The journey to the human realm would be long. The plan was for Souen to guide them through the territories once they arrived. But of course, plans could change. No matter what happened, Glenn knew everything would be all right so long as his martial arts master sister was in charge. Still, it saddened him to think that she might not be able to attend the wedding. She would certainly be the happiest one there. However, it couldn’t be helped.
“What if we throw a special reception after you come back?”
“Ah! I shall look forward to it! Now, Sioux must return to work!”
In addition to her normal patrol team duties, she also needed to prepare for her trip. But as busy as she was, he was glad to see her so happy.
“Have a safe trip,” he said.
“I shall enjoy my duties as ambassador without letting my guard down in the familiar east!”
Sioux bowed deeply, then hurried out of the clinic.
Everyone, not just Sioux, seemed busy these days, but that was to be expected. Living meant being busy.
“Be careful of the heat!” Glenn called after her.
Demons were especially susceptible to heat exhaustion, and there was no sign of the weather cooling off anytime soon.
The Draconess
THAT SAME DAY, Kunai visited Skadi’s office.
Skadi sat in her representative’s chair, tail swinging back and forth as she read a scroll from the east.
“I brought the shaved ice you requested,” Kunai said.
“Hurrah!” Though Skadi’s expression hadn’t changed, her tail swung a bit harder. The day was especially hot, so she wanted to eat something cold.
“There is also a report from the staff. There was evidence of fraud in the election for ambassador to the human realm. Someone rigged the votes.”
“Miss Tisalia and Miss Arahnia, right? It doesn’t matter. Both Illy and Plum were selected, and no one has a problem with that.” Skadi was still staring at the scroll. “Actually, I wanted to be the ambassador.”
“Don’t be selfish. If the Draconess were to run, it wouldn’t even be an election. Besides, who would be in charge while you were gone?”
“Ah, mm,” Skadi mumbled as she ate the shaved ice with a spoon.
She seemed fatigued, and even less motivated than usual. The excessive heat drained her energy.
“What are you reading?” Kunai asked.
“Souen sent it to me. It’s a scroll about your creation,” Skadi said casually. “It was found in the Black Widows’ storage.”
“You found it?!” Kunai exclaimed.
The Black Widows were a cult group related to Arahnia. They’d been collecting rare items from all over, including what Skadi suspected might be the notes of the doctor who’d made Kunai. Souen had investigated, and he’d finally found them. There were many mysteries surrounding Kunai’s production, and even her current master, Skadi, didn’t know all the details.
“I’m sorry you went to such trouble, Draconess.”
“No, no,” Skadi waved her hand dismissively. “Naturally I want to know more about you. But I was also interested in something else.”
“Something…else?” Kunai asked.
“I told you, remember? The first-generation Molly came back during the harvest festival.”
“Oh, yeah…” Kunai nodded.
Word was that when the harvest festival had finished, the spirit of the first-generation Molly, who was supposed to have passed already, had borrowed the second-generation Molly’s body. It had only been for a short time, but for Skadi, it was a chance to meet a friend she’d thought she’d never see again. However, the first-generation Molly had also given her a warning.
“She said…to be careful because something would happen to Dr. Glenn?” Kunai recalled.
“Right,” Skadi confirmed.
“That could mean anything, though.” Kunai looked down.
“I don’t know any more than you,” Skadi said calmly. “But since she went out of her way to warn me, I thought I should prepare.”
“That’s a wonderful attitude,” Kunai said. “But what does it have to do with my production plans?”
“It was a warning from the first-generation Molly, so I thought maybe it had to do with someone who’s already dead.”
Skadi had a sharp eye. She often kidded around, but when she was serious about something, she displayed the dignity of the Draconess who controlled the council.
“I consulted Draconia, who’s well versed in sorcery, but she said they can’t tell anything from just a warning. Also, she doesn’t know much about sorcery used by the dead.”
Kunai knew the name Draconia. She was an alligator-type monster who taught sorcery at the Academy.
“Necromancy is a taboo subject among sorcerers. Draconia is very knowledgeable, but she said she wouldn’t even know where to begin.”
“So…my production plans?” Kunai was finally starting to understand.
“Right.”
There was a possibility that the doctor who’d made Kunai had mastered this taboo craft. Skadi was trying to gain insight into Molly’s warning through those notes.
“But I still have no idea. I learned a lot about you, Kunai, but nothing about the dead. In the end you’re just a golem made from dead materials.”
“Right,” Kunai agreed. “It’s not as if I’m a dead person who was brought back to life.”
“Yeah.” Skadi sighed.
Resurrection of the dead was different from creating a flesh golem, and also different from a dead person walking around as a zombie. There were many undead monsters, but she’d never heard of a dead being coming back to life anywhere. If that could happen, then they wouldn’t need doctors.
“Maybe the warning wasn’t about a dead person after all?” Skadi rubbed her eyes. None of it made sense.
“You are so kind, Draconess, to go to all this trouble just for Dr. Glenn,” Kunai said. “It is proof that you care for each and every one of the residents in town.”
“That’s not it.” Skadi shook her head. “If Molly went out of her way to come back and give me that warning…it might mean that something über terrible is coming. Something that will affect the entire town.”
“Über terrible?” Kunai couldn’t help but repeat this unfamiliar phrase.
“Yeah, über terrible,” Skadi said again.
“You mean…like the storm that came the other day?”
“I wonder. Maybe not. I get the feeling that it’s more like the sleeping disease, or the poisoned water incident…or maybe even something bigger.” Skadi looked off into the distance. “Hopefully I’m wrong.”
“The patrol team and I will be on the alert,” Kunai assured her. “Ready for anything.”
“Thank you,” Skadi said, but she looked no less concerned. “I suppose all disasters are sudden. Can any of us truly prepare?”
Kunai was silent.
They’d been able to prepare for the storm because the mermaids had warned them. Couldn’t they do the same if they took the warning from first-generation Molly seriously? Then again, predicting was one thing. Preparing was another matter entirely.
“Hopefully nothing happens,” the gentle dragon prayed, her eyes returning to the scroll.
The depths of her concern were evidenced by the fact that her icy treat now lay melting, abandoned.