Chapter 3: Hole: Thus, Hero Gold-Hair Fought ~The Golden Warrior~

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Deep in a forest, a group of men and women walked along a rough animal path that split off from the road used by ordinary travelers. One of them, a woman named Aryun Keats, looked over at the handsome blond man leading the group. “Hero Gold-Hair,” she said. “Perhaps I should transform into a carriage and drive us to the hot springs village.”

“What’s the harm in a little walk?” Hero Gold-Hair answered, looking away from the natural beauty before his eyes to speak with Aryun. “The scenery here isn’t half bad! I certainly plan on enjoying it to its fullest!”

“The scenery’s nice, sure...” Wuha Gappoli croaked out as she staggered along all the way at the back of the party, struggling to catch her breath. “But I gotta say, Hero Gold-Hair, I’m pooped...”

Hero Gold-Hair’s party had spent the previous night in an inn near the top of a mountain. Their plan had been to enjoy a scenic walk along the mountain roads on their way to the hot springs village at the mountain’s peak.

“Come now, Wuha!” Hero Gold-Hair insisted. “Don’t be boorish about it!”

“Easy for you to say,” Wuha shot back with a pout. “I used a lot of magic last night turning into an inn for the rest of you to stay at! Would it kill you to treat me nicely for a change?”

True to her words, Wuha Gappoli was a rare species of djinn known as a manor djinn, possessing the power to transform her body into any man-made structure she had touched with her own hands. The inn at which the party had spent the previous night was, in fact, none other than her body. As a result, the magic power left within her body was precariously low, leaving her unsteady on her feet even as she walked along the path.

“Hmm...” Hero Gold-Hair considered. “You have a point, I admit. All right. Keats, transform into some vehicle or other for Wuha to ride in.”

“Yes, sir!” Aryun Keats gave Hero Gold-Hair a sharp salute.

Like Wuha, Aryun was a rare species of djinn—in her case, a carriage djinn with the power to transform into any vehicle she had ever touched. She didn’t have much magic power in the first place, though, and had to exercise a fair amount of restraint when it came to using her abilities.

Aryun Keats transformed into a vehicle and scooped up Wuha Gappoli onboard...but even though Wuha had been so tired of walking, she now seemed upset about the arrangement.

“Hey. Aryun.” Wuha said.

“Yes?” Aryun’s telepathic voice came from inside the vehicle. “What is it?”

“Look,” Wuha said, frowning indignantly. “I’ll admit this technically counts as a vehicle...but why in the wide world of Klyrode would you carry me around in ababy carriage?!”

Indeed, Wuha Gappoli was currently snuggled tight inside Aryun Keats’s baby carriage form.

“I reasoned that this form would be the most efficacious for carrying an exhausted passenger in comfort, Madame Wuha,” Aryun replied, sounding perfectly confused as to what could possibly be wrong. “Is something wrong?”

“You better believe something’s wrong!” Wuha shouted, sitting up in the carriage. “I’ll have you— Grmhff!!!” She was interrupted, however, when something was shoved into her mouth.

“There, that suits you better, little Wuha!” Valentine snickered as she jammed the pacifier in. “Now settle down and enjoy your ride.” In her other hand she had a large fruit she had plucked from a nearby tree, which she nibbled on as the party walked.

Valentine was a native of the Realm of Evil. To maintain her body in the world of Klyrode required a continual expenditure of vast amounts of magical power. That was why she was always eating whenever the opportunity presented itself, as she could absorb the small amounts of magic power found in ordinary food.

“Hee hee!” Tsuya giggled as Wuha was forced back down into the baby carriage. “Be a good little baaaby, okaaay?”

“Bleh!” Wuha spat the pacifier out. “Hang on, why do you have a pacifier in the first place, Valentine?”

“Hm?” Valentine said. “Don’t be silly. It isn’tmine.”

“Then whose is it?” Wuha demanded. “We don’t have any babies in our party!”

“It’s Lady Tsuya’s,” Valentine explained. “She keeps it with her at all times, you know!”

“Fweeeh?!” Tsuya’s eyes shot open wide in shock at Valentine’s words.

“No?” Valentine teased. “You mean to say youhaven’tbeen buying up infant care goods whenever you find them and secretly storing them in your Bottomless Bag, just in case you suddenly wind up pregnant with Hero Gold-Hair’s child?”

“Wh-What?” Hero Gold-Hair said, looking over at Tsuya. “Tsuya, is that true?”

“A-Awawawawah!!!” Tsuya cried, blushing furiously. “N-N-Not in the sliiightest! O-Or so I’d liiike to say, but I diiid end up buying a lot of cute baaaby clothes at that runway exhibiiition event the other day, just in caaase... They were just so cuuute, you know? B-B-But how did yooou know about that, Lady Valentine?”