“But he has his good points.”
Hearing her kind, lovely voice as she protected her beloved friend would’ve broken Al before, but not anymore.
“All right! Let’s get him six feet under before he wakes up!”
“Al?!”
Feena snapped at Al after he said his thoughts out loud.
“Nah, I’m just kidding... Half kidding... Anyway, what should we do? I don’t think talking is an option as long as I’m here.”
He chose to put that aside, however. Feena let out a deep sigh before taking something out from between her breasts.
“Your cleavage is like a magician’s hat; I never know what you’ll pull out next! So, what do you have this time?”
Despite Al’s slightly cynical comment, she proudly presented...
“It’s a fake mustache!”
“I can see that, but why?!”
Al was getting genuinely curious.
“I figured we might need it one night.”
“For what?! No, you know what, don’t answer that!”
He violently shook his head.
“So, what, am I gonna just put it on? Do you think this will fool anyone?”
Kanon may not have been the sharpest tool in the shed, but such a simple disguise was seriously pushing it.
“Now he’ll think you’re a rich nobleman.”
Al’s gut reaction was “Are you kidding me?” but Feena’s confident smile was enough to make him believe in her.
“Well, you’re his friend, and he can’t hurt me anyway, so...”
“Don’t worry, I’m sure it’ll work. And more importantly...”
She was as stoic as ever, but Al felt a teasing aura seeping from her. Either way, he gave up on arguing and stuck the fake mustache above his lips.
“Uhh... Where am I?”
A bit later, Kanon opened his eyes.
“I was on patrol, when...”
“Are you awake?”
His thoughts were interrupted by a blue-haired girl popping into his sight.
“Huh?! Feena?!”
His voice boomed through the silent forest. After realizing that it was his old friend Feena, Kanon stood up.
“Feena? Is that really you? Look, it’s me! Kanon!”
Kanon got caught up in the moment and hugged Feena tightly.
“I know... Kanon, it hurts... Fireball.”
It must’ve been painful, since she furrowed her brow and shot a fireball right at Kanon.
“Feena, I know he’s going to repel it, but don’t you think it’s still going a bit too far?!”
Even Al couldn’t hold his tongue when he saw that.
“Ahaha, I know this power! It’s really you!”
But despite being sent rolling across the ground, Kanon stood up with a smile.
“What, is launching a fireball your greeting now?!”
Completely disregarding Al’s comment, Kanon rushed up to Feena.
“Ah, right! I’m so sorry for what happened, I thought you were being controlled by the— Wait, did you break free from the Demon King’s control?”
He grabbed Feena’s shoulders again, but in a much more wary fashion. If Feena answered poorly, it would trigger an all-out war.
Smirk.
She shot a mischievous smile at Al.
“Yes, it’s me. I escaped when that dirty, perverted Nympho Lord’s spell weakened.”
Nympho Lord...
Al stared right at Feena, but she simply brushed it off with an impish smile.
“Thank goodness! I’m so happy you’re safe!”
Kanon had totally fallen for it. He patted Feena’s shoulders and proudly huffed under his helmet. Their lie had been planted as the one and only truth inside him.
“So, who’s our guest? I feel like I’ve seen him be— Wait, he’s a guy!”
I hope he didn’t see through my... less than masterful disguise. Though he only said I’m a man, so we might still be safe.
Due to his fear, Kanon hadn’t directly seen Al’s face during their battle, but fooling him with a fake mustache was just wishful thinking. While trying to keep a straight face, Al took a step forward to introduce himself, but...
Bam!
Kanon blasted him away with his fist before he could say anything. Since Kanon was a relic user, his punch couldn’t directly reach Al, but...
“Gahh!”
The sheer force of the attack made him eat some dirt.
“Hey! I don’t care if you’re Eshantel’s Inquisitor or whatever, how dare you attack me out of nowhere?!”
As Al finally grasped what had just transpired, he berated Kanon in a manner unfit for royalty.
“Ahhh, how crude! And more importantly, he’s a guy! Feena, what are you doing with another man?!”
What a disaster of an introduction for both parties. Al glared at Kanon and decided that there was no need for formalities around him.
“Kanon, he is...”
Feena tried to put a stop to the explosive situation before someone, most likely Al, got seriously hurt.
“Feena, you knew he’d assault me all along?!”
“Yes, though... I didn’t think it would get this bad...”
“Don’t you dare talk to Feena, you filthy, perverted animal! I know! You must’ve done something to her in exchange for helping her escape, you damn peon!”
Kanon instantly shut down their small talk.
“I mean, I also take offense to being called a perverted animal, but why am I a peon now?!”
Enraged, Al still found the time to poke some fun at Kanon. Maybe his increased resistance to verbal abuse was thanks to a certain red-haired girl, but either way, he wasn’t happy with the situation.
“Hehehe, I can tell from a glance! Look at Feena; her sheer cuteness and gorgeous clothes prove her wealth! You have some nerve to approach her as a simple commoner! My proof? Look at that scythe on your back! Why else would you carry around a tool used by peasants?!”
Kanon took Al’s lack of retort as an admission of his status, and the corners of his mouth curled into a triumphant smile... But in reality, the absurdity of Kanon’s deduction had left Al completely speechless. The Inquisitor had the detective skills of a housebroken dog.
“Pffft... The Demon King’s scythe is nothing more than a peasant’s tool... Pffft!”
Feena was borderline rolling from laughter just out of Kanon’s sight. Al decided he’d have a serious talk with her the next chance he got.