Bonus Short Stories

The Love Life of the Dark One

◇Citadel of the Dark One—Throne Room◇

Uliminas, confederate of the Dark One, sat cross-legged on the floor, sorting through a veritable mountain of paperwork. “Don’t tell me the Dark Meown is visiting that human again,” she grumbled, clicking her tongue in annoyance.

After that human man, Flio, had destroyed the dragons under Ulminas’s command, the Dark One himself went to scout him out. Ever since then, he kept making frequent visits to Flio’s house under the pretext of persuading him to join their forces. At first Uliminas had approved of the idea, but as the Dark One began to spend as many as five or six days per week at Flio’s, it got to the point where she could no longer conceal her aggravation with his neglect of the Citadel’s affairs.

“We’re supposed to be at war with the humans! What is Lord Gholl thinking, visiting him meowll the time like that?” Uliminas chewed on her claws as she organized Gholl’s forgotten paperwork. “Somemeown needs to take a look at all this...”

While Uliminas was in the middle of all this, Yorminyt the Serpent Princess of the Infernal Four slithered into the throne room on her snake-like lower body. “Oh?” she said. “Isss the Dark One out today?”

“He...” started Uliminas, faltering, “He’s out purrforming some reconnaissance.”

“Again?”

“Yes, again!” Uliminas snapped. “Got a purroblem with it?!”

Yorminyt chuckled. “Not essspecially,” she said as she produced an enormous quantity of paperwork from her Bottomless Bag. “Please have these done quickly. These are requisssition forms for materials and funds that my forcesss need for our new deployment.”

She tossed the bundle of papers on the floor in front of where Uliminas was sitting. It landed with a thud. And with that, she left.

“Meooooowl!” Uliminas clawed at her face, and screamed.

◇Houghtow City—Flio’s House◇

Another day arrived, and once again Gholl left to pay Flio a visit. This time, Uliminas followed after him. She took every caution, using every concealment spell she knew, and hid behind a tree near Flio’s house to observe them. Through the window, she could see Gholl in his disguised form chatting with Flio. They looked for all the world like old friends.

Purrhaps he’s trying to befriend that man in order to earn his allegiance... Uliminas mused. Makes sense I guess. She tilted her head. There was a woman sitting next to Gholl: Balirossa, the knight freeloading at Flio’s house. That woman... Uliminas felt nervous sweat running down her brow as she took another look. Noble bearing, wavy hair, ample breasts... She definitely looks like Lord Gholl’s type!

As the confederate of the Dark One, Uliminas knew everything there was to know about Gholl, including his taste in women. She kept her eyes on Balirossa. Don’t tell me...is Lord Gholl coming here to see her?! She swallowed.

◇Citadel of the Dark One—Throne Room◇

“I’m back,” said Gholl. It was quite late by the time he showed up.

Uliminas bowed deeply as Gholl strode to the throne. “It’s good to see mew, Lord Gholl.”

Gholl raised his hand in a casual greeting as he sat down. “Did anything happen while I was away?” he asked.

“Her Ladyship Yorminyt the Serpent Princess is waiting for mew to look over some papurrwork about her new deployment.” Uliminas withdrew a tremendous volume of papers from her Bottomless Bag as she answered. Gholl spared them a single glance before turning back to Uliminas.

“Have you reviewed the forms yet?”

“Yes, Dark Meown.”

“I see. Then tell Yorminyt that I approve her request.”

“Mew?”

“If you’ve looked it over, there shouldn’t be an issue. I’ll get the details later.”

“Y-Yes, Dark Meown. It shall be done.”

“Was that all?” asked Gholl.

“That’s the only thing that stands meowt,” said Uliminas. “I’ve already taken care of the rest.”

“I see.” Gholl rose from his throne. I-If I’m going to ask about that woman, Uliminas thought, then this is my meownly chance...

“Um, excuse me, Lord Gholl?” she said, faltering as she lifted her head to look at him. “It’s nothing impurrtant, but I have a question...”

Suddenly, Gholl picked up the Hellcat, holding her in his arms. “If you want to talk,” he said, “let’s do it in bed.”

“M-Meow?!” Uliminas, flustered, went red as Gholl cradled her in his arms. “Lord Gholl? Wh-What?”

“I’m asking you to attend to me tonight,” he said. “Do you not want to? I can find somebody else...”

“No!” she blurted out. “No, I’d be purrfectly happy to!” She wrapped her arms around the Dark One’s shoulders. It’s been so long since he’s asked that of me...

An expression of delight came over Uliminas’s face.

◇Bedchambers of the Dark One—Later◇

Uliminas was dozing off on Gholl’s bed, her arms and legs spread out wide. “I’m so...so happy,” she mumbled, slightly incoherent. “Mewww...” Her body twitched.

Gholl pulled the sheets over Uliminas’s naked body. “Hrm. It’s been a while since we’ve done this. I hope I wasn’t too rough,” he said as he lay down next to her. “So...what was it you wanted to talk about, earlier?”

Uliminas didn’t respond. She had fallen asleep. “Hrm,” said Gholl. “Tomorrow, then.”

He rested his head on Uliminas’s arm. As he did, the Hellcat shifted in her sleep to wrap herself around Gholl’s body. Gholl took a good long look at her face. “Adorable...” he said. “You’re so cute sometimes, Uliminas.”

He gently stroked her hair, lost in thought. “But that woman, Balirossa...” Images of Balirossa from his day at Flio’s house played in his mind as he stared at the ceiling.

He didn’t notice the scowl on Uliminas’s face as she listened to those words.

Tsuya and the Golden-Haired Hero

One day, several months after the Golden-Haired Hero had been brought to this world, the Hero took a company of knights with him and headed out to train in the southern forest. He sat astride his white horse, looking in disbelief at the two giant goblins coming straight at him.

“What?!” he bellowed. “That didn’t force them back?!” His heavy knights had put everything into their attack, but the goblins simply plowed through them, tossing them aside with both arms as they continued to advance.

“Useless!” He exhaled sharply.

The Hero’s knights gathered around him. “Lord Hero!” said the leader. “Leave this to your personal guard!”

At his command, the knights charged at the goblins. For a second it looked like the goblins were going to bowl them over like they had the heavy knights, but these guards were no common soldiers. They held firm.

“That all you got?!” shouted their leader.

“Archers!” the Hero called. “Now!” Behind him, his archers unleashed a fierce volley of arrows.

“Lord Hero! Wait!” shouted the knights’ leader, but it was too late. The arrows rained down not on the giant goblins, but the Hero’s personal guard. Suddenly, the knights found themselves under attack from both their front and their rear!

“I-Idiots!” shouted the Hero. “Who told you to aim at my guards?!”

“But, My Lord!” shouted one of the archers. “They’re the only ones we can hit from here! What else were we supposed to do?!”

The Hero grit his teeth. “So my orders were wrong?! Is it my fault you’re such lousy archers?!”

“N-No!” said the archer, “Of... Of course not!” The archers were all in disarray.

The Hero did not stop castigating them for some time.

◇Castle Klyrode◇

“I’m back...” The Hero mumbled as he stepped into his lavish quarters.

The voices of many girls rang out to greet him. “Welcome home!”

These were the girls King Klyrode had assigned to attend to the Hero’s needs. They ran up to him and busied themselves with helping him out of his armor, the Golden-Haired Hero standing still as they stripped him and wiped away his sweat with cloth. They then dressed him in extravagant daywear.

“You must have had a long day,” said one of the women.

“What magnificent deeds did you perform?” asked another. “Tell us!”

But the Hero kept quiet, only sighing in irritation.

All these girls do is fawn over me, he thought. What I wouldn’t give to be alone with my thoughts. He raised his head to look at the servient girls as one woman interposed herself between him and the rest. She smiled indulgently at her companions.

“All right, all right~!” she said. “It’s important to keep His Lordship company, but right now he’s tired,” she said, herding them back out of the room. “Let’s leave him to rest~!”

“I-Is that true? Do you want us to leave you alone, my Lord Hero?” asked another, dissatisfied with being pushed out of the room.

“Erm,” the Hero said. “Well, yes, I suppose...”

“Well,” said the girl, “if Your Lordship says so...” she followed the rest out with an air of great reluctance.

“Hold on!” the Hero stopped the last girl before she left—the girl who had told the rest to leave him alone.

“Me~?” she said, startled, pointing a finger to her own face.

“Yeah. You may stay.”

“I may?”

“You may. Just you,” the Hero said. Nervously, the girl walked back to his side. “How could you tell I was tired?”

The girl touched her index finger to her lower lip, pondering the Hero’s question. And then, she clapped her hands in realization. “Oh!” she said. “I know! I could just tell~!”

“What?” The Hero was dumbfounded by her answer.

She smiled mischievously. “Yes, I could just tell you were tired~!”

The Hero grimaced. “You could just tell...so you sent the other girls away?”

“Yes~!” she said, playfully sticking out her tongue. “I suppose I did!”

“You’re a strange one, aren’t you...” the Hero sat down heavily, still frustrated from his day. He held out his empty glass. “I want you to wait on me by yourself today. All right?”

“Yes, my Lord Hero~!” she said. “This is quite the honor.” She bowed deeply, then hurried to a corner of the room where she retrieved a bottle of liqueur to bring back to the Hero.

“What should I call you?” the Hero asked as the girl began to fill his glass.

“Oh!” the girl smiled wide at the question. “My name is Tsuyaaa!”

“Tsuya...” he brought the near-overflowing cup to his lips and drained it in a single gulp. “All right then, Tsuya,” he said. “I want you to be my attendant from now on.”

“I-I’m sorry?” Tsuya looked bewildered. “You want...someone like me? I’m from a poor family, you know. Lots and lots of the other girls are nobility, or daughters of someone important... Wouldn’t you rather have them?”

The Golden-Haired Hero held up his empty glass again. “I don’t care about any of that,” he said. “I like you.”

Tsuya stiffened her lips at his words. “Y-Yes sir, my Lord Hero~!” she said. “If that is your will, I will wait on you for everything I’m worth!” As she was speaking, she forgot to stop pouring the liquor. It spilled over the sides of the glass, getting all over the Golden-Haired Hero’s hand.

“Oh no!” she cried. “I’m so sorry for the mess!” Panicking, she wiped his hand dry with the hem of her skirt. Tsuya had been wearing a short skirt to begin with, and when she pulled it up to use as an impromptu towel she inadvertently gave the Hero a direct view of her undergarments.

“M-My Lord Hero?” she asked. “What’s the matter?” She had no idea that he was staring.

“N-Nothing,” he said, stealing another glance up her skirt. Oblivious, Tsuya continued to wipe clean his hand.

The Melancholy Princess

◇Castle Klyrode—Throne Room◇

The Princess sighed deeply. Just yesterday the castle had been wrecked by the Archmage of Midnight, Damalynas the Apricot, and the repairs were not proceeding as fast as they should. It’s not surprising, she thought, sighing again. After all, half of our mages and witches still have yet to recover...

Damalynas had destroyed nearly half of the castle’s territory, and the princess considered it urgent to repair the castle before the Dark Army came to attack again. However, the Purification spell they had used to repel the Dark One previously had cost them most of their magic users skilled enough to move large building materials with sorcery. More than half of the spellcasters in the castle were still recovering from magic exhaustion. Her father, King Klyrode, was among them. Therefore the Princess, as the next in line for the throne, was appointed reagent and took command of Klyrode’s forces. At the present moment, she was sitting on the throne, massaging her temples.

“Your Highness.” The knight Boralis stepped into the throne room, clad in armor. Boralis was the commander of the all-female company of knights that served as the Princess’s personal guards. She had just returned from her inspection of the city and the nearby strongholds.

“Boralis,” said the Princess. “How fares the city?”

“Thankfully, the people are not panicking as much as we feared. The situation in the strongholds, however, is dire.”

“The fortresses?”

“Yes, Your Highness. It seems the news that the Archmage of Midnight had destroyed the castle shook our soldiers. There were many deserters, especially from the Northern Stronghold, which is closest to the Dark Army.”

The Princess took to her feet with no hesitation. “Let us go at once to the Northern Stronghold. I must tell them that the Archmage of Midnight is no longer a threat. Perhaps that will quell their worries.”

“Th-There is no need for you to go yourself, Your Highness,” said Boralis, looking up at her Princess with concern. “You need only order me, and I will see that they receive your message. The Northern Stronghold is very close to the Dark Citadel... I would not wish to expose you to such danger.”

“But the danger is why I must go myself,” the Princess answered. “Those soldiers must be on constant guard against the Dark Army. How can I hope to raise their morale if I do not speak to them, show my sympathy, and give words of encouragement?”

She walked briskly towards the door as she continued. “I shall change into more appropriate clothes. Boralis, assemble your knights and await me at the castle gates.”

“Yes, Your Highness.” Boralis bowed her head and swiftly exited the room. The Princess watched her go out of the corner of her eye as she went to her own chambers.

◇The Princess’s Chambers◇

For the daughter of a king, the Princess’s chambers were surprisingly small and cozy. If you hadn’t known that they belonged to royalty, you would be forgiven for assuming that they belonged to a high-ranking mage or someone similar. They were divided into two rooms: one for receiving guests, and the other serving as both bedroom and closet. The Princess was certainly entitled to grander chambers, but she chose to live here willingly.

“We are under attack by the Dark Army,” she reasoned. “This is not the time for personal indulgence.”

The Princess frowned and crossed her arms as she regarded the outfits hanging on the walls of her room. None of these are really suited for paying an official visit, she thought. I need something more...“majestic,” or “dignified.” Most of the space was taken up by outfits she had worn during her time in school, with only a few token formal dresses for entertaining guests or participating in banquets.

The Princess weighed the matter in her head. “No,” she said aloud as she reached out to grab a simple traveler’s outfit. “My clothes are not what matters. What my kingdom needs from me now is not frippery.” She put on the clothes and tied her long hair back in a ponytail.

The Princess was an attractive woman, but she preferred to go without ornamentation. She would refuse any invitation to a banquet or a dance, even from princes or noble heirs or children of emperors, always saying, “Not in these uncertain times, with the Dark Army at our gates...” She was nearly thirty, but still unmarried. She had never even taken a lover.

“Not that it bothers me,” she muttered to herself as she applied makeup, staring at her face reflected in the large mirror. “It doesn’t matter if I never marry, as long as my kingdom...as long as my people are safe.”

Later, the Princess met Boralis and her knights at the gate and left for the Northern Stronghold under their protection. The soldiers were truly moved by the unexpected royal visit. “I can’t believe it...the Princess herself...” said one.

“We never saw the king when he was in charge,” said another. “What a blessing...”

The Princess smiled, and one by one took each of the soldiers’ hands in her own. “It is thanks to you that Klyrode is at peace,” she said. “I am truly, truly grateful.” By the time she left, the gloomy atmosphere in the fortress was entirely dispelled.

◇The Princess’s Chambers—That Night◇

The knight Boralis delivered her report, wrapping up matters as the Princess listened with a soft smile. “Finally,” said Boralis. “It would seem your visit to the Northern Stronghold had the desired effect. Morale has greatly improved, and we’ve even received reports that some of the deserters have returned to their posts.”

“I see. I’m so glad...”

“It’s all because of Your Highness’s decisive action. You were correct to visit yourself.” Boralis bowed deeply.

“They have a very difficult job, those soldiers,” said the Princess. “All I did was speak to them.” She reached out and held Boralis’s hand. “Your job is difficult as well,” she said. “I’m very sorry for all of the hardships you have suffered in my name.”

Tears welled up in the corners of the knight’s eyes. “You... You are too kind...to say such things...”

“I am only saying what I feel,” the Princess said. “If I didn’t have you by my side, I could never do things like paying visits to strongholds.”

It took all of Boralis’s willpower to stop herself from crying.

◇◇◇

Boralis left the room, and the Princess collapsed onto her bed. I’m so tired...

She sighed and turned her head to look at her desk—while she had been out visiting the Northern Stronghold, it had amassed a truly daunting pile of paperwork. “But no matter how tired I am...I need to look those papers over before tomorrow...”

She sighed again as she forced herself out of bed and trudged forwards. “Oh, when shall my prince come for me...?”

A Girl’s Best Friend

Some time after the destruction of Damalynas the Archmage of Midnight, Blossom gradually roused herself in her dimly lit room one morning.

“Mmf...” she mumbled while yawning. “Guess it’s time to wake up...”

Stark naked, she pulled herself out of bed. Blossom didn’t have many worldly possessions. Her room gave no indication that it belonged to a young lady. There was neither a hand mirror nor a single case of makeup.

“Another big day today,” she said, retrieving the clothes she had casually tossed onto her chair.

She moved slowly through the hallway, careful not to wake the others, and went down the stairs. Sybe, in its unicorn rabbit form, was sleeping in its hutch in the living room. When Blossom reached the foot of the stairs, Sybe started awake and began snuffling, its ears perking up. It bounded over to her on two legs, as was its habit from when it had been a psychobear.

“Good morning, Sybe,” said Blossom, grinning at the sight. “Hope today finds you well.” Sybe followed her out of the house, but Blossom stopped short as she stepped outside.

“What, again?” she said. Near the house was the charred-black corpse of a psychobear.

Flio had cast a magic barrier around the house to stop any wild beasts from getting in and had placed a lightning trap to keep them from trying fruitlessly to destroy the barrier. When Sybe noticed the dead psychobear outside, it transformed back into its original form. It then took the cart from the side of the house, dragged it over to the corpse, and loaded it on.

“I’ll go on ahead, Sybe,” said Blossom. She started to walk in the direction of the garden.

Sybe responded with a “Gwaor!” and began pulling the cart back to the side of the house.

“All right,” said Blossom as she retrieved the hoe from her magic bag and began to cultivate the field. “Let’s do this!”

Although she had served the Magical Kingdom of Klyrode as a heavy knight, Blossom was originally from a farming family. She just so happened to be quite a bit better at farming than soldiering. She cried out as she brought the hoe down, sinking its blade into the earth, and pulled it back up with all her strength.

“This really is a good hoe that Lord Flio made,” she said, smiling as she examined the tool. “It makes working a big garden like this feel like nothing!”

At a glance it looked like an ordinary hoe, but in fact the blade was made not of steel but dragon scale. It was one of the custom items Flio had made from the scales he’d retrieved from the dragons the Dark One had sent to attack him. Dragon scale was an incredibly expensive material, prized for its hardness. Armor made of dragon scale was some of the best in the world. Blossom was the only human alive who had farming tools made of such a valuable material, but Flio showed no sign of realizing the absurdity of the situation.

Blossom was humming a tune as she worked when Sybe came over from the direction of the house, pulling another cart. This one was full of baskets.

“Well, if it isn’t Sybe!” Blossom struck the hoe into the ground and left it standing upright as she walked over to her companion. “Sybe, leave the cart there and grab one of those baskets.”

“Gworf!” Together, Blossom and Sybe went to the lush plot of vegetables to the side of the field she had been working in.

“Right, listen up,” said Blossom. “I want you to pull up anything that’s gone yellow near the root. If they’re still green, that means they aren’t ready yet, so don’t pull those ones.”

“Gwuf!” Sybe cried, again, and nodded its head. Sybe bent its large body down, pulling the leaves aside to check the roots of the plants. One of them was yellow near the root, so Sybe gripped it in its powerful paws and pulled it out in a single go. All along the roots were a great number of large round tubers.

“Pretty big, aren’t they?” said Blossom. “Those are potalpoes! There’s probably still some left in the ground, so let’s see if we can dig any more up.”

“Gwowor!” Sybe nodded again and pulled the tubers off of the potalpo root, tossing them into the basket. The two of them dug around in the area where the root had been, until they had properly harvested all of the potalpoes.

“We got another big harvest, Sybe!”

“Gwor!”

Blossom and Sybe both smiled as they looked at all of the full baskets. Sybe cried out happily. After a while, Blossom turned to look in the direction of the mountains. “It’s about time for Lady Rys to start making breakfast. Do you wanna go bring our fresh-picked veggies back to the house?”

She began to walk, and Sybe followed after her, making cute cries and pulling the cart. The cart was full of heavy baskets now, but Sybe pulled it along as if it were as light as a feather.

One one side was a former knight of Castle Klyrode, and on the other, a psychobear—a beast that struck fear into the hearts of men. They hurried along towards the house, enjoying each other’s company.

◇Flio’s House—Living Room◇

Sybe, still in its psychobear form, napped next to its hutch. It had eaten to its heart’s content, and was now on its back, snoring peacefully. Blossom lay facedown on Sybe’s stomach, sleeping just as deeply as the psychobear. Every now and then she would mutter something in her sleep.

Rys gave the two a wry look. “Goodness. It’s well into the morning, you know.”

“Let them sleep,” said Flio. “They were up early working in the garden.”

Rys looked satisfied by Flio’s words. “I suppose you’re right,” she said.

“Sybe...” murmured Blossom between her snores. “Look, a big potalpo...” As she spoke, she rubbed her cheek against Sybe’s fluffy belly.

Sybe held Blossom gently in its arms. “Gwoor...”

Flio and Rys fondly watched them sleep.

Yes, Miss Belano!

◇Houghtow College of Magic◇

“Now, let’s try putting those principles into practice!” Oryou, a teacher at the Houghtow College of Magic, finished writing on the blackboard and led the students of her offensive magic course out of the classroom. Oryou was from the Land of the Rising Sun, far to the east, and wore what she called a “kimono,” an item of clothing unique to her homeland. Her hair was done up with an ornament she called a “kanzashi,” exposing the nape of her elegant and feminine neck.

Among the line of students that followed her out of the room was Belano. Belano had once been a witch working for the Magical Kingdom of Klyrode and had set out with the Golden-Haired Hero to fight the Dark Army, but through a number of twists and terms she had ended up leaving the kingdom’s employ, and now attended the College of Magic as a private individual while living at Flio’s house. Belano could hardly use any offensive magic and had been studying as hard as she could to change that, and also to not disappoint Flio after he had paid her tuition. (You can read more about this in the main story.)

Belano clenched her right hand tight as she followed after Oryou. On her fingers were a number of rings given to her by Flio. These rings were set with magic gems and were meant to supplement her magic points. In addition to her inability to use offensive magic, Belano was born with an unusually low level of magic points. She would suffer from magic exhaustion after using only a few defensive or recovery spells. Moreover, she had a bad habit of vomiting and fainting when this happened as well. Each one of the rings Flio had given her held a hundred times the magic points in her body.

If only I had as much magic as one of these rings, she thought, sighing as Oryou led them into another classroom. No... Even one-tenth as much as one would be enough.

The room they had entered was used for practical magic exercises. It was enchanted so that within the boundaries of the room, students could practice their spells to their heart’s content without inflicting damage.

“Shall we get started?” said Oryou.

Belano nodded her head with surprising force.

“Oh, you seem eager, Belano! Why don’t you go first, then?” Oryou pointed at Belano as she spoke.

“Hwah?!” Belano gasped, looking very small as she stepped out from the crowd of students.

“Listen up, Belano,” said Oryou, pointing her to a part of the room where a number of wooden posts were stuck in the ground at regular intervals. “Today, you will be practicing the spell Firelance. Aim it at one of those posts.”

Belano took a deep breath as she fixed her vision on a post. She held out her right hand, and began to chant.

“...Firelance.” A small ball of fire appeared above her head. It floated silently, looking more like a will-o-wisp than a lance. “...Go!” she said, glancing at the ball.

At her words, the will-o’-wisp floated listlessly through the air and struck the post with a weak “plop.” It then broke into four parts and vanished.

Belano could hear the other students talking behind her back as they watched her performance.

“Was that a Firelance?” questioned one.

“Was it?” came another. “That didn’t look right at all...”

“Is that really the best she can do?”

But Belano smiled, a satisfied look on her face. “I did it...” she said. “I finally managed to hit the target...”

Oryou’s shoulders slumped. That’s right... she thought, forcing herself to smile as Belano celebrated her small victory. She never has managed to hit the target before, has she...? “Now! Next, Shion!”

“Yes, ma’am!” Shion, a male student, moved up from behind Belano. He also took a deep breath and began to chant. If I can follow up that shoddy spell with a good one, it might earn me some points with the teacher. He licked his lips and held up his right arm as five proper Firelances appeared above his head, right on queue.

The students began to stir at the display.

“Wow, Shion! The most I can do is three!”

“Big ones too...”

Shion grinned in triumph. “Now, go!” He swung his arm downwards while aiming at the posts, and the lances began to move. But they didn’t go straight. They streaked off wildly in every direction, flying this way and that.

“Oh, no...” said Shion, dismayed that his attempt to show off had gone so badly. “What do I do?” He began chanting again, but it was no use. The Firelances were completely out of his control.

“Well, this is a mess!” Oryou clicked her tongue in frustration and held both her arms up. She tried to strike the lances out of the air with the spell Shatter, but they were moving far too fast and randomly for her to hit. Suddenly, two of them changed their course in midair, heading straight for the students.

“No!” She chanted as fast as she could, but the Firelances were faster. Before her eyes, they rained down on her class.

Claaang!

Oryou was stunned into silence by the noise. No student could handle a Firelance coming at them with some force...or so she had thought. But a giant magic shield had appeared and stopped the Firelances, which dispersed harmlessly. Behind the shield stood Belano.

“B-Belano...Was that your shield?” Oryou couldn’t believe what she was seeing.

Belano blushed, just a little. “W-Well,” she said. “I’m a defensive...a defensive magic specialist...” She scratched nervously at her cheek.

◇Flio’s House◇

Flio was there to greet Belano when she got home from school. “Welcome home, Belano!”

But Belano looked somehow dazed as she walked into the house. Something seemed off about her, and Flio was worried.

“What’s wrong?” Flio asked. “Did something happen at school?”

“Um...” Belano bit her lower lip. “Well, something, I guess...” she said. “They asked me if I could teach defensive magic at the college...”

“What?! Hold on, Belano. Aren’t you going there to study?”

“Y-Yes,” she said. “Yes, I am...”

Flio and Belano stared at each other, both at a loss.