“I brought lots and lots of sweets!” Aleksia said. “I thought they would be nice to have while we chat.”
“Yay! Sweets!” Kanata cheered. “Your sweets are the best, mom!”
“I wonder why her sweets don’t come out looking like a map of the hell realms...” Elizavett mused to herself. Wary after the trauma of the mysterious life-forms Aleksia called “sandwiches,” she poked gingerly at the cookies Kanata’s mother had brought for them. Fortunately, these ones didn’t scream. They were to all appearances ordinary cookies that crumbled deliciously in the mouth.
As the girls settled in for a lively chat over sweets, the boys’ room was engaged in a discussion of their own.
“What?!” Boldow thundered. “Alus, you met the Goddess?!”
“I did,” said Alus. “It was such an absurd situation that I debated with myself whether I should even bring it up, but I suppose you should at least know that she means to harm my sister and Sir Zaggy.”
“S-S-S-S-So what was it like?!” Boldow stammered. “Was the Goddess a looker?! How big were her tits?!”
“Father...” Alus shook his head. “Must I speak to mother again?”
“Hey, come now! This is just how guys talk when they’re hanging out! Right, Zaggy?” Boldow turned to the furball for support, only to be met with evasiveness.
“H-Hm...” Zag’giel grunted. “We must confess, we struggle to take your perspective on this...”
“It’s an astonishing level of disrespect toward the gods, honestly,” Alus said. “I’m afraid the Goddess is a bit out of your league, father.”
“That is no goddess, but an evil spirit wearing the disguise of divinity!” Zag’giel declared, a grave look in his eyes. “It was she who inflicted this curse upon us, as well. And now she seeks to draw Sir Alus into her schemes too...”
“What’s this?” Boldow asked, sitting up in the futon he had been resting on. “That sounds kinda serious!”
“It is,” said Alus. “And that is why I would like you to listen seriously.” After all, the Goddess had offered to make Alus into a Hero in an attempt to use his power to destroy Kanata and Zag’giel.
“It was a splendid performance, Sir Alus,” Zag’giel remarked. “Not only did you see through the Goddess’s lies, but you dealt her a blow with your sword as well. Alas, we were unable to strike even that single blow against her...”
“It sounds like things are getting pretty out of hand all of a sudden,” Boldow said, scratching his chin in thought. “If it’s a god we’re dealing with, she probably already knows exactly where we are...”
“Most likely,” Zag’giel agreed. “However, the gods exist in a dimension above our own. It takes a considerable amount of time and power for them to interfere in the material world. Still, we can count on the Goddess to twist the authority her divine providence grants her to send mortals trials and blessings as much as she can for the sake of furthering her evil schemes.”
“The power to grant Professions to whomever she might choose is a powerful tool,” Alus said. “I refused her, but I cannot deny that the offer she made is attractive indeed. And if I had not had the fortune to be acquainted with you and my sister, I might have taken her tale of an evil witch and the Demon King at face value.”
“Wait, hang on a minute!” said Boldow. “This is all sounding kinda familiar. You know, thinking back, I received a similar offer myself!”
“The so-called Goddess came to you as well?” Alus asked.
“She was a looker for sure, but something about her gave me the creeps...” Boldow recalled. “I think Leksi chased her away halfway through her spiel, so I didn’t get a great sense of what she was trying to tell us.”
“So she extended an offer to mother too,” Alus mused. “I suppose I can see why she would want the two of you on her side.”
“Rather careless of the Goddess, to approach the family of her target...” said Zag’giel.
“Well, us aside, what about that Theo boy who’s been so hard-set on Miss Elizavett? He seems like he’d accept the Goddess’s offer in a heartbeat...”
“You speak true. It would not be at all strange for a man so obsessed with Elizavett to harbor a hatred of Kanata as well. He would likely need no persuasion at all. It would not surprise us in the slightest if his forces were coming this way as we speak. Given the danger, we cannot ask you to aid us more than you already have.”
“Don’t be ridiculous!” said Boldow. “There’s no need to act like a stranger! You’re as good as family, Zaggy! And what kind of father would I be if I didn’t protect my family when they’re in danger?”
“L-Lord Boldow!” Zag’giel exclaimed, overcome with emotion.
“You can call me ‘dad’ if you want,” Boldow offered.
“N-No thank you. We believe we have told you this before, but Kanata and we really are nothing more than master and servant.”
“Father doesn’t want to let a prospective son-in-law escape,” Alus said. “It’s written all over his face. He had long since given up hope of his daughter ever being married.”
“Wow! You read me like a book! Way to go, Alus!”
“You are not exactly difficult to understand, father. But more to the point, it seems we must be on guard against a potential attack.”
“Yeah,” said Boldow. “I’ll let the militia boys know. They’ll be glad to have something to do for once.”
“Our thanks, both of you!” said Zag’giel.
“Incidentally,” Alus asked, “have any of you seen Sir Fen-fen? It seems that he has been missing for a while...”
“Fen-fen went to the girls’ room, all ‘I must stand guard over Lady Kanata!’” Boldow answered.
“Wh-What?!” Zag’giel sputtered. “That cheat, trying to keep Kanata to himself! This will not stand! We must go and stand guard over Kanata as well!”
“Sister is the strongest of all of us...” Alus said, tilting his head in confusion. “Does she really need guards...?”
Zag’giel, however, was already flying out the door to join Fenrir in his sleepless guard-dog routine outside Kanata’s door. The two fell asleep as the sun rose over the horizon, leaning against each other. It was a sight that set Kanata’s heart well and truly aflutter when she woke up later that morning.
† † †
A few days after their conversation about the Goddess and her plans, Kanata’s family breakfast was interrupted by a young member of the militia bursting in through their front door.
“Lord Boldow! It’s an emergency! There’s a whole bunch of armored knights on horseback coming this way!”
“So they came after all...” Boldow grunted. “How many?”
“I have no idea! But a lot! There’s gotta be more of them than the population of the whole fiefdom!”
“Right,” said Boldow. “I’ll head out at once. Tell the militia to stand by. No engaging them on your own!”
“Got it!”
“You’d better, or else I’ll roast the lot of you with my fireball spell!” Boldow waved his hands as if he were casting a spell.
“Not that you can cast fireball...” the youth quipped before bolting back out to convey Boldow’s orders. “Well, see you!”
“Are you going as well, Lord Boldow?” Zag’giel asked. Boldow showed no sign of taking to his feet.
“I,” Boldow declared, “am going to eat my breakfast.”
Zag’giel slumped forward in exasperation.
“Come now, Zaggy!” Boldow protested. “If I don’t eat breakfast, I won’t have my strength when I need it! Besides, I’d never leave a meal my Leksi cooked for me unfinished!”
“W-We see!” said Zag’giel. “So your thoughts were on the battle even while eating breakfast. A true warrior!”
“Sir Zaggy,” Alus cautioned the Demon King. “I would advise not taking anything my father says too seriously...”
But Zag’giel was already busy devouring his meal in imitation of Boldow. In the end, the family ate until they were full, then enjoyed a bit of tea after the meal before finally setting out to meet the oncoming knights.
The knights wore polished silver armor that reflected the powerful rays of the morning sun like thousands of mirrors as their column drew nearer from a distance. They trampled the fields as they approached.
“Those bastards!” said the youth from the militia, gritting his teeth. “That’s our wheat!”
“Calm down.” Boldow put a hand on the boy’s shoulder as he stepped out ahead of him. “The wheat’s important, but not as important as your life.”
The militia had fewer than a hundred members in its ranks—barely even a single percent of the number of knights arrayed against them. It seemed like impossible odds, but Boldow strode out in front of the invading army as if he were going for a late morning stroll. He led his men within several dozen stride lengths of the army. At that distance, their sheer presence was just about a tangible force.
“Good day!” Boldow said, completely relaxed in the face of the knights’ overbearing pressure. “I’m the lord who governs this land, Boldow Aldezia. I must say, you lot are being rather disrespectful, the way you’re barging in here! I hope you realize, but the people of this fiefdom took great pains to grow that wheat your horses are trampling! I would very much appreciate it if you withdrew a little. Say, aaaaallllll the way over there, where you’ll be out of sight.”
The knights stirred with anger. No doubt they had taken Boldow’s suggestion as a provocation. They readied their lances to charge at a moment’s notice, but their commander held them back.
“I beg your pardon, Lord Boldow, but I am afraid I cannot do that.” The ranks of knights parted, and from their midst emerged a man whose armor was a different make from the rest. He removed his helmet in a graceful gesture, revealing the handsome face of Sir Theodoric. “I apologize for greeting you on horseback when you are on foot, but you understand the necessity of battle. I am Theodoric Grey, Commander of the Temple Knights under direct commission from the Holy Church. It is an honor to make your acquaintance.”
“Yes, yes, nice to meet you,” said Boldow. “But I really do need to ask you to refrain from having this battle of yours here. This is an official fiefdom, recognized by the crown. Direct commission from the Holy Church or no, you can’t just violate my borders like this!”
“No, I very much can,” Theodoric answered. “After all, you are harboring the enemies of the gods!”
“I’m what?” Boldow raised an eyebrow in indignant surprise.
Theodoric turned from the lord of the fiefdom himself to the residents of the fief, who were watching with clear worry, and the Aldezia family, who were standing between them and the army in order to protect them from harm. He took a deep breath.
“Kanata Aldezia!” he bellowed.
“Me?” Kanata asked innocently, as all eyes turned to her.