In the Land of Leadale - Volume 5 - Chapter 1

Chapter 1 - A Naming, Village Life, an Emergency, and an Attack

Naming: the act of bestowing a name to a newborn infant. Also, the corresponding ceremony. A christening.

“Gaaah…”

Cayna gripped her head and flopped onto the dining room table—the only place in her house suitable for holding a family meeting. She had a living room, but that was strictly for getting comfy and vegging out. Such spaces were tailored by and for each player; add a bulky character like a dragoid into the mix, and the furnishings could get fairly eclectic.

Sitting across from Cayna and Luka was Roxilius, who hung his head gloomily. He clearly hadn’t forgiven himself for falling victim to Contract Magic while house-sitting. Even Roxine didn’t interrogate him and simply served tea in silence with a morose look on her face.

“Mommy Cayna…are you…thinking?”

“Hrrmm…”

Everyone felt a wave of concern as Cayna hemmed and hawed over the letter (if you could even call it a letter), despite having spent the entire night reviewing it. Roxine refused to let Cayna’s ambiguous answer slide.

“Well then, Lady Cayna. Might I ask what is being named?”

There was no reason to hide the short letter, so Cayna had shared it with Roxine and Luka. Roxine wanted to know what kind of naming made Roxilius feel this guilty; Luka just knew the letter had upset Roxilius, someone who was usually so eloquent and good-natured.

The subject of said naming was visible to Cayna, and Cayna alone: Li’l Fairy, who was currently perched happily atop the rim of Cayna’s teacup.

“She’s right here…,” Cayna said, circling the air with her finger to indicate the fairy. Roxine and Luka stared at the gestured spot before looking back at Cayna.

“Do you mean the fairy? I’m afraid I don’t notice a thing.”

“Yeah… I don’t…see her.”

If a level-550 werecat couldn’t sense Li’l Fairy’s presence, then Cayna was the only who could. She had no idea how to name the fairy into existence. Even if she knew Li’l Fairy was there, convincing other people would be an uphill battle.

Certain the fairy was somehow connected to Opus, Cayna had intended to safeguard her. However, the letter stated this was the wrong move. Instead, she was supposed to name the fairy and “adopt” her, in a sense.

“I can’t believe he thought I’d just leave her in some nameless, default mode…”

“Perhaps he never expected you would simply call her ‘Fairy.’”

This certain someone was keeping close tabs on Cayna, apparently. Annoyed Cayna still hadn’t given the fairy a proper name, he sent her a letter through the most roundabout fashion.

She had no idea why he was going to such lengths to stay in the shadows. Unless he had something to hide, he could show himself at any time.

Still, she didn’t think he was the type to appear out of nowhere with a casual Hey, long time no see. Lurking somewhere in wait like an arrogant demon lord was more his style.

“…So what will you do?”

“…Right. Great question.”

Cayna now understood Opus’s stance on Li’l Fairy but nonetheless fell back into despair.

Her biggest stumbling block was extremely basic. Naming was a common part of any gaming experience, but some folks found it agonizing.

Cayna was one such person. She was terrible at picking names.

“Why are you so distressed, Lady Cayna? You gave me, Roxilius, and your children the most wonderful names, no?”

“…Yeah, I guess so.”

Roxine proudly struck her chest, but Cayna was less than confident. She couldn’t exactly blurt out that she’d named Roxine and Roxilius after her date of birth while her three kids’ names were just different words for snail. Cayna dodged the question.

A name, a name… I need a name… Can’t I just leave it as Li’l Fairy?

“That is up to you, Cayna. But if you insist on keeping it and run into him again, he will torment you over it for the rest of your life.”

Gwagh?!

Kee was warning her not to be careless. Cayna could easily imagine Opus loftily condemning her for the rest of her days, so she soon abandoned the idea of taking the easy way out.

“Mommy Cayna…?”

“Ah, Lady Luka, I believe Lady Cayna is conferring with a Divine Spirit.”

“Divine…Spirit…?”

Luka stared worriedly at Cayna, sitting in silence as her expression shifted seemingly by the second. Roxine then mentioned she was consulting her personal adviser, a Divine Spirit. Roxine didn’t quite understand how Kee functioned, so she could only assume Cayna was conferring with some sort of holy being whenever she caught her master wordlessly nodding to herself.

In this world, a Divine Spirit was believed to be a force that led people down the right path—something that guided heroes and saints like in fairy tales, hence the mythical associations. Cayna’s children and the two werecats believed she was guided by a Divine Spirit, though they also thought it was a little sad that she of all people was deemed noble enough for such an honor.

Upon Roxine’s explanation, Luka gazed up at Cayna in wide-eyed admiration as if she’d appeared straight from a fairy tale.

Spot? Fluffy…? Princess? Princess Dream…?

“You cannot be serious.”

Meanwhile, Cayna was internally testing a number of cutesy names one might give a dog or cat, all of which Kee shot down without hesitation.

“This is a fantasy world. I suggest you give the matter more thought.”

I feel like you’re expecting too much here, Kee.

Completely out of ideas, Cayna sipped her now-lukewarm tea. Li’l Fairy was convinced she was finally about to get a name, but the moment that seemed unlikely, she glumly fiddled with the ends of Cayna’s hair.

“Why don’t you consider what she means to you personally?”

Kee was being much more proactive about the naming process than Cayna, who then muttered the first thing that popped into her head: “She’s kind of like my guardian.” That’s when it hit her.

“She’s also kind of like your little sister, Kee. I’ll name her Kuu.”

“…What?” said Roxine.

“Little…sister…?” said Luka.

Inspiration struck, and Cayna suddenly clapped her hands. Roxine and Luka, who had been enjoying the silence, looked over at her in confusion. The fairy had been absentmindedly twirling Cayna’s hair until Cayna scooped her up out of nowhere.

“Your name is Kuu. Yay, Kuu!”

“ !”

The being formerly known as Li’l Fairy was overcome with joy at the sound of her own name. A smile spread across her face as she twirled high into the air and a noise escaped her mouth.

“Huh?”

“Oh…”

“…?”

A brilliant cluster of light particles appeared out of thin air before taking the shape of a fairy. It was truly a mystical sight. The awestruck eyewitnesses—Roxilius, Roxine, and Luka—stared at the strange phenomenon unfolding before them.

“Kuu! Kuu!” the fairy chimed sweetly as she flitted about, repeating her name over and over, clearly thrilled.

Kuu hummed a happy ditty. Her wings left phosphorescent trails in their wake that dissolved at Luka’s touch.

“Nice,” said Cayna. “Now you’re with us for real, Kuu.”

“I do not have a younger sister…”

“Maybe you shoulda thought of a name, then. She’s like a little sister figure.”

“She certainly is not.”

Kee was not amused in the least but said no more, seemingly uninterested in pressing the issue. After finishing up her happy dance, Kuu floated over to Cayna’s shoulder and started rubbing her cheek against her hair affectionately. She was certainly quick to react.

“Lady Cayna, is this the fairy you mentioned?” Roxine asked.

“Yep. Her name is Kuu. No teasing her.”

“I would never. What exactly do you take me for…?”

Offended, Roxine took the teapot and returned to the kitchen. Cayna noticed Luka staring up at Kuu, her mouth gaping like a fish’s. She gently prodded Kuu to turn her attention to Luka.

“You probably know by now, but this is Luka. Play nice, okay?”

“Luka! Luka!”

Kuu planted a kiss on one of Luka’s extended fingers, then grabbed her middle finger with both hands and shook it up and down like a sort of handshake.

“Wooow…,” Luka murmured, her eyes sparkling.

“Kuu has a name now. Rox, no need to beat yourself up.”

“Ngh. My deepest apologies, Lady Cayna…”

Roxilius clenched both fists and bowed his head. Cayna walked over and patted him on the shoulder.

“It’s okay, Roxilius. Really. I’ll make that guy pay a thousand times over.”

Roxilius sensed an unpleasant, bloodthirsty aura and looked up to find a terrifying smile on Cayna’s face. She was ready for action, and he yelped at her humorless gaze.

“The second I find that jerk, I’m gonna pound him into mincemeat and cook him into the grossest shape possible! He better say his prayers!”

Cayna let out a shrill laugh of “Oh-hoh-hoh-hoh!” as a large wave crashed against the shore that appeared behind Cayna (courtesy of Oscar—Roses Scatter with Beauty). Chills ran down Roxilius’s spine. Luka, on the other hand, stood there confused by the sudden stage backdrop. Kuu flew beside Cayna and copied her, though the fairy’s “Oh-hoh-hoh-hoh” sounded more like an owl hooting.

When Roxine returned with a fresh pot of tea, she couldn’t help but notice the drastic shift that had occurred in the brief time she was away. She rubbed her temple, feeling a headache coming on.

At any rate, the unwanted, unsigned letter gave no further details, so Cayna moved on to the next order of business: Roxilius’s report on the merchant caravan that had arrived from Sakaiya while she was out of town.

“So they delivered…ten barrels of beer and five of whiskey?” she said.

“One barrel of beer is four silver coins, and one whiskey barrel is twelve. The total price is one hundred silver coins.”

“A whole gold coin?! That’s insane! Am I supposed to charge highway robbery for a single drink or something?!”

“The taste testers claimed you’ll more than break even.”

“…Is my alcohol that good, or is the stuff in this world just terrible?”

“Perhaps both.”

He then passed her a receipt. It was a bill for ten silver coins.

“What’s this?”

“The transport fee for the wheat—two carriages’ worth.”

“Huh?”

Cayna visibly withered. This was only the transport fee; it didn’t even include the cost of the actual wheat. Roxilius found this strange as well and had inquired about it, but the merchants offered vague claims about how this was customary.

“I have a feeling this isn’t going to be as profitable as I thought…,” Cayna said when she saw her stocked barrels dwindle while her storehouse was full to the brim with bags of wheat. Roxilius offered his input.

“You can either get Lux’s help with the wheat or go to Felskeilo and purchase it yourself. Both are viable options.”

“Maybe if I go through Lux, I can add a handling charge. Did you find out when the caravan will be back for their next pickup?”

“In approximately one month, although that can vary with demand. Lux will keep us apprised.”

“Huh, I guess Lux has some item that lets him communicate with Sakaiya.”

“It would seem so.”

Cayna decided the refining process could be done in their spare time and told Roxilius they’d call it a day. She was sure he’d pull an all-nighter out of guilt otherwise. He spent the entire evening sulking until Cayna put herself to bed, stifling a yawn.

“All right. Time for a few questions…”

Once breakfast was finished, Cayna clapped her hands, ready to ask Kuu everything she wanted to know. Roxine cleared the table, and Roxilius prepared to head out with Luka. Cayna was often out of town, so she didn’t remember the details of their morning routine. Roxilius simply replied, “Oh, you must have forgotten. We’re off to clean the bathhouse.”

The children had been assigned bathhouse-cleaning duty as punishment for leaving the village without permission.

Their punishment had since ended, leaving Roxilius to handle the task himself. After discussing the matter, the villagers decided that doing odd jobs, patrolling the village, and maintaining the bathhouse was too much for one butler, so they had the children help him with the latter duty going forward.

Lytt couldn’t lend a hand in the mornings or evenings since that was when the inn was at its busiest. With that in mind, it was decided the kids would start roughly before noon.

Lux Contracting’s main source of revenue came from the sale of various Sakaiya products and Lux’s own custom furniture. Latem was in training but not yet an apprentice, so his parents were fine with people putting him to work out of the blue.

Aside from helping around the house, Luka had no duties to speak of. Moreover, Roxine was such an efficient housekeeper that she required no assistance at all.

“Hmm. I’ll tag along since it looks like I’ll be able to introduce Kuu to people now,” Cayna told Roxilius.

“Very well.”

“You’re gonna…help clean, Mommy Cayna?”

“I’ve gotta introduce Kuu to Mimily.”

The two had technically met before, albeit when Kuu was still invisible to everyone except Cayna. It was better to properly acquaint people with Kuu before any issues arose, especially since Cayna had no idea what this world thought of fairies. She’d be in big trouble if they turned out to be taboo.

Roxilius went ahead to the bathhouse while Cayna took Luka and Kuu to the inn.

“What’s that you got there?” Marelle asked, staring in shock at Kuu floating over Luka’s head.

“Wow! Miss Cayna, what is that?! Who is that?!” Lytt squealed, her eyes gleaming with wonder.

“This is Kuu, the new fairy living with me. I hope you’ll get along.”

Granted, Kuu wasn’t exactly new, but Cayna kept the introduction short and sweet since explaining the entire situation would be a headache. She gave a small bow, which Kuu dutifully mimicked, saying, “A pleasure, a pleasure.”

“Awesome!”

Lytt, who was in the middle of wiping tables, gripped her towel excitedly. Her face lit up in amazement just as Luka’s had the previous morning. Cayna mistakenly took that to mean that young girls adored fairies even in this world, too.

“Pardon me, Marelle. May I speak with you for a minute?”

“Come on, Cayna, why so stiff? How long have we known each other by now? You can tell me anything.”

Cayna still lacked basic knowledge of modern-day Leadale, and Marelle was the one person she could go to for answers.

Just like when they first met, Marelle gave Cayna a hearty thump on the back. “Quit bein’ so formal!”

“Cough… Right. Are there any local fables about fairies?”

“What, you don’t know? They say happiness comes to children who encounter fairies.”

“Urgh…”

Cayna’s heart sank with guilt at the mess she’d unintentionally stepped into. She couldn’t say for sure if Kuu was an actual fairy, but she didn’t want to mislead Luka and Lytt or give them false hope.

As she contemplated this, Marelle gave her a pat on the shoulder and whispered, “Don’t you worry. A girl’s gotta get out there and find her own happiness, not wait for it to fall into her lap. That’s one lesson Lytt’s gotta learn the hard way.”

“Y-you’re really something, Marelle…”

Marelle left an incredibly strong impression. Cayna’s cheek twitched; she could practically hear the other village ladies telling her this was exactly how a country girl ought to be.

An awkward smile spread over her face as she pictured Lytt growing up to be just as plucky and dauntless—a transformation a long-lived high elf like Cayna would probably witness firsthand if she stayed in the remote village.

I dunno if I want Lytt to turn out like her mom, though…, she thought as she started leaving for bathhouse-cleaning duty with the two girls in tow.

“Whoa! What’s that, Miss Cayna?” Latem exclaimed from the entrance, just as shocked as the girls had been.

“Kuu is Kuu!” the fairy replied.

“This is my new housemate, Kuu. I hope you’ll be friends, Latem.”

“So fairies are real after all…”

His shock, however, was for a different reason. When Cayna questioned him further, she learned that every race had similar children’s stories. The ones involving fairies, however, were typically told to girls.

“The stories basically say you gotta wait for your prince to show up. Y’know, that sort of thing. And those kinda people aren’t self-sufficient. We dwarves think it’s a sign of weakness.”

Cayna was taken aback by his curt, cold practicality. In this fantasy world, she never would have expected a dwarf to imply she get a reality check. She couldn’t tell if this was a matter of educational differences between the races or because dwarves were overall a people of action.

At any rate, the two starry-eyed little girls were having absolutely none of it.

“Hey! Don’t crush our dreams!”

“It’s…not nice.”

“What, you seriously think seein’ a fairy brings good luck? You gotta get out there and make your own luck!”

“Yeah, my mom said the same thing, but can’t you at least let a girl dream?!”

Lytt must have overheard her mother earlier. Luka, meanwhile, didn’t add much to their bickering; instead, she stood silently by Lytt’s side and simply glared at Latem. Just as Cayna was wondering how she should mediate, Roxilius took advantage of a lull in the conversation and stepped between the three children.

“Things will only grow more heated at this rate,” he said. “Let’s set the issue aside until we’ve finished cleaning, then we can continue the discussion.”

Roxilius spun Latem around and showed him to the men’s bath before turning to Cayna and giving a slight bow. In other words: I’ll see to Latem, so you go ahead and take care of the girls.

Lytt’s cheeks were puffed out angrily, and Luka was on the verge of tears. Cayna consoled them as they all entered the women’s bath.

“Okay, you two. Save your squabbling for when your chores are done.”

“Squabble, squabble!” Kuu chirped, clueless to the fact she was the cause of said squabbling. She flitted through the air and mimicked Cayna’s tone of voice. When they entered the changing room, Mimily caught sight of Kuu.

“Y-Your Holiness?!” the mermaid shouted, her face twisted in shock and horror as her tail jerked violently. A moment later, she cried “I—I do apologize!” and pressed her head to the ground in prostration before Kuu.

Cayna rubbed her temples tiredly. I’ve seen an awful lot of groveling lately, she thought. “Relax, Mimily. Kuu’s got nothing to do with the Water Spirit. She’s not even a Wind Spirit. She’s a fairy.”

“Boo-hoo, boo-hoo.”

Kuu lamented the mermaid’s lack of eye contact. Cayna drew the fairy to her chest and roused Mimily to lift her head. The mermaid gazed at Kuu reverently.

“Is she upset with me?” Mimily murmured fearfully.

“Aw, she’s just sad because you won’t look her in the eye.”

“Oh my gosh! I-I’m so sorry!”

Dark clouds hung over the dejected Kuu as Mimily stared blankly and wondered how to cheer her up. The clouds quickly cleared at Cayna’s direction.

“Kuu is Kuu!”

“Um, hello, Kuu. I’m Mimily. It’s very nice to meet you.”

As soon as their eyes met and the two introduced themselves, a smile blossomed on Kuu’s face. Mimily immediately pressed a hand to her chest in relief.

“Phew. I don’t know what I would have done if I’d offended the Great Fairy…”

“Whoa, hold on,” said Cayna. “What’s this Great Fairy stuff? I thought your village revered the Water Spirit.”

“Yes, we do. We also had similarly tiny beings—palm-sized mermaids without wings—the village used as messengers. We call them Great Fairies.”

Cayna looked between Kuu and Mimily and felt like she’d seen something similar. She couldn’t put her finger on where, though, and moved on. At any rate, she figured the messengers were some kind of ocean fairy.

While Cayna and Mimily talked, Luka and Lytt grabbed deck brushes from the equipment box in the changing room and prepared to clean the bathhouse. Once the flow of hot water was halted and the tub drained, they started scrubbing. Anyone could turn the water off and on with a tiny bit of magic.

The drainage was controlled by a dam that only needed to be opened. The overflow usually spilled into the washhouse behind the bath. Most people used Mimily’s laundry services, but as low as her rates were, the service wasn’t free. Anyone without the cash on hand had to do their own laundry.

One of Cayna’s magical devices purified the water from the washhouse and hot-water bathhouse and converted it for agricultural use. Roxilius maintained the fields’ irrigation channels since he obviously didn’t have enough to do already. This system reduced the time spent constantly drawing water from the well and was a hit among the villagers.

Cayna couldn’t think of any other ways to improve life in the village; she decided to set aside her remodeling plan for the time being unless someone demanded something. She had offered to loan out golems and Earth Spirits to help cultivate the fields, but everyone had politely declined.

Mimily went over to where the girls were cleaning and flushed the filth away with a water spell. She had mastered crawling along the ground recently, which made her look like the mythical Lamia. It was an amusing sight; Mimily didn’t have a long serpentine body like Lamia, so her tail did most of the work. Its feverish sway reminded Cayna of a dog’s tail, and she accidentally let slip a giggle.

“Something the matter, Cayna?” Mimily asked.

“N-no, it’s nothing. Nothing at all.”

“Slither, slither, swish, swish.”

Cayna did her best to keep a straight face as the mermaid eyed her suspiciously. However, she trembled violently and cracked once the clueless Kuu started imitating Mimily.

“Luka,” Mimily said, “please tell me Cayna’s biggest mistakes in secret later.”

“Hey…!”

When Cayna heard Mimily speak of such nightmares, she hastily wiped the grin off her face. After all, Cayna knew several ways the mermaid could embarrass her in front of Luka.

Luka considered this request for a moment before nodding and saying, “…Okay.”

“Lu betrayed me…,” Cayna moaned.

“I’m pretty sure this is your own fault, Miss Cayna.”

Just as Cayna was devasted by one blow, Lytt followed up from behind and backed Mimily. She was obviously still upset about the conversation with Latem.

Mimily finally noticed the younger girls’ long faces.

“Did something happen?”

“Well, you might say there’s a culture clash going on.”

After Cayna explained the earlier incident, Mimily nodded.

“Hmm. So they’re fighting?”

“I’ve had arguments with friends, too, but we never butt heads like this. What advice should I give…?”

“You’re the mother figure. Shouldn’t you be the voice of reason?”

In Cayna’s case, nearly every group experience had taken place within the game. She’d usually just go along with whatever her guildmates and fellow party members wanted, so fights were few and far between.

After Lytt and Luka finished cleaning, Mimily had them sit on a bench in the changing room.

“You’re usually busy talking to each other, so it’s rare to see you this quiet.”

“…Yeah.”

“Miss Mimi…”

The girls sat next to each other and silently stared at their feet.

“Cayna told me a little bit about what happened, but could you try to remember your conversation earlier?”

Mimily smiled as the girls closed their eyes and mumbled their recollection of the event in the same way.

“I wonder, did Latem really dismiss your dreams?”

““Huh…?””

“Even if he said, ‘Waiting is weakness’ and ‘Grab it yourself,’ that doesn’t mean he was disregarding you.”

“Y-yeah.”

“…Uh-huh.”

The girls had been defensive in the moment, but they now understood the truth in Mimily’s measured words. They realized statements like Dwarves think waiting is weakness and We have to grab it ourselves were not necessarily denying their dreams.

“Besides, Latem said, ‘We have to grab it ourselves.’ That must mean he has dreams, too, right? So with all that in mind, what should you do now?”

“Say…we’re sorry.”

“Apologize.”

As the girls expressed their remorse, Mimily nodded with a smile. “Good answer.”

Luka and Lytt stood up and ran outside. Hardly a second later, a loud, shocked, and frankly strange cry rose from the men’s bath as the girls made their apologies.

“Whaaaat?!”

Moved by the commotion on the other side of the wall, Cayna cried, “Oh!” and started clapping.

Mimily’s temple let out an audible twang.

“Caynaaaaaa! Please sit down right there!”

“Huh? What? What’s wrong, Mimily? This is sudden.”

“That was not an ‘Oh!’ moment just now! ‘Oh’?! Honestly, what are you even doing?!”

“Huh?!”

Finding herself at the mercy of Mimily’s wrath, Cayna suffered an hour-long lecture on communal living. Although a lost mermaid, Mimily was still raised as a future queen candidate.

Racial differences aside, she tearfully drilled into Cayna how a role model should behave. Well, other than the parts about being a mer-monarch, that is.

As Cayna’s complaints rang into the heavens, Roxilius was relieved to know the children were smiling innocently together once more. Naturally, he ignored the chaos coming from the women’s bath.

Private butler or not, he still had to look out for himself.

“Ack, that was rough…”

Cayna and the others left the bathhouse after Mimily was done with her verbal lashing. The three children had apparently cleaned the men’s bath together and enjoyed pleasant conversation while the mermaid was chewing her out. Latem had to help out his parents in the afternoon, so he headed home.

“Mom…are you okay?”

“Huh? Oh, yeah, I’m fine. Never better.”

Cayna, Luka, Lytt, and Roxilius were walking in an orderly line back to the inn to drop off the innkeeper’s daughter when Luka tugged at Cayna’s cloak worriedly. Mimily’s lecture seemed to focus more on the art of leadership than the role of motherhood, but Roxilius doubted Cayna would find the information very useful. As he mumbled to himself to stay on his toes around the mermaid, he said something to the effect of “I must be going” and began to veer away.

“Oh, you got patrol duty, Rox?”

“No, I have been asked to do an unrelated job. I thought I should take care of it now.”

“A job? Is it something only you can do?”

“No, anyone can do it.”

When Cayna inquired further, she learned the job was gathering eggs. The village chickens continued to roam freely like they owned the place, and there were eggs everywhere. Anyone could take them home, but the ones laid in tricky, out-of-the-way spots slowly spoiled. Therefore, each family was periodically responsible for checking the village for these eggs.

Cayna’s household was apparently next down the list, and it was now Roxilius’s duty to go on an egg hunt.

“Right, right, the eggs. What if we looked with Survey?”

“Oh! I’ll help, too, Miss Cayna!”

“Shouldn’t you get back to the inn, Lytt?”

“Don’t worry. It’s no problem as long as I’m home by dusk!”

Cayna glanced around and saw chickens popping out of a nearby barn. It seemed like a frustrating search on foot. Magic was much more efficient, but she wouldn’t be setting a good example for the children.

Instead, she took out a handled direction arrow from her Item Box and gave it to Luka.

“…?”

“What’s this?”

Luka and Lytt had no clue what it was and tilted their heads in confusion.

“Write what you’re looking for on that arrow, and it’ll point you in the right direction. You’ll find it in no time. If there’s more than one, it’ll pick whatever is closest.”

“So we should write ‘egg’ on it?”

“That’ll include eggs in people’s houses. ‘Eggs on the ground’ should do the trick.”

The girls took the pen Cayna offered and audibly pondered over the arrow’s surface. They knew their basic characters but were unsure how to fit a hiragana phrase into the roughly thirteen-by-ten-centimeter space. The size of their handwriting hadn’t changed since Cayna first taught them, so she thought it’d be strange if they couldn’t fit more than four characters on a small blackboard instead of a notebook. She’d written in large letters to help them see her examples easier but desperately hoped they’d realize that wasn’t their only option.

After a moment, Luka wonkily wrote “Eggs on the ground” and showed it to her.

“Is this okay?”

“Yeah, that looks great, Lu. Now, if you grab the handle…”

Lytt followed Cayna’s instructions, and the arrow spun wildly before pointing left to an area behind them. The wall of a house stood there, but it was surrounded by wild grasses.

“I’m pretty sure it’s not past the house,” Cayna murmured. She parted the weeds, and two eggs rolled out. Kuu quickly flew in and picked one up.

“Egg! Egg!”

“Don’t drop it, Kuu.”

The egg was about 30 percent of Kuu’s own body weight, and Cayna warned the dexterous fairy to be gentle. Using her Craft Skills, she made several handlebar baskets sewn from nearby vines right then and there. Cayna’s sudden ability to freely put something together without a template as long as she directed its shape made her even more suspicious of Kuu.

Cayna’s expression gave nothing away as she handed out the baskets and told everyone, “Okay, let’s meet up after we’ve got a whole bunch.” They separated into three groups: Cayna with Kuu, Roxilius by himself, and Luka and Lytt together.

Roxilius watched the two girls merrily set off on their egg hunt.

“What is that?” he asked.

“That’s my Find-It Buddy. It was in the Item Box in Liothek’s tower.”

“Huh?”

The appearance and effect of an item was often tweaked to personal preference, so there were plenty of things Cayna couldn’t understand unless she tried them out herself. Cost and materials determined the quality of an item, so it wasn’t like people could just pull things out of thin air.

Liothek’s tower was filled with the usual, but Cayna also found several arrows with words like thorn, centipede, and weird stuff written on them.

She must have been dying for something interesting, Cayna thought wistfully. The girl wore an Antonietta janthina or flapjack octopus costume whenever they met, so Cayna had no clue what Liothek actually looked like.

Roxilius said he’d focus on the village perimeter and fields and broke away. Luka and Lytt had made their way toward the center of town, so Cayna decided to check the entrance. Finding eggs in the tall, overgrown grass was easy enough, so her skills felt unnecessary here.

In the meantime, Cayna remembered to ask Kuu where Opus was.

“Opus? Opus?”

Kuu gazed up at the sky and mulled over this question with a troubled look.

The fairy would probably figure it out in due time, but Cayna rephrased her question since Opus was a nickname only she and the other players used. Cayna had asked Kuu a while back if Opus ever teased her. Instead of, No, he didn’t tease me, it was possible her headshake had meant, I don’t know this Opus.

“I’m asking about the person who locked you away in that book.”

When the fairy shook her head with another bewildered look, Cayna realized Kuu might not even remember being put there in the first place.

“Hmm? Okay then, where did you first come from?”

She seemed to understand this question and excitedly chirped, “Sanctuary! Sanctuary!” Whether or not sanctuaries were exciting was beside the point.

“A sanctuary? I know what a church is, but what’s a sanctuary?”

“I believe a sanctuary is a place where a god is enshrined.”

Kee’s input was extremely helpful, but Cayna knew zilch about the gods of this world. Which was pretty sad, considering her son was a High Priest.

It was possible Kuu herself had a connection with the gods, but that wasn’t Cayna’s focus at the moment.

“I better leave this to the pros. Should I ask Skargo?”

Cayna was discussing this with Kee, but anyone else would think she was talking to herself. One full basket floated beside her while she took out another. She’d need more, of course.

Considering the speed and precision with which Kuu gathered the dropped eggs, the fairy likely had skills of her own. Her tiny body could only grab one at a time, but she seemed to be strangely enjoying herself. Kuu used to be intangible, so she was probably thrilled to race around touching things. Cayna felt the same way the first time she experienced the game’s environment.

When they returned with two full baskets, Luka, Lytt, and Roxilius were already there. In addition to the basket Cayna gave him, Roxilius had filled a second basket he borrowed from another family. Lytt’s apron was also brimming with eggs.

“Looks like there are lots more old eggs out there, huh?”

“Yeah…but…we can’t carry them.”

“Indeed. I borrowed another basket but set a limit for myself. The search would be endless otherwise.”

In total, the group had gathered over one hundred eggs. Cayna used magic to roughly categorize them. Were they old or new? Such criteria were subjective, so Cayna couldn’t tell how old an egg really was. The skill was known as Classify, and the basic idea was that it could organize anything the player specified. Back in the game, this was undeniably a Throwaway Skill you ignored the second you learned it. Most Skill Masters agreed there were too many Throwaway Skills created for no other reason than to add more quests. It was unclear whether Classify’s survival this far in the future could be considered a lucky break.

While they were working, Latem stopped by with news.

“Miss Cayna, my dad says there’s a message for you from Sakaiya.”

“A message? From Caerick?”

“I dunno. It just said, ‘Please visit when you have time.’”

“Oh, okay. Maybe an order for magic rhymestones finally came in?”

“Well, that was all. Later!”

“Huh? Hey, wait!”

Latem ran off before Cayna could reintroduce Kuu. He was grinning ear to ear, so she assumed he enjoyed helping out the family business.

“Lady Cayna. If the eggs still need sorting, I…”

She shook her head at Roxilius’s offer to cover for her.

“It’s not like I need to leave right this second. I can head to Helshper tomorrow.”

“Understood. In that case, I’ll distribute the fresh eggs. What shall we do with the old ones?”

“It’s a bit iffy whether or not they’re edible. Maybe I can use them for Convert?”

Sixty eggs were deemed safe as long as they were cooked first. The rest made no guarantees. Roxilius left to distribute the edible ones among the villagers, and Lytt took eggs to her own family.

Since the message on a Find-It Buddy couldn’t be erased, Cayna decided to loan the arrow out for egg hunts. She heard more than a few villagers had fallen victim to a rotten egg—this was undoubtedly because they had no way of separating the good and bad. This world apparently didn’t have methods like the saltwater test to help tell the difference.

“Perhaps you could inform someone?”

“And who am I supposed to tell exactly…?” Sharing the test with the Merchants Guild would create an uproar and end up a huge pain, so she thought maybe her grandson could speak for her. “Anyway, how could players leave behind board games and stuff but not mention this little life hack?”

“It appears the balance of knowledge was unequal. After all, there were not many women.”

“Female players, huh?”

The female players Cayna had known included a pervert who was way TMI, a silent eyesore, a complex case of siscon, and a mascot obsessed with all things weird. Not a great lineup. The memory alone struck Cayna with a wave of exhaustion, and she suddenly needed a nap.

“Are we…throwing these away?”

“Nope. Watch this, Lu.”

The girl obeyed and curiously observed the basket packed with leftover eggs.

Cayna picked three and cast Convert on them. The eggs in her outstretched hand were momentarily covered in a rainbow film before turning black, and each shrank to the size of a thumbnail. She used Search and discovered they were pieces of iron.

Cayna dropped these into Luka’s hand and cast Convert on three more eggs. This skill changed one’s items into other random substances. There were plenty of pros and cons, though, so it was yet another Throwaway Skill.

First, each conversion cost a significant amount of MP. This number varied with the target, but those three eggs alone cost 100 MP.

Second, each time was a gamble since you never knew what you were going to get. Cayna placed a grain of iron, a stone, a piece of square timber the size of an egg, a snail shell, a small bottle, and many other unrelated things into Luka’s hands. One disappeared into thin air. Considering they started as eggs, the grain of iron and the bottle weren’t so bad. Still, the rest were garbage.

For the time being, Cayna decided to bring everything home in a basket. She couldn’t just flout the law by littering, and some items would likely prove useful around the house.

The next day, Cayna left Luka with Roxine and teleported to Helshper. She had assumed Kuu would want to stay with Luka, but the fairy absolutely refused to leave Cayna’s side. Kee’s quiet suggestion that maybe she couldn’t leave Cayna was a bit unsettling.

Now that Kuu had a physical body, Cayna thought she would need to eat and had asked Roxine to prepare a variety of dishes. Nonetheless, the fairy continued to casually skip meals except for the occasional teaspoon of honey. Assuming Kuu only ate sweet things, Cayna offered her sugar; this, too, was a dud. Since the fairy ate nothing but fruit in the morning (and a single, tiny bite at that), she concluded Kuu’s diet was limited to natural sugars.

Kuu used to skittishly hide away in Cayna’s hair when she was invisible, but gaining a physical form had made her surprisingly inquisitive. Kuu sat on Cayna’s shoulder as they walked Helshper’s bustling main road, and her eyes danced at the surrounding sights. Keen-eyed passersby who spotted her either stared in shock or froze solid. The former were mostly women while the latter were the elderly.

At one point, they passed what looked like a group of female students, who whispered among one another and began stalking Cayna and Kuu. Sensing the fairy was in imminent danger, Cayna rushed to Sakaiya.

“Great-Grandmother?!” Idzik, the young master of Sakaiya, exclaimed when he saw Cayna fly in.

The employees shot suspicious glares at the girl who had charged into the shop but jolted at their young master’s reaction. Not only was she a relative, but if Idzik’s form of address was to be believed, she was also two ranks higher than Sakaiya’s founder, Caerick.

“Sorry for barging in like this, Idzik.”

“Not at all. Father said you would be arriving soon. Has something happened?”

“Some hyenas came after me, so I made a break for it.”

“What?”

Idzik wanted to know what kind of foes could force even his great-grandmother, the most powerful being on the continent, to run away. However, he restrained himself. This was no time to be prying into other people’s personal business. Leaving the shop to his subordinates, Idzik guided Cayna into the main building.

“By the way, might I ask what you have on your shoulder?”

“Oh, right. This is Kuu. Kuu, I think you already know, but this is Idzik. He’s my great-grandson.”

“Nice to meet you! Nice to meet you!”

Idzik was uneasy for a moment but soon viewed Kuu as a guest of honor and dipped his head.

“It is a pleasure to meet you, Milady Kuu.”

“Kuu is Kuu!”

Kuu stood up, and trails of phosphorescence followed the fairy as she darted around him. Hands on her hips, she puffed out her cheeks in an angry pose. Idzik, meanwhile, looked bewildered.

“I think she’s saying she doesn’t like being called milady,” Cayna explained.

“Is that so? But I must address all our honored guests with due respect.”

He made a fair point, but there was no evidence Kuu was older than him since no one could confirm her age. When told this, he asked, “How about ‘the Most Honorable Kuu’?”

This was apparently a fair compromise.

Just like before, Cayna and Kuu were led to the parlor where they waited for some time. Finally, Caerick appeared from behind the sliding screen door.

“I apologize for the wait, Grandmother! …And who might that be?!”

“Hello, Caerick. This is Kuu.”

“Kuu is Kuu!”

Caerick had entered the room in good spirits but froze upon opening the sliding door. The subordinate following behind him with a box hung back in confusion.

Cayna clapped in her grandson’s face to bring him back to his senses.

“Hey, you’re the one who called me here on business. Why’re you getting worked up over something so tiny?”

“Boo! Boo!”

Kuu protested the tiny comment, but Cayna smoothed things over with a pat on the head. The fairy’s mood instantly turned around, and she flew around Cayna in a flurry of dancing music notes. Perhaps Kuu was a bit too much of a pushover.

“You never fail to surprise me, Grandmother. Is this what they call a fairy?”

“Yup. This is Kuu. She joined our family just yesterday.”

“I’m slightly curious about your household… Did you say just yesterday?”

“That’s right.”

Kuu had been around pretty much the entire time but only officially joined Cayna’s household the day prior. Caerick stood in dumbfounded silence for a moment before shaking his head.

Cayna heard him murmur something along the lines of “Yet another feat Grandmother is capable of.” She wondered what else he thought she could do.

Once Caerick forbade the subordinate carrying the box to speak of Kuu, he spread some papers across the table and opened up the lid. There were small, dark gray stones packed inside. Magic rhymestones.

“You already sent me plenty, but it looks like you’ve got lots left.”

“Yes, there are many among the stones in the cool riverbed, so finding them is a simple task. I’m very grateful to those children from the orphanage for telling me the location. I paid them handsomely for their assistance, of course. Not to worry.”

He hastily added this last statement when Cayna’s eyebrow rose at “children from the orphanage.” Disguising his nerves with an air of calm, Caerick took out two documents and showed them to her. They were order details from two nobles. Both stated the desired size and quantity of the processed rhymestone tools as well as the designated keywords.

Cayna asked the specifics of each order and completed them one by one as Caerick explained. Regardless, she did ballpark figures.

Most of the magic tools in question were smaller than the original rhymestones, so Cayna could pick up a stone from the box, process it, and set the keyword with one hand. Caerick handed the finished products over to his subordinate, who packed them away in crates in a separate room.

Cayna continued processing stones down this assembly line and chatted idly with Caerick while he checked their quantity. She also took the opportunity to tell him how to differentiate between good and bad eggs. His eyes widened at her casual explanation.

“I must make this known at once!”

Just to be safe, Caerick scribbled something on a piece of paper and handed it to an employee to be sent to the Merchants Guild.

“Is it that big a deal?”

“It is, Grandmother. Now we will have fewer cases of food poisoning.”

Every country apparently dealt with similar issues at the dinner table.

“Also, thanks for the wheat,” said Cayna. “Can I really have it for free, though?”

“Oh, no, I’m certain I received payment. Perhaps the middleman made a mistake?”

“But didn’t you only charge me for shipping? That’s basically a handling fee.”

“It was a complimentary discount since this was your first purchase. I will request the full amount next time.”

“Gotcha. Well, I appreciate it.”

“But of course. You are helping me as well.”

The two smiled at each other. Meanwhile, Kuu had grown bored of darting around the room and was now lying on Cayna’s head.

“…In any case…”

“Yes?”

“I never imagined you’d be accompanied by a fairy, Grandmother.”

“I guess fairies are pretty rare, huh? I had no clue.”

Caerick frowned and warned that Kuu might draw the attention of eccentric dilettantes. They would approach Cayna with flattery and money or, if all else failed, resort to violence.

“Having said that, Grandmother, you are utterly unrivaled. I expect anyone foolish enough to prove that wrong would spell their own destruction.”

“Hey now…”

She was amazed that he could make such a bone-chilling statement with a grin on his face. It was true Cayna showed no mercy to anyone who threatened her family, but she’d earn a bad rap if she went around giving everyone the bandit treatment. By that point, it’d just be showing off. Still, it was exhausting keeping her army of OP skills in check.

As she considered a more peaceful method, Caerick offered Cayna tea and sweets as if to distract her.

“We’ve completed enough orders, so let’s stop here.”

“Huh? Don’t we need to do the ones over there?”

“No, the nobles whose orders we just fulfilled are notorious attention seekers. Even if we say nothing, they will flaunt and promote our wares.”

In other words, they were great walking advertisements. This also meant Cayna would be called upon more frequently. It was a hassle, but Cayna would do what she must to support her family.

Cayna’s shoulders drooped, and she sipped the tea Caerick brewed himself. She nearly sprayed it everywhere when an urgent message tone suddenly blared in her head.

“What the—?”

“You have an urgent message from friend Shining Saber: ‘Potential incoming attack on the capital. Requesting aid.’”

“Seriously?! I look away for two seconds and this happens?!”

“Grandmother?”

“Sorry, Caerick. It looks like something is going on in Felskeilo. We’ll pick this up next time!”

“‘Something’? What do you mean?”

“I don’t know yet, either, so I can’t help you there. Later!”

“R-right. P-please take care.”

“Thanks! Sorry for the trouble.”

Teleport enveloped Cayna in its characteristic purple beam of light right then and there, and she disappeared in an instant. A sense of unease fell upon Caerick as he saw her off. If something big was happening in Felskeilo, he knew he had to check the situation with his mother. Although reluctant, he had no one else to contact on such short notice and resorted to Telepathy.

It all began soon after Cayna and her family returned to the village. A ragged male adventurer and his crazed horse crashed into Felskeilo’s western gate. The gate was solid, so naturally the incoming man suffered the most damage. The collapsed horse foamed at the mouth, and the rider, sent flying upon impact, was covered in blood. He was injured, of course, but the man’s armor was so shredded that it hardly clung to his body.

The soldiers at the gate rushed to take care of him. They doused the man in potions and checked his condition.

“H-help.”

“Hey, hang in there! Can you tell us what happened?”

“Here, have some water. Easy does it!”

A guard brought a cup to his lips. Water spilled over as the adventurer drank, and he hoarsely pleaded for help. The words they managed to catch horrified them.

A horde of beasts and monsters had attacked a merchant caravan. His comrades were killed by monsters that half treated them like playthings, and the severely injured man was the only one sent to Felskeilo as a messenger. After feverishly relaying this information to the guards, he fainted from exhaustion.

Even inexperienced soldiers like these knew better than to dismiss the man’s word as a lie or joke, and they immediately sent messengers in every direction.

One went to the castle to seek the king’s guidance, and the gate commander used his own judgment to hire adventurers to scout the area and check the western trade routes. Fortunately, they caught up to the knights on patrol and informed the captain of both the situation and measures the commander had taken.

The familiars of adventurer mages searching the area confirmed mixed groups of monsters, and similar reports came from other travelers as well. Realizing the situation was dire, top leaders held an emergency meeting and notified the entire capital to go on high alert. The High Priest’s approval expedited the process.

Even the Adventurers Guild was called upon for service. Several parties were available, and about fifty people volunteered. Guard escorts were in high demand ever since the western trade routes reopened, and a considerable number of adventurers had answered the call. Fortunately, these groups had apparently avoided running into any hordes of monsters. The escorts guarding the attacked caravan had last departed from Felskeilo.

The nobility sent their personal soldiers to defend the city, and the Academy’s master healers and apothecaries joined the main forces at their own risk as well.

Mai-Mai, Academy headmistress, was conscripted by the knights since she had previous experience. High Priest Skargo, despite the opposition around him, chose to join his sister on the front lines. Kartatz, the boss of a large shipyard, had built barricades and a makeshift camp but brought his mace as well.

“…Why are you both here?” Mai-Mai asked.

“Hey, it’s times like this where I gotta show my stuff,” replied Kartatz.

“Hmph,” said Skargo. “Injuries will happen regardless, so healers are essential.”

Staff from the Academy, church, and workshop had all come together, and the hastily built stronghold was already overcrowded.

“Looks like we’ve got the old A-team back.” Shining Saber, the knight captain who was commanding soldiers and knights alike, entered the packed central tent and looked around. He smiled awkwardly.

“Oh, you’re just arriving now, Captain?”

“As if I’m just gonna let the soldiers and knights run wild! Anyway, how’s the situation?”

Question marks floated around Skargo, and Shining Saber answered his empty-headed comment with obvious irritation.

The gate commander in charge of this zone rushed over to give an update.

He reported the camp was still under construction, and the adventurers were using their familiars to reconfirm the scale on the monster horde. Shining Saber instructed the soldiers with him to help Kartatz and the others, and his second-in-command ordered the knights to either aid with the construction of the camp or deliver supplies to the main forces.

As the soldiers and knights left in groups of twos and threes, Shining Saber gave a heavy sigh.

“I’m too old for this…”

“Isn’t it for the best? You must be tired of all the paperwork by now. This might even be a blessing in disguise.”

“…Shut it.”

Shining Saber made no attempt to hide the dejection his second-in command’s snide remarks wrought.

“We don’t have many soldiers left to defend the city. The nobility’s personal guards are still around, but it’s a different chain of command. I dunno how we’re supposed to navigate that.”

“The adventurers are away as well. It’s not ideal timing.”

Complaints went flying now that their subordinates were out of earshot. As the two embarked on a hopelessly long tangent, Mai-Mai and Skargo exchanged strained smiles.

The mages’ familiars confirmed the overall scale of the enemy forces in the early evening. The monsters and beasts were heading toward the national border. These included both predators like horned bears and prey such as rabbits. It was determined some artificial method might be forcing the creatures to go against their natural instincts. Since no one knew what might happen, a travel ban was enacted across the capital as a precaution.

“Monsters and animals acting in groups? Have any giant monsters been sighted since the first victim?” Shining Saber questioned.

“There’s been reports of goblins mixed in with wolves, bears, and rabbits, but no mention of anything particularly large,” replied the second-in-command.

Their all-important mages had been defeated after only a few scouting trips. Sending out any more to collect evidence would be problematic. Mai-Mai raised her hand as the knights puzzled over their dilemma.

“In that case, shall I dispatch a spirit?” she asked.

This was a proposal by someone equal to Shining Saber. According to Cayna, Mai-Mai was raised to be a magic-attack specialist, so she could handle the task with no issue.

“Hmph. I wasn’t aware you could use them, Mai-Mai,” Skargo said.

“Come on, Skargo. Don’t assume I only specialize in Flame Magic. Mother taught me how to summon several spirits.”

“I see. Well, that’s a relief. I’ll leave the matter up to you.”

Skargo nodded with satisfaction, but Mai-Mai was two seconds from decking him when she saw dark clouds of anxiety roiling behind him. Everyone else secretly thought he would have deserved it.

Mai-Mai’s Wind Spirit confirmed only monsters and beasts made up the enemy camp, but it unfortunately couldn’t tell if a giant monster was among them. Also, had the enemy’s numbers almost doubled since the initial reading?

It took a full day to fortify the capital’s western gate. The following day, a barricade was erected a distance away from the city, and a basic defensive camp was laid out for students, priests, and patients. Volunteers were also heading to the battlefield, so those transported here would include the badly injured and lost causes.

In addition, a main contingent of soldiers and knights was deployed to the front line, established several hours away. Bands of mercenaries and last-minute adventurers joined them, and the personal soldiers of the nobility were present as well. However, this last group made the adventurers uneasy.

To prevent confusion in the chain of command, everyone was placed under the authority of the knight captain. However, the adventurers made sure they were allowed to flee if their lives were at risk. It was a situation where anything could go wrong. Meanwhile, Skargo and Mai-Mai remained in the rearguard, which obviously made a few people nervous.

As morning dawned, a stream of reports came from their stronghold outside the city. All except the most urgent reports were handled by the second-in-command and sent to Captain Shining Saber. The dragoid had called upon Skargo and Mai-Mai and was presently conferring with them. As a combat engineer, Kartatz had his hands full constructing multiple barricades.

The meeting discussed issues like transportation of the injured, first aid, and incorporating students who could cast magic.

“First, our rearguard will carry out a preemptive strike on the monsters before falling back. Got it?”

“There are many zealous youth, but we cannot simply throw them into a melee. Do keep this in mind.”

“Do you really intend to join the front, Sir Skargo?”

“I couldn’t possibly compare to Mother Dear, but I can cast defensive magic upon our forces. My only other option is to serve as a medic, but it is better to have none injured to begin with.”

The High Priest’s presence on the front lines would raise morale, but it was undeniably dangerous. Still, the punch of a horned bear couldn’t leave so much as a scratch on either sibling, both of them at level 300.

Only Shining Saber knew this, so everyone else begged Skargo to stay back. After all, whenever the High Priest made a rare speech before the people, he always gave the impression he was a sparkling, mewling, flowery mess.

“Sheesh. I was really hopin’ my tenure wouldn’t include all-out war…”

“Oh dear. That doesn’t sound much like the strong, brave Shining Saber I know,” Mai-Mai remarked.

“Yeah, I’ve got strength and not much else. I’m used to leading the troops after all these years, but how was I supposed to know a war was gonna break out? We should just go out there already and shut those monsters down.”

“Yes, I’m certain the three of us could take care of them. However, doing so would rob the knights of their purpose in life.”

As Skargo, who had assigned master healer priests and sisters to each unit, offered his solemn opinion, the stronghold fell silent with an air of Wait, who is this guy?

“What is it?! Why won’t either of you say anything?!”

“…Huh? Well, y’know…”

“Yes, I’m also wondering if he’s really my brother.”

When Skargo’s mood suddenly plummeted and he began to retreat into a swirl of darkness, the two pulled him back and apologized: “It was a joke!” “Sorry ’bout that.” Skargo pouted sullenly—a rare sight any fan would have jumped at the chance to witness.

The tension in the main camp had temporarily lifted, but Shining Saber’s next question quickly froze it back over.

“Cayna still hasn’t replied yet. Did she even get my message…?”

“Huh?”

“What?”

Skargo and Mai-Mai stared at Shining Saber blankly, and he explained how he had sent a Friend Message. The shocked pair flew off the handle.

“Y-you asked Mother for backup?!”

“How could you…? Are you trying to disrupt Mother Dear’s peaceful existence?!”

“Um, she’s an adventurer. What’s wrong with askin’ for some help?”

The siblings with a shared mother complex shot the baffled Shining Saber a look that could kill. Skargo in particular had the word shiver shaking and writhing behind him. The dragoid could practically feel the resentment rolling off him.

As the second-in-command approached them, he tilted his head at the perilous atmosphere but reported to his captain nonetheless.

“The front lines have sighted the horde. Everyone, please take your positions. Furthermore, we have received a strange report from the lookout tower on the city’s southern wall.”

“‘Strange’? What’s so strange about it?”

“It appears someone or something is fighting in the southern forest.”

“What? Wait, hold on. How do you know someone’s fightin’ there?”

The southern wall had no gate, but the fields just outside the city sustained the poor living there. The surrounding area was covered in trees, however, so it was impossible to know what was happening inside the forest from atop the city walls.

“It seems they reported howling from the forest and witnessed several unnatural bolts of lightning.”

The three immediately frowned at the news and glanced at one another.

“That must be Mother, right?”

“Yes, it is surely Mother Dear.”

“Why’s she fightin’ on her own? She didn’t even stop by…”

Gripping his head, Shining Saber left the second-in-command behind and readied his army for the front. Skargo and Mai-Mai, who knew their mother well, sent out a notice to avoid the south if anyone wished to dodge her line of fire. After all, one could only guess how much damage Cayna’s most powerful magic attacks inflicted.