Chapter 4: The Two Checkpoints

 

 

 

Chapter 4: The Two Checkpoints

 

THE closer to the Demon Lord’s castle they got, the higher the monster encounter rate rose, delaying their progress.

Seb whipped out his sword, slashing them into pieces.

Hatta busted out a whip, making quick work of nearby enemies.

Haigha cast healing magic.

Alice observed.

Seb unleashed fire magic upon the enemy.

Hatta rained down arrows on the enemy backline.

Haigha cast protection magic.

Alice observed some more. And some more. And a little bit mo—

“Do something, will ya?!” Hatta cried.

“Do you mind? I’m trying to pick out dinner,” Alice sniped.

“Where’d this weird infatuation with eating monsters even come from? Didn’t you get to eat the finest meals money can buy back at the castle?”

“I’m sick of that stuff! Being served virtually the same exact meals day in and day out gets awfully repetitive. I want something fresh! Something exciting! Don’t you ever dream of being the first to stumble across the best gosh-darn meal you’ve ever tasted in your entire life? Eating monsters is absurd; completely unheard of! All that unknown taste and nobody’s willing to brave it, right at our fingertips.”

Alice gave the onion monster a hungry stare, causing it to shiver. Haigha quickly hid it from her.

“Planning to fatten him up just a little more, I see.”

Asleep or not, she’s not the least bit useful. Hatta could feel his soul leaving his body as he heaved his heaviest sigh yet.

With Seb at the helm, they were able to make good progress regardless.

Next thing they knew, they had reached the Ridge of Illusions.

“The fog’s set in so thick, you can barely see what’s in front of you.”

“I can’t seem to sense any monsters around. What do you think, Haigha?”

“The fog’s being produced by some sort of monster, I think. Let me try using the spellbook first.”

Following the book’s instructions, Haigha activated the ancient magic, and tiny beads of light gently embraced them.

“Alice, look!”

“The fog lifted?”

The thick veil of fog had completely dissipated.

“‘Lifted’ is not quite the word I’d use to describe a fog that was never really there to begin with. Whether or not it’s an illusion being produced by some sort of monster, as Haigha pointed out, remains to be seen. But we should keep our guard up regardless,” Seb remarked.

They proceeded with great caution, carefully surveying their surroundings as they went. There were no monsters in sight, but the sheer number of precipices had Hatta and Haigha on edge.

“Had we gone in blind, we would’ve been careening down the edge of a cliff by now,” Hatta observed. “Ain’t that a scary thought? On the flip side, it’s a fairly relaxing ride, if you come in prepared. No monsters, nothing.”

“The Deedledeedum is right up ahead, Hatta,” Haigha said.

“You mean the item shop Jack mentioned earlier? Alice, we gotta drop by!”

“Sure, why not. We needed a break anyway.”

They pushed the antiquated door open, revealing two pudgy men engaged in a game of chess.

“Hmm? Oh, hello! And welcome to the Deedledeedum. I’m Deedledee,” said one of the men.

“And I’m Deedledum,” said the other one. “Not that our names really mean much. Have a look at our wares. Take all the time you need.”

The shelves were jam-packed with rare items.

“All of these items are rare. Heck, even the weapons are pretty rare!” Hatta’s eyes lit up. “But they’re way pricier than market value. Mind bringing the price down a notch, Deedledee?”

“No can do.”

“Oh, come on!”

“Before the fog settled, our foot traffic was amazing, and we priced our goods appropriately, but, as you can see, things have changed. We don’t get even a fraction of our previous traffic anymore, so marking up our goods way higher than they’re worth is the only way we can keep our business afloat. Besides, we need to save up some money so we can finally move out of this godforsaken place.”

“Oh, I see.” As a fellow item shop owner, Hatta understood the struggle all too well and chose not to push any further.

“If you have some good food on you and wouldn’t mind sharing, we’ll give you a slight discount,” Deedledum interjected.

“Didn’t we talk about this?”

“Just this once, please, Deedledee.”

“All right, fine. But just this once.”

“Here, have this.” Alice, set off by the words “good food,” held out a plate.

“A sandwich? Don’t mind if I—bleurgh! What’d you put in this?”

“Mushroom monster.” Deedledum rushed out of the store, clasping his hand over his mouth. “Seems like the seasoning didn’t land quite right again.”

“I suppose we could go for a simple salt and pepper combo next time. Also, slowly simmering it to really let the flavor soak in might be better than cooking it with the hottest fire,” Seb suggested.

It appeared they’d tried many different ways of preparing monster meat.

“So, how about that discount, Deedledum?”

“WHAT DISCOUNT?!”

Deedledum’s scream echoed across the entire ridge.

Hatta and Deedledee enjoyed some lighthearted banter while the rest of the group headed outside to grab dinner.

Seb’s exquisite cooking graced the freshly set-up folding table. His already amazing cooking skills appeared to be improving by the day.

“I almost puked myself to death.” Deedledum came back, pale as a ghost. “What’re you having? It looks good.”

“Want some?”

“There better not be any monster in there.” He hesitantly took a small bite. “It’s delicious. Mind if I join?” Deedledum took a seat and dug right in.

“Some monster’s behind the fake fog, correct? We could hunt it down for you, in exchange for some of your wares.”

“Incorrect. See that flower over on the cliff right there?” Deedledum pointed to a beautiful bright-red flower, gently swaying in the wind. “That’s what’s causing the fake fog.”

“A flower?”

“It’s a special kind of flower, known as Dream Drop. It yields all sorts of powders. We’ve lived here well before it ever got there, so we know this place like the back of our hands, meaning we can have the powder all to ourselves. Deedledee says he wants to move shop, but personally, I’m rather fond of our current quiet, peaceful lifestyle,” he said, taking a small jar out of his breast pocket.

“What you see inside is a powder that’ll put virtually any monster, even the stronger ones, to sleep. Just sprinkle it in the wind, and boom! Lights out, just like that. Take it, as thanks for the lovely meal; just don’t tell Deedledee. Also, it’s only good for one use, so be careful.”

Alice took the jar.

“Got my hands on a few rare goodies,” Hatta exclaimed, marching out of the store. “We’ll be back soon, Deedledee, Deedledum.”

“There’s a town by the sea up ahead. Get some rest there.”

“Will do.”

The two kind men saw the party off as they disappeared beyond the horizon. They arrived at the seaside town just before dark.

They passed out the second they got to their rooms. The journey proved to be so physically exhausting, even Seb, who never let his guard down, was sleeping like a baby.

The night passed, and they were all still asleep, except for Alice, who, having gotten plenty of quality shuteye in the coach, woke up to the morning sun shining through the window.

“Get up,” she said to Haigha, sleeping right next to her with the onion monster.

“I don’t wanna…”

“You don’t want to go for a nice morning stroll across the beach with me?”

“Did you say ‘beach?’ I changed my mind.”

They got dressed and headed for the beach.

“Think we should’ve taken the boys with us?” Alice asked, walking along the coastline, the sea breeze gently brushing against their bodies.

“I went to their room, and it looked like they were still out cold. Thought I’d let them get the sleep they deserve. Also, don’t you want to take off your heels, Alice? I imagine they’re not very comfortable to walk around in…”

“Where there’s a will, there’s a way. Look, I didn’t even get any sand on them.”

How?! If it wasn’t weird enough that Alice could stroll around the beach in high heels without batting an eye, the fact that they somehow remained spotless certainly was.

Haigha tried asking how any of this was possible, but all she got in response was some gibberish about how any real princess could do as much, so she chose to change the subject.

“Alice, what do you think’s beyond the horizon?”

“I don’t know about no horizon. But what I do know is that there are plenty of fish in this here sea just waiting to be caught.”

“Hungry again?”

“Aren’t you?” Alice gave the onion monster—resting on Haigha’s shoulder—a hungry stare. “We haven’t had a bite to eat since last night.”

Sensing a threat to its life, the onion monster began shivering.

“No! Leave Onion Boy alone!”

“Still fattening him up, I see.”

“H-How about we go grab breakfast somewhere, okay?”

“Fine by me.”

As they turned their backs, the sea erupted in a giant column of water.

“We finally meet, Alice.”

They turned around and saw…a talking walrus.

“Why doesn’t he bark? Walruses bark, right?”

“Seals bark; walruses growl.”

“Now it all adds up.”

What adds up? Haigha thought. What is there to add up?

“That’s nice. Off we go, then?”

“I thought you’d never ask.”

“H-Hold on a second!” They reluctantly stopped. “I’m Walrus, the Demon Lord of the North’s servant.”

“We noticed.”

“I mean, you look just like one.”

“I-I do?”

“Where does being a regular servant place him rank-wise? Somewhere below the middle?”

“Alice, that’s not a very nice thing to say.”

“Why I oughta—” They continued to talk amongst themselves, ignoring him completely. “That’s it, you asked for it!”

Walrus growled, bursting with anger. Multiple fish monsters jumped onto the coast and…flopped around fiercely.

“G-Guys? Guys?!”

“They can’t move on land. ’Tis a shame.”

“They breathe through their gills? Even though they’re monsters?”

Should we just turn around and leave? the girls thought. But the performance on display was so pathetic, they couldn’t move.

“Look at what you did to my boys! You’ll pay for this!” The Walrus got even angrier.

“He’s not an actual walrus, right? Just a monster that looks like one?”

“I think so.”

“So…it’s okay if we dispose of him?”

“Well, he is the one picking a fight with us, or at least trying to.”

“You two girlies dispose of me?” Walrus burst out laughing. “Without your guy pals to protect you, my sharp tusks will pierce right through y—”

Alice picked up a small stone and tossed it at Walrus, beaching him.

“N-Nice throw, but now it’s my turn,” Walrus growled again, flopping around pathetically, just like his fellow fish monster brethren.

“What now, huh?”

This time, a swarm of crab monsters appeared.

“My dream of becoming the Demon Lord’s direct servant, finally in claw’s reach. Sic ’em, boys!”

The crab monsters launched themselves towards Alice and Haigha, only to get blown away by a massive explosion.

“Homemade explosives, crafted by yours truly,” smirked Alice. “Pretty neat, huh?”

Walrus growled in excruciating pain as he got struck by a big old bolt of lightning.

“Sorry to keep you waiting, my lady.”

Seb and Hatta positioned themselves in front of Alice and Haigha.

“Perfect timing. Hatta, clear the trash; Haigha, agility buff; Seb…you know what to do.”

“Gotcha.”

“On it.”

“As you wish.”

And so, the epic battle kicked off.

Hatta bombarded the enemies with his mini-explosives.

Haigha cast agility buff.

Seb started a fire and put a pot full of water over it, bringing it to a boil.

Alice handed Seb a plate.

Hatta thrashed around with his whip, knocking the enemies back into the ocean.

Haigha cast yet another agility buff.

Seb filleted the fish monsters, setting them on a plate while the crab monsters simmered.

Alice prepared a selection of spices.

Hatta mopped up the remaining trash with his boomerang.

Haigha cast healing magic.

Seb took out the crab monsters and set them beside the fish monsters.

Alice marveled at the finished product.

“Wh-What are you doing back there?!”

“Pipe down. There’s plenty to go around for everyone. Here.” Alice tossed a piece of Seb’s latest masterpiece inside Walrus’s mouth.

“Bleurgh!” Walrus frantically rolled around, trying to get the god-awful taste out of his mouth. “Wh-What did you do to—” He passed out mid-sentence.

“Did you add poison?”

“I believe my cooking was just that putrid, my lady.”

“It’s not your cooking; it’s the ingredients you’re working with.”

The battle was over, and they stood victorious, even though Hatta and Haigha were technically the only ones who did any real fighting.

“What were those things anyways?”

“Beats me. They just came out of the blue and started attacking us.”

“That answers everything. Well, whatever, let’s just go grab breakfast.”

“You’re in luck, old buddy, old pal, because I’ve got just the—”

“Anything that has a monster in it is an instant no from me.”

Seb and Haigha also weren’t in the mood for seafood, so Alice just dumped the remains beside Walrus.

“Off we go then.”

They found a nice place to eat at and ordered breakfast.

“How much longer ’til we get to the Demon Lord’s castle, Seb?”

“Around two days, give or take. If everything goes according to plan, that is.”

“‘If?’” Alice stopped eating. “You’re telling me we’re still not in the clear?”

“There are a total of two checkpoints in the Land of Mythical Creatures meant to prevent monster invasions that we’ll have to cross. One is run by the Lion Knight Order, and the other is run by the Unicorn Knight Order, the former of which might prove particularly troublesome. I’d recommended taking a detour,” Seb suggested.

“No detours. If they don’t let us through, we’re forcing our way through. Anything else I should know about?”

“There’s also a certain cave we’ll have to pass through if we want to reach the Demon Lord’s castle. Back in my day, it used to be just like any other cave but with an added dash of monster. Nowadays, it’s teeming with all sorts of powerful monsters, and the exit is guarded by the most powerful of the bunch, known as Humpty. Or so I heard.”

Hatta and Haigha went pale at the mere mention of the name.

“Something wrong, you two?”

“A fellow item shop owner once told me to stay the hell away from Humpty at all costs,” Hatta said.

“I’ve also heard some scary things about him. Apparently, he can wipe a party out without even lifting a finger,” Haigha added, shuddering.

“A super-strong monster sounds like fun. Anything else I should know, Seb?” Alice asked.

“The Demon Lord’s castle is right outside the cave, so no.”

Hatta and Haigha knew full well that Alice didn’t back down for anybody and accepted their fate wearily. And so, they were off to the Land of Mythical Creatures.

❤❤❤

ALTHOUGH the monster encounters got progressively tougher, the four managed to successfully reach the Land of Mythical Creatures.

“I suggest we take a short break.”

They treated themselves to a nice cup of tea out on a beautiful grass field.

“Tell us a bit more about these two checkpoints, Seb. All I can remember is that they’re run by some kind of knight orders?” Alice asked.

“That’d be the Lion Knight Order and the Unicorn Knight Order, with the former being the first one we’ll have to cross. I’ve crossed them myself once, actually.”

“Do you think they’ll let a bunch of travelers like us through?”

“Oh, they’ll let anyone through. But only if you prove yourself worthy.”

They tilted their heads in confusion.

“Put simply, we’ll have to open the gate ourselves. But, of course, there’s a catch. Due to its sheer size, the gate won’t budge an inch without applying a tremendous amount of force.”

“So…you’re saying we can’t get it open? Even with our combined strength, Seb?” Hatta asked.

“Even with our combined strength—unless you happen to have an item that conveniently buffs strength.”

“Sadly, I don’t. But I’m sure Haigha’s buffs’ll carry us…” Hatta glanced at his sister. “…through?”

“Can you see it, Hatta?” she said, staring off into the sky. “Onion Boy’s so frightened, he started shivering.”

“Seb…is that who I think it is?” Hatta followed her gaze until he stumbled upon a flock of winged beasts.

“It most certainly is. Get him down here, if you could.”

“No problemo.” Hatta fired his flare gun.

“Aliseb, long time no see.” Dodo came down to ground level.

“Do you know him, Alice?” Haigha asked, hiding behind the table.

“Oh right, you haven’t met before. Haigha, I’d like you to meet the perv who can clear a hundred meters in a whopping five seconds, otherwise known as Dodo.”

“Who you calling ‘perv?’ Besides, there’s nothing ‘whopping’ about my five-second record. You smashed it like it was nothing.”

“I did? Well, anyway, moving on. Dodo, I’d like you to meet our local bulging muscle enthusiast Haigha.”

“Local what enthusiast?!”

“You’re into muscles too? Hoo boy, have we got a looot to talk about. How about we start with biceps?”

“How about we don’t?! S-Stay away from me, you freak!”

Both Haigha and the onion monster seemed genuinely afraid.

“Suit yourself then.” He turned to Seb. “So, what do you want with me?”

“Off somewhere, I see?”

“Thought I’d pay my dragon buddy a visit. Just need to fly past that checkpoint.”

“Must be awfully convenient being able to just fly past any checkpoints, isn’t it?”

“Get to the point.”

“I’ve got a favor to ask.”

Seb asked Dodo to lend a hand, leaving out certain unnecessary details like the fact that they were out for the Demon Lord’s blood.

“Sure, I’m down. It’s been a while since I’ve gotten to put these bad boys to good use. Go ahead guys, I’ll catch up with you once I’m done helping out my main man Aliseb.”

Dodo hopped in the coach.

“Hatta, are you sure it’s a good idea to be bringing a monster to the checkpoint?” Haigha asked.

“I’m sure we’ll be just fine. He’s no different from your average overly-jacked middle-aged man, aside from, you know, the wings.”

“I didn’t think we’d ever stoop low enough to ask a monster for help.”

But, sure enough, they did. And so, the five set out for the Lion checkpoint.

❤❤❤

“AND these right here,” Dodo tapped on his shoulders, “these are my deltoids.”

“Please stoppppp. I can’t take it anymore!”

Dodo did nothing but teach Haigha about all the various muscle groups the whole ride. Hatta was fake-sleeping to escape the Dodo’s wrath. Meanwhile, Alice was, of course, catching some sweet, sweet shuteye.

After traversing the mountain roads for a while, they finally reached the coveted checkpoint.

“Freedom at last.” Haigha burst out of the cart, on the verge of a mental breakdown.

“And who might you be, girly?”

“N-No. No more muscles!” An order of burly knights surrounded Haigha. “Goodbye, cruel world…” she murmured and passed out.

Alice took her spot as they carried Haigha back to the coach.

“Which one of you is the commander?”

“You’re looking at him.” A man with a lion’s mane-shaped hairdo stepped forth.

“We wish to cross.”

“You do know that this path leads to the Demon Lord’s castle, right? What business could some pretty little princess like you have he—” He noticed Seb out of the corner of his eye. “Why, I’ll be…if it isn’t Seb.”

“Hello to you too, Lionel. Haven’t seen you around since our days in the Monster Hunting League.”

“Oh, I see. That kind of business. Did you get the king’s permission?”

“We’re in a bit of a hurry, shall we say,” Seb said, deflecting the question.

“You may pass. But don’t expect any help from me or my men.”

“That’ll do just fine. Thank you.”

The knights cleared the way, revealing a massive gate.

“Alice, this thing’s at least ten-meters tall,” Hatta said, staring at the gate. “How do you expect us to get it open?”

“Didn’t you say you crossed it once yourself, Seb?”

“I had obtained the king’s permission beforehand, so I had the Lion Knight Order backing me, and even then, we just barely managed to get it open. Twenty burly men had to all be pushing the gate simultaneously for it to even budge an inch.”

All they could do was sit and marvel at the gate’s majesty.

“Hahaha!” Lionel suddenly burst out laughing. “Run along now, kiddies. Come back when you have the king’s permission.”

“Wait ’til you see our secret weapon. You can come out now.”

Dodo hopped out of the coach, his ominous aura prompting the knights to shift into battle stance.

“Wh-Who the hell’s this?”

“He’s my uncle,” Alice said, not even flinching.

“Why are there wings sprouting from his back?!”

“Oh, those? Those are just props. He’s really into cosplay. Isn’t that right, Uncle?”

“Hi! I’m Alice’s uncle, and I’m really into cosplay. Today, I’ve dressed up as an…angel,” Dodo asserted, also unflinchingly.

The way he just stood there, arms crossed menacingly, brought more to mind a demon than an angel. Hatta, meanwhile, was dying from laughter.

“I-Is he really just your uncle who’s really into cosplay?”

“Did I stutter?” Alice looked him right in the eye.

“O-Okay, sorry.”

It seemed to have worked, surprisingly enough.

“Aliseb, you want me to rip open this gate right here?”

“If you’d be so kind.”

“This won’t take long.” Channeling all of his energy into a single point, Dodo managed to make it budge.

The knights started cheering, as this was the first time anyone had ever made it move all by themselves.

“Hatta,” Alice whispered, not amazed in the slightest.

“Yeah?”

“You know how physical exertion makes humans prone to laughing for seemingly no reason?”

“Actually, now that you mention, yeah. Like when you’re lifting a heavy object and then burst out laughing at something not even that funny.”

“Think the same goes for monsters?”

“Only one way to find out.” Hatta walked up to Dodo, face flushed, pushing the gate open with all his might, and pulled a silly face.

“Pfft!” The tension in his muscles dropped. “Hey, what gives?!”

“That’s his way of showing support.”

“I thought I’d cheer you on a little, you know? Like any good kid would.”

“Oh, my bad.”

What’s even going on anymore? Lionel thought, having completely lost the plot. I’ll just ask Seb. Oh…never mind then.

Seb was busy having tea in the back without a single care in the world.

“You can do it, Uncle! One last push!”

“You got it.” He resumed the intense gate pushing. “Nrrrgh!”

And finally, it opened just wide enough for a coach to squeeze through.

“How do you like our secret weapon?”

“I-I didn’t think it was even possible to open that thing alone. What kind of a monster is he?”

“He’s no monster! He’s my uncle, silly!”

“I see…”

The Lion Knight Order would go on to pass down the legend of Alice’s uncle for many generations to come.

“Come with us, Uncle. We’ll drop you off at your friend’s place.”

“Don’t mind if I do.”

And so, they set off once more.

“Hmm?” Haigha opened her eyes. “I think there’s something wrong with my pillo—”

“Rise and shine, sleepyhead.”

“Eh?” The first thing Haigha felt was Dodo’s lap against the back of her head. “Goodbye, cruel world!” She passed out again.

❤❤❤

THE four dropped Dodo off and started heading north. Without any monsters to delay their travel, they managed to arrive at the Unicorn Checkpoint faster than expected.

“Is that really you, Seb?”

“Long time, no see, Uni.”

This time they were greeted by a group of well-kempt young men.

“I’m guessing you’re on a pretty serious mission to come all the way out here?”

“Something like that. I hope you’ll let us cross even without the king’s permission.”

“Well—”

“Well, what?” Alice interjected.

“We’d be more than happy to let you through Seb, but I should warn you that a certain monster—or rather, monsters—have been posing a threat to our checkpoint lately.”

“Monsters?”

“They try to sneak their way past by manipulating us with their foul illusions. They’re likely lurking somewhere nearby as we speak.”

All eyes were on Haigha.

“What am I supposed to do about it?” she sputtered.

“Does the Poem of Jabberwocky ring any bells?” Alice asked.

“That spellbook drains way too much energy for me to cast a protect spell on all of you,” Haigha retaliated.

“Who said anything about protecting? Just dispel whenever needed, and you’ll be fine.” Alice turned to Uni. “If we capture these illusive monsters alive, will you let us cross in peace?”

“Of course. But are you sure you can handle it, miss? If we’re being unreasonable, just let us know.”

“I think I’ll manage just fine,” Haigha smiled. “Thank you.”

She seemed genuinely pleased by the fact that someone was finally treating her like a normal human being.

Having come to an agreement, they went straight into teatime and patiently waited for the monsters to reveal themselves.

“Huh, when did these get here?”

Two large potatoes had appeared right next to Haigha, seemingly out of nowhere.

“That’s them! Move!” Uni yelled as the potato monsters shot out their sprouts, giving Haigha no time to react as they hit her.

“Ahaha! Hahaha!”

“Haigha?! Snap out of it!”

“Hahaha! Eat this!” Haigha attacked Hatta, dealing zero damage. “And this!” Haigha attacked Hatta, again dealing zero damage.

Her offensive abilities were, to put it mildly, less than ideal.

“Ahaha! How about this!” Haigha cast Attack Damage buff. Onion Boy’s attack damage increased. “And this!” Haigha cast Attack Damage buff again. Onion Boy’s attack damage increased again. “And some of this!” Haigha cried, casting Attack Damage buff again. Onion Boy’s attack damage, in a shocking turn of events, increased again.

Onion Boy was shivering even harder than he usually did.

“Quit wasting your energy, Haigha!” Hatta cried. “Alice, Seb, I’ll hold her down. You take care of the monsters.”

“On it. Seb, fire up the pan.”

“Way ahead of you.”

“How many times must I tell you two to quit your shenanigans?!”

While they were mucking about, the monsters had made it to the gate, duping many of Uni’s men with their illusions along the way.

“Not so fast!” The monsters dodged Uni’s quicksword. “Are you okay?”

“We’re fine! But, I do have to say, those are some annoying monsters you’ve got on your hands.”

“Tell me about it. They always get away at the very last second. Even my quicksword is no use against those slippery little rascals.”

“We’ll figure something out. But first,” Alice pulled the mushroom monster sandwich from her bag, “allow me to bring Haigha back to her senses.”

“Ahaha! A—” She tossed a piece inside Haigha’s mouth. “Bleurgh!”

“Snapped out of it?”

Although Haigha appeared to have returned to normal, her energy reserves were running on empty.

“There goes that plan. Seb, think of something else.”

“Understood. Uni, I’d like to ask you a few questions, if you don’t mind. There’s only two of them, correct?”

“Correct.”

“Is it possible that they’re actually just messing around with you and have no real intention of sneaking past the gate?”

“Judging by the fact that they always head straight for the gate, I’m going to say no.”

“In that case, I’ll need you to procure a canvas big enough to cover the area around the gate.”

“A canvas? I suppose the one we use for our tents will do.”

Uni’s men laid out the canvas in front of the gate, just as Seb had ordered.

Is this going to stop it somehow? Or is he trying to catch it inside the canvas? Alice wondered.

“What you’ll want to do next is—”

“Oh, now I see. Very clever.”

Seb finished dishing out orders and then unwound to a nice cup of tea.

Soon after, Uni’s men removed the canvas. The ground beneath it looked the same as ever.

“All set.”

“Now all that’s left is to sit back and enjoy the show.”

Uni joined Seb. Shortly after, the potato monsters appeared again and, with no one to stop them, made a beeline for the gate, only to fall inside a trap hole.

“I certainly didn’t expect it to be this simple.”

“Once you know your enemy, it’s easy to plan accordingly.”

“I’ll try to keep that in mind.”

Meanwhile, Alice peeked down the trap hole. The two monsters laid at the bottom, unconscious.

<Alice got potato x2!> a thought bubble inside Alice’s head seemed to say.

“Those aren’t potatoes! Those are monsters, Alice. Now put them back!” Hatta ordered.

“You can have one too, jeez! Now quit shouting.”

“That’s not the issue!”

“So anyway,” Alice shifted her gaze to Uni, “mind doing the honors?”

“Right away.”

Once they got done filling in the hole, Uni and his men opened the gate.

“You’re off to the Demon Lord’s castle, aren’t you, Seb? Why else would you pass through here?”

“Caught red-handed.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll keep my mouth nice and shut. Also, a word of advice. On your way to the monster cave, you’ll come across a spring known as the Fountain of Life. It revitalizes anyone who drinks from its waters, or so I’ve heard. Try it, especially you, missy.”

“Who, me?” Haigha stared in confusion.

“You emanate powerful magical energy. But you abuse it so frequently, it doesn’t fully restore even after resting, does it?”

“I-I guess so, now that I think about it.”

“Go a little easy on yourself every now and then.” Uni smiled. “You deserve it.”

Lionel doesn’t compare to this man, not even close, the four all thought.

“Best of luck in your travels.” He turned around.

“One last thing,” Hatta called out to him. “Think you could spare me some gunpowder? I want to craft a new type of explosive that makes a lot of sound but doesn’t do any damage.”

“I’m not entirely sure why you’d want to do that…but yes, I think I could, but only a little.”

“It’ll do. Thanks.”

And so, having received the gunpowder, they set off north.

The ragtag party consisting of a princess, a butler, an item shop owner, and a whimsical mage were slowly but surely nearing the Demon Lord’s castle.

❤❤❤

MEANWHILE…

“What a lovely garden,” Jean mused, mesmerized by the variety of beautiful flowers on display.

“I’m glad you like it.”

“It’s even better than the one we have! Can we stay just a little longer, please?”

“If you say so,” the Demon Lord complied, unable to say no to Jean’s adorable smile.

Jean went all around the garden, the Demon Lord following closely behind.

“My very own flower fairy.”

“Sorry?”

“I didn’t say anything.”

Whew, that was close. I really should avoid using such girly language; it sets a bad example for my minions.

“Jean, we’re going.”

“One last thing, real quick.” Jean gathered a bunch of flowers and sat down

“Jean?”

“Just one moment and,” he put a wreath over the Demon Lord’s head, “there, perfect.”

What is this? The Demon Lord jogged his memory. Could it be a so-called engagement ring? The one typically gifted to the love of one’s life? At least according to my books…

“It really doesn’t suit you, now does it?” Jean giggled. “A gold crown, on the other hand—”

“No, I’m keeping it. The sentimental value matters more to me.”

“I, erm, I’m glad you like it.”

The silly misunderstandings just never ended with the Demon Lord.

“May we proceed with the tour?”

“Only if you catch me first!” Jean slipped through the Demon Lord’s fingers and gunned it, smiling playfully.

“Ha! Think you can outrun me?”

He circled around Jean, placing a hand on his shoulder from the front in a feat of unparalleled agility.

“Whoa?!” Jean quickly grabbed onto his clothes in an attempt to regain balance.

In a miraculous turn of events, they both ended up on the ground with Jean on the bottom and the Demon Lord on top, with both his arms on either side of Jean.

“Are you okay?”

“I-I’m o-okay. P-Please move.”

“Of course.”

Their faces were so close together, Jean felt like he was about to pass out.

“You’re acting strange. Did you…did you get hurt?!”

“I-I’m j-just f-f-fine,” Jean stuttered through his words, unable to produce fluent speech.

“How about we find you a nice bench to rest on?”

“Yeah.”

They sat down on a bench and gazed at the clouds gently billowing across the blue sky together.

“I think I’m getting a bit,” Jean closed his eyes, “…sleepy.” He nodded off, his head conveniently landing against the Demon Lord’s shoulder in the day’s second miraculous turn of events.

Jean’s sleeping face was so adorable, the Demon Lord couldn’t move a muscle. So he just patiently waited for Jean to get up, still as a statue.