“Power?” Elizavett asked. “Fluff is power, then?”
“That’s right!” said Kanata. “Fluff is the greatest and strongest power of all! And you three have some amazing fluff!”
“I can’t help but think you mean something different from these two when you speak of power, Mistress...” Elizavett pondered. Something about this situation struck her as decidedly off. “Neither of them have any power at all! They’re even weaker than a pair of slimes!”
“Hah...” said Zag’giel. “You truly understand nothing.”
“We’ll show you our true forms!” said Fenrir.
Zag’giel hopped down from Kanata’s head, undoing his transformation in midair, while Fenrir jumped on the back of his main body, fusing the two parts’ consciousness and power.
“Nghwah?!” Elizavett exclaimed in shock. “What is this power?! You’re both equal to the height of my strength! Mayhap even greater!”
“Bwa ha ha!” laughed Zag’giel.
“Ah ha ha!” laughed Fenrir.
But as fun as it had been to show up Elizavett, the return to their height of power was always going to be short lived.
“K-Kanata, wait!” Zag’giel pleaded. “We will turn back soon! Don’t look at us like that!”
“I know, I know,” Fenrir muttered. “If we stay in these forms for long, all our training will be wasted...”
The two withered before Kanata’s disapproving gaze and quickly turned back into pitiful little furballs.
“Does Mistress prefer those forms for you two?” Elizavett asked.
“Of course not, you imbecile!” pontificated Zag’giel. “This is merely a task appointed to us by our master Kanata!”
“If we can gain true strength in these forms designed to restrict our power, we’ll be able to surpass our former limits!” Fenrir explained. “That is Lady Kanata’s desire for us.”
They had misunderstood everything completely, of course, but the two spoke as if they were simply stating facts.
“Methinks I had best stay in this form as well...” mused Elizavett. “My power returned to me when I imbibed my Mistress’s blood. I believe I could return to my original form if I wished, but...”
“No, Elizabat!” said Kanata with surprising urgency. “You mustn’t!”
“For some reason, this form seems perfectly all right in the light of the sun,” Elizavett continued, just slightly miffed from the interruption. “’Tis inconvenient to have such short legs, but if it is my Mistress’s will for me to remain in this form, then it will serve well enough.”
“Yeah! That’s right!” said Kanata, nuzzling her cheek happily against Elizavett’s fur. “This form will serve great!”
“However, Kanata,” said Zag’giel. “The incident from last night is still unresolved, is it not?”
“Those knights are bound to come looking for us!” chimed in Fenrir. “After all, we helped the vampire they were hunting get away!”
The knights had seen Kanata’s face that evening. Moreover, the enormous holy wolf stuck out like a sore thumb. It was entirely possible that they had asked questions of someone who had seen Fenrir pulling the wagon.
No sooner had the thought crossed their minds, however, than they heard the sound of horses galloping up from behind them.
“Halt! Stop the wagon!” someone shouted.
“I knew it! It’s the witch who came to the vampire’s rescue!”
It was two of the knights from yesterday. They must have split up to search for Elizavett, leaving these two to chase after the wagon. They rode past the wagon, blocking off the road ahead with their stout horses.
“Where are you hiding the vampire?! Speak!”
“Is she in the wagon?!”
“Here I am!” answered a defiant Elizavett, fluttering out of the wagon toward the knights on her tiny wings. “If you fools think you can slay the likes of the Corpse Princess Elizavett, you had best think again!”
The knights, however, flatly ignored Elizavett’s heroic declaration. Instead, they repeated themselves verbatim.
“Where are you hiding the vampire?! Speak!”
“Is she in the wagon?!”
“I-I’m right here...” Elizavett said, tears in her eyes as she landed on the ground.
“They cannot tell it is you in that furball form...” said Zag’giel.
“Not that it would change things whether they noticed or not!” declared Fenrir.
These knights plainly meant Kanata harm. In which case, there was only one thing for her companions to do.
“The Demon King Zag’giel!” began Zag’giel.
“And the Spirit Wolf Fenrir!” Fenrir continued.
“Together, we will defeat you!” they finished in unison. The two started strong, leaping off the wagon and grabbing hold of the knights’ horses, but as they tried desperately to clamber up the animals’ flanks, they soon found their strength wanting and fell, landing ungracefully on their backs. All they could do was flail their stubby little feet as they lay helpless on the ground.
“Face us!” challenged Zag’giel. “If you have the guts!”
“Here we are!” said Fenrir. “Get down here and fight!”
The knights stared silently at the two furballs, looking extremely perturbed. After a beat, they spoke once again.
“...Where are you hiding the vampire?! Speak!”
“Is she in the wagon?!”
It was the third time they had delivered the exact same lines. The knights were doing a heroic job of pretending the strange furballs didn’t exist.
“Curses,” lamented Zag’giel. “They won’t even acknowledge us as foes...”
“L-Lady Kanata...” sobbed Fenrir. “Please, forgive my failure!”
Kanata stepped down from the wagon and gave the despondent furballs a big tight hug.
“Don’t cry,” she said. “You’re the best fluff in the universe. I guarantee it.”
“M-Mistress...”
“Kanata...”
“Lady Kanata...”
As the three furballs were overcome with emotion, Kanata looked up at the knights with menace in her eyes.
“How dare you make these precious babies cry?!” she demanded. “I won’t forgive you!”
“Huh?” said one of the knights.
“But...we didn’t do anything...” said the other.
“Bottomless pit, go!” Kanata said.
An instant later, the knights found themselves falling through a pair of holes that had appeared without warning underneath their feet. When they landed, they found themselves back at the inn they had stayed at the previous night. Kanata had used her magic to simply remove them from the scene. Even if they set out once again on horseback, they were now several hours behind the wagon.
“We see...” mused Zag’giel. “Our opponents are Temple Knights of the Holy Church. If you cause them injury, it might complicate the situation.”
“Lady Kanata’s mercy is deep and pure!” Fenrir marveled. “She even takes care not to harm insolent knaves like them...”
The two nodded in understanding, apparently proud of themselves despite having done nothing to help resolve the situation.
“Mistress... You don’t actually need those two at all, do you?” said Elizavett, eliding the fact that she hadn’t been any more useful than Zag’giel and Fenrir.
“Of course I do!” said Kanata. “I need Zaggy and Fen-fen...and you too, Elizabat! I’d never hand you over to those men!”
The knights hadn’t really wanted the furballs in the first place, of course, but the three of them were just overjoyed that Kanata had said she needed them.