Chillin’ in Another World with Level 2 Super Cheat Powers: Volume 13 (Light Novel) E-Book

Miya Kinojo

• Herausgeber: J-Novel Club
• Kategorie: Fantasy und Science-Fiction
• Serie: Chillin’ in Another World with Level 2 Super Cheat Powers
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2024

Seitenzahl: 300

Beschreibung

The Fli-o’-Rys General Store is as busy as ever, and with the oni Ura and his mountaintop village now comfortably settled into life in the land outside Flio’s growing estate, the next order of business is fashion! With Rys’s obsession of creating new and exquisite outfits only growing stronger and the ever-canny Uliminas turning her keen eye for “purrofit” towards the fashion trends of capital, it’s shaping up to be quite a season in the provincial trade city of Houghtow... All the more so with the Shadow King and his band of ne’er-do-wells in the mix, who are down on their luck thanks to their continuing string of failures and desperate for any way to make a quick buck. Who will be the one to set the newest trends in the world of fashion? Can the princesses of Klyrode help their sister the Queen overcome her terminal awkwardness around love? And what lies next for Flio’s daughter Elinàsze, now that she’s long since advanced beyond the Houghtow College of Magic curriculum?

Leseprobe

Chapter 1: Flio’s Hardworking Household

The world of Klyrode is a world of swords and sorcery, home to creatures of many sorts from magic beasts to demihumans. It is a world where humans and demons had waged war since time immemorial—until, that is, the Magical Kingdom of Klyrode, greatest of the human kingdoms, signed a treaty with the Dark Army, the largest and most venerable institution among demonkind. It has been quite some time since the two sides have laid down their arms, and the world has entered an age of peaceful cultural exchange.

The Dark One Dawkson once ruled the Dark Army as a tyrant, but he has since changed his ways, working diligently to foster harmonious cooperation among the demons within his territory. And after long efforts, he has succeeded in rebuilding the Dark Army from the brink of annihilation, where it had been teetering not long ago. Despite this, however, he continues to face problem after problem from demons who still cling to the credo that might makes right.

The Magical Kingdom of Klyrode, meanwhile, has been focusing its attention on diplomatic relations with its neighboring kingdoms, seeking greater solidarity among humanity. There was a time when many foreign nations looked at the Maiden Queen of Klyrode with suspicion for her pursuit of reconciliation with demonkind, but they too have come to approve of her decision. Their approval, however, comes with its share of unexpected requests...

In the midst of it all, the Fli-o’-Rys General Store managed by Flio himself has been steadily expanding the scope of its operations. Flio’s wife Rys, as well as everyone else living at Flio’s house, have been very busy day after day as customers of all sorts flock to their business.

And with that the stage is set. The curtains slowly rise...

◇Houghtow City—Flio’s House◇

It was nighttime, and Flio’s house was shrouded in darkness. Most of the windows of the three-story wooden building were dark as well, their residents slumbering peacefully. In Flio and Rys’s room, however, the lights were still on. Rys sat on the edge of the couple’s large bed, busy working with a length of cloth. Her hands moved faster than the eye could follow, cutting the cloth and stitching it together, swiftly bringing yet another outfit to completion.

Rys had been a lupine demon warrior in the Dark Army, but once upon a time she lost to Flio and resolved to walk alongside him as his wife. She adored her husband to a somewhat excessive degree, and was something of a mother figure to everyone in Flio’s house.

As his wife worked, Flio sat up in bed, watching with his usual easygoing smile. Flio was a merchant who had been summoned from another world as one of the candidates for the position of Hero. The blessing he had obtained upon his summoning gave him mastery of every skill and spell to exist within the world of Klyrode. These days he worked as the proprietor of the Fli-o’-Rys General Store alongside his demon wife Rys. He was the proud father of three daughters—two by birth and one adopted—and one son.

“Your skills are as impressive as always, Rys,” Flio said. Indeed, the clothes Rys were making were all finished with a high level of care, well-made and attractive to the eye.

“Not at all!” Rys insisted as she put the finishing touches on yet another high-quality piece at superhuman speed. “In fact, it is only very recently that I’ve become competent enough to create outfits that can truly be considered satisfactory. I still have a long way to go before I master the skill, I’m afraid.” She smiled up at her husband, her hands working away lightning fast all the while. “Garyl will need something to wear for the training camp he’s attending at the Klyrode Institute for Chivalric Education, you know, and Elinàsze and Rylnàsze need new outfits as well. And when those are completed, I’ll also need to make new outfits for Ghozal and Sleip’s children.”

“I suppose...” Flio said. “Everything you make is so stylish and expertly crafted, Rys. I’m sure everyone will be happy to get clothes from you...” His smile, however, looked somewhat strained as he glanced at the veritable mountain of clothes Rys had already completed piled up behind her—a far cry from his usual easygoing expression. “But...”

“Oh?” said Rys, noticing where Flio had been looking. “This much is nothing, I assure you! Why, when I spend a day tailoring, I can make forty or fifty outfits before breakfast!” She punctuated her words with a boastful smile. “After all, it isn’t only the children who need new clothing. It is also my duty as wife of the master of the house to provide outfits for Ura and his subordinates, now that he has become one of my lord husband’s retainers.”

Flio couldn’t help wincing at Rys’s words.

Rys, as mentioned, was a lupine demon, a species known for having a strong sense of camaraderie within their pack. Her older brother, Fengaryl, had been the leader of the lupine demons in the Dark Army, and as his sister, Rys—or Fenrys, as she had been known at the time—had a position of authority among the pack. She had held on to her pack loyalty even after leaving the Dark Army and saw it as her responsibility to look after not only her own children but all of Flio’s household as well. In addition to creating new outfits for everyone to wear, she arranged for everyone’s living spaces, cooked their meals, and performed a great variety of other tasks for the house’s benefit.

I do appreciate her helping look after everyone’s needs, Flio thought, but still... “I’m glad you’re so eager to help,” he said, smiling his usual easygoing smile once again. “But if we need clothes for everyone, couldn’t we find something suitable for sale in Klyrode Castle Town? That way, you’d have one less thing to worry about...”

Rys, however, smiled and shook her head. “Clothes from the Castle Town would never do!” she insisted. “They’re well made, I suppose, but I’m afraid I personally don’t find them satisfactory. The clothes on sale in shops simply aren’t of a quality worthy of adorning a retainer of my lord husband’s, if I may be so bold. And besides, if I make the outfits myself, we don’t have to worry about paying for the labor. It’s a much more favorable deal for us if I simply purchase the cloth and make the outfits on my own, is it not? Plus, this way, there’s no risk that we might pay for an expensive outfit only for it not to suit the tastes of its intended recipient.”

“I-I suppose that’s true...” Flio admitted. Nonetheless, he seemed concerned for Rys’s health. Before he could say anything else, however, Rys continued.

“And in any event, I myself wish to work hard to help my lord husband however I can,” she said with a cheerful smile. “There is no need to worry on my account.”

Flio could only give a knowing smirk at the sight of his wife’s happy face. “If you’re going to give me a smile like that, I suppose all I can do is lend you whatever support I can,” he said, pulling Rys into his arms.

“With my lord husband supporting me, I will have the power of a hundred housewives!” Rys declared. “Just leave it to me!”

Flio held Rys gently in his arms and whispered in her ear. “I’ll be counting on you, Rys. Only, please take care of yourself as well.”

Instantly, Rys’s face turned bright red in an instant, almost creating an audible pop. “O-O-Of course!” she said, her voice suddenly much higher pitched. “Y-Y-You don’t have to tell me that! Th-Th-That much is only to be expected of the wife of my lord husband! B-But...isn’t your face a little too close...?”

Flio and Rys had had three children between them already, but Rys was so enamored with Flio that even now she reacted to his advances with the same frantic blushing as when they had first become a couple.

The two gazed into each other’s eyes. They were alone in the bedroom. Flio moved his index finger in a single small circle outside of Rys’s view and leaned in closer still. Soon, the two were entwined in a passionate kiss. If anything, the couple had only grown more affectionate with time.

Oh, Flio thought, but first...

He waved his finger once more as the two went to embrace.

◇Meanwhile—Flio’s House, Hallway◇

A harsh plink echoed in the hallway outside of Flio and Rys’s room. A second later, Hiya appeared, seemingly from thin air.

Hiya, the djinn who commands the origin of light and darkness, was a being who possessed enough magic power to destroy the entire world. After their defeat at the hands of Flio, however, they had taken to worshipping him as the so-called Exalted One, and came to live with the others in Flio’s house.

“Hmm...” Hiya frowned. “I hid myself in the corner of the Exalted One’s room in hopes of spectating his amorous training with his wife, but it seems the Exalted One discovered my presence and expelled me with his magic...” They looked up at the ceiling with their perpetually narrowed eyes, the corners of their mouth faintly curling upwards.

Hiya had been created by a great magus of ages past as a being capable of wielding magic to control the origin of light and darkness. As a result of their origin, they initially lacked any comprehension of acts of sexual love. Through observing Flio and Rys’s intimate activities, however, they became fascinated with the concept, to the point of developing a habit of spying on Flio and Rys in their bedroom whenever they were given the slightest opportunity.

“Now then...” Hiya said, folding their arms and glancing up and down the hallway. “If that door is closed, then what sort of training should I engage in today...?”

Suddenly, a woman appeared next to Hiya. Her outfit was purple, and quite revealing to boot. “Excuse me, Your Divinity,” she said, sidling up to the djinn.

“Oh?” said Hiya. “Damalynas, is it?”

Damalynas was a witch known as the Grand Magus of Midnight, a consummate master of the dark arts. She had long since lost her corporeal body, and now existed only as a psychic construct. She was once vanquished by Hiya, and now she lived on in Hiya’s mindscape—the djinn’s mental world—as their beloved training partner.

“What is it you seek?” Hiya asked, a smile creeping on their face as they lifted Damalynas’s chin tenderly with their fingertips. “Have you come to invite me to train with you, perhaps?”

“N-No!” Damalynas squeaked, her face turning bright red. “A-Actually...Lady Elinàsze has been calling for you...”

“Indeed?” Hiya asked. “I see... I must have failed to notice, as her telepathic messages never reached me...”

“Well, that’s only to be expected,” said Damalynas. “You blocked yourself off from telepathy in order to infiltrate Lord Flio’s room, right?”

“Ah, of course. To think that one of my stature would commit such an error...” Hiya chided themself, smacking their forehead with an open palm and good-humoredly shaking their head. “In that case, we had best pay her a visit immediately. Damalynas, our training will have to wait until later.”

“F-Forget that for now!” Damalynas huffed, blushing once again. “We need to hurry!”

With one last glance of amusement at Damalynas’s flustered expression, Hiya waved an arm, and the two of them vanished from the hallway.

◇Flio’s House—Elinàsze’s Room◇

Elinàsze sat with her arms folded as she perused the text of the book she had propped in front of her.

Along with her younger twin, Garyl, and her little sister, Rylnàsze, Elinàsze was one of the three biological children of Flio and Rys. She was a serious-minded girl with an endless adoration for her father and held a particular talent for the art of magic. That night she was dressed in a gorgeous deep green outfit, but her long hair, tied back in a disheveled ponytail, seemed to be in dire need of grooming.

She adjusted her round glasses and took another look over the book, when Hiya and Damalynas suddenly appeared behind her.

“My Lady Elinàsze,” Hiya said, placing a hand over their heart and bowing deep. “Did you call for me?”

“Hello, Hiya,” said Elinàsze, turning away from the book and looking in the djinn’s direction. “I’m terribly sorry to summon you so late in the evening.” She snapped her fingers and one of her books rose into the air, flying over towards Hiya.

“What is this?” Hiya asked.

“A magic grimoire from another world,” Elinàsze answered. “Our visitor from the Celestial Plane gave this to me today when she was here picking up the usual medicine. I’ve been working on deciphering it, and there’s one place in particular where I would appreciate your opinion on how to interpret the text...”

“Oh? A magic grimoire from another world, you say...” Hiya mused, taking the book in their hands with great interest. I recognize these characters, they thought as they examined the book’s cover. This writing system is indeed unused in the world of Klyrode. The title reads, The Grimoire of Stelamh...

As Hiya finished reading the title the book opened on its own, its pages turning quickly until they reached the relevant passage and came to a stop. “I want to ask about this part right here,” Elinàsze said. “It seems to be explaining a spell for creating a pocket dimension outside of the space-time continuum, but there are some points I don’t quite understand. It seems like it might be similar to the method you use to create that permanent mindscape of yours, but different as well...”

“I see...” Hiya said. “You are correct, Lady Elinàsze, that this spell is quite similar to the one I use to create my mindscape, albeit with one fundamental difference.” Hiya gestured with the index finger of their right hand and a collection of spheres appeared in midair. “This,” they said, “is the planetoid world of Klyrode, on which we reside. The spell in question creates a miniature artificial planetoid world outside of the bounds of this one. What you must understand, then, is the difference between the location in which the caster chooses to create their world. A mindscape and a planetoid world are worlds of a different order, and are therefore composed of a different essential substance. Therefore, the spells used to create them are different as well.”

“Aha!” Elinàsze exclaimed. “I believe I finally understand. I was so focused on the notion of creating a world that I forgot to consider something so basic...”

“On the contrary, it is a sign of your keen insight that you discerned the commonalities between this spell and my mindscape,” Hiya insisted. “I, Hiya, find myself deeply impressed.”

“Then, in that case...” The two carried on their conversation, sharing their thoughts and making frequent reference to both the book and the spheres Hiya had conjured as a visual aid.

Elinàsze loved her father Flio more than anyone or anything in the world. She had spent many long days engrossed in magic study with the goal of becoming a superb witch capable of assisting her father with his tasks. As a result, she had far surpassed even the magical knowledge of Damalynas. With Elinàsze conversing as equals with Hiya, the djinn who commands the origin of light and darkness themself and an authoritative figure on the subject of spellcasting, it was clear that her knowledge was top-class in the world of Klyrode.

Damalynas’s eyes went wide as she listened in on their discussion. H-Hang on... she thought. Wh-What in the world are Their Divinity and Lady Elinàsze even talking about? I’m the master of the midnight arts, and even I can barely follow their conversation! A cold sweat ran down her back as she stared, dumbfounded. Th-This is no joke! I’d better step up my game, or else Their Divinity might lose interest in me entirely...

With that in mind, the Grand Magus of Midnight reached out for one of the magic grimoires Elinàsze had left unattended on her desk nearby.

◇The Next Day—Fli-o’-Rys General Store◇

Today, as always, the area in front of the Fli-o’-Rys General Store was packed full of people. Some had come to shop. Others had come to discuss some matters of business. Still others were here to rent out workhorses.

“Good, good.” Uliminas nodded, a grin on her face as she watched the stream of customers making their way into the shop. “Looks like we’ve got ameowther day of purrofitable dealings ahead of us!”

Uliminas the hellcat had been Ghozal’s closest confederate back when he had served as Dark One. When Ghozal abdicated the throne, Uliminas left along with him and came to work at the Fli-o’-Rys General Store in disguise as a demihuman. Since then, she had become one of Ghozal’s two wives, and the mother of his daughter Folmina.

“U-Um... Excuse me...” A woman stepped up to Uliminas, her face hidden by a heavy hood.

“Yes?” Uliminas asked. “Something I can help mew with?”

“W-Well...” the woman faltered. “U-Um... I heard a damned rumor that this shop was selling equipment branded with the Wolf of Justice seal...”

“Oh!” said Uliminas, pointing towards one corner of the shop. “Those’ll be on the shelves meowver that way!”

“I see them!” the woman said. “Thanks a damned bunch!”

Uliminas watched, smirking, as the woman ran off in the direction she had pointed. A number of other customers followed after her, apparently having overheard her exchange with Uliminas.

That customeowr was a demon, wasn’t she? Uliminas thought. I guess demeownkind still can’t get enough of the Wolf of Justice!

When the Magical Kingdom of Klyrode and the Dark Army had still been at war, Flio had taken to donning a wolf mask when he fought back invasions by the Dark Army, adopting the name of the Wolf of Justice. With his overwhelming power he had no trouble scattering the demons’ forces into the winds, and soon he had become something of a legend among demonkind. Since then, many demons had come to revere the Wolf of Justice with worshipful awe.

I was the one who had the idea of using the Wolf of Justice’s popularity to sell our meowrchandise, Uliminas thought. But it’s purroven much more effective than I ever could have imeowgined... The display shelves for the Wolf of Justice branded equipment had been set up just this morning, but there was already a huge crowd of demons vying with each other to get their hands on the choicest goods. Uliminas watched the scene with a satisfied glimmer in her eye.

“Hrm...” said Ghozal, stepping out of the shop’s backroom. “Aren’t we selling that Wolf of Justice equipment at the Dark Citadel branch store too? Why are they all coming here?”

Ghozal, once known as Dark One Gholl, had been the leader of the Dark Army until he surrendered the throne to his younger brother Yuigarde in favor of disguising himself as a human and living as a freeloader at his Flio’s house. Over the course of their time together, he and Flio had become something akin to best friends. Since then he had taken two wives: Uliminas, his former confederate from the Dark Army, and Balirossa, a former knight for Klyrode. He had two children as well, named Folmina and Ghoro.

Ghozal was, of course, correct. The Fli-o’-Rys General Store had a branch store located right outside the front gates of the Dark Citadel itself. It had been set up during the period when the current Dark One Dawkson—who had still gone by Yuigarde at the time—vanished from his post, leaving Calsi’im to rule in his place as Dark Regent. Flio had opened the store in response to Calsi’im’s request for aid.

“We sell Wolf of Justice meowrchandise in the branch store too, of course,” Uliminas confirmed. “But their stock is all sold out, with new gear coming in already reserved a fair ways into the future. These are the demeowns who’ve come all this way to try their luck with the main branch’s inventory.”

“I see,” Ghozal said, folding his arms and cocking his head as he looked over the rows of merchandise. “That makes sense. But...Uliminas...”

“Hm? Mew’ve got a question?”

“Correct me if I’m wrong, but it seems like all of the Wolf of Justice equipment you’re selling is branded with Mister Flio’s blue wolf mask...” Ghozal frowned, a furrow forming in his brow.

Aha... Uliminas thought as she realized where Ghozal was going with this. “To answer meowr question, no,” she said, giving Ghozal a narrow-eyed smirk.

“H-Hrm?” said Ghozal.

“We didn’t make any with meowr black wolf mask.”

Ghozal’s face fell at Uliminas’s words. “But I was there too, you know!” he protested. “I fought right alongside Mister Flio as Black Justice!”

“And we’ve tried selling Wolf of Justice goods with the black wolf mask, but nobody ever bought them!” Uliminas shot back.

“H-Hrm...”

“Besides, mew weren’t involved that often anyway,” Uliminas pointed out. “We were worried it might cause purroblems if word got out that the former Dark Meown was fighting on the side of humanity, remember? I don’t think mew would have earned any fans one way or another.”

“W-Well...” Ghozal objected. “B-But still! I fought the Dark Army as Black Justice a number of times...”

“Not nearly enough to count. And mew were holding back every time,” said Uliminas, giving her husband a sidelong glance as she calmly laid out the simple facts. “The meownly time you went all out was when we were fighting the pirates on the Calgosi Coast. Why would the Dark Army care about Black Justice meowne way or another?”

“H-Hrm...” was all Ghozal could say in the face of the undeniable truth of Uliminas’s words.

Flio hadn’t been the only one active as the Wolf of Justice—many of the residents of his house had pitched in to help when they could. Ghozal had chosen to use a black mask and black-colored costume to distinguish himself from Flio, who wore blue, but it seemed the persona of Black Justice never earned much in the way of acclaim.

“Well, whatever the reason, Black Justice has almost no popularity among demeowns,” Uliminas said. “I have hard sales figures purroving it too, so be a grown-up and let it go.”

“H-Hrm...” Ghozal repeated. “W-Well...if that’s the case, I guess it is what it is...” Dejected, he took a step towards the backroom he had just come from.

A second later, however, Folmina came running up after her father. “Papa!”

Folmina was the daughter of Ghozal and Uliminas, making her half demon royal and half hellcat, although she was equally as attached to Balirossa, Ghozal’s other wife, as she was to her biological mother. She, like many others, was somewhat infatuated with Flio’s son Garyl.

Behind Folmina came Ghoro, chasing after his big sister like always. Ghozal’s son with Balirossa, Ghoro was half human and half demon royal, although, like Folmina, he regarded Uliminas as his mother as much as Balirossa. He was a boy of few words who adored his big sister Folmina.

“You two!” Ghozal said, his eyes opening in surprise as Folmina and Ghoro ran up to him and hugged him tight around the legs. The two of them were both wearing new outfits with a matching color scheme. On closer inspection, they seemed to be Black Justice costumes modified for daily wear. “Where did you get those clothes?”

“Mama Uliminas got them for us!” Folmina answered, looking up at Ghozal with a smile on her face. “Do they look good?”

“Oh? Uliminas did, did she...?” said Ghozal, looking over at the counter where Uliminas was waiting.

Noticing Ghozal looking her way, Uliminas shyly averted her gaze. “I didn’t want to let inventory go to waste,” she said. “So I asked Rys if she could make them into meowtfits for our children to wear...”

“Hrm! I see!” Ghozal said, laughing merrily as he hoisted Folmina up on his right shoulder and Ghoro up on his left. “I have to admit, it feels good seeing them dressed in those old clothes!”

“These outfits are so cool, papa!” Folmina said, smiling brightly as she gave Ghozal a big hug. “Me and Ghoro both like them a lot!”

Atop Ghozal’s other shoulder, Ghoro nodded his head in mute agreement as he hugged his father from the opposite side.

Uliminas smirked to herself as she looked over at her husband and children. Well, we had to do something with the meowld inventory, and if those three are happy, all the better...

“Excuse me,” said a woman, startling Uliminas out of her thoughts.

“Mreow?!” she started. “H-How can I help mew?”

“Oh,” the woman said. “I was just wondering... Do you sell the outfits those children are wearing by any chance?”

“Huh? Th-Those are just something we made as a test, I’m afraid...” Uliminas answered.

“Really?” said the woman. “That’s a pity. My son seems to be very taken by them...” At her feet, Uliminas could see a boy of around Ghoro’s height. He was looking over at Ghoro, who was perched atop Ghozal’s shoulder, with shining wonder in his eyes.

These two are demeowns as well, if I’m not mewstaken... Uliminas thought, before turning to look at the child. “Mew like that outfit, kiddo?”

“I do!” came the child’s instant response.

Uliminas smiled. “I see!” she said. “In that case, I’ll give mew a set! If meow’re fine with a test purroduct, that is.”

“Really?!” The boy said, his face lighting up in a radiant smile.

“I-I’ll gladly pay for it...” the woman protested.

“Meow need!” Uliminas insisted. “These are test purroducts, after all! Just make sure he wears it a lot and shows it off to his furiends, and we’re even!” She retrieved an outfit identical to the one Ghoro was wearing from a box by her feet and handed it over to the boy.

“Truly?” the woman said, bowing deeply as she thanked Uliminas. “In that case, thank you very much!”

“Thank you, miss!” said the boy, taking the outfit Uliminas had given him in both arms. “These outfits are so dark and cool! I like them a lot!”

I see... Uliminas mused as she saw the mother and child pair off with a smile. Demeown children do tend to like dark colors, don’t they? Maybe there’s some merit to selling Black Justice merchandise to them instead...

While Uliminas was busy at the counter, Greanyl and Dalc Horst, who were on shop tending duty, were engaged in a conversation of their own.

“S-Sir Dalc Horst!” Greanyl cried. “This way, if you please!”

“G-Greanyl? What’s wrong?” Dalc Horst asked.

“We have a customer crushed under our merchandise! I think her back is injured!”

“Whoa!” Dalc Horst exclaimed when he took stock of the situation. “That lady was carrying five Wolf of Justice Buster Swords! Miss, didn’t you see the sign?” he said, chiding the customer as he went to pull the swords off of her back. “It says, ‘Product very heavy, limit one per customer please!’”

Greanyl was a member of the Silent Listeners, a group that had once served as the Dark Army’s intelligence agency. Currently she served as a supervisor for the Fli-o’-Rys supply teams, as well as a pilot and manager for their fleet of Enchanted Frigates. From time to time she worked tending shop as well, in order to help show newer employees the ropes.

Dalc Horst, meanwhile, was a type of demon horse known as a nightmare. He had once been the captain of a team of elite soldiers under the command of Sleip, a former member of the Dark Army’s Infernal Four. Now he worked for the Fli-o’-Rys General Store as the head of both the freight and guard teams, although he also tended shop when his schedule allowed.

“Damned sorry...” the woman managed in an agonized mutter from beneath the pile of oversized swords. “I thought I’d have no damned problem handling this many swords...”

That bit of trouble aside, however, business at Fli-o’-Rys carried on as briskly as ever.

◇Houghtow City—Flio’s House◇

That evening in the living room after Flio’s household had finished their dinner, Charun, a woman of short stature, made the rounds with a full pot of tea. “Please, everyone, don’t hesitate to ask if you would like a cup of my first-rate tea as an after-dinner refreshment!”

Charun, a magic doll created long ago by a mage in the service of the Dark Army, was the wife of Calsi’im. Calsi’im had discovered her in a broken and discarded state and had her restored to working order. She had stayed by his side ever since, and now the couple lived together in Flio’s house.

The living room of Flio’s house was quite a bit larger than what you might find in a typical residence. Not only did it need to accommodate the building’s large number of residents, but it also featured a hutch large enough for the household pet Sybe to move freely in his natural psychobear form. The interior of the house had been permanently expanded far beyond what should be possible if one considered the size of the building on the outside, all thanks to one of Flio’s spells.

From one corner of the large table in the middle of the living room, large enough for the entire household to eat meals together at once, Calsi’im the skeleton raised a bony hand. “I’ll take a cup of your tea, if I may!” he said.

Calsi’im was an old skeleton who had once served in the office of Dark Regent. He had succumbed to old age once already, but Flio had brought him back to undeath. Now he spent his retirement living with the others at Flio’s house.

“Of course, Calsi’im!” Charun said, hurrying at once to his side. Her feet made no sound as she moved along in spite of the superhuman speed with which she arrived next to her husband.

“Oh?” Calsi’im asked, peering over at Charun’s teapot. “I don’t believe I’ve seen you use this teapot before, have I?”

“Well spotted, Calsi’im!” Charun replied. “This is a kyusu-style teapot I purchased from a Hi Izuran merchant just the other day. The tea is a variety from Hi Izuru as well, known as hojicha. It is meant to be enjoyed with these special yunomi tea cups.”

“I see, I see!” said Calsi’im, his jawbone rattling cheerfully. “I can’t wait to have a taste!”

Charun set the elegant cup on the table in front of Calsi’im and began to pour, when suddenly she was interrupted by their daughter Rabbitz bursting onto the scene. “Papa!” Rabbitz cried, grinning from ear to ear and spreading her arms wide as she draped herself over the top of Calsi’im’s head, holding him tight.

Rabbitz was the daughter of Calsi’im and Charun, making her a being of exceptional rarity, half skeleton and half magic doll. Calsi’im was not a large skeleton, but Rabbitz had been growing fast, and even though she was already nearly twice the size of her father she refused to abandon her habit of contorting herself in order to fit atop her favorite perch—Calsi’im’s head.

“Oh ho ho!” Calsi’im laughed. “Y-You’re in high spirits as ever, eh, Rabbitz?”

“Yah!” Rabbitz chirped.

“B-But you know!” the skeleton volunteered. “Th-This habit of yours is getting quite rough on my old neck vertebrae! P-Perhaps it’s time we have a talk about sitting next to me instead of on my head...”

“Yah!” Rabbitz readily agreed with a toothy grin. There was no sign, however, that she intended to remove herself from her perch anytime soon.

“R-Rabbitz really loves her father, doesn’t she?” Flio remarked, looking over at the family’s antics with an awkward startled smile as Rabbitz rubbed her cheeks up against Calsi’im’s skull.

“I believe she may love him a little too much, if I may,” said Charun, stepping up to Flio in turn and placing a tall yunomi cup full of tea in front of him.

“Thank you, Charun,” Flio said, smiling as he took a sip of the beverage.

“Incidentally,” Charun said, “we have begun selling tea of this sort at the Fli-o’-Rys General Store, have we not?”

“Ah, yes,” Flio answered. “Now that we have regular Enchanted Frigate flights going to Hi Izuru, we’re able to do business with merchants from that part of the world. So far we’ve only been buying wholesale goods from Hi Izuran suppliers to sell in our shop, but we’re expecting some merchants to pay us a visit in the near future for sales talks on their end as well.”

“My lord husband!” At this, Rys, who had been busy in the kitchen cleaning up after dinner, came hurrying into the living room. “Will the Hi Izuran merchants be bringing you know what when they come to visit?”

“Oh!” Flio said, nodding in understanding. “The cloth they use in Hi Izuran clothing, you mean! Don’t worry—I asked them to bring as much as they could carry.”

Rys smiled, delighted at the news. “My lord husband, thank you so much! I was able to make some excellent products using the test cloth you purchased for me the other day. I’ve been at my wits’ end waiting for a chance to get my hands on more!”

On closer examination, Flio noticed that the outfit Rabbitz was wearing as she clung to Calsi’im’s head bore a striking resemblance to the kimono worn by the people of Hi Izuru. “Don’t tell me,” he said. “Rabbitz’s new clothing is one of your test items, isn’t it? ‘Tanmono,’ I believe that sort of cloth is called...”

“Yes, that’s exactly correct!” said Rys, pridefully thumping a fist against her chest. “I made that outfit and many more out of the cloth from Hi Izuru using the clothes they wear in the oni village as a reference!”

As if on cue, Kora came dashing up beside Rys on her little legs. Kora was the only daughter of Ura, the chief of the aforementioned oni village. She was of hybrid species, with her mother being a fairy and her father an oni. Kora was an extremely shy and self-conscious girl, but she had made a great deal of progress in opening up to the residents of Flio’s house.

“U-Um...” Kora began, fidgeting shyly as she did a quick rotation in front of Flio to show off her outfit. “R-Rys made an outfit for me too!”

“I see!” said Flio. “It looks great on you, Kora!”

“E-Ehe hee!” Kora giggled. “Thank you! And thank you, Lady Rys, for making me such a wonderful outfit!” She bowed deeply and darted back to where Ura and Blossom were sitting. “Dad, mom!” she said, smiling happily in spite of her beet-red face. “U-Um... Lord Flio praised my outfit! He said it looks great on me!”

“Lord Flio’s got that one right!” said Ura, grinning as he patted his daughter on the head. “You look great, Kora!”

Ura had been raising Kora as a single father ever since his fairy wife passed away, on top of looking after the group of demon misfits he had taken in under his wing. He was kind, passionate, and serious-minded when it came to his duties, and a strong enough fighter that he once had been a candidate for a position on the Infernal Four during the time of Dark One Gholl.

Next to Ura, Blossom smiled happily as well.