chapter 10

Chapter 10: Zombies and a Warrior

–Haru–

I was in the middle of experimenting with a new soy sauce recipe, carefully adjusting the balance between salty and sweet, when the door to my restaurant burst open. Rias Gremory, in all her fiery-haired glory, stormed in with an exuberant grin plastered across her face. 

"I'm finally allowed to come back here again, Haru!" she announced. "Did you miss me?" she asked, fluttering her eyelashes dramatically.

I couldn't help but smile as I wiped my hands on a nearby towel. "Welcome back, Rias," I replied warmly. "And yes, I did miss your company. Are you the only one coming today?"

Rias nodded. "Sona is dealing with some random stray devil with her peerage, and Akeno is busy with a contract. So that means," she leaned forward on the counter with a sly smirk, "I have you all to myself today."

Before I could respond, a soft voice spoke up from behind Rias, the words barely escaping in a stutter. "Y-you don't have Master Haru all to yourself. I'm h–here too!"

Rias turned around with an arched brow, eyeing the girl standing awkwardly behind her. "Who are you?" Rias asked.

The girl, Enri Emmot, shifted nervously but managed to stand her ground. "I-I'm Enri Emmot," she stammered. "I'm Haru's waitress and… also technically his vassal since he owns my entire village."

Rias spun back to face me, her blue eyes wide with shock. "What?" she gaped at me, her hands on her hips, clearly demanding an explanation. "You own a village? When did that happen?"

I chuckled, motioning for her to take a seat at the bar while I cleaned up a bit. "It's a long story," I began. "Whatever entity is responsible for connecting my restaurant to multiple dimensions also decided to start handing me deeds to those places. I guess it was easier than dealing with people freaking out over my restaurant popping up randomly in their worlds," I explained.

"So now you're a landlord now, huh? What next, ruler of an entire dimension?" she asked playfully.

"I hope not…" That sounded like way too much responsibility. 

Rias' grin widened as I told her about one of my recent encounters with the unpleasant toad-looking witch named Madam Umbridge. The way she fumed when she found out that a "creature" like me had acquired land in Hogsmeade was still priceless. 

"Nothing beats putting racists in their place."

Rias threw her head back and laughed. "Who would have thought a witch could be racist?" she said, shaking her head in disbelief. "That's so strange considering they were literally being burned at the stake not too long ago by religious nutjobs for being different."

"Right!?" I agreed. "You'd think they'd know better."

Enri, still sitting quietly, raised a hand timidly. "That sounds… um… ironic."

Rias turned back to her and nodded. "It really is, isn't it? Witches and wizards can be just as bad as humans sometimes."

Enri's eyes widened at our casual mention of witches and wizards, she was still adjusting to the craziness that was the existence of other dimensions. Although her own dimension was just as crazy I was finding out. 

Yasaka's plan had worked. A back door had been added to my restaurant that allowed Yokai scouts to start exploring the other dimensions my restaurant connected to. What we found in Enri's world was frankly shocking. 

The dead did not stay dead…

There was an entire area known as the Katze plains that was filled with seemingly never ending hordes of undead. Every year, Enri's former kingdom went to war with the neighboring empire, and thousands of people died, only to mysteriously rise up as zombies a few weeks later.

"So," Rias said, turning her attention back to me mischievously. "Since it's just the two of us today, what's on the menu? I've missed your cooking."

I chuckled. "Well, since you're here, how about I whip up something special? Maybe you'd like to try out something with this new soy sauce I've been experimenting with?" I suggested.

Rias leaned in closer, resting her chin on her hand. "Sounds delicious," she purred. "I can't wait."

–Rias–

As Haru stirred the sizzling fried rice in the wok, the savory aroma of garlic and soy sauce filling the air, Rias sat at the counter, her eyes gleaming with excitement. She had intentionally skipped lunch, knowing full well that Haru's cooking was worth the wait, and now her stomach was growling loudly. 

She couldn't help but marvel at everything that had transpired in the past few days.

Her family had finally approved the contract with Haru's mother, Yasaka, and Rias was finally free to visit him and his restaurant again. It had been so frustrating to be kept away while everything was being finalized. Her parents and older brother didn't want any distractions during such an important agreement, but now that the deal had gone through, Rias couldn't be happier. 

She was no longer engaged to that pompous asshat, Riser Phenex!

No, she was engaged to Haru now!

Her smile grew wider as she watched the handsome kitsune cook for her. Haru had greeted her warmly when she came in, but there hadn't been a hint that he knew about their engagement yet. She figured he was still in the dark, probably because Yasaka hadn't had the time to talk to him about it yet.

Rias could barely contain her excitement. It wasn't just because she was marrying someone as handsome, kind, and talented as Haru. His restaurant connected to multiple dimensions, each offering new experiences and surprises! With him, Rias wouldn't just be tied down to the underworld politics and devil society, she'd be able to explore worlds beyond her wildest imagination.

'I can already imagine the possibilities!' Rias thought, grinning like she was a little girl again. One of those dimensions might even be an anime world! Not one of the horrible ones, of course, but one of the cool ones—like the ones with ninjas or pirates! 

She rested her chin on her hand and let her mind wander. What if Haru's restaurant connected to a world filled with real kunoichi? Rias had always been fascinated by the idea of recruiting a skilled ninja into her peerage…

Or…what if they ended up in a pirate world? She could already picture herself standing on the deck of a magical ship, wind in her hair, sailing across the seas in search of treasure and adventure. With Haru's cooking, they'd have the best meals on the high seas, and with a little magic, turning The Fox Hole into a ship wouldn't even be difficult. Rias giggled at the thought—Captain Rias Gremory, sailing alongside her dashing fiancé! 

"Something funny?" Haru asked, pulling her out of her daydream.

Rias blinked, realizing she had been giggling out loud for the past few minutes. "Oh, nothing," she said with her cheeks turning a bit pink. "Just thinking about the future is all..."

"The future, huh?" Haru raised an eyebrow, dishing out the fried rice onto a plate and sliding it in front of her, along with a steaming bowl of ramen. "Well, considering where this restaurant tends to end up, the future is going to be interesting, if nothing else."

Rias smiled and took a deep breath, inhaling the rich scents of the meal. "Thanks, Haru." She picked up her chopsticks and dug in, savoring the first bite. "You have no idea how much I missed your cooking."

Haru smiled warmly. "Glad you like it. So, what's new with you? Anything exciting happen while you were away?" he asked her curiously.

Rias paused, her heart skipping a beat. This was it— she could hardly wait to see his reaction.

"Well," she began, trying to keep her tone casual despite the butterflies in her stomach. "There is one thing…"

Haru looked at her curiously, waiting for her to continue.

Rias leaned forward, a mischievous glint in her eyes. "You and I are engaged, Haru…" she told him.

For a moment, there was silence. Haru blinked, clearly trying to process what she had just said.

"Wait, what!?" 

Rias grinned, enjoying the look of surprise on his face. "It's true! The contract between my parents and Yasaka has been finalized! You and I are officially engaged!" she said happily.

Haru stared at her, his mouth slightly open as he struggled to find the right words. "Engaged? As in… we're getting married?"

Rias nodded, unable to hide her excitement. "Yep! Isn't it great?"

Haru leaned back, running a hand through his hair. Rias loved the way his fox ears twitched as he did so. She wondered if she was allowed to pet them now that they were an item. 

"Wow…" Haru trailed off.

Rias laughed, reaching across the counter to take his hand. "Don't worry, it's a good thing! You're so much better than my last fiance! There's so many things we can do together!" she said and added a slight purr to her voice. "There's also so many things that I'll let you do to me too…"

The blush that spread across Haru's face made her giggle. Sometimes she forgot how innocent non-devils could be when it came to stuff like that. Rias was still a virgin of course, but that didn't mean she hadn't ever played with herself or practiced some things with Akeno. Rias wondered if Haru realized she and her Queen were technically a package deal? They were like sisters after all–sisters who kissed sometimes–and both of them agreed to marry the same man so that they'd always be together. 

Meh, she'd tell him about that later. She didn't want to blow his mind quite yet. He'd have to get used to two girlfriends first before Rias threw a third at him. And speaking of his first girlfriend, Rias knew she was going to need to talk to Aela pretty soon to sort everything out properly. She didn't want a vengeful werewolf coming after her thinking she was trying to steal her man.

"R–Right…then. Of course…" Haru said with a small stutter. It was cute.

Rias finished her meal and rubbed her slightly bloated belly, feeling content. She smiled, glad that devils couldn't gain weight unless they wanted to. When Enri came over to clear the plates, Rias thanked her, but the young girl just gave a cute little huff. Rias suspected Enri was upset because she was now engaged to Enri's master—or "Jarl," as Haru said that's what Aela called him. It was still a bit wild to Rias how casually Haru's patron had been gifted so much land.

Glancing around the empty shop, Rias asked, "Can we go out and explore this other dimension now? No one else is here right now."

"Sure, I'm fine with that," Haru said while stretching his arms over his head. "There was a big party here last night after Harry finished the first task in the Triwizard Tournament. Serana taught him some crazy Skyrim spells, and he ended up killing a dragon! At one point, the whole arena was filled with lightning! You should've seen it."

Rias pouted. "Harry Potter killed a dragon, and I missed it? And in front of a crowd who thought he was going to die and were booing him the whole time? That sounds like a real life epic anime moment!" she complained and was very upset she missed it!

Haru chuckled and patted her head. "Don't worry. You'll see the next two challenges. Although," he shrugged, "they're spaced out months apart. I don't get why they're dragging a three-day tournament out over a whole year."

"Witches and wizards are weird," Rias agreed.

Enri led them out the front door. "Welcome to Carne Village!" she said brightly.

Rias scratched her cheek, feeling awkward. "It's... nice," she said, though it was far from what she meant. The village was a mess—run-down houses, dirt paths, and withered crops. It was nothing like the grandeur she was used to. She expected Haru's new land to be a lot nicer.

Haru noticed her expression and chuckled. "Yeah, it's a bit rough. But the people are really nice and humble."

Rias noticed what Haru meant as they walked through the village. The villagers smiled and waved warmly, their friendliness evident despite the obvious hardships they faced in their daily lives. A few even approached Haru, offering him free crops, but he politely declined, urging them to keep the food for themselves. Rias kept quiet, though she couldn't help but think they definitely needed that extra food more than anyone else.

"We're working on bringing in some extra food for all the villagers," Haru explained to her as they continued walking. "It'll take a few days, though."

"You don't have to do that, Master Haru! Our village has always been self-sufficient," Enri said earnestly, though her voice wavered a bit at the end. 

Haru smiled gently and shook his head at the village girl turned waitress. "Your villagers are my people now. And my people don't go hungry."

Enri's eyes welled up with tears. After a brief, emotional moment, she ran off, likely overwhelmed by the kindness Haru had shown her people.

Rias smiled, touched by the scene. She was reminded again of how lucky she was to be marrying someone as kind-hearted as Haru, especially compared to someone like Riser Phenex, who only thought of power and status.

"So," Rias said, shifting the subject, "tell me a little about this world. What should I expect?"

–Haru–

I gave Rias a quick rundown of everything I knew about this dimension so far. Admittedly, it wasn't much yet. Despite the limited information, her eyes lit up with excitement when I mentioned the plains nearby that were full of actual zombies.

"Oh my Maou! You have to take me there right now, Haru!" Rias exclaimed. "I've always wanted to fight hordes of zombies! This is like an otaku's dream come true. Please..." she begged, fluttering her eyelashes at me once again.

I really must have a thing for redheads, because there was no way I could say no to her. "Alright," I agreed. "But it's a couple dozen kilometers away, so it'll be faster if you ride on my back."

Her eyes practically sparkled with excitement. "You're going to transform!?" she exclaimed, almost bouncing in place with glee.

I smirked at her reaction. "Yeah, it's good to stretch my four legs once in a while. I've been indoors too much lately, and I don't want to get rusty."

With a quick goodbye wave to the villagers, we headed out through the front gates of the village. We walked for about half a kilometer before I felt it was safe enough to transform without freaking out the villagers. Truth be told, I had a feeling most of them already thought I was some sort of God after whatever Enri had told them about me. Still, I didn't want to encourage any open worship, which probably would've happened if they saw my full Nine-Tails form.

Rias took a few steps back as I took a deep breath, focusing on my transformation. It was always an odd experience—going from a regular guy with fox ears and tails to a towering, 30-foot-tall fox monster with massive fangs and claws. The ground trembled beneath me as I completed the transformation. I could feel the surge of power flowing through me. This was the form where I could truly release all of my power if I desired, where I was a true Ultimate-Class being.

Rias squealed in delight. "Oh my goodness! You're so adorable and fluffy! You're like a mini Kurama but ten times cuter!" Her wings sprang out, and she flew up onto my back, immediately snuggling into my fur with an ecstatic grin. "Mofu mofu!" she said happily, rubbing herself all over my back, her face practically buried in my fur.

I was glad I couldnt blush in my fox form. "Glad you're enjoying yourself," I said, feeling slightly embarrassed at her enthusiasm. She was rubbing herself all over me…

Rias giggled, wrapping her arms around as much of my giant fluffy neck as she could. "This is the best! Now, let's go fight some zombies, Haru!" she cheered.

I took off, my massive paws thudding against the earth as we raced toward the zombie plains. Rias held onto my fur the whole way as she rode on my back and cheered. Could this be considered a first date? It was a very strange one if it was. Then again, Aela and I went out and hunted giant crabs for our first date…

Maybe this was just how things go if you're a supernatural being?

It took me about 30 minutes of sprinting to reach the Katze Plains. The area was technically just outside of my official territory but it didn't belong to either the Kingdom or the Empire either. I doubted either nation wanted a zombie-infested wasteland as part of their domain.

These undead creatures didn't seem particularly bright. Despite the fact that I was a towering fox monster, dozens of them limped toward me, their rotten, slow bodies seemingly unaware of the danger they were in. They probably thought—or didn't think—that they could take me on

"Real zombies!" Rias exclaimed, flying down off my back and hovering next to my face. Her eyes gleamed with excitement. "Wow, they look even creepier in real life. Let's kill them all!"

Without any hesitation, she raised her hand and summoned the crimson energy of her Power of Destruction. An orb of magic materialized in her palm and shot toward the nearest zombie. Rias's orb of destruction hit the closest zombie and detonated, unleashing a decent-sized explosion. Four more zombies were instantly incinerated along with it. 

"Killing spree!" she cheered gleefully. With a wide grin, Rias summoned two more orbs, one in each hand, and began launching them across the battlefield. She zipped through the air, obliterating every undead that crossed her path, her demonic magic leaving destruction in its wake.

Not wanting her to outshine me completely, I decided to join in. Taking a deep breath, I opened my jaws wide and exhaled a massive plume of blue foxfire. The searing flames roared across the plains, stretching at least a kilometer, reducing everything in their path to ash.

Rias paused mid-air and shot me an adorable pout. "You're too overpowered, Haru! But I'm not going to let you kill more zombies than me!"

Her competitive side kicked in as she lifted both hands above her head. I could feel her demonic energy gathering, concentrating into a single point. An enormous orb of destruction, bigger than her entire body, formed above her head. Rias smirked mischievously.

"Say hello to my little friend!" she declared.

The orb hurtled toward the center of the plains, not particularly aiming at anything specific. Not that she needed to. The resulting explosion shook the ground and sent a massive shockwave through the area, eradicating everything within a huge radius. Zombies, trees, and even the earth itself were consumed by the blast.

I had to admit, I'd underestimated Rias's true power when she was giving it her all. The crater she created with that single attack was enough to swallow entire city blocks, leaving behind only a gaping hole.

Rias descended back toward me, hovering at eye level, a triumphant grin plastered on her face. "I think that's a win for me!" she declared, brushing some dust off her shoulders.

I chuckled, shaking my massive head. "You really don't hold back, do you?"

She winked at me. "Not when I'm having fun! Come on, let's find more zombies to kill! Akeno is going to be so jealous when I tell her later what I did today!"

With that, we continued our rampage through the plains, decimating any undead that we came across. Now we had become death, the destroyers of zombie worlds…

The fun Rias and I were having came to an abrupt halt when she pointed toward the horizon. "Haru, what's that dust cloud?" she asked.

With my enhanced eyesight, I could easily make out the approaching group—about a hundred humans on horseback, galloping at full speed toward us. They would be here in a few minutes. It seemed the explosions and massive plumes of foxfire had caught the attention of the local forces. I figured they were from the Re-Estize Kingdom, though I hoped we could talk our way out of whatever was about to happen.

A few minutes later, the riders arrived. It was hard to miss me, after all—I was a 30-foot-tall, nine-tailed fox. As they approached, I could hear gasps and shouts of terror from more than a few of the riders. Up close, I realized that none of these men were proper knights. They were armed with swords and bows, but none wore armor, just simple clothes fit for regular soldiers or peasants.

The lead rider, however, stood out. He approached cautiously, his eyes darting between me and Rias, who was still hovering next to my head in the air. He looked like he was trying to make sense of the situation.

"Hail, my name is Gazef Stronoff, Warrior Captain of the Re-Estize Kingdom," he announced proudly, though I could hear some tension in his voice. "May I ask what you are doing in Katze Plains? The explosions and plumes of strange blue fire can be seen from kilometers away!"

My voice boomed enough to make his horse shuffle nervously. "Apologies if we frightened you," I said, watching Gazef's eyes widen in surprise. I guess he wasn't expecting the giant fox to be sentient. "We were just having a little fun killing the undead that roam around here."

Rias floated a little closer to the ground, nodding enthusiastically. "Yeah! I've never seen real zombies before, and blowing them up was awesome!" she added excitedly.

Gazef blinked, clearly trying to process our casual responses. "I see…" he trailed off, unsure of how to respond at first. "I assume, by the fact that we are peacefully talking, that neither of you hold any negative connotations toward humanity?"

Rias pouted, placing her hands on her hips. "Of course not! I love humans! They create the best art, stories, and food after all. I've never hurt a human in my life."

Gazef visibly relaxed, a sigh of relief escaping him as he turned his attention back to me. I shifted slightly, my tails swaying lazily behind me. "I don't have any issues with humans either," I admitted. "Although, I can't say I've never harmed one. I've broken a few bones before, mostly in defense. A group once harassed my little sister, and I couldn't let that slide."

Gazef nodded, his expression softening with understanding. "That sounds perfectly reasonable. I've done the same in defense of my daughter," he said, a little more relaxed now.

Rias floated closer, her curiosity getting the better of her. "So, what brings you out here to the Katze Plains? Is it the zombies? There's not that many of them left at this point," Rias said while gesturing to the completely scorched landscape around us. We may have gone a tad bit overboard…

Gazef's expression darkened as he explained that was not why he was here. "The undead are always a problem for the Kingdom, and I sincerely thank you both for your help here. But that's not the reason we're out on the plains today. We're searching for some… horrible fiends."

"Horrible fiends?" Rias echoed.

Gazef nodded solemnly. "Two villages on the outskirts of the Re-Estize Kingdom were recently razed to the ground. Men, women, and children—none were spared." His voice was heavy with grief, and Rias gasped in horror. 

She turned towards me. "Haru, isn't your village on the outskirts too?" she asked urgently.

My slitted eyes widened in realization. "You're right. We need to get back there, now!" A sense of urgency surged through me. "Hop on my back. I'll run us back there at full speed."

"Wait!" Gazef called out just as Rias settled herself into my fur. "Please, allow me to come with you! Too many innocents have been slain by these monsters, and my heart demands justice."

I paused, my gaze locking onto Gazef's. There was something undeniably genuine in his words. All of my instincts told me this man was good—honest and sincere.

"Alright," I said. "Hop on, but keep in mind, this village isn't technically part of the Re-Estize Kingdom any longer. I purchased it and the surrounding land from the king himself."

Gazef blinked in surprise. "...No wonder the king has been looking less stressed lately," he murmured. "Our kingdom was heavily in debt from the constant wars with the Baharuth Empire. Thank you for your generosity." He bowed his head towards me without any hesitation.

I waved him off with one of my large paws. "It was no problem. Now, let's get going. Time is of the essence!"

Gazef nodded and, to my surprise, leapt up the full height of my body with ease. He landed beside Rias on my back. "I will go ahead with these two!" he called out to his still-nervous men below. "Take my horse and follow behind us as quickly as you can!"

With that, I took off at full speed, the ground blurring beneath us as we raced back toward Carne Village! 

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