Bonus Story 3:
The Glutton and the Devil Girl
BEFORE THE DECISIVE BATTLE against Illusia in the Strange Lands of the Far East, Lilyxila and her entourage stopped at a small, isolated island between Lialum and the Strange Lands to rest. As the Holy Knights gathered around for a meal, a small, elderly man perched upon a large stone a short distance away. This man was the legendary swordsman Howgley the Glutton.
He was munching on something that looked like a chewy white dumpling. With every bite, it stretched out a long way before snapping. The gentle smack of the food hitting his face made Howgley smile slightly.
“Hey, hey, Gramps?” A young girl called out to Howgley. “Why’re you eating all the way out here, huh? Huh?” She wore two large rose charms on her head, along with a dark-colored dress. Long, pointed ears extended from her beautiful emerald green hair. The girl looked up at Howgley with wide eyes. She was a half-elf creature named Aluanne, known to many as the Devil of the Great Prison.
Howgley stared at Aluanne. She seemed to be smiling, but the smile did not reach her eyes. Howgley recognized this look all too well. It was the expression of powerful men and women, a face he’d seen often when he was younger. Aluanne’s smile was one formed to try and control and dominate those around her. But strangely enough, she didn’t hold the same blatant disregard for others that those powerful men and women always did.
“I pride myself on helping those who stir my sentiments,” Howgley replied. “I chose to walk this path of redemption after resolving to no longer pursue human targets. But I fear that this battle will not be as sweet and forgiving as the ones I have faced until now.”
At his words, Aluanne’s mouth fell open in shock. “Hey, Gramps? This journey of yours, when did you start it? Huh? Huh?”
“When my face held far fewer wrinkles than it does now.”
“Ooh. That must’ve been a long time ago, huh?”
“Not that long for you, I’m sure.”
Aluanne was at a loss for words. As a half-elf, she did not age. She had been locked up in a prison cell long ago because of a major incident she’d caused.
“Wow, we’re kinda similar, Gramps, don’t you think? Huh?” Aluanne stretched her hands out towards Howgley. “Hey, Gramps, can I have one of your buns? They look much, much yummier than the food the Holy Knights are giving out!”
“They are not. They’re made from Galpeppo meat. And they’re poorly cooked too, which gives them their chewy texture and rusty odor.” Galpeppos were gray, rat-colored dragons with thick limbs. Their faces looked like they’d been crushed by a giant hammer, and they were only slightly larger than an adult human.
“So why are you eating something that tastes like rust, Gramps?” Aluanne asked.
“Because I eat what I kill. With this many others accompanying me, I could only take a small portion, but even so…” Howgley trailed off with a chuckle. The Galpeppo had attacked the Holy Knights while they were traveling. The Holy Knights had struggled to fight back on their unfamiliar dragon mounts, so Howgley defeated it instead.
“If you kill a human, do you eat them too?” Aluanne asked.
Howgley scratched his head, then shook it. “Eating what I kill helps me excuse my actions. It sounds arrogant, but I do not equate humans with monsters. It’s selfish, but I believe that by eating the monsters I kill, their lives won’t be wasted, and I can forgive myself for hunting them. But that rationalization would not clear my conscience in the case of a human.”
“Then what if Aluanne eats a human?” Aluanne asked. She feigned playfulness, but Howgley knew it was a serious question.
It was then that it dawned on Howgley. Aluanne had a vampiric nature and preyed on humans, and she had the ability to see inside people’s minds. She was a natural predator of humans. So she must have been born with the ability to control their minds as well.
The girl’s eerily fake smile was the complete opposite of controlled and calculated—it was purely instinctual.
“Ask yourself that question. It is my way of excusing my own actions, but your proclivities are very different.” It was an honest statement, but a harsh one to say to Aluanne, whose instincts and ability to reason were so far apart. Aluanne went silent for a moment but then reached her hand out to Howgley once more.
“Hey, hey, give me that bun, okay? I want it, I want it!”
Wordlessly, Howgley handed the bun to Aluanne. She bit into it with vigor and tore off a chunk, then chewed and swallowed with a big gulp, satisfied.
“So? How was it?” Howgley asked.
“Mm… I can’t taste normal food very well. And it’s kinda hard for me to digest,” Aluanne replied apologetically, with a slight shake of her head. “But, but! It was a little tastier than usual for some reason!”
Howgley studied Aluanne’s face carefully. He’d heard rumors of the Devil of the Great Prison, about how ferocious, cunning, and terrifying she could be. But to Howgley, she seemed like just an innocent child.
“Well, then. Would you care for another, ‘Devil Girl’?”
“Yes, I think I would, Mr. Glutton!” Aluanne giggled. The smile she gave him met her eyes this time, and Howgley, surprised, found himself smiling back.