man grumbled.
"We can do it!" said the woman. "We just need to time this correctly.
Ready...?"
They watched as the magic beast drew closer and closer, taking careful
note of its speed. The woman gave a signal to the magic beast
accompanying them. The beast was one she had tamed herself, and it
followed her orders obediently, preparing itself to push the boulder off the
cliff on her command.
"Now!" the man said.
"Go!" said the woman, making a signal with her right hand. "Push!"
The magic beast did as it was told and began to push. But then,
suddenly, it stopped in its tracks.
"Huh?!" the man and woman exclaimed at once, dumbfounded looks on
their faces as they watched the magic beast beneath them stay still.
"Hey!" the woman cried. "What do you think you're doing?!" She
stepped up to the magic beast, eyes wide in disbelief that a beast she had
tamed herself would disobey her commands. The magic beast, however,
seemed to suddenly be in a bad mood. It was looking off to the side,
refusing to budge an inch.
As the woman approached closer still, the magic beast rubbed the spot
on its right leg where its injury had been.
"H-Hey!" the man cried, interrupting.
"Wh-What is it?" the woman asked.
"Look! There!"
"Huh?" The woman looked where the man was pointing, where the
course opened up to a wide rocky area and finally got a clear view of the
magic beast that had passed them.
"Th-That's Mister Brantacca, isn't it?" the man said.
"You're right..." the woman agreed. "That's one of our mountain goreillas, without a doubt..."
"So..." the man started. "If we had dropped that boulder just then..."
The two stared, mouths agape, as it dawned on them that they had nearly
dropped a boulder on the wrong person entirely.
Flio, needless to say, had long since finished the race in first place.
◇ ◇ ◇
Even after the race between the Fli-o'-Rys General Store and Brantacca
Company had long since finished, the spectators in the stands were still
chattering excitedly about what they had seen.
"I tell you, that magic beast was something else!"
"No kidding. Its speed was out of this world!"
"You don't suppose that was an actual lupine demon, do you?"
"Lupine demon? Doesn't the Wolf of Justice have one of those as a
companion?"
"Now that you mention it, I've heard the Wolf of Justice is partnered
with the Fli-o'-Rys General Store..."
"So then...that magic beast could have been a lupine demon after all!"
On the racing floor proper, preparations were underway for yet another
four-way slime race on the straight course. The slimes who were meant to
serve as contestants seemed to have no focus to spare for the task at hand as
they dawdled at the starting line, chatting among themselves.
"Bloop... Is it just me, or is nobody actually watching us...?"
"Kinda makes it hard to get in the spirit..."
"I'd rather be having a lover's tryst aaanyway!"
"S-Stop it! Must you cling to me even in the middle of a race?!"
In the VIP box, meanwhile, Flio's party, Peguilla, and Coqueshtti were
no less distracted. "Ghozal!" Rys exclaimed, her hands on her hips and her
voice full of indignation. "Eating your own portion ahead of time is one
thing, but eating my lord husband's as well?! What in the world were you
thinking?!"
"Sorry, sorry!" Ghozal laughed as he lowered his head in a casual
apology. "That race earlier was so incredible—and the food you made was
so good—that before I knew it, I'd eaten more than my share! Hope you'll
forgive me."
"It's all right, Rys," Flio reassured her, wincing as he did his best to
calm his raging wife. "I can eat after we get home."
Rys's anger, however, showed no sign of subsiding anytime soon. Her
manifested wolf tail was sticking straight up with fury as she continued to
glare daggers in Ghozal's direction. "No, my lord husband!" she growled.
"If we don't address this behavior immediately when it happens, it will only
become a habit!"
Oh no... Flio frowned, powerless to do anything but watch. What am I
supposed to do here?
"Excuse me, Mister Flio?" Peguilla said, pulling his attention away from
Ghozal and Rys. "Are these terms really acceptable to you?"
"Oh!" said Flio. "Yes, there's no problem."
"But..." Peguilla protested, a troubled expression on her face as she
looked over the document Flio had given her outlining the terms of his
victory. "Having won the race, you would be well within your rights to
stipulate that every magic beast we purchase has to come from the Fli-o'-
Rys General Store. I don't see how these terms serve to benefit you at all!"
Flio had set no more than three terms for his victory:
The decision of whether or not to purchase a magic beast will be left to
the discretion of the individual race participants.
The Fli-o'-Rys General Store will be granted the right to operate a ranch
for magic beasts on the property of the racing hall.
The Fli-o'-Rys General Store will receive permission to construct a
landing tower for regularly scheduled Enchanted Frigate flights.
Brantacca was putting pressure on us to agree to limit ourselves to only
using magic beasts purchased from the Brantacca Company if he won the
race... Peguilla thought, bewildered, as Flio kept on smiling his usual
easygoing smile. But even back when Mister Flio helped us rebuild Dark
Mountain Pudding Pudding Park, he was still so generous... Despite all
that he's done for us, he's hardly asked for any concessions in exchange for
his assistance. Maybe I shouldn't be so surprised...
"Understood," she said. "In that case, the owners of the magic beasts
shall decide which they will use in the races as they see fit. However, we
can't simply permit any and all magic beasts to take part in events. I
propose we establish a system where magic beasts must first be approved
by the operational committee beforehand."
"That seems like a sensible thought," Flio said, nodding in agreement.
"Otherwise we might end up with a lot of magic beasts we wouldn't have
the resources to keep and would have to let them go."
"Additionally, Mister Flio..." Peguilla added, looking over another one
of the papers she was carrying. "This is unrelated to the current matter, but
there's something else I'd like to discuss with you, if that's all right."
"Of course!" Flio said, smiling his usual easygoing smile as he nodded
his assent. "Feel free to ask me about anything at all. I'll be happy to do
what I can to help!"
"Actually," Peguilla began, looking between the papers and Flio as she
spoke, "we've been thinking of adding a number of facilities to our new
racing hall. A dining area, for example...and a gift shop..."
"I see..." Flio said, giving the matter a bit of thought. "I might have an
idea about how to handle this. Would you give me just a little while to get
things ready?"
"Of course," Peguilla said, bowing as she held out her hand. "In that
case, I will be eagerly awaiting your response."
Flio took Peguilla's hand in his and shook it, smiling his usual easygoing
smile.
◇ ◇ ◇
Some time later, Flio handed the magic beasts he had brought with him
over to Peguilla, then boarded the Enchanted Frigate, leaving the racing hall
behind him.
"Those magic beast races were a blast!" Garyl said, a giddy smile on his
face as he gazed out the window, watching Dark Mountain fade farther and
farther into the distance. "I mean, the slime races were one thing, but
watching those huge magic beasts thunder across the track was a lot of
fun!"
"It was incredible!" Rylnàsze agreed, hopping up and down in
excitement. "The magic beasts all seemed like they were having
tremendous fun as well!"
Right next to her, Sybe's family were hopping for joy as well, crying out
happily.
"Bwowf!"
"Snuffle!"
"Bwowf!"
"Snuffle!"
Rislei glanced over at Rylnàsze and the celebrating magic beasts,
smiling fondly. "You certainly seemed to have a blast in the one race with
Sybe, running for all you were worth..." she said with a wistful sigh, turning
back to look out the window at Dark Mountain. "I'd like to try participating
in a race myself sometime!"
Behind them at the helm, Rys stepped up to approach Flio as he operated
the ship's steering wheel.
"I must say, my lord husband... Are you truly satisfied with those terms
you settled for? Setting aside everything about who is allowed to sell magic
beasts to the racetrack, surely you could have at least asked for the Fli-o'-
Rys General Store to have exclusive rights to sell merchandise on the
premises! You didn't even set a penalty for the Brantacca Company, after
their manager said those horrible things and ran away when he lost in a race
against you!" She puffed out her cheeks in an indignant pout as she spoke,
clearly unhappy with how the negotiations had gone.
"That's true," Flio conceded, frowning. "Ordinarily, you'd be absolutely
correct, Rys."
"I am absolutely correct!" Rys huffed, rolling up her sleeves as she
hurried over to the ship's exit. "And now that that's settled, let's turn back
at once! First, we should go apprehend that Mister Brantacca and..."
"Hold meowr horses!" Uliminas said, grabbing the ribbon tied around
the neck of Rys's dress as she passed, pulling it loose and causing her dress
to come undone around her upper body.
"H-Hey!" Rys exclaimed, her face turning bright red as she barely
managed to keep her dress from falling down entirely. "Uliminas?! What do
you think you're doing?!"
"Just settle down, okay?" Uliminas said. "This isn't the time fur that. If
mew go tearing off on meowr meown, all of the careful planning and
negotiation Mister Flio's been doing on behalf of demeownkind will be fur
naught!"
"On behalf of demonkind...?" Rys asked.
"Hrm. That's right." Ghozal nodded, his arms folded imperiously. "The
magic beast racing hall is something Dawkson had built to provide aid to
magic beasts and demon mercenaries who've found themselves without
work. In other words, you can expect most of the demons there to have
some degree of reservations about the idea of working with humans. And
how do you think those demons would take it if the Fli-o'-Rys General
Store—a company with a human for a general manager—claimed exclusive
rights to sell merchandise or magic beasts?"
"I-I..." Rys said, frowning with thought as she fixed her dress.
"Purrhaps we could resolve things easily enough by emphasizing the
Fli-o'-Rys General Store's partnership with the Wolf of Justice," Uliminas
said. "He's enormeowsly popular with demeowns, after all. But mew know,
there are plenty of demeowns living on the fringes who couldn't tell mew
the name of the current Dark Meown. They purrobably haven't even heard
of the Wolf of Justice..."
"Hrm," Ghozal grunted. "And that's why we need to make it obvious
that the magic beast racing hall isn't run by just humans or just demons, but
by humans and demons working together. I'm sure that's what Mister Flio
was thinking...am I right?" he asked, looking over in Flio's direction.
Flio nodded, smiling. "I can't tell you whether it'll work out or not, but I
thought things would be better this way. Next time we're in the area, I'll try
sounding out the Brantacca Company staff and see if there's some way we
can mend our relationship. After all, now that we finally have a peace treaty
between humans and demons in place, I'd like to do everything I can to
avoid starting unnecessary conflict."
"Hrm," Ghozal nodded, smiling himself. "Let me know if there's
anything I can do to help. As your friend, I promise to assist you with the
whole of my power."
"Thank you very much," Flio said with another nod. Behind him,
however, Rys was once again making a distinctly unhappy expression.
"Um... I-Is something wrong, Rys?"
"No..." Rys mumbled, pouting. "It's just...Ghozal and Uliminas both
understood my lord husband's intentions, but I, your wife, had no idea
whatsoever..."
Just then, a cloud of mist appeared behind Garyl, and Ben'ne emerged
from within. "There is no need to reprobate yourself so, mother of my
master," she said. "You at least had the understanding to accept that man's
offer to settle the affair in a race. In my case, I was poised to take his head
straightaway with a single strike of my naginata!"
"I had a feeling that was why you tried to come out!" Garyl said with a
smirk. "I knew I was right to stop you."
"Hrm," Ghozal grunted. "I never thought I'd meet someone who was
quicker than Rys to resort to violence. Incredible..."
Ben'ne, however, bowed deeply. "Your words do me honor," she said. "I
am hardly worthy to receive such praise from the retired Dark One
himself!" It seemed she had somewhat misinterpreted Ghozal's words.
Ghozal sighed in exasperation. "That wasn't praise, I assure you."
Soon, the whole party was engaged in friendly conversation. Flio looked
over the scene from his position behind the ship's wheel and gave a
satisfied nod as he flew the Enchanted Frigate higher and higher, charging a
course back to Houghtow City.