A Tranquil Night... but Not Really

Grasping those words Dux uttered, Katze responds in a confused manner.

"W-What?"

Dux, smiling widely as ever, simply gives an affirmation.

"Nyuhuhu. As I told you. I come here to leave Oria to you, missy. I had expected you're going to take her the moment I arrived here, though, heheheh."

Katze rapidly throws a series of yelling to his overjoyed smiling face. Her loud voice can be heard by other villagers that pass by, catching their attention.

"Damned tentacles! Care you not for her? Leaving her and then you just slide off to I don't know where on your merry journey!"

"—GEH! D-Don't make me look like some infidel, will you? Also, lower your voice! People will hear you!"

"Hmph! I don't give a prick about it. Let them all know how bad of a fool you are! Isn't that right, Oria?" Katze looked at the child's face, smiling.

Sadly, for the woman, Oria sides with Dux.

"N-No! Please don't say harsh words to Master Dux, umm, Miss Katze! He has an important business to attend with my master!" the child pleaded to her.

"Huh?" Katze got surprised.

"Geh!?" Even Dux got surprised. His mind runs rapidly, trying to process Oria's unexpected reaction.

"(What's this!? A few days ago, she's like a scaredy cat and is prone to EMOTIONAL DAMAGE just by a slight touch of words! Now, she's reasoning to her so that I may get off the hook!? Not only that… weren't you sleepy a while ago, Oria!?!?)"

Oria tries to convince her, "Please… don't badmouth him, Miss Katze… he and my master must go somewhere, and I'd be a burden if I stayed with them, so… uhh…"

Her cuteness overwhelms the woman's toxicity. Katze's frowning face surrenders to her adorableness and that sweet voice of hers.

"Aww… that's really nice of you," she hugged her tighter. "I understand. That buffoon and your master hardly ever know how lonely you might be when they're away, no? Don't worry, big sis and granny here will take care of you."

Meanwhile, Dux reasons with the villagers who have gathered to see what chaotic debate is unfolding in their tranquil village.

"Nyuhuhu. She is my apprentice! Yes… yes, there's nothing weird going on."

"Huh… kinda strange to see ya havin' an apprentice, eh?"

"Uh-huh. I thought you're the mountain hermit or some sage."

"Heheh. There are things that you folks might not expect. So, no worries, people! You can go back to your homes. Sorry for the loudness! Yeah, you, there! Go back already! Run along, now!"

The villagers easily accept what Dux told them. Though, they're disappointed that they went out of their homes for nothing, but racketing noises of the boutique lady named Katze.

"Phew… glad that's taken care of."

As Dux turned back to the boutique shop, he notices Katze's grandmother standing by the doorframe. She's in her pajamas, complete with a hat adorned with moon and star motifs.

"I thought some wild rat rushed into the shop till Katze turned into a raging bonfire… it turns out that it was you, Dux."

"Oh, my apologies, ma'am!" Dux put off his hat. "It seems I disturbed your peaceful sleep."

"Hmph. No need for formalities. I owe you for shooing the villagers from my house. So, come on in. I'll pour some tea."

"Nyuhuhu, many thanks, Granny Poly," said Dux putting his hat on again.

With that, they go inside the house and go to the kitchen where they sit over a cup tea. Oria, however, is immediately taken by the energetic woman for a bath. It's only Dux and the old lady. Sipping the herbal tea, Dux feels a heavenly taste flowing over his tongue.

"Where has that girl been, eh?" Granny Poly asked.

"*siiiip* ahhhhh… that surely hits the spot. You see, granny, Oria went some tough training these few days, hence the reason I asked for the adventurer garb."

"Huh… judging how woe-looking her dress now, I can only hazard a guess of what kind of training she underwent. It seems that her other master was unforgiving, eh?"

"Eeeeh, I… yes, I agree. *siiiip*"

"And also, it seems that this 'other' guardian is like her parent."

"—BUHURGH!" Dux blurted out his tea the moment she pointed that out. "M-Man… granny, you never cease to amaze me with your deduction skills!" Dux replied as he wiped his messy face with his handkerchief.

"Bah, it's not that hard to notice. How long do you think I've met you? Of course, it is a piece of cake to discover what you're hiding from this old lady."

"Nyuhuhuhu… really, now? Surely, time flies quickly, no?"

"…Yeah. It's been more than sixty years I have lived, and fifty years since I first met you. Yet this is the first time I see you take care a human child. What drove you to change that drastically, Dux?"

For a moment, Dux pauses to think about it. But then, he answers her in a vague way.

"…I'm not certain myself, I'm afraid."

Shortly after, voices of Oria and Katze are heard. From the back room where the bathroom is, the little girl emerged wearing pink pajamas.

"Oh, going to bed, Oria?"

The little girl nods. "Hm."

"Well, then. Granny, is it okay I leave her in your care for the time being?" Dux asked pleadingly.

Easily, the old woman answers, "No problem. I will make sure she's okay with us here. I promise."

"Thank you. I'm grateful."

"No need to think about it."

Soon, Miss Katze walks to the kitchen with a towel on her shoulder. To Oria, she calls her before, "Come along, Oria, I'll show you your room!" then she heads upstairs.

"Yes, I'm coming!"

For a moment, Oria turns at Dux, in which the wizard smilingly nods at her.

"Go ahead. No need to worry about me."

"H-Hm. Thank you, Master Dux. Please be careful on your journey with Far—I mean, Master."

With a gentle and chill voice, Dux replies, "Yeah. You're welcome. I'll be back in three days. Have a nice stay, Oria."

"Hm." Oria gives a faint smile despite her sleepiness. She then slowly walks away, going upstairs joining the young woman.

"Well, with that done, it's time for me to go~!" Dux stood up from his chair, finishing his tea in one gulp.

"Wait a second," Granny Poly stopped him. "Am I right to guess that there's something big going on?"

Dux crosses his tentacle arms, sighing as he widens his smile.

"…Truly, you are sharp as ever, Mrs. Poly. That's right. There are some things going on that needs to be taken care of. Just tell the people here to not wander uphill."

"…I understand."

"Well, then. If you'll excuse me, I've to go now. My partner is waiting for me. Thank you for the tea, granny. Give my regards to Miss Katze, too, 'kay?"

"Sure. Careful on your way."

And with that, Dux waves goodbye to the old woman. He walks away from the boutique shop and wanders to the village exit and heads off to the dimly lit dirt road. There, he vanishes to thin air.

Granny Poly is still gazing towards the village exit, however. Though, soon after, she looks up to the starry night sky.

"…Soon, the snow will fall. Winter is about to come. …Perhaps, Dux is wondering if he can entrust Oria into our care, knowing that he and Oria's parent would be unable to take care of her during winter… who knows? Winter in Raskiel Mountains is ruthless."

…

..

.

Somewhere near the mountain cave…

The debaucherous wizard reverts to his squid-like form. From the unknown, he summons his staff to his side. With that, from the columns of the trees, the Observer sphere emerges.

"You took your time," Faruk stated sarcastically.

"Oh, sure do! After all, enjoying a cup of tea before battle is always a good thing to have, eh?" Dux replied funnily.

"So, Oria is with them, now?"

"Yeah. No need to fret over it, my friend. Mrs. Poly and Miss Katze are the most trustable people in Fred Village, especially Miss Katze. She's affectionate towards children more than her granny…"

"Hm… I still have a hard time to trust 'these' people. But since you trusted them so vehemently, I will try to entrust my protégé to those humans, too."

"Nyuhuhu, that's righty-o! It's for the best, after all. Now, then, shall we go?"

"Hm. Let's."

As Dux strides over the grass in the clad of darkness with Faruk flying beside him in his Observer ball, the latter suddenly asks him an unusual question.

"Say… Dux… what kind of gift that Oria might like?"

Surprised, Dux's three eyes creepily gaze upon him, "Oh? What's this, now? Are you finally going to act like a true father to her!?"

"Cease your wild imaginations, Dux. I merely wanted to give her something in return for her hard work back at the dungeon. That way, I believe she'll be more enthusiastic to train herself."

"Heh! Ain't those treasures she got a gift already?" Dux smugly asked.

"Nay. Those things were something she achieved, not given. I wish to give her something."

"Hmm… I'm not sure. I didn't really know what she likes best. Maybe I'll ask Miss Katze about it, hehe. But ehh… maybe you can tell yourself about what she likes. So far, what do you think she liked the most?"

"Huh…" in Faruk's mind, obviously, he thinks of Oria gathering all the treasure chests she can find. "…uhh, no, no, that can't be."

"Nyuhuhu, take your time, buddy."

After several minutes of walking up the elevation, they finally reach their destination.

"Ah, we're here." Dux said.

"What do we have here?" Faruk turned his sight upon the mountain cave entrance where his gigantic, petrified dragon body stands unmoved. There are wandering people armed with pole weapons and crossbows.

"As you can see… these infidels are those from the slave camp. From what I observed and heard, they are yet to give up Oria and headed off here."

"Those few humans that survived my breath of flame, huh? They didn't learn their lesson to not step into my domain, I see."

"Hohoh, you should see the face of their leader, Faruk. He's sooo furious that his surviving boys didn't get Oria back. He refused to believe that she was killed by a dragon. Because of that, he issued a search order, a BIG one, if you ask me."

"Hm… Quite hardheaded, isn't he?"

"That's not all, I'm afraid. That foul piece of shit is poised to find Oria, dead or alive. You know what that means."

Faruk is growing irritated every time Dux tells more of the situation. "Hm. Now I wish to see this devil in the form of human burn all the way to his bone."

"Nyuruhuhu, I understand your fury, my dragon friend. But killing him will only cause more problems."

Chuckling, Faruk replies, "Heheh, I jest. As things appear right now, it seems my idea of investigating these slavers hit home."

"Nyuhuhu, indeed! It's quite the coincidence that they're making a move when you asked me to investigate them. With these felons on the move, and those from the Derea Dukedom approaching this mountain from the south…

With so many obstacles in our way, pray, tell, what shall we do, Faruk Argentora?"

…

..

.

Meanwhile, Oria is lying down on a comfy bed. She's not asleep yet, for deep in her heart, she thinks about Faruk and Dux.

"I wonder… what Faruk and Master Dux are doing right now…? *yaaawn*…"

Not long afterwards, the silver-haired child surrenders to her drowsiness. She has sunk into the ocean of dreams, soundly.