Chillin’ in Another World with Level 2 Super Cheat Powers: Volume 14 (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 (Light Novel)
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 271

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2024

Beschreibung

The Maiden Queen of the Magic Kingdom of Klyrode reigns as a benevolent monarch during an age of peace, beloved by her people and acclaimed throughout the lands for her many achievements. Her Majesty, however, has a serious problem—one she shares with her strongest ally, the nigh-omnipotent merchant Flio of the Fli-o’-Rys General Store: a serious case of compulsive overwork! Flio’s wife, Rys, and the Queen’s sisters have all had enough of their respective loved ones burning the midnight oil with no end in sight. And so they come together for a common cause—Flio’s family and the Maiden Queen will go on vacation...together!

Leseprobe

Chapter 1: Flio’s Family Vacation

The world of Klyrode is a world of swords and sorcery, home to demons and demihumans of all kinds. 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, bringing peace to the land.

The Dark One Dawkson, having successfully reestablished cooperative relations between the demon clans, has been applying himself to the development of his territory in spite of the misgivings of those demons who cling to the credo that might makes right. Some have even begun to liken him to his predecessor Dark One Calsi’im and the former Dark One Gholl. This newfound prestige seems to be matched by a renewed interest in the marital prospects of the Dark One, who has still yet to take a queen.

The Maiden Queen of Klyrode, meanwhile, has been working hard to establish diplomatic relations with faraway lands who had the luxury of ignoring the war with the Dark Army thanks to their distance from the Dark One’s domain, part of her ongoing project to build bonds of friendship between the kingdoms of humanity. With the Queen pulling one all-nighter after another both at home and abroad, however, many have come to worry for the health of their sovereign.

The merchant Flio, meanwhile, has been putting no less effort into his management of his own Fli-o’-Rys General Store, expanding his markets both in human lands and in the territory controlled by the Dark One and his Dark Army. Along with his wife Rys, and everyone who had come to call his house their home, Flio’s been keeping himself busy.

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

◇Klyrode Castle—Throne Room◇

One day, Flio paid a visit to Klyrode Castle.

Flio was a merchant who hailed from another world entirely, originally summoned to Klyrode as a candidate for the position of Hero. The blessing he had received on his summoning gave him mastery over every skill and every magic spell that existed in the entire world. Since his arrival he had taken Rys as his wife—a demon and former soldier in the Dark Army—and became the proprietor of a general store by the name of Fli-o’-Rys and a proud father of one son and three daughters. Currently, he was in the presence of the Maiden Queen of Klyrode, who was sitting upon her throne, but in spite of that he stood there smiling his usual easygoing smile.

The Maiden Queen of Klyrode was the reigning monarch of the Magical Kingdom of Klyrode. Her full name was Elizabeth Klyrode, but those closest to her knew her as Ellie. She had taken reign of the kingdom when her father, the former King Klyrode, was banished for his many crimes. She was so obsessed with statecraft that she had never taken a lover in spite of being around thirty years of age.

In contrast to Flio’s relaxed demeanor, the Maiden Queen wore a distinctly guilty expression. “I really am terribly sorry for all of the outrageous requests I keep making of you and the Fli-o’-Rys General Store...” she said.

“Not at all!” Flio reassured her, good-naturedly shaking his head. “We’re always happy for the business, you know.”

“I am very grateful to hear those words, make no mistake...” the Maiden Queen said, a conflicted look coming over her face.

As word had spread about the peace treaty she’d signed with the Dark Army, she had received countless requests from the neighboring human kingdoms. The Maiden Queen had done her best to handle those requests herself as the representative of the Magical Kingdom of Klyrode, but given that a majority of the requests had something to do with the Fli-o’-Rys General Store, time and time again she’d found she had no recourse but to request Flio’s presence at the castle in order to handle some particulars.

“However,” she continued, “I truly feel I must apologize for requesting you come all this way yet again...” She stood up from her seat and lowered her head.

Flio held up his hand, waving off the apology. “There’s no need to apologize on our account,” he said. “It’s a profitable arrangement for our store after all, and you’ve been very accommodating of our requests as well on many occasions—not to imply that this is some sort of exchange of favors, of course.” So saying, Flio lowered his own head towards the Queen. At his side, his wife Rys followed suit, bowing her head with slow elegance. She was wearing an extravagant dress, suitable for an audience with a queen, which she lifted in a graceful curtsy.

Rys was a lupine demon and a powerful warrior, formerly of the Dark Army. After she had once been defeated by Flio, she made the choice to walk alongside him as his wife. She loved her husband Flio somewhat past the point of rationality, and served as a mother figure for everyone who resided in his household. Her presence seemed to have caused a stir among the various ministers gathered in the throne room.

“Th-That woman, Mister Flio’s wife...” one of them whispered. “Am I correct in hearing that she is in fact a d-demon...?”

“That’s right...” another whispered back. “A lupine demon, whose strength made her a match for the old Infernal Four, they say...”

“Can you believe it? A demon like that, performing such an elegant curtsy...”

Rys’s ears perked up at the ministers’ whispered conversation. Hee hee! she laughed to herself, a haughty smile on her face even as she lowered her head. True, I am a daughter of the proud lupine demons, but above that I am my lord husband’s wife—and his secretary! Of course I’m not above treating his business partners with respect!

“You know...” a minister said, continuing their whispered conversation. “When she came here before, that woman would always stand with her arms folded like some aloof king...”

“Didn’t she tell Her Majesty that she refused to lower her head for anyone other than her lord husband?”

“I seem to recall she made the guards pass out cold with a single glance...”

The ministers kept on whispering, stealing furtive glances in Rys’s direction, as the lupine demon in question scrunched up her cheek muscles, struggling to keep the smile on her face. I-I must endure it... she thought. If I let my emotions get the better of me and raise my voice again, it will only reflect poorly on my lord husband! Endure it... Endure it...

Flio glanced at Rys out of the corner of his eye, giving her a knowing smile.

The Maiden Queen looked over from her throne, silencing the ministers with a glance before turning her gaze back towards Flio and Rys. She cleared her throat. “I must apologize for the grave disrespect shown towards you by my ministers.” Once again she rose from her throne, bowing deeply towards her guests. The ministers too seemed to suddenly remember where they were and bowed their heads low as well.

“It’s quite all right,” Flio said, glancing around the room with a somewhat perturbed smile. “You haven’t troubled myself or my wife in the slightest, so please do lift your heads back up.”

Next to him, Rys nodded her agreement. Her expression, however, seemed a bit more pointed. It appeared to be saying, “If that is my lord husband’s will, then I have no choice but to accept.”

◇Later—Klyrode Castle, Maiden Queen’s Chambers◇

After concluding their audience in the throne room, the Maiden Queen led Flio and Rys back to her private chambers. “Now, to continue our conversation from earlier...” she said. “Per your request, I’ve arranged for permission for an inspection of the new magic beast racing hall in Naneewa Town for the Naneewa Town mayor, who has jurisdiction over the area. I’ve signed a letter of introduction for you, so please present it to the mayor when you go to meet with them. I’ve also obtained permission for your new large-scale construction project in Houghtow City.” As she spoke, she produced a number of documents, handing them over to Flio.

“Thank you for going to all those lengths for our sake,” Flio said, smiling his usual easygoing smile as he graciously accepted the documents from the Queen. “With this, we’ll be able to move on the next phase of our project.”

“That’s all well and good,” Rys said, “but something’s been bothering me ever since we were in the throne room...” She brought her face right up close to the Queen’s, studying her closely from mere inches away.

“U-Um...” the Maiden Queen said, distressed by Rys’s sudden change in behavior. “What exactly are you—”

Rys grabbed the Queen’s face with both hands, squeezing it tight. “Elizabeth.”

“Y-Yes?!” the Maiden Queen squeaked back.

“Have you been sleeping properly?” Rys asked.

“Huh?” The Maiden Queen’s eyes went wide at the unexpected question, a pang of guilt coming over her face, which Rys did not fail to notice.

“I knew it,” Rys said. “You’re using makeup to hide it, but there are dark circles under your eyes—rather bad ones, at that. Plus...” she leaned in with her nose against the Maiden Queen’s mouth, sniffing at her breath like a dog. “You’ve been abusing healing potions, haven’t you? I can smell them on your breath.”

“I-Is it that obvious...?” the Maiden Queen asked, beginning to panic.

At this, the Second Princess stepped up to join the conversation. The Second Princess, Leusoc Klyrode, was the Queen’s next youngest sister and one of her most invaluable allies. She had been serving the kingdom as a diplomat since the reign of their father, King Klyrode, when the Magical Kingdom of Klyrode was still at war with the Dark Army, conducting talks with the other human kingdoms of the land. She was an unreserved individual who always spoke frankly, even to her sister the Queen.

“You’re right on the money as always, Madame Rys,” she said with a sigh, theatrically slumping her shoulders. “I swear, I’ve told this one to take a rest time and time again, but she hasn’t listened to me once. Lately I hear she hasn’t even been going to that bridal training of hers, which at least seemed to have some recuperative effect.”

“I see...” Rys nodded, as if suddenly understanding something. “I’ve been wondering why she hasn’t been by our house lately...”

“Oh?” the Second Princess asked. “My elder sister was paying visits to your house?”

“Yes,” said Rys. “She’d been coming regularly under the pretext of improving her culinary abilities. But lately she’s been canceling every time for one reason or another.”

“I see, I see...” the Second Princess grinned in understanding. “So she’s been coming over to your house for her bridal training, then...” The two turned in unison to look over at the Maiden Queen, whose face very quickly turned bright red.

“Wah! Wah! Waaah!!!” the Queen cried, springing to her feet and crossing her arms above her head. “N-N-N-No!” she protested. “You have it wrong! O-Or rather, you’re not wrong, exactly, but, well, that is, you see...” The Maiden Queen searched desperately for the right words. By now it wasn’t just her face that was red, but her neck and shoulders as well. It was a display of emotion that seemed unimaginable from the regal figure who had been sitting on her throne just moments earlier, and Flio couldn’t help smiling in amusement. The atmosphere in this room was much more at ease.

“I’ve actually prepared something for you today as a present to help Your Majesty relax on occasion,” Flio said, producing a bottle from the Bottomless Bag he wore on his belt and handing it to the Maiden Queen.

“Is this...a healing potion?” the Maiden Queen asked, a puzzled look coming over her face.

Next to her, the Second Princess furrowed her brow in consternation. “Mister Flio,” she said. “We appreciate the gift, but my sister the Queen has been taking so many healing potions these days that they’ve stopped having as strong of an effect.”

Flio smiled his usual smile and waved his hand. “That’s right,” he said. “Your typical healing potion is good for curing external wounds, but their effect on mental fatigue is temporary at best, and that declines even further if you take them repeatedly in a short period of time, as I can see you’ve discovered for yourself. But that’s exactly when it’s this potion’s time to shine.” He gestured towards the bottle now held in the Maiden Queen’s hand. “That is a new magic potion of ours, created from a unique medicinal concoction made with some very special ingredients that happened to come into my possession recently on one of our excursions. I believe you’ll find it to have a full effect even on someone whose body has become used to ordinary healing potions, such as Your Majesty.”

“G-Goodness!” the Maiden Queen said, staring wide-eyed. “A-And you would give such a precious item to me?”

The Second Princess stared hard at the bottle in her sister’s hands. “There’s no way I’d let my sister the Queen drink some strange unknown potion...is what I’d usually say,” she said, frowning seriously for a moment before suddenly breaking into a smile. “But if it’s a present from the one and only Mister Flio, I say we accept it with gratitude!”

“But I can’t simply accept such a valuable potion without giving you something in return!” the Maiden Queen said. “I must at least offer you payment for your services!” She hurried over to her desk to draft a promissory note, only for Flio to stop her with one of his smiles.

“There’s really no need,” he said. “You’ve helped us out in so many ways. Consider this one on the house.”

“B-But...” the Maiden Queen protested with a frown.

“I know!” said Rys, her face lighting up in a bright smile. “Why don’t we agree to an exchange?”

“An exchange?” the Maiden Queen asked.

“That’s right!” Rys said. “Why don’t you join our family for a vacation? We can work in some cooking lessons if you like as well and kill two birds with one stone.” Here, she wrapped her arms around one of Flio’s, pressing herself close. “And I can’t help but notice that my lord husband has been working nonstop without any rest himself lately as well. Perhaps you’ll join us and bring our birds-per-stone count up to three?”

“H-Hold up, Rys!” Flio said, distress coming over his face. “I-I admit I’ve been far busier than I’d like with work lately, but I can’t just suddenly go on break! And Her Majesty has all sorts of state affairs to deal with...”

“Th-That’s right!” the Maiden Queen said, looking no less distressed herself. “I certainly appreciate the offer, but I’m afraid I really can’t...”

“It would be no trouble at all!” Just then, the doors to the room burst open as the Third Princess made her way inside.

The Third Princess, named Swann Klyrode, was the younger sister of the Second Princess and Maiden Queen. If the Second Princess was the Maiden Queen’s right arm, the Third Princess was her left. She had graduated from an academy that educated the children of the nobility and set immediately to assisting her sister full time, focusing mainly on domestic affairs. She was hopelessly infatuated with her oldest sister, to the point of developing something of a complex.

“Th-Third Princess?” the Maiden Queen said, taken aback by the sudden entry of another party into the conversation.

Without waiting for an invitation or permission of any sort, the Third Princess came right up to her beloved sister. “It’s just like I keep saying!” she insisted, pointing up at the Maiden Queen. The Third Princess was a woman of slight stature, and had to angle her head upwards to look at her sister’s face. “My sister, Your Majesty the Queen, you’ve been working much, much, much too hard! And so, I must ask, would you leave everything here to myself and the Second Princess and get some much needed relaxation please?”

The Maiden Queen was stunned into silence to hear the Third Princess put it in such plain terms as a wry smirk came over the Second Princess’s face. “Oh, Swann,” the Second Princess said. “You’re as straightforward as ever, I see. But you’ve never had a care for appearances when it comes to our older sister’s sake, have you?”

“D-Don’t you make fun of me!” the Third Princess objected, puffing out her cheeks in a pout and standing on her tiptoes as she turned to glower at the Second Princess. “I-I’ll be the first to admit I can be somewhat excessive when our sister the Queen is involved. I do have a modicum of self-awareness, you know! B-But that is neither here nor there!”

The Second Princess pressed her younger sister back with both arms, smirking all the while. “Ah, yes, of course,” she said. “Our little sister understands her own personality perfectly well and chooses to act out regardless. It’s honestly admirable in a way. And in this case I’m grateful for that bluntness of yours. After all, in this case, you and I are in complete agreement.” She turned her eyes away from the Third Princess, back towards the Maiden Queen. “Of course, realistically we can’t just send you off on vacation first thing tomorrow. We can, however, hurry and wrap up her official duties as soon as we can, and send her merrily on her way.”

“I-I do appreciate the sentiment...” the Maiden Queen said, glancing worriedly between everyone in the room. “But...”

“You know...” the Second Princess said, leaning in to whisper in the Maiden Queen’s ear. “If it’s a vacation with all of Mister Flio’s family, that mean’s Garyl’s gonna be there too...”

At that, the Maiden Queen’s face turned beet red. She mutely opened and shut her mouth, whatever protest she had dying on her lips. Flio smiled his usual easygoing smile at the sight, as the Maiden Queen glanced at everyone in the room in turn, blushing furiously all the while, embarrassed to have become the center of attention.

“W-Well, I suppose if we set everything in order first, maybe...” the Maiden Queen said, reaching out desperately for a way to change the subject. “Although, considering what happened the last time, perhaps we should discuss this emergency Teleportation Portal, just in case...”

The conversation carried on in that vein for a while longer.

◇Houghtow City—Flio’s House◇

It was evening, the light of the setting sun falling on the three story structure of Flio’s house when Flio and Rys arrived back home, materializing from nowhere in a magic circle that appeared not far away.

Flio sighed, the magic circle vanishing behind the couple as they stepped out onto the ground outside the house. “Finally, we’re done with another day’s work.”

“This is what I’ve been telling you, my lord husband,” Rys said, wrapping her arm tight around his. “You’ve been far too busy! I can’t believe we even had more errands after our trip to Klyrode Castle. Visiting the mayor of Houghtow City and delivering that letter to the mayor of Naneewa Town... You know you have people standing by ready to do these things for you at a moment’s notice, if you’d only just ask...” She puffed out her cheeks in a cute pout, looking up at her husband with upturned puppy dog eyes.

“Well...” Flio said, wincing at Rys’s words, “in this case, we were the ones making the request. I couldn’t just hand it off to someone else...”

“I suppose I can’t disagree with that...” Rys admitted, leaning in forward to peer directly at Flio’s face. “But you did make apromise! I’ll be holding you to that vacation with the Maiden Queen you agreed to today!” The earlike tufts of hair on the top of her head twitched in excitement as clung to him.

“U-Um, well...a-all right...” Flio said, wincing once again. I want to take time off as much as anyone, but there’s just so much work...

Flio began to lose himself in his own worries when he felt something soft press against his arm that made his cheeks flush red—Rys’s chest. “You really are just like the Maiden Queen, aren’t you, my lord husband?” she said, sulking. “You both put your work above everything else, far beyond the point of reason. It’s not that I dislike that industrious side of yours, but I do wish you would give yourself the rest you need as well!”

“I...I see...” Flio said, finding himself suddenly at a loss for words. “I-I’ll see what I can do.”

A great big smile spread over Rys’s face. “I’m counting on it! I, for one, certainly can’t wait!”

Just then, however, something caught Flio’s attention. “Huh?” An array of magic circles appeared around him as he suddenly turned to look up at something high in the sky.

“My lord husband! What’s going on?” Rys asked as she transformed her arms and legs into their lupine demon forms, wasting no time in preparing for a fight as well. “Has some uncouth miscreant come here to try and steal you away from me?”

“No, Rys,” Flio said, smirking in amusement as he turned back towards his wife. “I thought I sensed something strange, but it seems like it was just my mind playing tricks.” I saw there was someone up in the air casting some sort of magic, but on closer inspection, it was just an ordinary Search spell, he thought, pulling Rys, who was still standing on guard, into a gentle hug. I didn’t sense any kind of hostility, so it’s probably fine to just leave them alone...

“Are you sure?” Rys asked. “If there’s nothing there, then I’m glad. But if someone is thinking of harming my lord husband, I will strike them down without fail!” In spite of her violent words, however, she let herself relax from her combat stance, returning to her usual ladylike demeanor with a smile.

“Dada! Mama!” As Flio and Rys were talking, a girl with a pair of dragon wings on her back came flying from the hills on the other side of Flio’s house. She ascended high in the air and then dived straight towards them, coming in at precipitous speeds. “Welcome-welcome home-home!” she chirped, grinning from ear to ear as she collided with Flio and wrapping her arms around his shoulders.

“Oof!” Flio caught the girl with a smirk, holding her in place. “Hello, Wyne! We’re home!”

Wyne was a dragonewt, said to be the greatest warrior among all of dragonkind. Flio and Rys had once saved her when they found her collapsed at the side of the road, and adopted her into the family where she served as a doting older sister for their other children, who came later.

As Flio held his adoptive daughter in his arms, multiple interlocking magic circles appeared around him. Wyne had once been the pride of the Dark Army’s legion of dragons, which was said to be the strongest division under the Dark One’s command. Her innocent dive into Flio’s arms carried enough force to level the entire area. An ordinary human would very likely have been killed instantaneously from such a collision, but Flio was able to catch her straight on with a smile on his face. This was due in part because of the suite of defensive magic that activated automatically in response to Wyne’s superpowered attack, including powerful spells with names like Absorb Impact, Antigravity, and Null Pressure.

Rys, incidentally, had transformed her limbs back into their lupine state, fully intending to catch Wyne herself. Even her fluffy wolf tail had materialized in her excitement as she stood, bracing for impact. Alas, it had been Flio who caught her instead, leaving Rys to look on with a chagrined pout.

“Are you done-done with work today?” Wyne asked, beaming as she nuzzled her cheeks against Flio and then Rys in turn.

“That’s right,” Flio said, smiling as he petted the girl on the head. “We’re all finished.”

“Then, then...” Wyne said. “We get to eat-eat together today!”

“Sure, that won’t be a problem,” said Flio.

“Yaaaay!” Wyne cheered, her smile growing even brighter than before. “I can’t wait-wait!”

Now that I think about it, I’ve been so busy lately I’ve been missing more dinners than not... Flio reflected as he looked back at Wyne’s smiling face.

“Papa! Mama!” Flio’s thoughts were interrupted by the voice of a young girl, calling to him from a distance away. The young girl in question was riding atop a psychobear’s back, racing towards them from the hills. It was Rylnàsze, Flio and Rys’s youngest daughter, together with Sybe, the family pet.

Rylnàsze possessed exceptional talent as a tamer, enabling her to befriend magic beasts of all shapes and sizes. Thanks to her abilities, she was made a full staff member of the Houghtow College of Magic’s magic beast pasture despite still being too young to enroll in classes. Flio had originally found Sybe, her current mount, in a random encounter. Realizing that he had no hope of victory, Sybe surrendered on the spot and lived as a pet at Flio’s house ever since. He spent most of his time in his unicorn rabbit form, ever since Flio used his magic to give him the ability to freely change between the two.

Rylnàsze waved cheerfully. Shebe—Sybe’s mate—was perched in front of her, while their children, Sube, Sebe, and Sobe, were sitting atop her back and shoulders. Shebe was a wild unicorn rabbit who had taken a liking to Sybe and came to live with him at the house. Among their children, Sube and Sobe took more after their mother’s unicorn rabbit features, while Sebe more closely resembled a psychobear.

That wasn’t all, though. Behind Sybe came another ursine magic beast, a full size bigger than Sybe himself. This was Tybe, a Bear of Misfortune cub who had become attached to Rylnàsze during one of the group’s trips to Dogorogma. It ended up accompanying them back to the world of Klyrode where it now served as part of Rylnàsze’s small army of familiars.

Noticing Rylnàsze and her companions approaching, Rys turned to wave with a smile on her face. “Why, hello, Rylnàsze!” she said. “We’re back!”

“Bwor! Bwor!”Sybe cried, jumping up to rest his paws on Rys’s shoulders and cheerfully licking her face. It was behavior that many would have thought completely impossible from a psychobear—S-rank magic beasts known for their overwhelming power and their love of battle, such that they were known to leap fearlessly into the fray even against magic beasts larger than themselves, to say nothing of a mere human. This, perhaps, was a testament to Rys’s abilities as a fighter, which put her far above an ordinary S-rank beast.

Rylnàsze hopped down from Sybe’s back, followed by Shebe, as Sube, Sebe, and Sobe nimbly managed to keep their perches on Rylnàsze’s shoulders. She adjusted her hat and gave Flio and Rys a great big hug. At this distance it was obvious that both she and Wyne were covered in mud, no doubt from playing with Sybe and his family in the forest. Flio cast a quick Cleanse spell as he hugged the two of them, leaving their outfits (and the magic beasts’ fur) sparkling clean.

Next, the front door of the house swung slowly open, revealing Tanya, the next person to welcome Flio and Rys home. Tanya had once gone by Tanyalina, an angel and disciple of the Celestial Plane who boasted tremendous magic power even among her peers. She had been sent to observe Flio by her superiors in the Celestial Plane, but after a freak midair collision with Wyne, she lost part of her memory and now lived in the house with Flio and the others, where she worked as the household maid. Today, like always, she was wearing a traditional maid outfit, with a slit in the skirt to enable ease of motion.

Tanya greeted Flio with a formal bow. “Welcome home, Master.”

“Thank you, Tanya,” said Flio. “Did anything out of the ordinary happen while I was away?”

Ordinarily, when Flio was away, Rys was left in charge of managing the affairs of the house. Today, however, Rys had been out accompanying Flio, leaving the house in Tanya’s capable hands.

“We received a number of guests with business relating to the Fli-o’-Rys General Store,” Tanya reported. “I directed them to the storefront, per your instructions. Other than that...” Her eyes narrowed and turned towards Wyne, who even now was carrying on nuzzling her cheeks against Flio’s. “I was required to fetch new undergarments for young mistress Wyne on no less than I believe eight separate occasions.”

As a dragonewt, Wyne’s body included an organ meant to facilitate a dragon’s famous fire breath. As a result, however, her body temperature was always high. She preferred to dress in poncho style outfits for their high level of airflow, but even with that allowance, she exhibited an intense dislike of wearing underwear, which clung unpleasantly to her body.

“I tell you,” Tanya continued, “Young mistress Wyne is the daughter of the master of the house! She must learn to present herself properly!”

“No way, no way!” Wyne protested loudly, still clinging tight to Flio’s shoulders. “I wanna have fun and play-play!”

Tanya and Wyne glared defiantly at each other, with Flio caught in the middle. “N-Now, now,” he said, looking between the two. “You both have good points. Wyne’s right that it’s important to play and have a good time...but Tanya’s right to think about appearances too.”

“Hmph,” Wyne pouted, puffing out her cheeks before reluctantly nodding her head. “If you say so, dada...”

“That’s right,” said Tanya. “Please do as the master says.” She gave another formal bow, apparently satisfied with Wyne’s assent. “Now, Master Flio, will you perhaps be staying for dinner? I have everything ready to prepare at a moment’s notice.”

“I will, thank you, although first I’d like to wash up after the day’s work,” Flio said. “Maybe we could have dinner once I’ve finished?”

“Understood,” said Tanya.

As they spoke, Flio opened the door and stepped inside the house. Right away, Elinàsze came running up, her oversized slippers flopping with every step. “Papa! Welcome home!”

Elinàsze was one of Flio’s children with Rys, the older of the two twins. She was a serious-minded girl with a natural genius for magic who loved her father to a somewhat excessive degree.

“I’m home, Elinàsze!” Flio said, smiling as Elinàsze beamed and hugged him tight. “Have you been working on your research again today?”

“That’s right!” Elinàsze said. “I managed to improve the efficacy of our potions...and, of course, I’ve been certain not to neglect my schoolwork as well!”

◇Meanwhile—Houghtow College of Magic◇

“Hm?” In a classroom in the Houghtow College of Magic, a girl wearing a miniskirt with a large ribbon in her hair paused in the middle of getting everything ready to go home for the day and looked around, tilting her head in innocent confusion. “Wherever did Elinàsze get to?”

This was Salina, a girl in the same class as Garyl and Elinàsze. The daughter of a wealthy family, she had come across as haughty and condescending when she first entered school, but over time her admiration for Garyl had made her a much more amicable individual. Her specialty was magical song, which she could even use in combat by charging her voice with magic power.

“Is something the matter, Salina?” asked a girl in a frilly dress.

“Ah! Snow Little!” Salina said. “Have you seen Elinàsze anywhere, by chance?”

Snow Little was another of the children’s classmates. She was a member of the fable folk, a rare demon species, and a specialist in summoning magic. Like Salina, she too harbored distant romantic aspirations for Garyl.

“Oh?” Snow Little said, joining Salina in looking around the room. “That is peculiar, isn’t it? I’m certain she was in her seat just a moment ago...”

“It’s very peculiar,” Salina agreed. “And I had been hoping to speak with her after class too! I wanted to ask how Lord Garyl has been since returning from his exchange study program at the Klyrode Institute for Chivalric Education...”