“We see...” said Zag’giel, nodding mysteriously to himself. “We brought order to the Dark Continent and put an end to the invasions of the land where humans live, and yet so great is the barrier between our peoples that we never considered that we might intermingle with humanity.”
“I live by sucking human blood,” Elizavett muttered to herself. “If it had not been for that girl, I would most likely still think of humans as nothing more than sustenance. I am a wicked abomination who sows chaos among humankind. And yet...” She lifted her head. “’Tis my wish to stay by my Mistress’s side. That is why I wanted you to know my history. Now...you have heard my story. Will you still have me?”
Kanata must not have been thinking things through when she made her bold declaration the night before, Elizavett thought. After sleeping off the excitement of the night’s events, by the sober light of day, she was bound to realize her foolishness. Kanata acted as if she had no regard for the opinion of others, but surely she would be afraid to keep the company of one such as Elizavett. Elizavett looked up at Kanata with big, worried eyes.
“Of course!” said Kanata, hugging Elizavett tight in her arms. “It doesn’t bother me at all! You’re my precious companion, Elizabat. I’m never letting you go! Kissy kissy smooch smooch smooch!”
Elizavett wept happy tears as Kanata planted kiss after kiss on her fluffy head.
“M-Mistress...!” she wailed.
“Besides,” Kanata went on, “I bet you anything that girl you liked wanted to see you again too.”
“Mayhap...” Elizavett conceded, but she still felt tense with anxiety. What if she only ever remembered her as a frightening monster? She couldn’t stomach the thought.
“Sniffle...” Fenrir wiped the tears from his eyes. “By the by,” he asked, “how long ago did this tale of yours happen?”
“H-Hm...” Elizavett faltered. “What matters it to you?”
“Never mind that, just answer the question. How long ago was it?”
“I was not attending to the passage of time, if you will recall. Mayhap it was a thousand years?”
“I knew it...” Fenrir said.
“What is this, now?” Elizavett asked him. “Why are you acting like you’ve understood something?”
“Something Her Holiness the Saint told me shortly before she passed away,” Fenrir said.
“The Saint?” Elizavett cocked her head. “And what does that woman have to do with the likes of me?”
“Her Holiness told me she once had a precious friend who helped her when she was a young girl. She said they became close despite being different species, but that they were separated because of some misunderstanding. Afterward she became too busy with her duties to see her friend again. Her Holiness told me that she had always wanted to see her again, and apologize properly, but after she had saved the world time and time again and become the head of the Holy Church, she no longer had the freedom to walk around on her own.”
Fenrir’s story certainly did have some commonalities with Elizavett’s tale of woe.
“Hold a moment...” Elizavett said. “Do you mean to say...?”
“Her Holiness removed her friend’s name from the list of threats in need of extermination so that at the very least she could spend her life in peace, without having to worry about anyone coming for her head,” Fenrir explained.
With everything he had said, it seemed evident that the Saint of Fenrir’s acquaintance and the girl Elizavett had known were one and the same.
“I...see,” Elizavett said. “Then she wanted to see me again after all, that whole time. What a fine lady she grew up to become. And to think it was her doing that the attacks on my castle came to an end... Kee hee hee...” she laughed mirthlessly. “What a fool I was. And now it is far too late.”
“On the contrary,” said Fenrir, “it isn’t too late at all! You’ve made it just in time.”
“And what do you mean by that?” Elizavett asked.
Fenrir glanced furtively in Kanata’s direction. Kanata herself denied it, but Fenrir was certain that she was none other than a reincarnation of his Saint. One sniff of the unique scent of her soul was all it took for him to be sure. She had been granted a new life, with no memories of her previous existence, but it was her nonetheless—the Saint Fenrir had followed, as well as the girl Elizavett had once known. Elizavett could still apologize to her, and she would certainly be forgiven.
“Hmm...” Fenrir said, hesitating. “Well, why don’t I tell you later?”
“Excuse me? You’re going to clam up after making that whole show of knowing something? Useless furball!” Elizavett snapped.
“Excuse you!” said Fenrir. “The only thing you’re good for is flapping around in the air!”
“At the very least I can fly, unlike you!”
“Making a ruckus at the crack of dawn, we see...” Zag’giel stared with bored indifference as Elizavett took flight and Fenrir once again began bouncing up to try and catch her.
Kanata, for her part, was simply ecstatic to be surrounded by so many balls of fluff. As far as she was concerned, her mission to acquire a new party member had been a great success.
† † †
“So, Mistress,” Elizavett ventured, “you are journeying in search of this ‘fluff’?”
“That’s right!” Kanata chirped. “I’m on a quest to make friends with fluffy creatures the world over!”
It was a few hours since they had left the village, and the sun had nearly reached the very top of the sky. The wagon rolled along at a leisurely pace, pulled by Fenrir’s main body. Zag’giel was sitting atop Kanata’s head, while the smaller Fenrir fragment rested on her lap. Elizavett, meanwhile, sat on her right shoulder, where Kanata could easily nuzzle her cheek against her.
“Then...what do you mean by fluff?” Elizavett asked.
“Fluff is fluff!” Kanata answered cheerfully. “Zaggy and Fen-fen and you each have lots and lots of it!”
“Hmm...” Elizavett pondered. “Then fluff is something we three have in common? I must admit, I am rather at a loss...”
“Do not tell us you do not know, newcomer!” taunted Zag’giel.
“Try thinking for yourself for a change, newcomer!” agreed Fenrir. Kanata’s two established pets were doing their best to assert some kind of dominance.
“Fluff...” bellowed Zag’giel, striking a pose.
“...is power!” Fenrir finished, posing as well.