Aleksia cast spell after spell, blasting the knights away with destructive power rivaling her husband’s sword techniques.
“Whoa, Leksi! You’re amazing!” marveled Boldow. “But I’m not about to lose, myself!”
The husband and wife began an overtly flirty competition to outdo each other in destructive power. It was more than the enemy army could bear. Their ranks began rapidly dissolving in the face of the ludicrously overpowered duo. A few minutes later, almost none of the knights were so much as moving.
Their commander, Theodoric, stood alone.
“I-It can’t be!” he said, disbelieving his eyes. “My army! My Temple Knights! But... We had the Goddess’s blessing! How could we lose...?” All around him, his army lay still. At a glance he might have taken it for a field of corpses, but in fact none of them were actually dead, a fact that spoke even more to how much they had been outclassed.
“And?” Elizavett asked Theodoric. “What will you do? Do you still intend to harass me?” She had been watching from the sidelines with Kanata and the two other magic beasts, but now that the fighting seemed to be over, Kanata had made her way over to Theodoric.
“D...” Theodoric muttered, too quietly to hear. “D... D...” He was staring at the ground, his gorgeous hair suddenly looking quite a bit messy.
“D?” Elizavett asked.
“Duel!” Theodoric said. “I challenge you to a duel!”
Theodoric’s Profession of Hero was, without a doubt, the strongest available to humanity. He had been holding back during the battle, not engaging directly himself, all so that he could save his power for the battle with Kanata. And now the battle was over, and he stood yet uninjured. If he could defeat Kanata in single combat, perhaps there was some hope for victory after all.
In the first place, Theodoric’s goal had always been Elizavett. As long as he could get his hands on her, whatever happened next didn’t really concern him in the slightest. He really, truly believed in his heart of hearts that if only he were to slay the evil witch keeping her ensorcelled, Elizavett would become his.
“If I win, you are to hand over Elizavett, and never again interfere with my destined love! Can’t you see that Elizavett wishes to come to me?!”
Perhaps the overwhelming defeat had knocked a few screws loose in Sir Theodoric’s brain. His delusions had reached the point where it seemed he could no longer distinguish reality from fantasy at all. Even as he reprobated Kanata, his every word dripped with delirious narcissism.
“We ask this only to confirm,” said Zag’giel, “but you have never actually been romantically involved with this knight, have you?”
“Of course not!” Elizavett shuddered at the thought. “I belong only to my Mistress!”
“Those wretched furballs, interrupting again,” Theodoric spat contemptuously. “Cease this nonsense and produce Elizavett at once, witch!” he demanded. “She must bear witness to our duel! One sight of my heroic gallantry, and your vile mind control powers will break in an instant!”
“We keep telling you!” Fenrir objected from Kanata’s arms.
“Mind control?” Elizavett sighed from her perch on her Mistress’s shoulder. “I assure you, I am under no such thing. I am quite clearheaded, in fact!”
“I was certain you were jesting,” said Theodoric. “Do you actually mean to tell me that this furball is Elizavett herself?!”
“Yes?” Kanata answered.
“Lies!” Theodoric declared. “You mean to deceive me! Do your insults know no bounds? There is no way that pitiful creature is my beloved Elizavett! Enough! I’ll kill you and your ridiculous furballs, and search for Elizavett myself!”
Theodoric was fast—so fast that even the Divine Sword Boldow, the Archsage Aleksia, and Alus found themselves unable to respond to his attack in time.
“Hah!” he shouted as he struck.
Kanata, however, effortlessly caught the blade between her index finger and thumb, stopping it dead in midair. Theodoric pulled and pushed, but with his sword stuck in Kanata’s iron grip, he was unable to budge it so much as an inch.
“M-My full-power all-out attack!” he cried.
He blinked, his handsome face slack in an expression of vacant surprise, snot dripping from his nose. It was a truly wretched sight for someone so well regarded for his looks.
“Stay-Away-From-Elizabat Punch!” Kanata cried out as she gave Theodoric what seemed to be a light tap, but apparently had enough force to send him tumbling to the ground.
“Wahh...” Theodoric sobbed, getting down on his hands and knees to grovel before Kanata. “Pleaaaase...” he moaned, tears streaming down his face. “Please...just let me see Elizavett!”
“He strikes quite the pitiable figure in loss...” observed Zag’giel.
“Maybe you should show him your true form, just the once?” proposed Fenrir.
“My, my...” Elizavett sighed unhappily. “What a nuisance.” Nonetheless, she hopped off Kanata’s shoulder, flapping her wings to stay airborne as she returned to her true vampiric form. The single furball split into a cloud of smaller bats and then reformed. When she had finished, she stood before Theodoric as a princess of peerless beauty, wearing a familiar crimson dress.
“Ah!” Theodoric cried. “Elizavett! Elizavett!!!”
She was even more beautiful than she appeared in the painting. Theodoric wept with gratitude as he went to embrace his beloved, only to receive a sharp heel to the face for his trouble.
“Keep your hands away! You disgust me!” said Elizavett, kicking the downed Theodoric in the head again. “I would never form an everlasting bond with a superficial man like you, who sees only with his eyes! I should have you know, I do not hate this form my Mistress gave me, which you have done nothing but belittle and scorn! My Mistress loves me dearly in any form I might take—that is why she is fit to be my bosom companion! Your love is nothing more than a petty, self-centered infatuation. It has no hope of overcoming the vast, warm love of my Mistress! Know your place!”
“A-Ah...” At long last, Theodoric understood. He had merely been infatuated over Elizavett’s appearance. Not one speck of his love had in fact ever reached the vampire at all. And with that, bereft of his power, he fell unconscious.
“What a relief to be done with him!” Elizavett said. “And now, there are none who would interfere with me and my Mistress!”
“We will interfere, we promise you,” countered Zag’giel.
“If you want to win Lady Kanata’s heart, you’ll have to do it over my dead body!” added Fenrir.
“Kh...” Elizavett frowned. “None but two furballs, I suppose...”
While she was still pouting, Kanata stuck her index finger into Elizavett’s mouth, feeding her her own blood in a manner most undignified for a vampire. In just a moment, Elizavett was back to her pink furball form.
“Welcome back, Elizabat!” said Kanata, hugging the erstwhile vampire tight.
“M-Mistress...” Elizavett ventured. “Do you not think my human form is better for when we are to embrace?”
“Not at all!” said Kanata. “Ahhh...fluff fluff poof poof! This is the beeeeest!”
After all, Kanata was judging Elizavett by her appearances at least as much as Theodoric had been.
† † †
After the battle was over, the Temple Knights were arrested on charges of invading the Aldezia fiefdom. Kanata contacted the Adventurers’ Guild, who arranged to have them sent to the Royal Capital to await their trial.
Ordinarily, the Temple Knights would have enjoyed the protection of the Holy Church in such matters, but in this case, Saint Marianne Ishfalke herself expressly refused to cover for the knights’ actions. Theodoric, their leader, seemed unlikely to escape without a long time behind bars.
The wheat fields that had served as the battleground were restored to their former glory thanks to a generous application of healing magic from Kanata and Aleksia, much to the delight of the grateful farmers. Once the excitement had settled down, Kanata and the rest of the family got down to enjoying a leisurely summer vacation, taking the opportunity to get a much-needed rest and restore their fighting spirits.
And finally, the day came for Kanata to set off once more on her journey.
“Bye-bye, everyone!” Kanata said as she boarded her wagon, waving to the assembled crowd of people from all over the fiefdom. “I’ll see you all later, okay?”
“Take care!” Boldow cried.
“Make sure to visit for winter vacation, would you?” said Aleksia.
“Sir Zaggy, Sir Fen-fen, Madam Elizabat!” Alus added. “I wish you all the best!”
The three furballs waved back at Kanata’s family.
“Perhaps it is simply because we have tarried here so long,” said Zag’giel, “but we find ourself reluctant to leave.”
“It really is a wonderful place,” Fenrir agreed. “Lady Kanata, do you suppose we could pay a visit from time to time even before winter?”
“I would be happy no matter where we go, as long as I can stay by my Mistress’s side,” said Elizavett. “But I suppose this place has its charms. If you two are so keen on a return visit, I would be glad to accompany you.”
“Yeah!” said Kanata. “We can come back here whenever you like!”
They made their departure, thoroughly refreshed by the visit home.
“I wonder what kind of fluff we’ll meet next!” Kanata said.
“We take it, then, Kanata, that you intend to seek out yet more companions of worthy fluff?” asked Zag’giel.
“Of course!” Kanata replied. “We still don’t have nearly enough! Things are only gonna get fluffier from here!”
“That’s our Lady Kanata!” said Fenrir. “Such devotion!”
“How cold of you, Mistress!” Elizavett protested. “Seeking out more servants when you already have your Elizabat. But I must admit, there is something charming about your refusal to settle for a single love...”
“Aw! I love you too, Elizabat! And all of you!” said Kanata, nuzzling her face against all three fluffballs at once. “Fluffy fluffy fluff fluff fluff!”
As she enjoyed her assembled fluff to her heart’s content, however, Kanata’s thoughts were already racing ahead to the fluff the party might encounter next...
† † †