Chapter 2: Furball Cat? No! I’m the Demon King Zag’giel!

Kanata made it back to the city in a flash. She bypassed the line of carts waiting for inspection at the gates, and she showed her uniform and school badge to the guard on duty. There was no need for any prolonged inspection for a student of the Lulualas Academy for Girls. All the guard needed to do was check her badge.

“Oh!” said the guard. “You’re the reckless schoolgirl who went out without any equipment, aren’t you?” He was supposed to let students pass, but if there was some kind of problem, that was different. The guard’s job was to look after the safety of the townsfolk. Of course he would stop the girl he had heard a report about.

“Excuse me!” said Kanata. “I’m in a bit of a hurry! Tell the other guards I made it back safely, please!”

“Hey, wait! What’s that ball of fur? Is that a magic—oh she’s fast!”

Kanata tore through the gate like a whirlwind, running full speed through the crowded streets. She zigged and zagged, artfully avoiding any collisions with the townsfolk. She ran so fast that the people she passed could only take her for a sudden breeze. She was faster than a horse—too fast for the eye to follow. The magic beast in her arms didn’t seem to cause her the slightest bit of trouble. To Kanata, who had trained her footwork to perfection, this pace was easy. Kanata ran like the wind to her destination: the dormitory attached to her school, where she lived in one of the rooms. Although she had graduated from the middle grades and declared her intention not to continue on to higher education, Kanata was still a student of the Lulualas Royal Academy for Girls and had a right to use the dormitory.

However, if she were to run into a teacher who knew she had become a Beast Tamer, she might be stopped again and waste valuable time. Kanata checked to make sure that nobody was in the area around the dormitory, and she started to look for an open window.

“This time of day, there should be some left open to let in fresh air. Oh! There’s one!”

There was an open window leading to a hallway on the fourth floor. Perfect. Kanata turned toward it and jumped. She sailed free of gravity’s bonds and alighted on the window. She stuck her arm through the frame and skillfully slid into the hallway, to come face-to-face with the dorm caretaker, who was in the middle of cleaning.

“A-Ah?” The caretaker froze, clutching her feather duster. “L-Lady K-Kanata Aldezia?! Where did you come from?! This is the fourth floor!”

“Oh, that was somewhat improper of me,” said Kanata. “How embarrassing!”

“It’s not a matter of impropriety—” the caretaker started, but Kanata cut her off.

“I’m afraid I’m in a bit of a hurry,” said Kanata, “so I must take my leave.” She bowed to the confused caretaker and retreated to her own room.

“Home at last.” Kanata leaned against the door and sighed. She brought the furball cat in her arms up to her face and gave it a solid look. The cat stared back with intelligent eyes.

“I’m sorry about that,” Kanata said. “Do you need rest?”

The furball cat looked like it still had its guard up, but it let Kanata handle it as she liked without fighting back or running away.

“Shall we have a bath before dinner?” Kanata asked.

Each room in this dormitory had its own bathroom with a bathtub. This hadn’t always been the case. They’d been installed as a boon to Kanata the first time she’d won the royal fencing tournament three years ago.

The king had asked her to name her desire. He had never heard anyone ask for a bath before, but Kanata, who had lived in Japan in her previous life, found the lack of baths intolerable. She had begged for a bath every day when she lived with her parents too. They found it very peculiar. There was a large communal bathhouse on the school campus, but students could only use it at certain times, not whenever they felt like it.

Kanata had enjoyed a great boost to her popularity with her dorm mates for getting them all private baths.

This set a precedent. Every time Kanata was summoned before the king to recognize one of her incredible feats, the dorm had ended up with another luxurious feature. The Lulualas Academy for Girls was one of the most prestigious schools for nobility in the Royal Capital, but a full half of its recent reputation was due to Kanata’s achievements.

“A bath with a fluffy critter... All of my dreams are finally coming true.” Kanata quickly undid her tie and stripped out of her uniform.

Even though she had just returned from a battle in the forest, Kanata’s body didn’t have a speck of dirt on it. She hadn’t even broken a sweat. There wasn’t any real need for her to get in the bath herself. A bucket of hot water would have been enough to clean the furball. But that didn’t matter. She was getting in the bath with the fluff. It was important.

But as soon as she took off her underwear, the furball, who had been quiet up until now, cried out in surprise.

“Miu! Miu!” It pushed itself up with its stubby back legs and flailed its stubby front legs as hard as it could.

“Aha ha!” Kanata laughed. “What are you doing, you goof?”

This was far too cute! Kanata had no idea what the furball cat was trying to communicate. She was simply overwhelmed by the cuteness. She clutched the cat to her chest without thinking.

“So, so, sooo cute!” she cried. “Who told you you’re allowed to be this cute?!”

“M-Miuuuu...” the furball cat cried weakly, sandwiched between her breasts.

“Oh no,” said Kanata. “Did I hurt you?”

Realizing that she had been standing around naked, Kanata hurried into the bathroom. She placed the furball cat on a stool by the tub, where it sank limply, and put her hair up with a cord. She turned the lever by the bath faucet, and a good volume of hot water began pouring out.

The building’s water boiler, which used magic gems as a heat source, had also been a boon from the king. They had cold water plumbing for flush toilets, too, and personal kitchens that students could use to prepare simple meals—all boons Kanata had earned from the king. The king had even paid for the magic gems and the cost of installing the pipes. Every time Kanata won some important tournament or other, she would use the victory to raise her standard of living.

“Let’s start by washing your body.” Kanata wet the furball cat and grabbed a bar of soap. She got an excellent lather going and set to scrubbing. The white soap bubbles quickly became black and watery from the cat’s filth.

“Wow,” Kanata said. “Now let’s rinse you off!”

She poured hot water on the cat, careful not to get any in its ears.

“Oh my gosh!” Grime of all sorts spread out in a pool around the cat—mud and blood and grass stains all mixed together.

“M-Miu miu,” the cat whined. It seemed embarrassed by its situation.

“It looks like I’m going to have to give you a thorough cleaning,” Kanata declared.

Overjoyed to have the opportunity to wash the fluff so many times, Kanata cheerfully started to lather up the soap again. She worked it into the furball’s body, waited for it to seep into its fur, and rinsed. After a few rounds of this, her fingers slid through its fur cleanly. She rubbed and cleaned it all over.

“Does it itch anywhere?” Kanata asked.

“M-Miuuuu,” the furball cat protested, but it let Kanata have her way.

“Ahhh! The fluff is so amazing when it’s all slippery!” Kanata cried.

The furball’s coat was lumpy and bunched together with soap. Kanata rinsed it clean with a good amount of hot water. It was still black, but the oily filth sticking to it was gone.

The tub was full by the time the furball was clean.

“Don’t worry. I’m going to get in slowly,” Kanata told the critter, holding it close to her chest as she stepped into the hot water.

“Ahhhh...”

“Miuuuuu...”

The girl and the critter both sighed contentedly as they sunk into the pleasantly hot water.

“So nice and comfy...” murmured Kanata.

“Miumiu...” agreed the furball cat. It draped itself over Kanata’s chest, gazing at her lovingly.

“Wow... You’ve melted!” Kanata marveled. “You look like mochi!”

Kanata was captivated by the adorable fluff ball, unable to look away. Her cheeks were flushed, and she was light-headed, but Kanata blamed that on the bath.

But no matter how long you stay in the tub, eventually you have to get out. After a while, they started to get too warm, so Kanata and the furball left the bath. Kanata got the towels and vigorously rubbed both of them dry. She ran a comb through the critter’s fur. Its fluff was soft and luxuriant. The furball cat was already round, but now that it was fully fluffed out it looked even more like a ball of fur. It almost looked like a comically plump cat. Kanata ran a hand over its lustrous fur. The sensation was worlds apart from how it had felt before it was clean.

“Wow, wow, wow!” Kanata said. “I can’t get enough of this sensation!” She had become a captive to the fluff. She would have pet it forever if she could.

“But, no, I shouldn’t. We need to get you fed! Are you hungry?”

“M-Miu!” The cat shook its head as if to say that it was quite all right and needed no further assistance. It seemed like it understood what she was saying. Some magic beasts were quite a bit more intelligent than animals. It had let Kanata bathe it, but it looked like it was still cautious about food.

“No?”

“Miu miu!” The furball cat faced away from her. I’ll be fine from here, it seemed to say. Its stomach, though, rang out with a loud and adorable grumble.

“See?” said Kanata. “You’re famished! Wait here!”

She wrapped a towel around her wet hair like a turban and, still dressed only in her bath towel, went to the kitchen. Kanata, who had studied hard to become a Beast Tamer, had encyclopedic knowledge of the diets of magic beasts. Unlike an animal, a healthy magic beast’s stomach could handle just about anything. Because they were aggressive and attacked humans, most people thought that they were carnivores. But this was wrong. Most magic beasts had an omnivorous diet. It was perfectly all right to feed them human food, or so she had read in her favorite book growing up, The Bestiary of Albert Molmo, Tamer of Legends (Complete Edition).

“We have milk and cheese,” she mused as she took stock of the kitchen. “Then how about this?”

She had decided what to make. She drizzled olive oil into the frying pan and cut an onion into thin strips to fry. She took uncooked rice and added it to the pan, frying it with the onion. The Royal Capital, where Kanata lived, was a center of commerce, and it wasn’t difficult to find ingredients from far to the east. Both rice and wheat were popular staple foods in the city.

While the rice and the onions were frying, Kanata set a kettle of water to boil. She added the hot water to the pan, and just as the plumpening rice grains had absorbed enough water to poke out from the surface, she added milk. She poured the milk in a little at a time to keep the temperature from dropping too quickly, making sure the milk’s subtle umami flavor was properly absorbed into the rice.

Drawn in by the sweet scent of milk that was filling the room, the furball cat wandered up to Kanata’s feet and started waving its tail in excitement.

“Al dente!” Kanata declared.

Satisfied that the rice grains had reached their perfect level of firmness, Kanata turned off the heat and seasoned the dish with salt and pepper. Quickly, before it could cool, she grabbed the cheese and grated it into the rice, stirring it in until the mixture became nice and gooey. And finally, she plated it.

“A Kanata Special,” she said. “Milk and Cheese Risotto!”

Kanata brought the risotto to the table and picked up the furball cat, who was now wandering in idle circles around her feet.

“It’s hot,” she said, “so I’ll be sure to blow on each bite before I feed it to you!”

“M-Miu—!” The furball kicked and squirmed. It seemed like it was saying there was no way it would let her do something so humiliating! But its legs were so short and stubby that it couldn’t put up much effective resistance.

“Oh...” Kanata’s face fell, “you don’t want to eat my food after all? It’s good, though...”

In fact, Kanata’s cooking was considered the very best by the girls living in the dormitory. They would often have parties on holidays, where each girl would bring a dish she had made. Everyone would scramble for Kanata’s. Her dishes would always be gone in the blink of an eye.

The cat, too, sniffed at the delicious scent wafting up from the risotto, and it stopped struggling, resigned to its fate. Kanata scooped up a spoonful of risotto and puffed until it was no hotter than body temperature.

“Now open wiiide,” she said, and she brought the spoon up to the furball cat’s mouth.

The cat looked between Kanata and the spoon, and then, with conviction, it chomped down.

The next instant, the furball cat’s fur stood on end, like it had been shocked.

“Miuuuuuuuuuu?!” It cried out in joy as the unbelievably delicious taste of milk and cheese filled its senses.

To a creature that had up until now tasted nothing but grasses and bugs, it must have seemed like nothing short of the food of the gods. No longer willing to be fed by Kanata, it jumped onto the table and began to single-mindedly devour the risotto.

“Oh, well you handle hot food better than a normal cat!” said Kanata.

She propped her elbows up on the table, watching fondly as the furball cat grappled with the risotto. It licked up every last grain of rice and then burped with a cute little brap.

“Oh! You finished your whole plate!” said Kanata. “Good job!”

She pet the furball softly on its head. It was so round that it was hard to tell where the body ended and the head began, but it was probably safe to assume that the place where its ears sprouted from counted as the head.

“Well, what now? Do you want a nap now that you’re full? Ahh,” said Kanata, “napping with the fluff... What could be better...”

All of her dreams really were coming true, one after another. Her happiness was at an all-time high.

“No. Permit us to decline. We do not wish to sleep.”

“What?” Kanata said. It sounded like someone had said something.

There wasn’t anyone there, however, except for the black furball cat.

“It seems that eating some decent food recovered enough of our power for us to project our thoughts.”

“Is that...you speaking?”

“It is indeed.” The furball cat puffed its chest—it was probably its chest—out with a “miu.”

“Child,” it continued, “you have done well to rescue us from our torment, heal our wounds, purify our body, and even prepare food for us. We commend your devotion.”

The critter spoke like some kind of king, Kanata thought. She’d had several audiences with the king of this land and had developed a good sense of how kings spoke.

“There are many things we must tell you, but first we must tell our rescuer our name.” The furball cat’s tail waved slowly. “We are Zag’giel, the King of Demons.”

† † †

Zag’giel, the King of Demons. That was what the furball cat had called himself when he’d suddenly spoken telepathically.

“Zag’giel...the King of Demons?” Kanata blinked.

Zag’giel gave a little “ha” of self-deprecating laughter. “At present, we suppose, we are the former King of Demons. In the distant past we were inflicted with a curse by the gods, and thus we have become this frail, pathetic magic beast. Let it not be said that we are amused.”

“Zag’giel, the...King of Demons?” Kanata said again.

“Indeed. Perhaps it was long ago,” he reflected, “but we were once the great enemy of humankind. We proclaimed ourself so, knowing full well that as a human, your duty is to slay us. Child, in the past centuries—no, perhaps since the day we were born, none have treated us as kindly as you. If your decision is to slay us, we will allow it.”

“Zag’giel, the King of Demons.”

“What has come over you?” said Zag’giel. “Why do you repeat our name?”

He regarded Kanata, who was muttering his name over and over again, with suspicion. Had she been paying attention or not?

“Zag’giel, the King of Demons...” she said. “I know! Zaggy!”

“Pardon us?”

Kanata, it seemed, had not been considering at all what she should do with the former Demon King, but rather was deep in thought trying to decide what to call him. The thought of slaying Zag’giel had never crossed her mind. She was entirely focused on how best to become friends.

“Nice to meet you, Zaggy!” she said.

“Wait, child, wait... We do not understand. What do you mean by ‘Zaggy’?”

“It’s a nickname!” exclaimed Kanata.

“A nick...name? We see... Some manner of human custom,” Zag’giel contemplated.

“I think it suits you!” said Kanata. “It’s super cute.”

Cute was a word that a man of Zag’giel’s dignity found hard to take as praise. Kanata saw a complicated expression cross his face, and the light in her eyes dimmed.

“Should I,” she reconsidered, “not call you that?”

“Ah. Well. Ahem. If it is how you wish to address us, then we will not complain. We are in your debt, after all. Call us what you will.” It wasn’t the most serious name for a former Demon King, but Zag’giel was of no mind to ruin this young girl’s good mood.

“Okay! Zaggy it is! And my name is Kanata Aldezia!”

“We see. Our savior’s name is Kanata.”

“Okay, Zaggy!”

“Kanata.”

“Zaggy~♪” she sang.

“Yes. Kanata.”

“Zaggy!” Kanata’s pupils seemed to go heart shaped.

“Yes. It seems we know each other’s name. Now—”

“Zaggy.” Kanata drew closer, breathing heavily.

“K-Kanata, there is more we wish to—”

“Zaggy!” She was right by his face now.

“Back up! Back up! You are too close to our face!”

“Ahhh, your tiny little round body feels so good!” Kanata marveled as she rubbed her cheeks happily against the furball.

Zag’giel pushed her off. “Calm yourself, Kanata! There is more to say!”

“Okaaay.”

For all that she appeared mature and composed to the outside world, Kanata was secretly rather childish. Zag’giel sighed like an exasperated parent.

“You brought us here not merely out of the goodness of your heart, but as a Beast Tamer with the intention of forming a contract. Is that not so?”

“It is,” said Kanata. “Sorry for my impure motives.”

“It is not a matter to be ashamed of. We are most grateful to you. It would give us great pleasure to be of service.”

“So, you’ll come with me?”

Zag’giel shook his head. “No... Alas, we fear we cannot.”

“Why not?” Kanata’s face crumpled as though she was on the verge of tears.

“We are in your debt, and we should like more than anything to repay it to you, but in our present form we have no power whatsoever. You are a Beast Tamer, are you not? A cast-off Demon King who has lost his power is unworthy of one so strong as you. If you seek companions, you had best look to magic beasts stronger than we.”

“But I don’t care about that at all!” Kanata shot to her feet. “I need you, Zaggy! I don’t care in the slightest if you’re weak or strong! Please, Zaggy, please be my companion!”

Zag’giel’s eyes widened. He had not been prepared for Kanata’s heartfelt plea. “K-Kanata. You...need us?”

“I do! Of course I do!” To Kanata, Zag’giel was indispensable not for his battle strength, but as a star member of her fluff brigade. Those adorable eyes. Those ears that made such cute little twitching motions. That soft body. And above all else, that fluffy, fluffy fur. He was pleasant to touch all over. It was almost unbelievable that such an ideal partner could even exist. Having known the touch of his fur, Kanata could never go back to a life without Zag’giel. She would need one fluff a day—no, more like a hundred fluffs a day to stave off the withdrawal symptoms. Kanata didn’t need battle strength. What she needed was fluff. Zag’giel’s fluff more than made up for any weak points he may have had. He was fluffy. That alone made him Kanata’s best match.

“K-Kanata...if you say such things, we shall—!”

Zag’giel was trembling with emotions. Not knowing Kanata’s nature, Zag’giel thought she needed him purely as a battle companion. She must believe, he thought, that he could yet recover his former strength and rise from the ashes to reclaim his status as Demon King.

“You would not desert us in our powerless state... You would grant us another chance!” This overwhelmingly powerful young girl had said that she needed him. He wept, overwhelmed with emotion. “Your feelings have touched our heart! We must accept, or else renounce the title of Demon King altogether! Kanata! Make us one of your companions!”

“Zaggy!”

“Kanata!”

The two embraced, their fates now forever entwined. However, it seemed that they had managed to completely misunderstand each other.

† † †

The two held each other tight, both lost in their own—very different—reveries. Zag’giel was deeply touched by Kanata’s faith that even in his current weak and shameful body, he could still reclaim his position as Demon King. Kanata was simply glad to have had her dearest wish from her previous life finally granted after years of animals fleeing from her: to have a fluffy friend of her very own. Misunderstandings aside, the two were now bound together.

“Kanata,” Zag’giel started, hesitating for a second. “We ask that you let us go. The embrace of a young maiden... We fear it may be perhaps a little much for us.” He tried to gently push her away. It seemed like she might hug him forever if he didn’t.

He failed completely. In fact, Kanata pushed him down to the floor. “Zaggy!”

“Wah!” Startled by the sudden development, Zag’giel looked up at Kanata, who was looming above him, hearts in her eyes once more. “K-Kanata! What are you doing?!”

“Zaggy, you’re a naughty boy!”

“C-Calm yourself, please! Have we done something to offend you?!” Zag’giel was utterly baffled. He had no idea what might be the issue.

“You’re naughty, Zaggy! You’re drawing me in with that fluff of yours! I can’t stop myself!”

“Dr-Drawing you in?! We don’t understand what you’re saying! Kanata! Why do you have that frightening look in your eyes?! Why are you breathing so hard?!”

Kanata giggled. “Zaggy, Zaggy, Zaggy, Zaggy, Zaaaaaaggy!”

“K-Kanataaaaaa!”

Kanata shoved her face into Zag’giel’s belly, rubbing it around in his fluffy fur, enjoying the fluff for all it was worth. The room was filled with the sound of Zag’giel’s mournful cries of “miuuuuu” and strange slurping noises—not something most would hope to hear from someone petting an animal.

Just when Zag’giel was starting to worry if Kanata was going to slurp his insides out, there was a knock on the door.

“Lady Kanata? Lady Kanata Aldezia?! What in the world are you doing in that room?! Is there a boy in there with you?!” The voice of the dormitory caretaker they had met in the hallway came through.

“Hmph.” Kanata pouted as she lifted her face up from Zag’giel’s fluffy belly. “And just when I finally had a chance to get all fluffy-wuffy-huffy-snuffy.”

“We don’t understand what is happening, but it seems we were spared?” Zag’giel was suddenly starting to feel a bit uncertain about his choice of master. “No... We must not entertain such thoughts. Kanata would not act without purpose. Perhaps...some form of training?”

It had not been long since Zag’giel had witnessed Kanata’s effortless victory over the bird monsters. She must have gone to great efforts to have obtained such overwhelming strength. It could not have been talent alone by which she had reached such heights. That strange thing she had done to him must be part of some mysterious training regimen, perhaps some manner of initiation.

“Yes,” decided Zag’giel, returning his admiring gaze to Kanata. “That must certainly be it.”

It wasn’t.

“I’m getting dressed! Please wait just a moment!” Kanata replied, bitter to have been interrupted enjoying her hard-earned fluff. She took off the bath towel and quickly changed into her school uniform.

“G-Getting dressed?!” the caretaker shouted. “So it is a man?!”

“Not at all!” said Kanata, throwing open the door and glaring daggers at the caretaker, who was flustered and blushing a deep red imagining what she thought must be going on. Kanata’s expression seemed to be saying, How dare you interfere with the fluff?!

“Hmmm,” the caretaker said as she took stock of the room behind Kanata. “I see, I see.” There wasn’t anything in the room that stood out as especially suspicious. “You seem to be telling the truth. Then you were just...alone? You must keep your voice down when you—”

“I wasn’t!” Kanata interrupted. “I was petting this baby’s fluff!” Zag’giel had wandered over by her feet. She picked him up and showed him to the increasingly disgruntled caretaker.

“Baby? Oh, a cat?! Hold on, pets aren’t allowed in the dorm!”

“Oh, he’s not a pet,” said Kanata. “He’s my precious companion.”

Zag’giel sat in Kanata’s hands, his tail swishing leisurely from side to side. “Well met,” he said. “We are Zag’gie— N-No, rather, we are Zaggy.” It occurred to him that it might be unwise for a former Demon King to use his real name, so he hastily corrected himself to his new one. “We are Kanata’s new companion, as of this day.”

Demon Kings, however, were the furthest thing from the caretaker’s mind. “I-It talks?! Is that a magic beast?! Lady Kanata, what could you possibly be thinking, bringing a magic beast inside the city?!”

“It’s all right,” said Kanata. “I’ve become a Beast Tamer.”

“Oh, I see! You have your Profession! Congratulations! Well, if you made him your companion with your Profession Ability, I suppose there’s no—wait, you became a Beast Tamer?! You?!”

“I don’t understand why everyone finds it so hard to believe.” Kanata sighed. She was getting rather tired of that reaction. “But, is there something you wanted? I would like to continue fluffing with Zaggy.”

“F-Fluffing,” said Zag’giel. “More of that training from earlier... No, we mustn’t be afraid. If this can give us strength, it is precisely what we desire. Kanata! Hold nothing back! We shall endure all that you may throw at us!”

“Z-Zaggy! You...” Kanata was touched. “I can fluff you any way I want?!”

“You may! Do it!”

“Zaaaaagggggy!” The two were growing closer and closer, still completely misunderstanding each other.

The caretaker coughed. “I actually do have something I was supposed to tell you. Lady Kanata Aldezia, the headmaster wants you to come to his office at your earliest convenience.”

† † †

Rumors had spread around the school like wildfire that Kanata Aldezia, the prodigy of the Lulualas Royal Academy for Girls, had cast aside all manner of appropriate Professions to become a lowly Beast Tamer. Of course, many people refused to believe it (“No way! Impossible!”) or thought it was a joke (“As if The Princess of Sacred Ice would do something so ridiculous!”), but the simple fact was that it was true. Kanata Aldezia had become a Beast Tamer. The priest and the students had been there to witness it, and it was corroborated by her teachers. So great was the attention on the young prodigy Kanata Aldezia, that it was inevitable that she would be called to the headmaster’s office.

“Well? What did you want to discuss?” Kanata crossed her legs imperiously and leaned back on the sofa in the headmaster’s office. This interruption to her fluff time had left her in a profoundly bad mood. She didn’t even touch the tea she had been offered, and instead stared icily at the headmaster from across the room.

“N-Now, now, there’s no hurry. Why don’t you have a cup of tea?” The headmaster, an elderly man in good shape for his age, gave her a strained smile. He was quite sure that the sweat sticking to his forehead had nothing to do with the room’s temperature. He had been trembling for a while now. This sweat was certainly the result of nerves. Even the bushy mustache that he was so proud of seemed to have shriveled up. “I-I am very fond of these financier cakes, you know. They come from my favorite bakery. They have the most subtle brandy flavor, and they just melt in your mouth. How about it? I’m sure that once you’ve had something sweet, you’ll feel a bit—”

“No, thank you.”

“Eeek! I-I’m sorry!” The headmaster shrunk in on himself and cowered. She had rejected him so flatly. He really was not behaving at all like a headmaster, having lowered himself to cajoling his student with tea and sweets, but what else could he do before Kanata’s overwhelming presence? Kanata’s mood was so bad that it felt as though he were standing naked in a blizzard.

“Kanata, there is no need to overpower this man,” said Zag’giel from his perch on Kanata’s shoulder. “A ruler of your stature must strive not to frighten her lessers.” He rubbed his fluffy body up against her cheek.

“Ahhh,” Kanata sighed. “I got nuzzles from Zaggy!” Instantly, the icy presence that had filled the room vanished, and Kanata’s face relaxed into a silly smile.

“K-Kanata Aldezia?” The headmaster couldn’t believe his eyes. Kanata was cold and alluring, splendid and gorgeous, a superhuman worthy of respect and awe. That she might let someone see her make such a ridiculous face was simply unbelievable. Perhaps she was psychologically unwell. It was like she had suddenly changed, going against every norm and convention. It almost seemed like she had regressed in age. The headmaster was in shock, sweat dripping down his brow.

“If you say so, Zaggy,” Kanata said to the furball on her shoulder. “I guess I’ll talk to him.”

“That is well. It gives us joy that you take our council. It is the duty of the strong to heed the words of the weak.”

That black thing, the headmaster thought, must be the round furball Kanata was said to have caught. The rumors that she had become a Beast Tamer must be true. “W-Well then,” he said. “Let’s get to the point.”

“Yes,” said Kanata. “Go on.” It was like the sullen Kanata from earlier had vanished, leaving a completely different and much more cheerful person in her place.

“The truth is, I heard that you chose Beast Tamer as your Profession. And that you don’t intend to advance to the next grade?”

“Yes,” said Kanata, a smile on her face. “Both points are correct. Why?”

The headmaster was at a loss for words. “I see... It’s true then... You seem happy...”

“I am! My lifelong wish has finally been granted! I’ve never been happier!”

“I see.” The headmaster massaged his temples. Kanata’s future had held such promise. She would have gone through the Selection Ceremony and advanced to upper-grade courses as a Saint or some other such rare and potent Profession. And one day, she would have become the pillar of the nation. Everyone at the school had had such high hopes and so much admiration for Kanata’s future.

But the girl herself had set her sights on something different. The rumors they’d heard, from the teachers who were at the Selection Ceremony, had said that she’d only ever enrolled in the school with the intent of becoming a Beast Tamer. That she had never had any intention of picking any other Profession.

Now, a child was, of course, free to choose whatever Profession they liked. Nobody else had any right to besmirch that decision. Indeed, to fail to respect the child’s will as paramount would be to defy the will of the gods themselves.

However. However! Surely that couldn’t apply to Beast Tamer of all Professions! It lowered your abilities! Its Profession Ability wouldn’t even let you tame a magic beast unless you were stronger than it! It was a Profession with no redeeming qualities whatsoever! It was as if she had tossed all her precious talent into a ditch.

Still, the latest detail to come out was that Kanata had left the city walls and immediately defeated two high-level monsters. Even with her abilities lowered, a genius was still a genius. Even in the ditch where it had been thrown, her talent was alive and well. There was nothing that could be done about her choice in Profession, but she was still too precious a student to lose. Her being a Beast Tamer did not erase her achievements. Many students had enrolled in this school out of admiration for Kanata. In fact, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that most of the new students were here because of her. Her stellar record had even drawn supporters to donate funds, thanks to the good reputation it gave the school. If it was known that Kanata had declined to advance to the upper grades, the funds would dry up, and the students would be devastated. In a worst-case scenario, it might cause all sorts of trouble for the school administration.

The headmaster was desperate. He would not let her get away, he told himself. He roused his spirit and regarded her with steely resolve. “Could I not persuade you to rethink this? For a brilliant woman of letters like yourself to give up on her education would be a great loss to our school. No, to our kingdom.”

“Nonetheless,” answered Kanata, “that’s the decision I’ve made.”

“But what about your parents? The ones who pay your tuition! Would it not dishonor them to abruptly change course like this?”

“My mother and father?”

“Yes! Your mother and father!” From what the teachers had said, Kanata’s decision not to advance had been made just this morning. If she had not discussed the matter with her parents, the headmaster could bring them here and get them on his side. “If they knew their precious daughter did such a thing, wouldn’t it cause grief to your father, Boldow the Divine Sword, and your mother, the Archsage Aleksia?” Using a parent’s love as a shield was an ugly tactic, unbecoming of an educator.

Call me a coward if you must, the headmaster thought, but I am prepared to do what it takes to protect my school!

He smirked to himself, satisfied that his scheme would work.

It didn’t. Kanata dismissed the headmaster’s tactic without a moment’s hesitation. “Oh, they’re completely fine with it. My parents know I chose this school hoping to become a Beast Tamer. They’ll be overjoyed, I’m sure.”

“What. Did. You. Say?” There was no way she did this with her parents’ blessing! “But! But! But! But! But!!!”

“In any event, my parents already have an excellent heir. It isn’t especially a problem if their daughter is somewhat profligate.”

Their excellent heir. The headmaster lifted his head at that phrase. “Oh! That’s right! I also called for your younger brother!” That was a glimmer of hope.

Just then there was a knock on the door. “I am Alus Aldezia, middle-grade second year at the Academy of the Holy Word. May I come in?” A boy, blond haired and blue eyed, walked briskly into the office. He was young, but he looked very good in his white uniform. He didn’t especially resemble his sister, except in that they were both frightfully beautiful. He wasn’t on the same level as Kanata, but he too had exerted himself fully and received tremendous accolades.

“Heya, Alulu!” said Kanata. “Long time no see!”

“Sister,” said Alus. He understood the gist of the situation from Kanata’s casual greeting. Her plans, laid long ago, were finally coming to fruition. “I see, then, that you are no longer pretending.”

“Alus!” said the headmaster. “Please, you have to get through to your sister! She has been behaving most peculiarly for a while now. She isn’t speaking like herself! And she’s been grinning like a loon! She must have some sort of condition!” He grabbed on to the boy’s shirt.

Alus placed his hand on the headmaster’s shoulder. “No, Headmaster. Nothing peculiar is happening. This is who she is. I am afraid the Kanata Aldezia you knew was an act. At home with us, she has always been ridiculous.”

“Then,” the headmaster hesitated, “she’s sane? She’s doing these things in full possession of her faculties?”

“Yes. My sister is in her right mind, although I do not know if I would call her sane.”

“Hey! That’s mean!” Kanata clutched Zag’giel to her chest and pouted like a small child.

The headmaster lowered his head in despair. “I can’t believe this...”

“If you called me here to persuade her to stay on, I am afraid I must decline. My sister has wanted to be a Beast Tamer for as far back as I can remember. She isn’t going to change her mind because you or I said so.”

“F-For that long?” asked the headmaster.

“For that long,” Alus answered. “I gave up on changing her mind long ago. I shall see to the protection of House Aldezia. Headmaster, you had best stop trying to do the impossible as well.”

Kanata’s brother had been the headmaster’s hidden ace, but alas, in this game, aces were low. He had no cards left to play.

Alus walked past the headmaster, who had become nonresponsive, and sat down next to his sister. “Sister, is this magic beast one that you’ve tamed?”

“He is! Isn’t he cute?”

“We are called Zaggy. It is an honor to meet you.” Zag’giel held out his right front paw, and Alus shook it with his index finger.

“Another strange name,” he mused. “I am terribly sorry. It is my sister’s predilection to give everyone strange nicknames.”

“We have come to rather like the name,” said Zag’giel. “We have no objections.”

“You are very tolerant, Sir Zaggy,” said Alus. “My sister is somewhat lacking in common sense, but it is my hope that you will take good care of her.”

“We swear to you that we shall protect her with our life,” said Zag’giel. “Even in this small and weak body.” The boy and the furball cat bowed deeply to each other. It was an absurd scene, but both of them were deadly serious.

Kanata stood up from the sofa and looked over at the headmaster. “I suppose this meeting is finished? Headmaster, may I go back to the dormitory?”

The headmaster, who had sunk to his knees, looked up at her with a twisted grimace. “Ha ha ha... Aha ha ha ha... This isn’t over, Kanata! You say you won’t change your mind, but I have more plans!”

Suddenly, the door to the office flew open, and the school’s teachers came flooding in, surrounding Kanata.

“And what exactly are you planning to do?” asked Alus, stepping in front of Kanata to protect her.

“And now, you intend to persuade her by force?” Zag’giel, too, leapt from her shoulder and arched his tail fearsomely.

The headmaster stood up. “Kanata, if you won’t listen to reason, you leave us no other choice.”

“Are you serious about this, Headmaster?” Kanata narrowed her eyes.

“Of course I’m serious!” Flecks of foam were flying from the headmaster’s mouth. “Teachers! Do it!”

“Yeeeaaaaaaaah!” The teachers issued a fearsome battle cry!

With their breathing in perfect timing, they raised their hands high above their heads, knelt, and, with surprising force, pressed their foreheads to the ground. And then, they revealed their secret weapon.

“Please at least keep your name on the student registry!”

It was a flawlessly executed supplication. They were desperate to at least have Kanata’s name remain attached to the school. Their desire to one day be able to say that they taught the Kanata Aldezia had brought them here, to a situation where their foreheads were planted firmly to the floor.

“Oh?” said Alus. “Adults are incredible. How far they will go to get what they want!”

“This is...the determination of humanity!” Zag’giel and Alus marveled at the teachers who were now casting aside their dignity and reputation.

With his head still rubbing against the floor, the headmaster cackled like a fiend. “This is an adult’s ultimate technique! Well, children?! How does it feel watching big adults grovel on the ground?! Unbearable, is it not?! Now! If you want us to ever stop begging, you will accept our conditions!”

“Um,” said Kanata, “as long as you don’t try to stop me, I don’t particularly mind.”

“Yay!” the teachers cheered.

And so Kanata came to be a fake student, enrolled but not present in the school.

† † †

Kanata stretched her arms above her head. “Freedom!” she cried. “For real this time!”

Everything had been for the sake of raising her chances of Beast Tamer appearing at the Selection Ceremony. However, acting the part of an elegant lady and following the strict rules of the school had gotten to her more than she’d realized. It was like every childish behavior she had been bottling up until now had come bursting out at once.

“I’m not comfortable here,” muttered Alus. “I would like to leave as soon as possible.”

“Okay, okay,” said Kanata. “I’ll show you to the school gate.”

“My thanks. Although it was your fault I was called here in the first place.”

True to its name, the Lulualas Academy for Girls admitted only girls as students. As a boy from a different school, he stood out in the hallways like a sore thumb. He felt like the girls were staring at him everywhere he went. Alus was a princely young man, and every bit the vision that his sister was. There was no way he could avoid attracting attention here. This was an academy for prim and proper noble girls, and to their etiquette lessons’ credit, nobody here was shrieking or chattering or swooning. Kanata, however, the very symbol of the school itself, was currently behaving like a small child.

“Ahhhh!” she sighed. “Zaggy, your fluff feels so gooooood...”

“K-Kanata. Please do not pet us like that. You are embarrassing us.”

“Zaggy’s embarrassed! He’s so cuuuuuute!”

She had become the exact opposite of her elegant and refined image. The strange way Kanata was acting seemed to shock the other students to the point that they would not come close. Could this really be the Lady Kanata they had all admired?

“Tell me, sister,” said Alus, “freedom is all well and good, but what do you plan to do after this?”

“Well, obviously, now that I’ve become a Beast Tamer, I’m gonna live the Beast Tamer life!”

“The Beast Tamer life?” Alus echoed.

“I’m gonna make lots and lots of fluffy friends and live a life of pleasure!” Kanata gave Zag’giel a good pat. This was the focus of all her desires from her previous life. To seek the fluff, to befriend the fluff, to live for the fluff.

“Hm.” Alus nodded. “In other words, you intend to set out on a journey to gather companions.”

“Yes! I want to see fluff from all over the world!”

“I should tell you it is dangerous for a girl to travel alone, but... Well, it’s you, sister. In fact, I pity anyone who might try to attack you.”

“Hmph. Pity, huh?”

“Of course. Have your abilities truly been lowered? I see no difference whatsoever.”

“Hmm?” Kanata said. “You don’t? I think they went down a bit. Maybe.”

“You aren’t even certain.” Alus shook his head. “You are a strange one, sister.”

“My little brother is saying such mean things!” lamented Kanata. “You’re gonna make your sister cry. Zaggy, cheer me up.”

Zag’giel hesitated. “Shall we pet you on the head?”

“Oh my gosh,” said Kanata. “Please! That would be the best.” Zag’giel stretched out his stumpy little paws and stroked Kanata’s hair. Her eyes drooped in happy relaxation. Alus looked at Kanata’s happy face and decided there was nothing to worry about. As long as she was happy, that was all that mattered.

“Well,” Alus said, “this is where I take my leave. If you have a quiet moment on your journey, I would appreciate it if you’d write me.”

“Huh? That sounds like a pain in the butt.”

“The instant she stops pretending...” Alus muttered.

“I dunno if I’m going to write,” said Kanata, “but I’ll definitely be dropping in. I gotta introduce Zaggy to mom and dad, y’know!”

“Very well. I intend to return home for summer vacation. I would be very happy to spend that time with you.” Alus bowed courteously, then turned and left.

Outside, the sun was starting to set.

“Let’s return to the dorm,” said Kanata. “The shops won’t be open much longer, so we should get ready for our journey tomorrow. After we go back and get dinner, let’s take another bath!”

“Another bath?! W-We must decline!”

“Aw,” said Kanata. “You don’t like baths, Zaggy?”

“N-No,” Zag’giel sputtered, “that isn’t it. A man must not enter a bath with a young lady! We may be trapped in this body, but we were once a Demon King! We should bathe one at a time.”

“Oh, don’t worry about it!” Kanata said. “It’s fine!”

Zag’giel, it turns out, didn’t really have any heart behind his protests. In the end, the two took a very long bath together. Then Kanata cleaned up their dinner, brushed her teeth, and changed into her sleeping clothes.

“We are more than happy to sleep on the floor,” said Zag’giel. “Next to sleeping in the wilds, sleeping inside a room is like heaven.”

“No way!” Kanata rejoined. “Zaggy, you go here.” She lifted up the bed’s comforter, creating a space big enough for Zag’giel to climb into. “Come on!”

“No. We must refuse.”

“Awww! But it’s so comfy in here! Sleep with me, Zaggy!”

“No means no! But as a compromise, we shall sleep here.” Zag’giel crawled up next to Kanata’s pillow and curled into even more of a ball.

“Hmph.” Kanata pouted. “Well, I can fluff you any time from here, so I guess it’s not bad.” Zag’giel slept facing away from Kanata, so she nuzzled her face into his rear.

“It’s not our fault if you suffocate,” warned Zag’giel.

“Oh, I would love to be suffocated by fluff...” Kanata mumbled sleepily. She was starting to doze off. “Zaggy...” she said. “We’re going shopping tomorrow... Tell me if there’s anything you want...”

“There is nothing,” said Zag’giel. “Buy whatever you wish. You have given us food and a place to live. We could ask for nothing more.”

Kanata said nothing.

“Did she fall asleep?” Zag’giel roused himself and took Kanata’s blanket in his mouth to pull it up over her shoulders. “Curse this weak body,” he said. “It takes so much work just to move a single blanket.” His labor finished, Zag’giel curled up and watched Kanata sleep.

“Eheh heh heh...” she muttered. “Zaggy...” It seemed she was having a pleasant dream. She was smiling and giggling like a little girl.

“Kanata... We may be useless as a servant, but we are truly grateful to have been chosen by you.” Zag’giel looked out the window, up at the moon.

“The curse of the gods...” he said. “We shall regain our strength—strength worthy of one such as you. We look forward to a long partnership, Kanata.” And Zag’giel fell into the first comfortable sleep he’d had in centuries.

† † †

Kanata awoke the next morning to sparrow songs outside. She ran over to open her window, hoping to meet some new feathered friends, but they scattered into the wind when she got close.

“Of course,” she said. “I’m a Beast Tamer. It’s not gonna make me any more popular with animals.”

She slumped her shoulders. Even now that she was a Beast Tamer, animals fled before her in fear. The fault lay with the aura of might she unconsciously projected, but Kanata herself had yet to realize this.

Today, however, was different. Animals could hate her all they liked. Zag’giel was here.

“Mmph. Kanata. You are an early riser, we see.” Zag’giel opened his eyes after Kanata rose, and stretched his stubby legs as far as they would go.

“Ahhhh! Cute! So cute!” With Kanata’s exceptional memory, that image would be etched into her mind until the end of time.

“Oh, stop staring so much.”

“Okay,” said Kanata. “I’ll only stare a bit, then.”

“That isn’t much better.”

True to her word, Kanata kept stealing glances at Zag’giel as she made breakfast for the two of them. Zag’giel was the first to yield.

“We retract our previous statement,” he said. “This is just making us anxious. Please just act normally.”

“Yay!” Kanata cheered, hugging Zag’giel in her arms and rubbing her cheeks against him. “Zaggy, I love you!”

“This is normal?!”

Kanata squeezed and fluffed Zag’giel for a while, and then plopped his limp form onto her shoulders to head into town. Just as she had said yesterday, her plan today was to buy all the items she would need on her journey. Since she remained on the registry as a fake student, there was no need for her to move out of the dormitory. Her plan was to toss all of her luggage into her room as is.

“Okay, Zaggy!” she said when she was finished. “Let’s set out on our journey to meet all our new friends!”

“Wait, Kanata!” Zag’giel nibbled her ear to get her to stop. “Do you intend to go dressed like that?!” Kanata was still dressed in her school uniform and carried no bags.

“Oww!” she said. “You’re eating my ear!”

“Kanata, listen!”

“What is it, Zaggy?”

“Are you not far underequipped to set out on a journey?”

“Oh?” Kanata mused. “You think so?”

Kanata was a good enough survivalist to be a scout for the army. She knew how to purify water, how to start a fire, even how to identify edible plants and animals. It was easy for her to set out on a long journey without any equipment in particular.

“Kanata, listen to us. We have spent many long years wandering in the wild. It is cold in the forest at night. There are places with no good footing, sharp, thorny grasses, even flowers that will make your skin well up like a burn. It is a dangerous place, quite unlike the city. This is not something you can overcome with strength alone. We must needs prepare ourselves properly.”

“I see,” said Kanata. “You’re right. It’s important to be well prepared when setting out on a journey.”

She quietly nodded her head, giving some thought to the trials Zag’giel had faced up until now. She would be fine, but Zag’giel might not have it so easy. Kanata promised herself that she would obtain proper travel equipment so that her adorable Zag’giel could have as pleasant a journey as possible.

“It is well that you understand,” said Zag’giel.

“Leave it to me, Zaggy!” Kanata said. “I’m gonna get the best equipment ever!”

Zag’giel’s worries hadn’t exactly reached Kanata, but the result was the same: she agreed to obtain proper gear.

The two set out to the general store in high spirits, where they promptly encountered their first obstacle.

“I don’t have enough money!” proclaimed Kanata.

The equipment Kanata wanted would cost three orders of magnitude more than the money she had on hand. Kanata had lived in dormitories since she was six, where all of her living expenses were paid by the school and she could have anything she wanted if she asked. The money she carried amounted to no more than pocket change.

This was a critical error. Things here did not work as they did in the academy, where all of her requests would be fulfilled to an extent. Kanata had no choice but to leave on her journey with nothing at all.

It wasn’t as if she had no means of obtaining money. There were many individual royals or nobles who would support her with funds should she ask. The current king himself was one such person. He was an old friend of her father’s and had become a big fan of Kanata’s thanks to her three successive wins in the royal fencing tournament. He had doted on her and spoiled her with everything from pocket money to extensive renovations to her dormitory. If she were to go to the castle and play innocent, she could get as much money as she liked. However, if he heard that she planned to leave the Royal Capital and travel to other lands, he would most likely try to detain her. Kanata was done with people trying to stop her from leaving.

“Hmm,” she pondered. “What to do...” She didn’t think she knew anyone who would hand over the money without giving her an earful about her plans and situation. She would rather borrow money from her brother Alus.

Kanata would have kept considering bad option after bad option, but Zag’giel, on her shoulder, got her attention with a “miu!”

“Kanata. If you are in want of money, would it not be wise to work for it? Can humans not sell their labor for money of commensurate value?”

“That’s it!” Kanata cried. “Zaggy, you’re so smart!”

“It has nothing to do with intelligence. You simply suffer from a profound lack of common sense, we think.”

Kanata, who had spent her whole past life in a hospital, hadn’t thought of work as a potential solution. “Change of plans!” Kanata declared. “I know somewhere I can get a job right away!”

“Oh? In that case, lead on.”

Kanata began to walk toward her new destination.

† † †

Kanata led the pair to a building that had a sign emblazoned with the image of swords crossed over a flame.

“Excuse me!” she called as she walked in through the double swinging doors.

Inside, there was a large room filled with rows of round tables and customers enjoying their food and drink. At a glance it looked like a pub, but in the back there was a place that resembled the reception area of a bank. There were several men and women there wearing employees’ uniforms and helping customers.

Zag’giel looked all around the shop from his perch on Kanata’s shoulder. “You would work here? They do seem to be shorthanded, we suppose.” He glanced at one of the waitresses, who was carrying eight steins of beer in her two arms.

“Mm,” answered Kanata. “It’s more like they can introduce me to work.”

“We see. We did think the customers here had the look of vagrants and thrill seekers.” Whether they were living it up in the pub or waiting in line at the reception area, everyone here had those distinctive sharp eyes and wore their weapons openly. These were not peaceful folk with respectable occupations—their business was battle.

“Uh huh!” Kanata nodded. “That’s ’cause this is the Adventurers’ Guild!”

True to its name, the Adventurers’ Guild both issued licenses to qualified adventurers and gathered clients’ requests from all over the land to hand off to adventurers in need of work. Many of the people who took jobs here were hardly better than bandits, but the guild maintained strict rules for conduct, and their punishments for troublemakers were harsher than those meted out by the courts.

Still, for people living in the margins of society, the guild offered a chance to strike it rich. People who couldn’t get steady work often became adventurers. There was always the risk of death, but those who survived and returned triumphant could enjoy a life of merrymaking. The Adventurers’ Guild was a private association, but because of its role in lowering the crime and unemployment rates, it enjoyed the support of many nations.

“The good thing about being an adventurer,” said Kanata, “is that they pay you on the spot when you complete a task.” Adventuring was famously more lucrative than finding employment as a soldier in the army. It was perfect for Kanata, who was in desperate need of cash.

“Ah,” said Zag’giel, “then you intend to become an adventurer?”

“Exactly! We’ll have to earn money on the road to cover our travel expenses, after all!” As she spoke, Kanata got in line for registration.

“Kanata...”

“What is it, Zaggy?”

“We cannot help feeling that we are being watched.”

“Oh? I wonder why!” Kanata was used to being the center of attention at her school, so it didn’t particularly bother her. But just as Zag’giel had said, at some point the boisterous conversations had grown silent. Everyone was staring at Kanata. She was, after all, a lovely-looking young lady wearing the uniform of the Lulualas Academy for Girls, a school for the children of the aristocracy. She didn’t fit at all with the rough-and-tumble atmosphere of the guild. The adventurers were thinking that someone had better tell her that she was in the wrong place.

However, this was the guildhall, where they were under the staff’s watchful eyes. They might be scolded if they said something untoward and frightened the girl. It was probably best to leave well enough alone. If they caused trouble by trying to help, their personal evaluation with the guild might suffer. The adventurers did their best to act unconcerned, although they kept stealing glances at Kanata.

“Next, please!” said the woman at one of the reception counters. It was finally Kanata’s turn, so she walked up. “Are you here to register?” the receptionist asked, just the slightest bit of surprise registering on her face. As part of the guild’s staff, it would reflect badly on her to act too overtly shocked by Kanata’s appearance. Besides, she was fairly used to strange outsiders dropping in from time to time. “I see you are wearing a school uniform. Are you a student?”

Kanata had very little interest in fashion. She had almost no clothes aside from her school uniform, just an evening dress for attending social events and formal wear for ceremonies, neither of which would be any better.

“I graduated from the middle grades just yesterday,” she said. “I don’t have any other clothes yet.” She had intended to buy a set of travel clothes and some outfits for daily wear, but as it turned out she didn’t have the money. “Are students not allowed to be adventurers?”

“No, the Adventurers’ Guild accepts anyone but criminals. However, to join us, you will need to demonstrate that you are skilled enough to be an adventurer.” The woman took out a piece of paper. On it was a client’s written request and a simple map. “In the forest outside the city is a thicket of medicinal herbs. You are to venture into the forest alone, harvest the herbs, and return. This is the minimum level of ability we expect of our adventurers.” The guild got many people Kanata’s age. Usually they would give up when faced with the reality of adventuring life. This task was a subtle threat, meant to teach them the dangers of the world outside the city walls.

The receptionist continued. “Most of the monsters in the forest are on the level of slimes and goblins, but make no mistake. They are more frightening than you think.” She leaned in close, looking Kanata straight in the eyes. “Slimes hide in trees and lie in wait to catch their prey unawares. If one of them lands on your head, it will immediately start to suffocate you with its semiliquid body and then slowly digest you.” It was actually very common for novice adventurers to get careless and end up asphyxiated to death by slimes.

“Fighting a goblin might sound exciting to a young girl like you,” she went on, “but please listen.” The receptionist explained how goblins were capable of reproducing with females of other species; how if Kanata were to lose a fight against them, she would be dragged off to a cave somewhere and forced to breed goblins until she died.

In truth, goblins were extremely timid creatures, and there were essentially no cases of anything like the gruesome fate being described actually happening, but the receptionist was embellishing the facts to try to scare Kanata off. It actually had more of an effect on the surrounding adventurers trying to focus on the day’s requests than on Kanata herself—they recoiled in disgust or went stiff as they listened.

“Having heard all that, do you still want to be an adventurer?” asked the receptionist.

“Yep!” Kanata answered, as cheerful as ever.

The receptionist placed her palm on her forehead and sighed audibly. “Very well. Our guild doesn’t turn anyone away. If you’re sure you want it, I can’t stop you.” She handed Kanata a feather pen. “Sign here,” she said. “This indicates that you have accepted the request. You will receive your payment when you return with the medicinal herbs.”

“I get paid even for the test?”

“Yes. It’s both a test and a request with a reward. Well, truthfully it isn’t much of a reward. Are you certain you’re ready?”

“Yes, I am.”

“Then I wish you luck, Miss Kanata Aldezi—ah?!”

The receptionist knit her brows as she saw the name the girl had signed with. She felt like she had heard that name just the other day. That’s right, she remembered. When the gatekeepers had brought in those wanted monsters, they said the person who slew them was—

“See ya then!” Kanata said before the receptionist could get a word in, and left.

“Excuse me! Wait! I haven’t finished my explanation! The rules say you’re supposed to bring an observer with you! Will someone—” She looked around, trying to see if there was anyone who was willing to act as her observer, but everyone was averting their eyes. This girl looked like trouble, and nobody was willing to follow after her. It looked like the receptionist herself would have to do it. “Agh,” she exclaimed. “Honestly!”

Cursing her coldhearted colleagues for leaving the task to her, the receptionist retrieved her rapier from where it was hidden under the desk, sheath and all, and attached it to her belt. She swapped out her pumps for a pair of sturdy boots.

“I’m going to perform observation duties!” she cried behind her. “Someone please take over my booth!”

She stepped out of her reception booth, kicked the toes of her boots on the floor to adjust their fit, and chased after Kanata.