Chapter 1: The Lay of the Land

◇Somewhere in a Forest◇

Without any warning, a magic portal appeared deep in the woods. As it stabilized, a man and a woman took form.

Rys stepped onto the ground, and looked out towards a village she could see on the other side of the forest. “Is that it, my lord husband?”

“No mistaking it,” said Flio. “That’s the place.” He made sure the circle closed properly behind him and set off running for the village.

“Wait, my love!” Rys cried. “If we go in looking like this, they’ll figure out who we are!”

“Oh! That’s right!” Flio stopped in his tracks at Rys’s words and began to cast a spell on himself, materializing a blue-furred wolf mask over his head. He reached up and adjusted it slightly to make sure that it was in order and then looked back towards his wife. “Does this look good, Rys?” he asked.

“Yes, perfect!”

“Right, then let’s hurry!” Once more, Flio ran off.

“Yes!” called Rys, running alongside him. Her white dress sparkled before vanishing. Now naked, her human form shifted until she became a silver-furred lupine demon. Together they left the forest, running all out for the village—Flio wearing a blue wolf mask, and Rys, a silver lupine.

◇The Village◇

“Wha— What’s that?!”

“The Dark Army?!”

Screams sounded throughout the village as the people ran in confusion. A force of goblins was bearing down on them—about thirty of the small monsters. Behind them were two ogres, swinging enormous metal clubs as they advanced. They seemed to be the ones in charge.

“Why is an army like this attacking our village?”

This village was nothing more than a small town within the borders of the Magical Kingdom of Klyrode. As it had very little in the way of strategic value, during the whole course of the long war with the Dark Army it had never come under attack. The few soldiers stationed there were not intended to fight against an army, but to drive away wild Magic Beasts that might attack the village.

The captain drew his sword. “All soldiers, retreat!” he ordered. They had no chance of winning, he figured, but if they could make it to the neighboring village, where a much larger force was stationed... “Protect the citizens and withdraw to the next village!” He himself prepared to take the rear.

“Eeeek!” Before the captain’s eyes, a girl fleeing for her life tripped over a stone and fell to the ground.

“Watch out!” He rushed towards the girl as the goblins attacked her.

She held her head, her body stiff. “Nooo!” She shut her eyes tight, but no matter how long she waited, the goblins never so much as touched her. Thinking it strange that she hadn’t been harmed, she opened her eyes. She looked up to find a man followed by a silver wolf: Flio and Rys.

“Hmm?” said a goblin. “And who might you be?” The goblins leered at the two newcomers. They had appeared so suddenly, and the goblins were angry to be robbed of their sport.

Flio, his face and identity concealed by his blue wolf mask, faced the goblins and slowly raised his arms. “If you leave quietly, we will allow you to go in peace,” he said. “However, harm any one of these villagers and we will show you no mercy.”

“A joke!” said a goblin. “Do not make us laugh!”

“I believe this man has said something quite foolish, yes,” said the first one again. The goblins all snickered at Flio’s bravado.

From behind Flio, Rys growled in anger. “Such lowly creatures dare to belittle my husband?!” She bared her fangs, her fur bristling fiercely.

“Hmm?” said the second goblin. “No... Why would a lupine demon be here?!”

“A demon, siding with the likes of a human?” said the first as he and his fellows backed up in dismay at Rys’s wrathful aura, realizing at last just what she was. Even among demons, lupines were known as a particularly fearsome species.

The two ogres stepped out from behind the line of goblins. “What are you lot all scared of?”

“There’s no reason to be afraid of a spineless lupine who let a human domesticate her!”

“Yeah! We’ll crush ’em in a single blow!” They charged towards Flio and Rys, swinging their clubs and laughing uproariously.

“I will show you the difference between us, scum,” said Rys, lowering her weight onto her hind legs to launch herself at the ogres. But Flio held his right hand before her muzzle, stopping her. “My lord?”

“There’s no need, Rys,” he said. “I’ll take care of them.” He extended his left arm towards the ogres.

“Ooh, what’s this? A wimpy human thinks he can take on an ogre?” said one of them in a mocking tone.

“Gah ha ha!” the other laughed. “How reckless can you get?!”

Suddenly, the ogres felt an immense force pressing down on them. The pressure was too much even to speak. They fought back for everything they were worth, but in seconds they had collapsed to the ground, unable to move a muscle. It was like they had been transfixed to the earth with a great spear.

The goblins were in dismay at the sight. “B-Boss?!”

“Hey, what’s happening?! Hey!”

With the ogres immobilized, Flio turned to face the goblins. “I will say it again,” he said. “If you leave quietly, we will allow you to go in peace. However, harm any one of these villagers and we will show you no mercy.” The goblins swallowed, frozen stiff by fear. They stood facing Flio.

“Aaaaaaaaaaaaaah!” A single goblin broke ranks and ran off towards the forest at full tilt, terrified. At that, the spell seemed to be broken. The rest of the goblins fled as one after their companion as the villagers shouted in fervent joy.

“Run awaaaay!”

“Someone... Someone heeeelp!

After he was certain the goblins had left, Flio released his Gravitation spell. The ogres, however, lay where they had fallen, not even twitching. Flio smacked himself in the head.

“My lord? Is something wrong?” asked Rys.

“No... Not really. I think I put too much power behind my spell. It looks like I broke their bones.” He scratched the back of his head behind the wolf mask he was wearing as he walked up to the ogres. “I just barely avoided killing them...” He put one hand on each of their heads and began to heal them.

“Well,” said Rys, unable to stop herself from chuckling softly, “I suppose even you can make mistakes.”

Flio tilted his head to the side, embarrassed. “When they called you ‘spineless’ and ‘domesticated,’ I got a bit...you know.” His mouth, visible beneath his mask, was screwed up in an awkward expression.

Rys drew close and nuzzled against him. “My love, you did that for me?” She closed her eyes, rubbing her fluffy, reddening cheeks against Flio’s body.

◇Afterwards◇

The two ogres, their multiple broken bones healed by Flio’s magic, bowed again and again before Flio and Rys. “You spared our lives...even healed us...”

“We’re sorry. We’re in your debt.”

Still wearing his mask, Flio waved his hand. “As long as you stop troubling humans, nothing more needs to be said. But don’t think I’ll spare you again.”

“M-Mmm... We, um...”

“We understand!” Still bowing over and over, the ogres returned to the forest.

A look that seemed somehow dissatisfied came over Rys’s lupine muzzle as she watched the ogres go. “My lord husband,” she said, “was that wise? If they’re ordered to, they’re sure to attack humans again.”

“If it happens, we’ll drive them off again,” said Flio.

“But if you finished them off, there would be no need to worry...”

“That’s true,” said Flio. “But it might also be the cause of another grudge between humans and demons. I really do believe that our peoples can come to understand one another.” He gave Rys a pointed look. “Just like you and I have.”

Rys curled up against Flio’s feet, rubbing affectionately. “I understand, my love,” she said. “If that is your goal, I will do everything I can to help.” Flio gently pet her fur.

“Excuse me?” The villagers, who had been preparing to evacuate in the back of the village, timidly approached Flio from behind. A middle-aged man stepped forward and bowed his head. “Th-Thank you so much for saving our village.” Behind him, the crowd of villagers bowed as well.

Flio shook his hand, lightly dismissing their thanks. “There’s no need to bow,” he said. “I just did what anyone would.” The villagers looked relieved at those words.

But after a while, Flio could hear a whispered conversation in the back of the assembled villagers. Thanks to his magically enhanced hearing, he could clearly make out the words. “Hey, how come that man’s hiding his face with a mask?”

“Is he a demon? Is that why he’s hiding his identity?”

“What if he’s working with the ogres?”

Flio grimaced sardonically. I just wanted to hide my identity to prevent anyone from coming to bother me... “Worry not,” he said, holding out his right arm to the side in a grand gesture. “The Princess herself requested that I protect you from the Dark Army.” The people began to cheer.

A man who seemed to be the captain of the guard approached Flio. “We are very fortunate that Her Highness sent you,” he said and bowed deeply. “I must thank you again for your aid. We are truly grateful.”

“There’s really no need. As I said, this was a request from the Princess. If you want to thank someone, thank her.” Flio returned the guard captain’s bow, lowering his head slightly, and then headed back to the forest, Rys by his side.

As they left, they could hear the voices of grateful villagers shouting after them. “Thank you!”

“We won’t forget this!”

As he watched them leave, the captain of the guard muttered under his breath. “The Wolf of Justice, in the flesh...”

◇Houghtow City—Flio’s House◇

Flio and Rys used Teleportation and appeared back at their front door. Flio released his magic and took off the mask while Rys, beside him, transformed into her human form, still stark naked. Her body shone, and suddenly she was again wearing her white dress.

“The Dark Army has been rather quiet of late, hasn’t it?” Rys mused.

Flio nodded. “I’d like it if both humans and demons stopped fighting and tried working together.”

“That’s going to be rather difficult, isn’t it?” said Rys. “Humans and demons have been at war for many, many years...”

“True. It’s gonna be hard. But still...” Flio pulled Rys in close, wrapping his arms around her shoulders and smiling at her. “We did it, didn’t we? We’re living proof that it isn’t impossible, or so I want to believe.”

“That... That’s true, I suppose...” Rys seemed deep in thought, conflict written on her face. After a while she knit her eyebrows, just slightly. “By the way, my lord,” she said. “Did you really have to turn down a reward for the Princess’s request? Even she thought you should be compensated fairly for your help, yet you refused. Isn’t that a bit too soft of you?”

Flio smiled bashfully. “Oh,” he said, “the Dark Army hasn’t been very active lately, you know? I figured that between the two of us it wouldn’t take too much work to drive them off.”

“And what about you letting the attackers go? If the Dark One orders them to, they’re sure to just attack again.”

“I have faith that not all of them will, though,” Flio said. “Demons are living beings with emotions. If the demons we spare give it some thought, maybe some of them will question whether they should really be at war with the humans. If I kill the attacking demons, it would only make them hate humans more. Nothing will change if I do that. Things will just keep on going the way they have been.” He gave Rys a gentle smile. “I want our children to live in a world where they can play happily alongside both human and demon children.”

Those words made Rys’s face turn red. She cast her eyes down in embarrassment. “Y-Yes, you’re right,” she said. “Our children...” For a while she stayed like that, and then she turned her face up to look at her husband. “It’s funny... What you’re saying is absurd, but...” Her next words were said with a smile. “If anyone can do it, it would be you, my lord. I might not be as strong as you, but I will help in any way I can.”

Rys closed her eyes gently, and Flio leaned in to kiss her softly on the lips.

◇Meanwhile, Inside◇

Inside the house, Balirossa, Blossom, Byleri, and Belano saw that Flio and Rys had returned and began to head outside to welcome them home. Balirossa spoke up. “Did you hear what Lord Flio said?” she asked. The other three nodded vigorously.

“That’s Lord Flio for you,” said Blossom, bobbing her head up and down. She clearly admired him. “He thinks big.”

“Is there anything we can do?” asked Byleri, nodding along as Blossom spoke. “I, like, wanna help him?”

Belano was also nodding alongside her friends. “Me too,” she said.

Balirossa glanced around at her three partners and nodded, satisfied. “Yes,” she said. “We are imposing on his hospitality, after all. We are still weak compared to them, but there must be some way we can assist Lord Flio and Lady Rys.”

Balirossa the knight, Blossom the heavy soldier, Byleri the archer, and Belano the witch. Once, these four served as knights of Klyrode Castle. Flio had once saved them from Magic Beasts in the forest. One thing led to another, and they eventually left the castle to lodge at Flio’s house.

“Well, I’ll try and make our garden even bigger so those two will have lots of tasty vegetables to eat!” Blossom confidently struck her fist to her chest. Blossom was from a farming family, and had used that experience to tend to the large garden behind Flio’s house. She had been gradually expanding the growing area.

“Um? Then, I’ll do my best with the horses!” Byleri flexed her slender arms. Despite her best efforts, she looked for all the world like a stiff breeze could break her in half. Byleri had a real talent for dealing with horses and had built a pasture alongside Blossom’s garden. Flio and Rys would sometimes bring her relatively gentle horse-type beasts they captured for her to raise. Sometimes she would lend them to traveling merchants.

Belano screwed her face up in determination. “I’ll do my best with my magic...” Belano had been attending the College of Magic in Houghtow City in an attempt to improve her weak attack magic at least a little. However, when the college learned of her talent with defensive magic they offered her a faculty position as a defensive magic instructor.

Balirossa surveyed the three and smiled, nodding her head. Balirossa was the unofficial leader of the group. She had been training her sword skills under Flio, and spent her days hunting and training in the nearby forest, which was home to relatively weak Magic Beasts. When she was home, she devoted herself to keeping the floors sparkling clean. “Well then,” she said, holding her chest high, “I shall—”

“Hey,” Blossom interrupted, “why don’t you try and seduce the Dark One Gholl?”

“Excuse me?!” Balirossa’s eyes went wide. She had never expected to hear words like that from Blossom.

“Um, yeah!” said Byleri. “The Dark One’s, like, totally into you?” She touched her index finger to her cheek and nodded. Next to her, Belano nodded emphatically.

As for Balirossa, she went bright red, a look of dismay on her face. “D-D-Don’t be ridiculous!” she cried. “Wh-Wh-Why should I have to do something like that?! And you’re wrong! Yes, he used to disguise himself as a human and come visit when we lived in the old place, but he wasn’t coming to see me, he was coming to visit Lord Flio!”

“But Balirossa,” said Blossom, “He’d always leave right quick when you weren’t around.”

“Yeah, didn’t he?” said Byleri. “Like, he’s so easy to read?”

Belano said nothing. She just quietly nodded in agreement.

Balirossa was on the verge of panic as the three surrounded her, endlessly chattering away. Then, behind them, Hiya appeared. Hiya, the djinn who commands the origin of light and darkness, had once been dealt a crushing defeat by Flio. Ever since, they had taken to referring to him as the “Exalted One” and called themself his servant. As always, it was hard to tell if their narrow eyes were open or closed. They tilted their head, giving the others a dubious look. “What are you doing loitering here?” they said. “The Exalted One and his wife have returned. Is it not an act of impiety not to welcome them home?”

“Oh!” shouted Balirossa, rushing to open the door. “Yes, you’re right!” However, no sooner had she opened the door than she shut it tight again, turning her back to it and pressing against it.

“Hey, hey, what’s up, Balirossa?” Blossom stopped in her tracks, looking at Balirossa with an expression of surprise.

Balirossa was embarrassed and blushing when she answered. “O-Oh,” she said. She did her best to string words together, but they came out as an incoherent mess. “It’s j-just...Lord Flio and Lady Rys are... They’re in the middle of...of...stuff.”

Everyone felt like they understood the gist of it from Balirossa’s disposition. They smirked. “Lord Flio and Lady Rys are so lovey-dovey, right?” said Byleri. “Like, I wanna have a marriage like that someday, y’know?” She folded her arms and looked languidly up at the ceiling.

The others looked at Byleri, and everyone burst out into laughter at once.

◇The Living Room◇

A unicorn rabbit—Sybe—sprung out from the big cot to the side of the living room, alerted by the sound of voices from the entryway. It snuffled cutely and sniffed around, taking in the scents of the area. When it caught Flio’s and Rys’s scents, it made a joyful squeaking snuffle and dashed excitedly for the door. As it went, the rabbit’s body transformed, taking the form of an enormous psychobear.

Sybe was a psychobear originally, but lately had been spending most of its time in its unicorn rabbit form. It had the ability to change between its forms at will, but had a habit of accidentally turning back into a psychobear when it got excited. Sybe, enthusiastic to welcome Flio home, rushed for the door. However, between it and the door was Balirossa’s party. They were gathered around, waiting for a good time to go outside, blocking Sybe’s way. Undaunted, Sybe began to push them aside with its giant body. The four began to cry out.

“Aaah!” shouted Balirossa. “Sybe! Don’t push me!”

“Wha—” Blossom was in disarray. “That hurts, Sybe!”

“Oh, oh no!” said Byleri. “Um, help?”

Belano said nothing. She had been dazed.

Hiya, who had quickly teleported out of Sybe’s way, smirked at them. “My,” they said, “such consternation.” Balirossa held out her arm, attempting to beg for Hiya’s help, but couldn’t get a word out due to Sybe’s body crushing her. “Oh, very well,” Hiya said. “I suppose I shall lend you my aid.” They walked towards the psychobear.

◇Outside the Front Door◇

“Do you hear that?” said Flio, pulling away from his wife. “Something’s happening inside.”

“It must be Sybe coming to greet us...” murmured Rys, still lost in the afterglow of their kiss. Flio hugged her close and began to walk up to the door.

Suddenly the door burst open and a jubilant Sybe came flying out. Flio spread his arms wide. “We’re home, Sybe!” he said as he cast the spell Empower on his body.

“Grwooo!” Sybe rushed him, but Flio caught the bear in his arms, easily stopping it in its tracks.

Flio beamed. “There’s a good bear,” he said, petting Sybe’s head. “Have you been behaving yourself?”

A psychobear at full charge can produce an unbelievable amount of force. Even a high-level magic user couldn’t pull off Flio’s stunt. Even if they were to cast Empower on themselves, the psychobear would still send them flying. Flio’s absurdly powerful magic, however, let him take the full force of Sybe’s jubilant rush with no trouble at all. There were hardly any magic users in the realm who could cast such a powerful Empower spell. Naturally, Flio had no idea just how extraordinary this was.

Sybe licked Flio’s grinning face as he kept on petting.

Balirossa’s party stumbled out of the door. Thanks to Hiya, they had narrowly avoided their “grizzly” fate of becoming a knight sandwich.

“L-Lord Flio...” Balirossa stammered. “Welcome... Welcome home...”

“Good job...out there...today,” Blossom managed. “Haaah...”

“Ah ha ha,” Byleri giggled. “Like, welcome home? Ohhh, my eyes are spinning...”

Belano said nothing. She looked like she was about to throw up.

The four were staggering aimlessly in a sorry state. “Is that how you present yourselves before the Exalted One?” Hiya emerged from the door behind them, sighing deeply as they looked over Balirossa’s group. “Do it properly.”

Flio smiled at everyone who had come to greet him. “I’m home!” he said. “It’s good to see you all.”

◇Klyrode Castle—Throne Room◇

The Princess sat on her throne.

Not long ago, her father—the King—had assembled every witch and mage in the castle to combine their magic to drive off the Dark Army with the ne plus ultra of holy magic: Purification. He, too, added his power to the spell. As a result, he had succumbed to Magic Exhaustion and fell into a deep sleep. Under the legal code of Klyrode, until the King awakened, the Princess was to serve as regent.

Her ministers and the captains of her knights were lined up along the throne room. One of her spies had come with information on the affairs of the different regions of her kingdom. “My report: Since withdrawing their attacking force from the castle, the Dark Army has stationed units at strategic locations and made no further moves. Our army and our allies among the neighboring kingdoms have gone to confront them, but in every case our armies are stuck in deadlock, only staring down the enemy. In short, we are in a stalemate.”

The Princess breathed a sigh of relief. It sounded like there was no grand clash of the armies on the horizon. “I believe our soldiers on the front lines must be psychologically exhausted by now,” she said. “Forcing them to hold the line as we have been must have an effect on morale. I propose we rotate our soldiers every fortnight. We should allow half of our stationed forces to return home and replace them with fresh soldiers from the castle. By doing so, we would allow them to rest and recover their spirits.”

One of the knight captains stepped forward. “Your Highness,” he said, “would this not require us to mobilize every guard stationed in the castle? What of our defenses?”

The Princess looked back at her captain and nodded sharply. “That is no matter,” she said. “Leave some guards to defend the castle and mobilize the rest. It is my judgment that our highest priority right now should be maintaining the morale of our soldiers on the front lines, not defending the castle.”

The captain nodded. The Princess’s words had a certain commanding awe to them, which he could only respect. “I see that you are not speaking lightly, Your Highness,” he said. “We, your knights, shall work with the guard to implement your plan posthaste. We will restructure the castle’s defenses to use only a small number of elite soldiers.”

“Knight Captain Valkas,” said the Princess, “thank you.” Valkas struck his fist to his chest in a salute, and the Princess turned her attention back to the spy. “Tell me,” she said, “what of the small raids the Dark Army has been conducting in the distant provinces?”

“Yes, Your Highness,” he reported. “The Dark Army has been sending small bands of guerrilla fighters to make these attacks. Every day there are more incidents.”

“I see...” The Princess’s expression darkened at the news. The Dark Army had begun these attacks at around the same time as their armies had fallen into the current deadlock. Over and over again, they would strike at targets with no strategic value: towns or villages or settlements far from the castle. She could discern no clear strategy behind them. The Princess would have liked to deploy knights and guards to defend every region of the kingdom, but with most of their forces deployed to the front, there simply wasn’t enough manpower.

“However,” the spy said, pausing before continuing his report. “I was unable to confirm this information, but we have heard many stories in many different regions of the Dark Army being driven off by a mysterious adventurer.”

Knight Captain Valkas spoke up. “A mysterious adventurer?” he asked. “What do you mean by that?”

The spy nodded as he leafed through his report. “Yes, according to this, he is a man wearing a blue wolf mask and is accompanied by a silver wolf. It seems he appears to drive off the Dark Army and then vanishes from the area.”

“Just like that?” asked Valkas. “He doesn’t ask for money or anything?”

“Correct,” said the spy. “So it seems. It’s been reported that this man claims to have been asked by the Princess to protect the people, and that their gratitude should be paid instead to Her Highness.”

The Princess raised her head at those words. “A masked adventurer...and a wolf...” There’s no doubt about it! That must be Lord Flio. He’s started to move, like I asked him to! When the raids had started to become a frequent occurrence, the Princess had been wrought with worry. In her desperation, she had sent Flio a letter, telling him frankly of her situation—that most of her army was tied up fending off the Dark One’s main force, while the Dark Army took advantage of the lack of soldiers to launch small raids against which they found themselves unable to defend. She had asked him for any help he would see fit to offer. She had even promised him a reward for his assistance.

The letter she received in reply read: “I’ll do it. Never mind the reward.”

He declined a reward, she thought, but I really must find some way to pay him back... “Yes,” she said, finally. “That would indeed be the adventurer I hired.”

Cheers rang out throughout the throne room. “Oh, you had someone like that in your employ?”

“Well, what do you know! Her Highness has been taking care of things behind the scenes!”

“Yes, she always knows what to do.”

Finally, the Princess managed to get some words in edgewise. “Send word to our armies in every region of our kingdom: if they should see this man, render him what aid you are able!”

“Yes, Your Highness!” cried everyone at once, bowing in supplication.

The Princess glanced around the throne room before turning her attention once more to the spy. “Soldier,” she said, “is there any news of the Golden-Haired Hero, who escaped custody with one of the castle’s treasures?”

“No, Your Highness. Wanted posters have been sent to the guards everywhere in the Kingdom, but there has been no news yet...”

“We must capture the Golden-Haired Hero and retrieve his title,” said the Princess. “Then, we will be free to give the title of ‘Hero’ to whom it rightly belongs.” The title “Hero” could only be held by one person at a time. As long as someone with that title existed in the world, a new Hero could not be named. Therefore, they would have to strip it from him with the spell De-appellation. “Send out such a directive.”

“Yes, Your Highness,” said the spy, bowing deeply. “It shall be done.”

We must retrieve that title, the Princess thought, clenching her fist tight. And then, we can give it to Lord Flio...to whom it rightly belongs.

◇ ◇ ◇

The Princess’s words of the adventurer in a blue wolf mask and his silver wolf were spread far and wide in no time at all. The people living under the shadow of the Dark Army welcomed the rumors with jubilation. Eventually the townsfolk and soldiers alike began to call him by a certain name, a name that reflected their deep reverence for the adventurer in the wolf mask.

Their protector—the Wolf of Justice.

◇Deep in a Forest◇

A group of soldiers rushed through the forest. “Did you find them?!”

“No, they’re not there either!”

The soldiers held chains, enchanted to bind almost anyone. They looked for all the world like they were searching for someone.

“Are you certain our targets are in the area?”

“Yes, sir. Marcobia the woodcutter claims to have seen a man and woman resembling the two on the wanted posters walking in this forest...”

“We have no reason to doubt his words. Right, let’s widen the scope of our hunt!”

“Yes, sir!”

The soldiers rushed deeper into the woods.

◇Some Time Later◇

Near where the soldiers had gathered a second ago, there was a tree. Near its roots, a rag someone had thrown away carelessly moved slowly to the side, revealing a hole. A man’s head poked out and very carefully looked around the area. “Okay,” he said. “I think they’re gone.” Certain that there was no danger nearby, he crawled quickly out of the hole and onto the ground. “Come out, Tsuya, now’s our chance! Let’s run in the direction those guards came from!”

“H-Hold on, my Lord Hero Gold-Haaair!” came a voice. “My... My butt...” A woman wearing a very provocative outfit underneath her cloak tried to follow the man—Hero Gold-Hair—out of the hole, but her butt was stuck in the entrance. She couldn’t get out.

“Hey!” said Hero Gold-Hair. “What are you doing?! We have to hurry before the guards come back!” He clicked his tongue in annoyance and walked back, taking Tsuya firmly by the hand.

“Ooohhh,” she said, tears running down her cheeks as Hero Gold-Hair helped her out of the hole. “I’m sooo embarrassed!” Tsuya’s eyes turned to the large shovel the Hero had tied to his belt. “But that Drilldozer Shovel is amazing, isn’t it, Hero Gold-Haaair?”

“Indeed!” he said, looking at his shovel as he kept pulling. “Well, it was one of those treasures locked away in the castle sanctuary, after all! It’s hard to believe I dug that hole in just a single second...”

◇ ◇ ◇

Hero Gold-Hair and Tsuya had been moving through the forest. The area was completely surrounded by guards searching for them. Hero Gold-Hair had taken the Drilldozer Shovel out of his Bottomless Bag and dug a hole to hide in by an inconspicuous tree.

“You dug suuuch a big hole in the blink of an eye!” said Tsuya. “And I thought things were looking hopeless...”

“Silly girl,” he retorted. “Hero Gold-Hair is not going to be caught by the likes of them! Don’t be so quick to give up!”

“O-Oh, I’m sooorry!”

Hero Gold-Hair grunted as he redoubled his efforts to pull Tsuya out from the hole. “You’re really stuck in there...” he said. “Come on...come...out!”

“My Lord Hero Gold-Haaair! It’s working! It’s—ah?” Tsuya could feel a strange sensation of something sliding down her lower body just as she was on the verge of being pulled free from the hole. “Wait, My Lord!” she cried. “Something’s sliding down my legs!”

“Shut up!” he hissed. Tsuya had raised her voice without thinking. “Do you want the soldiers to find us?!”

But it was too late. Soldiers were coming in their direction, drawn by Tsuya’s voice. “Was this where that voice came from?”

“Yes, sir, I believe so!”

“Look!” said Hero Gold-Hair. “They’re going to catch us at this rate! I’m going to have to pull you out in one go!”

“Whaaa? This is important! Can’t you wait a second?!”

“I can’t! Now or never!” He pulled hard, and Tsuya’s undergarments slid off her body and into the hole, never to be seen again.

“Oh, oh nooo!” she said. “I liked those! Can we go down and—”

“Idiot! There’s no time! We have to go!”

“O-Oh...”

Hero Gold-Hair pulled Tsuya along and vanished into the forest.

◇Some Time Later◇

The soldiers happened upon a suspicious hole by the trunk of a tree and looked inside to investigate. One soldier went in, while the others stood at its entrance.

“Well? Did you find anything?”

“It looks like this fell in, but that’s it,” said the soldier in the hole, holding up a piece of cloth.

“What’s that? A handkerchief?”

“It... It looks like a woman’s undergarments, sir.”

“That tiny thing? Seems like hardly enough cloth to be underwear.”

“I wonder if it’s a mask...”

“A mask? You think someone wore that on their face?”

“Well, you know. Haven’t you heard about the famous masked adventurer?”

“That thing looks like a string!”

“Maybe you should try wearing it.”

“Me? No way!”

The soldiers stood around passing Tsuya’s abandoned undergarments between them, looking it over and proposing many different theories as to its provenance and use.

◇The Dark Citadel—Throne Room◇

Gholl the Dark One was on his throne, his eyes shut. Before him, Uliminas the Hellcat, his confederate, knelt and bowed her head. “You still do not know where Flio and his company went?” Gholl’s voice was quiet.

Uliminas lowered her head still further. “I apologize most purrfusely,” she said. “My spies, the Silent Listeners, are searching the whole kingdom of Klyrode, but there’s just meowthing...” She could feel nervous sweat running down her forehead. It had been months since the Dark One had given the order to search for the whereabouts of Flio, who had vanished suddenly along with his companions. True to her word, Uliminas had sent all thirty of the elite Silent Listeners to search the Magical Kingdom of Klyrode, but they still had found no information concerning Flio.

It’s purrculiar... she thought, casting her eyes down in front of the Dark One, fighting back a cold sweat. The only place my spies can’t get in is Klyrode Castle, thanks to that magic wall... How come they can’t get any information at meowll?

There was, of course, a reason for this: the barrier Flio had erected around Houghtow City, where his house was. This barrier was not a physical obstacle—rather, any demon who tried to cross would find themselves turned in another direction, without any awareness of what had happened. Ordinarily, such a barrier would attract the attention of the Silent Listeners. However, the barrier Flio used was also hidden with high-level concealment magics that enabled it to evade the notice of even that elite force. The Silent Listeners never managed to conduct an investigation of Houghtow.

Gholl kept his silence after Uliminas gave her report and continued to kneel. To her, that time felt like an eternity.

“Well,” he said at last, “I suppose if you can’t find him, then that’s that.”

“Y-Y-Yes my liege!” Uliminas responded, a little too loudly, and bowed her head even deeper.

Gholl opened his eyes and glanced at her. “We must find a way to influence Flio as soon as possible.”

“I...understand,” Uliminas hesitated.

“Hm? What is it, Uliminas? Speak your mind.”

“W-With all respect, Dark Meown,” she said, “I know that human is powerful, but is it worth pawsing our invasion just to look for him? The Silent Listeners say that Klyrode Castle still doesn’t have enough mages left to use Purrification, their meowst powerful holy magic. If we take this oppurrtunity to attack again, it’ll be like taking candy from a baby. No matter how strong that man Flio is, he can’t stop a full invasion...”

“Have you forgotten? That man is capable of casting Purification entirely by himself!”

“That... That’s still unconfirmed...”

“Hrm. Then, all the more reason to investigate him.” Gholl slowly rose from his throne. “As long as such a threat exists, I will not allow my army to move unprepared. First, find Flio. Then, I will invite him to the Dark Citadel. While he is enjoying our hospitality, I will ask him to join our army. If I can achieve this, I care not what methods you use.”

“Y-Yes, Dark Meown!” Uliminas once more bowed her head.

◇ ◇ ◇

Gholl sighed quietly as he sat back down on his throne. Uliminas had left, and now he was alone in the throne room. “It’s true, Flio is important...” he muttered, and looked up at the ceiling. “Oh Balirossa... My lovely human knight. Where could you be? Are you keeping well?”

He sighed again, more deeply.

◇Meanwhile, at the Houghtow City Adventurers’ Association◇

“Hwah?!” Balirossa’s voice came out in an erratic burst, startling Mimew, the cat girl working the reception desk at the Adventurers’ Association.

“Balirossa?” asked Mimew. “What’s wrong?”

“No! No, nothing’s wrong,” she said. “Nothing at all!”

“Are you sure? Well...I suppose it’s none of my business. Wait here, I’ll collect your reward.”

“O-Okay, thank you...” Balirossa watched as Mimew disappeared into the backroom, hugging herself tight.

“What was that chill just now...?” she muttered, trembling. “My whole body felt cold. It’s like the Dark One himself was staring at me...”

◇In a Corridor of the Dark Citadel◇

Uliminas kneaded her forehead as she walked down the hallway, away from the throne room. “Lord Gholl can say that,” she muttered to herself, “but there are demons calling him a wimp for obsessing over that man...even trying to go attack on their meown...”

Above the corridor, in a gap between the gargoyles, a figure was looking down at Uliminas. They hid in the shadow of a statue, watching as she passed. Uliminas, absorbed in her thoughts as she walked, took no notice of her observer. She turned right at the end of the corridor, out of sight, and the figure vanished.