Bölüm

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“Well if it isn’t Lord Flio! Good morning!” Blossom greeted the pair with a cheerful wave when they arrived on the farm. Blossom had once been the heavy fighter of a party of knights from Klyrode Castle, led by her best friend Balirossa. They had quit the knighthood together and now lived at Flio’s house. Blossom came from a farming family and was very good at the trade, and was now putting those talents to use managing the large farm just outside Flio’s house.

“Good morning, Blossom,” said Flio. “Thank you for working the farm so early in the morning.”

“Don’t be ridiculous!” said Blossom. “I’m the one who should be thankingyou!It’s crazy satisfying being in charge of this farm!” She looked out over her handiwork with a grin on her deeply tanned face from atop the small hill.

Flio followed Blossom’s gaze. “It really is an amazing farm,” he said, impressed. “Has it gotten bigger again?”

“Oh? You could tell? We have a few more heads now, after all, so we started planting some new fields and orchards.” Blossom’s grin grew wider. Looking closely, Flio could see goblins and skeletons alike hard at work in the fields. A number of them noticed Flio and came up to greet him.

“Oho!” said the skeleton Calsi’im. “If it isn’t Lord Flio!” Calsi’im had served as Dark Regent until his demise. Flio had brought him back to life, leading Calsi’im to settle in with the rest of the household.

“You’re up bright and early, Calsi’im,” Flio observed with a smile. Calsi’im was carrying a basket on his back and had a headband tied around his bony skull. It looked like he was helping out at Blossom’s farm. “But you aren’t required to help with the farmwork, you know...”

“Perish the thought!” Calsi’im said, his jawbone rattling as he laughed. “You took us in when we had nowhere else to go! I could hardly forgive myself if I didn’t pitch in at least this much!”

Calsi’im had been thrust into the role of Dark Regent when the Dark One Yuigarde abandoned his post. Once Yuigarde had returned as Dawkson, Calsi’im had abdicated the throne and left the Dark Army in order to avoid any confusion as to who was in charge. The skeleton veterans who had been with Calsi’im through thick and thin quit the Dark Army with him and also came to live at Flio’s house. Now his former subordinates were working cheerfully on Blossom’s farm. Calsi’im surveyed the scene and nodded, satisfied.

“Do your skeletons have everything they need?” Flio asked. “I kind of threw their lodgings together at the last minute.”

“Everything and more!” Calsi’im said, his jawbone rattling again with laughter. “You built everyone private rooms with attached kitchens, toilets,andbaths! We couldn’t have asked for finer lodgings.”

A feminine figure stepped up beside Calsi’im. “Why, if it isn’t Lord Flio and Lady Rys!” the girl—Tia—said. She lifted up her skirt in an elegant curtsy. “I trust the morning finds you well?”

Tia was a magic doll created by one of the Dark Army’s mages. She had been discarded until Calsi’im discovered her and restored her to working order. Ever since, she had stayed close by his side. She was a small-bodied girl wearing an elegant gothic lolita style dress, but she had thick gloves on her hands and a basket on her back. It seemed that she too was here working on the farm, but she stuck out like a sore thumb.

Belano and Minilio followed along behind Tia. Belano was a witch in service to Balirossa’s knightly company from Klyrode Castle. She was a tiny, shy woman who specialized in defensive magic. After quitting the knighthood to live at Flio’s house, she’d eventually come to work at the Houghtow College of Magic. Minilio was a magic doll Flio had made as an experiment. He looked like a child-sized version of Flio, hence the moniker. Minilio lived with the rest of the company at Flio’s house and spent his time making magic items for the Fli-o’-Rys General Store.

Minilio stepped up to Flio and bowed politely. Minilio was Flio’s first experimental magic doll, and he had been created without the means to speak aloud. Flio smiled down at the doll with his usual easygoing smile and patted him on the head.

“Good morning, Minilio,” said Flio. “I see you’re working on the farm today too. Thank you for the hard work.” Minilio smiled.Back when I first created him, Flio thought,Minilio hardly made any expressions. It was the best he could do to fake a smile. But lately, it seems like his expressions have a bit more depth to them. Almost like he’s turning into a human—or perhaps some sort of demon...

Belano stepped up beside Minilio and bowed politely as well, saying nothing.

“Thank you too, Belano,” Flio said. “Do you have work at the College of Magic today?”

“I do...” Belano said, mumbling and lowering her gaze as she replied. “But I wanted to help out here first...”

Blossom draped her arm over Belano’s shoulder. “Or so she says, anyway! Belano just wants to be wherever Minilio is! She’s even getting up early for him despite how much she hates mornings!”

“Awah...” Belano stammered. “Awawawaaah...”

“She’s even been taking Minilio to her own room to sleep with at night!” continued Blossom, grinning like a fiend.

“Awahah?! Whuha— Awawawawaaah!” Belano jumped up, trying to clap her hands over Blossom’s mouth to stop her from talking. Her face was bright red with embarrassment.

Belano had lost both her father and brother in the war against the Dark Army. She had come to regard Flio, who had treated her so kindly, as a surrogate for the two of them, though with an odd mixture of filial and romantic love. Flio, however, was already married to Rys, so Belano at some point turned her romantic feelings for Flio to the smaller version of himself he had made. Blossom had been Belano’s companion for a long time and knew her in and out—and sometimes she liked to do a little teasing.

Flio’s expression turned pensive as he considered Belano’s situation.Magic dolls don’t have emotions...Minilio’s smiling, but it’s more like a default setting...

He had told Belano as much, of course, but Belano had refused to be dissuaded. “Even so...” she’d said. “I want to be with him...” In deference to Belano’s feelings, Flio had given Minilio permission to enter Belano’s room. Belano, however, was very shy, and few people in the house besides Flio and Rys knew that anything at all was happening between her and Minilio.

As Flio thought, Blossom kept poking fun at Belano while Minilio simply stood beside her, a basket on his back and a smile on his face as always.

◇ ◇ ◇

Blossom and Belano eventually settled down and the group continued on towards the fields. “By the way,” Flio asked, “what are you harvesting today?”

“Heh heh!” Blossom laughed, grinning from ear to ear. “I’m glad you asked! It’s been rough going with this experiment for a while, but lately, we’ve been getting more and more of these fruits!” She took a fruit from the basket on her back and handed it to Flio. It was a yellow fruit that fit in the palm of his hand.

“Is this...a lembon?”

“Got it in one!” Blossom said, giving him a thumbs-up.

“Goodness!” Rys exclaimed, a smile spreading across her face. “You’ve harvested this many lembons?”

Lembons were a famously sour fruit, much desired by those who found themselves with unusual cravings during pregnancy. They had been a great asset to the house during the recent influx of children. Lembons were high in nutritional value, but because of their acidity, they were seldom used outside of alcoholic beverages. They were not commonly traded, and the ones that were tended to be found growing in the wild rather than as products of a farm.

“Yup,” said Blossom, pridefully rubbing her finger under her nose. “At first I wasn’t sure how best to cultivate those things. When we just planted the seeds in the ground, they’d just wither right away. But now look at ’em!”

“And we’re helping harvest all these lembons!” said Calsi’im, rattling with laughter.

Beside him, Tia was peering very seriously at the lembon. “Perhaps if I can eat this lembon, it will help me have a child with Calsi’im...” she said before taking a big bite out of the fruit. The next second, her eyes shot wide open. She jumped straight up into the air. “Nhghhfppfff?!”

“Goodness, Tia,” Rys said, shaking with laughter as she handed over her canteen of water. “I suppose that will teach you to underestimate the sourness of a lembon.”

Tia shook her head. “Th-Th-This is nothing!” she declared. “One day, I will be able to gobble up lembons with no trouble at all! And then...ThenI will be blessed with Calsi’im’s child...” She forced a smile onto her face, despite the intense sour flavor overpowering her senses.

“Tia...” Rys said, smirking at the doll. “It isn’t that eating lembons will help you conceive a child; it’s that once you’re pregnant, you may find yourself craving sour foods. Although thatdoesvary from person to person...” Rys took a slight nibble of the lembon and pursed her lips up from the sourness.

Belano tried a bite of lembon herself. “Nhhnghff?!” It was far sourer than she had expected. Just like Tia, her eyes shot open wide and she leapt into the air.

Blossom smiled as she watched everyone’s antics. “Well, all that aside, once they’re all harvested, we’re handing them over to the goblin women, who’re gonna turn ’em into lembon cakes!”

“Lembon cake...” Flio repeated. “Wasn’t that Rys’s specialty?”

Rys had once mistakenly bought far too many lembons and begun making lembon cakes as a way to use them. She smiled happily at her husband’s words. “Yes, they were,” she said. “Lately I’ve taken to giving cooking lessons to the goblin women and the shadow demons, you see.”

“I see,” said Flio. “And so now they know how to make lembon cakes too!”

“Yes,” said Rys, nodding happily. “They took to it very quickly. It was very rewarding, as a teacher.”

Blossom gülümsedi. "Yine de sizinle ilk karşılaştığımız zamanı dün gibi hatırlıyorum, Rys Hanımefendi," dedi. "Hani tabağa bir kalıp çiğ et fırlatıp 'Alın size akşam yemeği!' dediğiniz günleri. Şimdi tüm evdeki en iyi aşçı olduğunuza inanmak gerçekten çok zor."

"Tabii ki öyle olacaktım!" diye karşılık verdi Rys, göğsünü gururla kabartarak. "Kocacığımın ve onun emrindekilerin karnını doyurmak, bir eş olarak benim en kutsal görevim." Kurtsu iblislerin arasında yetişen Rys, herkesi besleyecek kadar iyi avlanmayı bilirdi bilmesine ama kaldıkları hanlarda veya kışlalarda yedikleri hazır yemekler bir kenara bırakılırsa, sürüsü her şeyi çiğ ve olduğu gibi tüketirdi. Flio'nun yanına ilk katıldığında yemek pişirmekten zerre anlamıyordu. Ancak gizlice yemek pişirme derslerine katılmaya başlamış, zamanla becerilerini pırıl pırıl parlatmıştı. Artık o kadar iyiydi ki yemek okulundaki öğretmen, kendisinden bir eğitmen olup olmak istemediğini sormuştu.

O eski günlerdeki ilk öğretmeni gözyaşlarını tutamamıştı. "Bu kadar yol katettiğine inanamıyorum..." demişti hıçkırarak. "Sebzeleri her doğrayışında bir şekilde mutfakta patlama yaratan bizim küçük Rys'ımız..."

"O halde," dedi Flio araya girerek. "Şu lembonları hemen toplamaya başlayalım!"

"Evet!" diye bağırdı herkes neşeyle. Sepetlerini kapıp hevesle lembon ağaçlarının sıralandığı yere doğru yöneldiler.

Tam o sırada, Flio tepelerden bir kız çocuğunun sesini duydu. "Babacık! Babacık! Sonunda buldum seni!" Kafasını kaldırdığında gökyüzünde süzülen Wyne'ı gördü. Wyne, ejderha askerlerin en güçlüsü olduğu söylenen bir ejdergins unsuruydu. Flio ve Rys onu yolda baygın yatarken bulup kurtarmış, sonra da ailelerine katmışlardı. İkizler Elinàsze ve Garyl'e ablalık yapmaya, onları şımartmaya bayılırdı.

Wyne, yüzünde kocaman bir gülümsemeyle havayı yararak Flio'ya doğru hızla alçalıyordu. Ancak hemen arkasında Tanya belirdi.

Tanya'nın asıl adı Tanyalite'tı. Göksel Düzlem'den gönderilmiş, Flio'yu gözlemekle görevli son derece güçlü bir melekti. Fakat gökyüzünde Wyne ile yaşadığı ani bir çarpışma yüzünden hafızasını kaybetmiş, şimdiyse Flio'nun hizmetçisi olarak çalışmaya başlamıştı.

"Küçük Hanım Wyne!" diye bağırdı Tanya arkasından. "Dışarı çıkacaksanız bunu giymek zorundasınız!" Meleklere özgü kanatları ardına kadar açılmıştı; Wyne kadar hızlı uçarak onu kovalamaya çalışıyordu. Elinde ise bir parça giysi tutuyordu.

Wyne... diye düşündü Flio, evlat edindiği kızına bakarak yüzünü ekşitti. Yine mi aynı şey... Wyne, havada süzülürken üzerinde tek bir iplik bile taşımıyor, tamamen çıplak bir halde uçuyordu.

Bir ejderha olduğu için vücudu alevli magmayla doluydu ve bunu ateş nefesi olarak püskürtebiliyordu. Haliyle vücut sıcaklığı her zaman çok yüksekti. Sürekli "Çok daralıyorum! Nefret ediyorum bundan!" diyerek elbiselerini fırlatıp atardı. Çıplak olmak onu zerre rahatsız etmiyordu. Flio, Rys, Tanya ve küçük kız kardeşi Elinàsze, artık Wyne'ın peşinden koşup ona zorla bir şeyler giydirmeye çalışmaya fazlasıyla alışmışlardı.

Wyne, Tanya'nın elindeki elbiseye bakıp yüzünü buruşturdu. Hızını artırıp doğrudan Flio'ya doğru yöneldi; müthiş bir süratle gelip kollarını onun boynuna doladı. "Babacık! Günaydın! Günaydın!"

Flio, Wyne'ı kollarının arasına alıp sırıtan kızı yere indirmeye çalıştı ama Wyne'ın ayrılmaya hiç niyeti yoktu. "Wyne..." dedi Flio. "Seni böyle mutlu görmek çok güzel ama dışarı çıkarken giyineceğine dair söz vermiştik, değil mi?"

"Biliyorum! Biliyorum!" dedi Wyne, genişçe sırıtarak başını salladı. Ancak arkasından elinde elbiseyle yere inen Tanya'ya dönüp bakmadı bile.

Yapacak bir şey yok, diye düşündü Flio. Parmağını hafifçe oynatmasıyla kıyafetler Tanya'nın kollarından kaybolup anında Wyne'ın üzerinde belirdi. Wyne ise hiçbir şey olmamış gibi yanağını Flio'nun yanağına sürtmeye devam ediyordu. Flio kızının başını okşadı ve elbiselerinin düzgün durduğundan emin oldu.

"Ş-Şey, affedersiniz..." dedi Tanya, nedense biraz çekingen bir tavırla. "Efendi Flio?"

"Efendim?" diye sordu Flio. "Bir sorun mu var, Tanya?"

"Hayır, bir sorun yok," dedi Tanya. "Ama Küçük Hanım Wyne size doğrudan çarptı. Bir yeriniz acıdı mı diye endişelendim..." Tanya, gerekirse bir iyileştirme büyüsü yapmak üzere ellerini ileri uzatmış, bir büyü çemberi oluşturmaya başlamıştı bile. Ne de olsa Wyne, alçalış hızını milim bile azaltmadan doğrudan Flio'ya çarpmıştı.

Wyne insan formundayken vücudu sıradan bir insanınkinden daha sert değildi ancak çarpmadan hemen önce kendini korumak için ejderha pullarını ortaya çıkarmıştı. Ona bu şekilde çarpılması, patlayan bir yanardağdan fırlayan bir kaya parçasına hedef olmakla eş değerdi. Yine de Flio hiçbir şey olmamış gibi ayakta dikiliyor, yüzündeki o her zamanki uysal gülümsemeyle Wyne'ın saçlarını okşuyordu.

Tanya, iki farklı renkteki gözlerini kırpıştırarak şaşkınlıkla bakarken arkasında Hiya ve Damalynas belirdi. Hiya, ışık ve karanlığın kökenine hükmeden bir cin olarak bilinirdi. Tüm dünyayı yok edecek güce sahipti ama buna rağmen Flio'ya yenilmişti. Flio'ya "Yüce Olan" diye hitap etmeye başlamış ve onun evinde yaşamaya karar vermişti. Damalynas ise karanlık sanatların üstadı olan Gece Yarısı'nın Ulu Büyücüsü'ydü. Ancak Hiya'ya yenildikten sonra onun zihin dünyasında yaşamaya başlamış, orada cinin antrenman ortağı olarak hizmet ediyordu.

İkili, bir büyü çemberi aracılığıyla Hiya'nın zihninden çıkıp Tanya'nın yanına adım attı. "Şaşkınlığını anlıyorum, Tanya," dedi Hiya.

"Şaka gibi gerçekten," diye onayladı Damalynas. "Wyne'dan gelen böyle bir darbe, benim Gece Yarısı Bariyerlerimden birini tek nefeste darmadağın ederdi. Müthiş bir hücumdu..."

Tanya kafası karışmış bir halde başını salladı. "E-Evet..." dedi. "Ben de öyle düşünmüştüm..."

"Buna rağmen," dedi Hiya, dudakları yukarı doğru kıvrılırken. "Yüce Olan, bu darbeyi bile sanki hiçbir şey olmamış gibi göğüsleyebiliyor."

"Öyle gerçekten..." dedi Tanya, saygıyla başını eğerek. "Ne de olsa o, Efendi Flio. Şüpheye düştüğüm için özür dilerim."

Flio, Wyne'ın başının üzerinden Hiya ve Damalynas'a baktı. Yapmayın ama... diye düşündü. O kadar da abartılacak bir şey yapmadım ki...?

Flio tehlikeyi hafifletmek için bilinçli olarak hiçbir şey yapmamıştı aslında. Ancak ne zaman bir tehlike sezinlese, arka planda çalışan pasif büyüleri otomatik olarak devreye giriyordu; Darbe Emici ve Yerçekimi Karşıtı gibi büyüler anında çalışmıştı. Bu büyüler sadece Flio'nun zarar görmesini engellemekle kalmamış, aynı zamanda Wyne'ın bedenine ve çevreye gelecek zararı da emerek bu korkunç çarpışmayı tamamen etkisiz hale getirmişti. Bu büyülerin her biri üst düzey büyülerdi; Klyrode Krallığı'nın en güçlü büyücüleri bile bunları hazırlamak için en az on dakika harcardı. Fakat Flio bunları ne bir büyü sözleri söyleyerek ne de yaptığının farkında olarak gerçekleştirmişti. Tüm bunlar, Klyrode dünyasına ilk getirildiğinde tanrıçalar tarafından ona bahşedilen İlahi Vahiy sayesinde oluyordu. Yine de Flio, yapabildiği şeylerin bu dünyadaki sıradan büyücüler için gayet normal olduğuna inanmaya devam ediyordu.

Hiya ve Damalynas beni gerçekten gözlerinde çok büyütüyorlar, diye düşündü Flio, onların hayranlık dolu yüzlerle birbirlerine onay verdiklerini görünce içini çekerek. "Ş-Şey," dedi. "İşimizin başına dönelim de kahvaltıdan önce şu lembonları toplayıp bitirelim. Bu sabah Klyrode Kalesi'ne gitmem gerekiyor ne de olsa." Ağaçlara doğru yürümeye başladı.

"Tamam!" dedi Wyne, sonunda Flio'nun boynunu bırakarak. Elini havaya kaldırıp sırıttı. "Ben de yardım edeceğim!"

"Ben de yardım edeceğim," diye ekledi Tanya.

"Söylemeye gerek bile yok," dedi Hiya. "Size yardım etmek benim için büyük bir onurdur, Yüce Olan."

"Yüce Hiya yardım ediyorsa, ben de geri kalmam elbette," diye ekledi Damalynas.

"Teşekkürler hepinize," dedi Flio, her zamanki gibi gülümseyerek. "Hadi bitirelim şu işi!"

◇ Klyrode Kalesi — Bir Konuk Odası ◇

Sabahın çiftlik işlerine yardım etmeyi bitirdikten sonra Flio, Rys'in hazırladığı kahvaltıyı yedi. Çocuklarını Houghtow Büyü Koleji'ndeki temel derslerine uğurladıktan sonra da Klyrode Kalesi'nin yolunu tuttu. Şimdi Bakire Kraliçe ile bir konuk odasında, karşı karşıya oturuyorlardı.

Bakire Kraliçe, eski kral olan babasının yaptığı kötülükler yüzünden onu sürgün ettikten sonra tahta geçmişti. Krallığının insanlarına sadık, adalet duygusu güçlü ve son derece çalışkan bir kadındı. Kraliçe olarak herkes tarafından çok sevilirdi. Kendine sakladığı tek karanlık sırrı ise içindeki o amansız endişe duygusu ve kendini her zaman çok fazla hırpalama huyu olmasıydı.

"Bu teslimatı bizzat buraya gelerek yaptığınız için size ne kadar teşekkür etsem azdır, Lord Flio," dedi Kraliçe, yüzünde kibar bir gülümsemeyle hafifçe eğilerek. "Houghtow Şehri buraya gerçekten çok uzak."

"Lütfen lafını bile etmeyin!" dedi Flio. "Işınlanma büyümle buraya gelmek neredeyse hiç vakit almıyor. Teşekkür etmenize hiç gerek yok."

"A-Ah," dedi Kraliçe. "Bunu duymak güzel..."

Yüzündeki gülümseme biraz zoraki görünüyordu. Ne de olsa kendisi kaleden Houghtow Şehri'ne ışınlanmak istediğinde, en üst düzey büyücülerden birkaçının bir araya gelip muazzam miktarda büyü gücü harcaması gerekiyordu. Üstelik bu kadar çok kişi olmalarına rağmen uzun uzadıya büyü sözleri okumak zorunda kalıyorlardı. Büyüyü yapanlar ise saatlerce, hatta günlerce süren bir büyü yorgunluğuna kapılıyor, yataklarından kalkmakta bile zorlanıyorlardı. Flio ise birkaç dakika önce Klyrode Kalesi'ne ışınlanmış olmasına rağmen en ufak bir yorgunluk belirtisi göstermiyordu. Koltuğunda oturmuş, sanki hiç de büyük bir iş başarmamış gibi rahat rahat konuşuyordu.

Lord Flio gerçekten de Kahraman unvanına yaraşır güçlere sahip... diye düşündü Kraliçe kendi kendine.

Flio bu dünyaya ilk başta Karanlık Ordu ile savaşacak bir Kahraman adayı olarak çağrılmıştı. Ancak Seviye 1 olarak çağrıldığında, özellikleri yetişkin bir erkeğin ortalamasının bile altındaydı. Büyü kullanamıyor, becerileri de hiçbir işe yaramayacak gibi görünüyordu. O dönem Klyrode'u yöneten eski kral, Flio'nun uzak bir yere sürülüp ortadan kaldırılmasını emretmişti. Gelgelelim Flio Seviye 2 olduğunda, dünyadaki tüm büyüleri ve becerileri bir anda ustalıkla öğrenmiş, özellikleri ise artık hesaplanamayacak kadar yüksek bir seviyeye ulaşmıştı.

[GENERATION FAILED - RAW TEXT]

Lord Flio should be the Hero,the Queen thought,but every time I broach the subject, he refuses to consider it. Then there’s the issue of the title itself. We cannot bestow it upon Lord Flio unless we first wrest it from that golden-haired man the previous king appointed. He must be brought to the castle and have his title proclaimed void in view of the people...

“Your Majesty?” Flio said, getting the Maiden Queen’s attention. She had fallen a bit into her own thoughts. Flio eyed her curiously.

“Oh, my apologies!” the Queen said, shaking her head and forcing a smile on her face. “It’s nothing! I simply have some things on my mind...”

I guess the Maiden Queen has a lot on her plate, after all, Flio thought, nodding. He had no idea that what the Maiden Queen was thinking about was none other than himself.

Suddenly, there came a knock on the parlor door. “Come in!” said the Queen, and in stepped Knight Captain MacTaulo, accompanied by Boralis, the captain of the Queen’s personal elite guard.

MacTaulo was a storied champion and the commander of the kingdom’s knights. During the war against the Dark Army, he had been away from the castle, directing his knights from the front. He was loyal to his duty yet also kind to his men. The knights of the kingdom trusted him with their lives. Boralis, meanwhile, was the commander of the all-female team of knights charged with guarding the Maiden Queen. She was a beauty who cut a handsome figure in a man’s uniform. Men found her attractive enough, but she was an even bigger hit with the ladies.

MacTaulo seemed to be in high spirits. “I apologize for interrupting your conversation, Your Majesty,” he said. “I heard a rumor that Mister Flio, the manager of the Fli-o’-Rys General Store, is here. I thought I would offer him my thanks.” He turned to face Flio and bowed deep, smiling. “Mister Flio, we owe you our thanks for selling us such splendid weapons at quite the high discount. We may be at peace with the Dark Army, but there are demon hardliners who haven’t laid down their arms, as well as bandits and wild magic beasts to worry about! Your gear has been a great help.”

“I would like to thank you as well, on behalf of Her Majesty’s Royal Guard,” Boralis said, following MacTaulo’s suit and bowing from her habitual position diagonally behind the Queen.

“I too would like to offer you my thanks, Lord Flio. We are in your debt.” The Maiden Queen rose from her chair and joined the other two, bowing her head.

“N-Not at all, not at all!” protested Flio. “There’s really no need to be so deferential to me. You’re our valued customers, after all.”

Flio worked as the manager of the Fli-o’-Rys General Store in Houghtow City. Most of the items for sale in the store were conceived of by Flio himself and made by residents of Flio’s house, especially Hiya and Damalynas. They were marvelous weapons, enchanted with offensive and magical abilities that most people would need a considerable amount of magic power to use. With them in hand, even knights with no magic power at all could add whole new abilities to their arsenal. Until now, it had been almost impossible to find such weapons, even in Klyrode Castle Town, and those that were available would have commanded a steep price. But between Flio and Hiya and the others, they could easily produce great numbers of such items, driving down the price and sending them into circulation all over the kingdom.

“Thanks to the equipment from the Fli-o’-Rys General Store, our knights are taking fewer casualties in every expedition. And thanks to your company keeping the trade routes you use free of bandits and magic beasts, there is less need to deploy them as well. I am truly grateful for your efforts.” The Maiden Queen bowed again.

“And thanks to you, I was finally able to come back from the front line!” MacTaulo said, grinning as he too bowed his head once more. “Now I can focus on training the next generation at the Klyrode Knight Academy. No matter how good our weapons are, they’re no use if our people don’t know how to use them!”

Flio gave the assembled group one of his easygoing smiles. “Not at all, not at all!” he repeated. “We’re just doing what we can. Our delivery teams are just protecting themselves, after all.” Internally, however, he winced.I’ve been going through and making sure the routes are safe whenever one of our teams hears news about bandits or dangerous demons or magic beasts. I guess they’ve noticed...

◇ ◇ ◇

“I have some business to attend to in the castle town,” Flio said once they had finished talking. “If you will excuse me...” He stood up, offering the Maiden Queen his hand.

“I do hope to see you again,” the Queen said, shaking it with a smile. “You are welcome here any time.”

“Oh!” said Flio, retrieving a small box from his pocket and offering it to the Queen. “One more thing...”

“What’s this?” the Queen asked, staring intently at the box.

“Please try using it at nighttime,” Flio said. “I’m sure it would make Garyl very happy.”

“G-Garyl?!” the Maiden Queen exclaimed, her face turning red. The Queen had been reserved and dignified throughout the entire conversation, but when Flio brought up Garyl, she suddenly seemed extremely nervous.

The Maiden Queen had been infatuated with Garyl ever since accompanying Flio’s family in secret to the hot springs. Since then, she had visited Flio’s family in secret several times and spent even more time with Garyl.

Th-This won’t do!the Maiden Queen thought.I must keep my romantic feelings for Garyl a secret from everyone! Poor Garyl would never want a thirty-year-old hag like me... I feel like I owe his parents an apology. B-But for now, I must remain calm! I must adopt a posture of serenity, just as I always do whenever the subject of Garyl comes up...She cleared her throat a number of times, trying desperately to calm herself.

Despite her best efforts, there was no hiding her feelings from MacTaulo and Boralis, who had accompanied the Maiden Queen as security on her secret ventures. They stood behind her as she desperately struggled to quiet her emotions, looking off to the side and pretending not to have seen or heard anything.

The Queen glanced at MacTaulo and Boralis out of the corner of her eye and cleared her throat again, louder. “A-Ahem! I thank you for the kind gift!” she said, doing her best to act calm. “Please give my regards to Garyl as well.”

“Yes, of course,” Flio said, bowing with his usual easygoing smile before taking his leave.

◇Meanwhile—Klyrode Castle Town◇

While Flio was making his delivery to Klyrode Castle, a great crowd had gathered in one of the castle town’s central wholesale markets. Most of the people there were the proprietors of various shops in the castle town or else employees in charge of their shop’s inventory. In front of the crowd stood Byleri.

Byleri had been the archer of Balirossa’s former company of knights. Now she lived at Flio’s house, where she put her talents handling horses to good use caring for a stable of horse-type magic beasts. Although they weren’t officially married, she was Sleip’s lover and the happy mother of their daughter, Rislei.

“Ummm...” Byleri started, looking over the paperwork in her hands. “So, like, we’re here from the Fli-o’-Rys General Store today, with all kinds of stuff...” Byleri had come along with Flio on his delivery from the store. Flio handled the orders from Klyrode Castle, while Byleri was responsible for orders from merchants in town. Behind Byleri, members of the Fli-o’-Rys supply team, formerly of the Dark Army’s intelligence network, the Silent Listeners, were busy unloading their wagons.

Byleri gave instructions as she looked over her papers. “Okay!” she said. “So like, this box is for the Hudjiit Association. And this one’s for the Tanooki Company...”

The crowd followed Byleri’s instructions, gathering their various orders. Then, one person, the elderly shop proprietor Bundacca, stepped forward. “Miss Byleri...” he said. “I see that the Fli-o’-Rys General Store is not only transporting the goods themselves, but you are also distributing them directly? You are making a delivery to the castle as well, correct? I’m sure you could work out an arrangement with the people there to distribute the goods...”

“There’s, like, totally no need to worry, Mister Bundacca,” said Byleri, smiling. “Our manager, Lord Flio, like, totally believes that it’s important to do business directly with local stores.”

Bundacca grimaced. “Y-Yes, but you know... When I heard that employees of the Fli-o’-Rys General Store were distributing goods directly in the wholesale market, well, I didn’t think it would be allowed!”

Indeed, the Klyrode Castle Town Merchant’s Guild wasn’t amused when the Fli-o’-Rys General Store began selling directly to shops in town. Fli-o’-Rys was in a city far to the west of Klyrode Castle, and moreover had only recently opened for business. For a store like that to distribute their merchandise directly incurred the ire of some individuals, while others turned up their noses at the breaking of procedure. Many suspected that Flio intended to open a store in the castle town with the backing of Klyrode Castle itself. Flio’s actual request, however, was rather different. “I merely wish to offer the quality items we deliver to Klyrode Castle to the shop owners doing business in the castle town as well.”

Bundacca had been the merchant’s guild member that Flio had dealt with through the whole affair. He winced awkwardly and scratched the back of his head.

Byleri, however, simply kept grinning. “Well, like, y’know...” she said. “I’m not super good at explaining things? But, like, Lord Flio’s always saying he wants everyone to get along and have fun working together. Oh! And your stuff’s over there, Mister Bundacca!” She pointed, and one of the members of the Fli-o’-Rys supply team stepped forward to collect the item.

[GENERATION FAILED - RAW TEXT]

“I must say,” said Bundacca. “That’s quite encouraging. You make me want to give it my all as well.”

“Yeah, totally!” Byleri said, grinning and flexing her slender arms to no effect. “Like, let’s do our best and keep business lively!”

Bundacca smiled wryly at Byleri’s behavior.They’re thinking not only of their own profit, but also for the good of everyone in the merchant’s guild...he thought.With them in the business, it’s like the old days being forced to pay protection money to the Shadow Conglomerate were nothing more than a bad dream...

Bundacca and his demihuman employees loaded their wagons with the goods from Fli-o’-Rys and left the wholesale market behind. They traveled through the backstreets, carrying the merchandise to their own store. But on their way to the back entrance they used to stock incoming goods, they were intercepted by a woman. She stood in front of them, cutting off their path.

“That’s far enough,” she yipped. She had long golden hair and was wearing a golden cheongsam. Bundacca opened his eyes in shock.

“Y-You!” he said. “K-Kintsuno the Gold, from the Shadow Conglomerate!”

“Oh, you remember me!” Kintsuno said, a sneering smile on her face as she took a step forward. “I’m so delighted!”

Kintsuno the Gold was one of the demon fox sisters who had once ruled the demons of the lands to the west. They had joined forces with the Shadow King—the former king of Klyrode—in a bold attempt to seize the throne of the Dark One, which had ended in failure. She was disguised in a human form, but an aura of Malicium welled up behind her, marking her as a demon and menacing the poor shop owner to no end.

“Our business will be quick,” Kintsuno sneered, leaning in to whisper in Bundacca’s ear. “You owe us protection money.” She placed a hand on Bundacca’s shoulder, her claws digging into the base of his neck. “I think you know what will happen if you refuse...” Despite the mocking smile on her face, Kintsuno’s voice was cold and dangerous.

Bundacca swallowed, breaking out in a cold sweat. His employees watched helplessly. If they tried to save him, Kintsuno would simply puncture Bundacca’s throat with her claws.

Suddenly, they heard a voice. “And what, pray tell,wouldhappen if he refuses? Well?!” A man appeared from behind the wagon, running at Kintsuno with incredible speed. He landed a kick on the fox, sending her flying through the air.

“Y-Yip?!” Kintsuno exclaimed. “Wh-Who are you?!”

“Hmph,” the man said. “Who am I? I believe we are acquainted, Kintsuno the Gold.” He stepped up in front of Kintsuno. He wore a black wolf mask emblazoned with a red lightning bolt. “My name is Horse Justice, the protector of the shopping district, Byleri, and Rislei! Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten!” Horse Justice folded his arms dramatically.

“Grrr!” Kintsuno spat. “Another one of the Wolf of Justice’s friends?! You’re the ones who’ve been ruining all our business!” Kintsuno transformed into an enormous nine-tailed fox demon and took off running down the street. “I know I can’t beat one of you weirdos in a fair fight! I’m getting out of here!”

“Fwa ha ha ha ha!” Horse Justice cackled as he transformed into an enormous centaur. “Foolish evildoer! You will never escape me running as slowly as that!” He reared up on his front legs and took off galloping after Kintsuno, as fast as the wind. “Fwa ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! Today’s the day I capture you!”

“Wait!” Kintsuno yipped. “How are you so fast?! Who are you?!”

“Fwa ha ha ha ha! I told you! I am Horse Justice!”

Kintsuno the Gold and Horse Justice vanished as suddenly as they had appeared. Bundacca watched them run off, grinning. “That was Master Sleip from the Fli-o’-Rys General Store, I believe...” he said. “Ah, I can’t believe he would come save me!” Suddenly there was a tap on his shoulder. Bundacca wheeled around to see a small woman wearing a gray wolf mask. “A-Ah! And you are?”

“Excuse me,” the woman said. “I am a member of the Justice Legion, the intelligence network of the Wolf of Justice.”

“The Justice Legion...” echoed Bundacca. “That would make you part of the mercenary army Fli-o’-Rys has clearing out bandits and magic beasts from all over the land?”

“Yes,” the woman said. “The very same. But I must correct you. The one chasing after Kintsuno the Gold right now is Horse Justice, companion of the Wolf of Justice and commander of the Justice Legion.”

“C-Come now...” Bundacca said, narrowing his eyes dubiously. “He looks exactly the same, and he even mentioned the name of his wife and daughter...”

“I see,” said the woman from the Justice Legion. “Then you leave me no choice.” She held her hand up to Bundacca’s face and muttered an incantation. A magic circle appeared around her hand. Her eyes glowed with a mystic light. “That man earlier was Horse Justice. Do you understand?”

“I... I...” Bundacca mumbled indistinctly. “Yes. That man from earlier was Horse Justice... Horse Justice... Horse Justice...”

The rest of his employees were also muttering along, repeating the name. “Horse Justice... Horse Justice...”

The woman nodded. “My work here is done.” She bowed politely and ran off after Horse Justice and Kintsuno, taking off her mask as she got out of sight to reveal the face of Greanyl, a shadow demon, Uliminas’s subordinate in the Dark Army and a former member of the Silent Listeners. When Uliminas left the Dark Army, the Silent Listeners had followed suit and now worked making deliveries for the Fli-o’-Rys General Store.

“Lord Sleip can be such trouble...” Greanyl said. “Lady Byleri and Lady Rislei have told him so many times not to use their names while he’s Horse Justice, but he still has the nerve to introduce himself as the ‘protector of the shopping district, Byleri, and Rislei’... And now I have to clean up after him with my Modify Memory spell...”

Indeed, as Bundacca surmised before having his memory erased, Horse Justice was none other than Sleip, a former member of the Infernal Four. He had left the Dark Army and now lived with Flio, helping look after the horse-type magic beasts on the ranch. He adored Byleri, his common-law wife, and his daughter Rislei with all his heart.

“Regardless,” said Greanyl, speeding up as she ran, “today will be the day we finally capture Kintsuno the Gold and put an end to the Shadow Conglomerate and all their evil deeds!”

Ahead of her she could hear the echoing sound of Horse Justice’s laughter. “Fwa ha ha ha ha!”

◇The Gates of the Dark Citadel◇

Not long ago, there had been nothing outside the gates of the Dark Citadel except an overgrown forest, but now there were several lively commercial establishments. And in the very middle, standing directly in front of the gates themselves, was a shop with a sign that read: “Fli-o’-Rys General Store: Dark Citadel Branch.”

The store had opened back during the time Calsi’im had served as Dark Regent. Built to supply the Dark Citadel with much-needed foodstuffs and other sorts of items, it was one of the many things that would not have been possible without the peace treaty between the Dark Army and the Magic Kingdom of Klyrode. Inside, a number of demons were having a conversation.

“Goodness gracious, my lady Uliminas!” exclaimed Alcaccino. Alcaccino was a lava demon, his entire body made of igneous rocks, and he was currently wearing a joyous smile on his craggy features. “How can I ever,everthank you for granting me permission to open my magic gem and pickle stand next to your store?! It’s everything I could have possibly dreamed of!”

Uliminas, a hellcat demon, smiled back from behind the counter. She had been Ghozal’s right-hand cat back when he ruled as Dark One. When Ghozal had quit being Dark One, she left with him and began working at the Fli-o’-Rys General Store in the guise of a demihuman. She had since married Ghozal, becoming one of his two wives. Together, they had a daughter named Folmina.

“Meow need for thanks,” she said. “Dark Meown Dawkson himself gave purrmission for stores to do business in front of the Dark Citadel. The meowr the meowrrier, if mew ask me!”

“Oh yes, very much indeed!” agreed Leggy Vuitton, a mad spider demon wearing extravagant clothes. “Why, the Dark One’s decree was the best thing to ever happen to me! You know, I used to do business in the Dark Citadel Shopping Town, a ways away from the Citadel itself. They charged outrageous sums of money simply to operate a business there, you know, and they would always raise the operational fees even further with no forenotice whatsoever! It was miserable, you know. No good at all!”

“Yeah,” said Barry, the elder demon bear brother. “It was unbearable! But here, they charge usbearly anything!”

Bear-Bear, the younger demon bear brother, nodded along. “Yeah! We’rebeary grateful to be able to open a shop here!”

A sly grin crossed over Uliminas’s face as she watched the crowd chatting happily from behind the counter.That’s just what the Dark Citadel Shopping Town gets for daring to capitalize on the Dark Citadel’s name while also insisting they were a separate opurration that didn’t need to pay tribute! They’ve been doing that since before even Gholl was Dark Meown. They were underhanded and opurrtunistic, even when doing business with the Dark Citadel itself. But I suppose their avarice was their own undoing, in the end! Obviously, the merchants will come to us if we just treat them with the least bit of respect!

“On that note,” Uliminas said, surveying the group, “let me know if mew know of anymeown doing business in the area. Lord Flio’s asked us to help them set up shop here.”

“Truly?!” said Alcaccino. “You would go so far even as to assist in setting up a shop?!”

“Oh yes, oh yes!” said Leggy Vuitton. “I’ll tell everyone I know—I promise you that!”

Some time later, the demons left and returned to their own shops. Without missing a beat, someone else appeared in the doorway leading to the hall behind the counter. “Hey, Uliminas!”

[GENERATION FAILED - RAW TEXT]

“Ghozal?” Uliminas responded, looking back over her shoulder. “Do mew need something?”

Ghozal was standing in the doorway, looking intently at a wolf mask in his hands. Ghozal had once himself reigned as Dark One, under the name of Gholl, until he abdicated the throne to his younger brother Yuigarde and left to live as a human, freeloading at Flio’s house. In that time, he and Flio had become the best of friends. Now he was married to Uliminas and the swordswoman Balirossa, and had two children, Folmina and Ghoro. He looked cagily around the store.

“Well...” Ghozal said, “I’m just wondering when it’s gonna be my turn! Sleip was assigned to Klyrode Castle Town andhegets to drive off all sorts of evildoers and bandits as Horse Justice!”