BOOOM!
“Wha?!” Henry had dropped to the ground just in time.
A tremendous shock wave blasted from the stick, and a tall tree in the garden was blown down, scattering clouds of dust. Henry could only stare, thunderstruck.
“Capy? Capypy...” The giant rat cocked its head, then gave a slight bow to Henry and his friends. If they could understand the language of magical beasts, they would’ve heard it as an apology. “Oops. I was still half asleep and struck back on impulse. My apologies, little guests.”
But of course, the boys had no such skill, so they fled pell-mell with a panicked shriek.
A thick forest stretched out just behind the Dark Lord’s mansion. But for them, it was a familiar playground. It should’ve been easy for them to cut across it to make a beeline for the city. But when it rains, it pours. Another creature emerged before them, blocking their way.
“Grrrr...”
“Eek! Now a wolf?!”
A large wolf with silver fur leaped out from the bushes. A low growl came from its throat, and its sharp fangs were gleaming. Any grown-up—let alone unarmed little boys—would be easily slashed to death.
The three of them could only huddle together in fear and back away.
Behind them, the Infernal Capybara’s footsteps were slowly drawing closer.
“Wh-What kind of minions does he have?! I told you we didn’t stand a chance against the Dark Lord!” Karim cried out, almost in tears.
Henry was overcome by regret too. His knees were shaking violently, and he had to fight to keep the tears back. But still, he was still determined. “Even if we don’t stand a chance...” He picked up a thin branch from the ground and thrust it forward at the wolf. “I won’t give up! ’Cause if we give up on her...what will happen to the princess?!”
The princess must be suffering every day as a prisoner of the Dark Lord. It was up to Henry and his friends to save her. His words struck Flatt and Karim, and after a moment of hesitation, they also took up their own weapons. They exchanged looks and confronted the wolf head-on.
“Let’s do it!” Henry shouted.
“Gawrr.” The wolf kicked the ground, and the boys darted forward to meet its attack.
“Hey, what do you think you’re doing?”
A hand stretched out from the side and grabbed the wolf by the back of its neck. The wolf let out a little squeal. The boys’ target himself, the Dark Lord, had appeared out of nowhere. He scolded the wolf with a little thump.
“Gawrwr. Gawr!” the wolf barked, throwing a resentful look at the Dark Lord.
“Huh? ‘I was just giving them some fun?’ You might think it’s just play, but for a human child, their life could be at risk. Just think about the size difference, for one thing,” the Dark Lord chided.
The boys could only stare at them with their mouths hanging open.
“Wh-Why did the Dark Lord help us...?” Henry murmured.
“Who knows...?” Flatt whispered back.
“Allen? Did something happen?” The princess caught up to him.
“Hey, the princess!” Henry exclaimed.
“Huh? Princess?” Allen cocked his head, looking between her and the boys in puzzlement. “You know them, Charlotte?”
The princess looked at the boys for a moment before recognition crossed her face. “Yes. We met in the woods the other day. One was hurt, so I gave him some of your magic medicine.”
“You’re always doing strangers a favor wherever you go, aren’t you?”
“They’re not strangers, though. I’ve seen them playing near the mansion many times!”
“This is how you get weirdos attached to you, you know...” Allen smiled helplessly at her.
The smile made his face look a little less malicious than usual. And there was something cheerful about his voice too. He didn’t look like the evil Dark Lord who was keeping the princess under confinement. The boys were bewildered.
“Don’t you think...they’re like friends?” Karim whispered.
“Yeah...” Henry murmured.
“Maybe he didn’t kidnap her, after all...” Flatt mumbled.
Then the Infernal Capybara joined them and headbutted the Dark Lord from the side. “Capy, capyyy,” it squeaked as if in protest at something.
“Hm? ‘By weirdo, are you referring to me? I should like to think I’m a more well-rounded creature than you are’? You better look in the mirror before you talk.”
“Gawr, grr!”
“What do you mean, ‘I’m a lot more grown up than you’? Don’t be cheeky!” The Dark Lord made a racket as the wolf nipped at him.
The boys had assumed the creatures were his minions, but the beasts didn’t seem to be particularly respectful to him.
Is he really the bad guy...? The thought flashed across Henry’s mind. He sidled over to the princess, who was looking on at the others fondly, and stealthily tugged at her sleeve. “Um, princess?”
“P-princess? Do you mean me?”
“Yeah. Why are you living with the Dark Lord?”
“Oh, um...” She thought about it a little, then gave him a faint smile. “I don’t have anywhere else to go. So Allen is letting me stay at his mansion.”
“So that’s how it is...”
“But now...”
Charlotte’s voice trailed off, and Henry looked up at her, confused.
The princess smiled shyly and whispered, “I’m here by his side because I want to be with him.”
“Does that mean...you like the Dark Lord?”
She gave a little nod and giggled. She wore a happy, radiant kind of expression that no imprisoned princess would have on her face. Though Henry couldn’t tell why, something pricked at his heart to see her like that.
The Dark Lord cleared his throat, pressing down the two beasts. “Anyway, we don’t have to stand here chatting... Why don’t you kids come into the house? Let me offer you some tea to make up for them scaring you.”
“Ooh, a tea party with guests! Sounds lovely!” Charlotte chimed in.
“A tea party...should we go?” Flatt nudged the other two.
“If we’re invited, I guess we could? Um, I hope the wolf and Infernal Capybara won’t bite us or anything?” Karim asked.
“It’s all right. They’re both very sweet!” Charlotte assured them.
Flatt and Karim were already letting their guard down, getting excited about the party. Henry stood a little to the side in silence. The pain in his heart was only growing deeper.
Years later, Henry would realize that this pain was his first ever experience of a broken heart—but even that far down the line, it was said that the Dark Lord and the princess were still living happily together in the very same mansion.