A bead of blood ran down the girl's nose. It left a crimson trail behind it, tracing the ridge between her eyes right up to the wound on her upper forehead. It dripped down, falling onto the blade of grass by her knees, creating a tiny splash.

All alone, amidst hundreds of kobolds, Rika had been taken captive. With her head forced down, all she could see were her trembling knees, digging into the dirt.

In what could be her final moments, rather than despairing at the inevitable, she instead shared a bitter-sweet smile with herself.

So this is how I'm going to die...?

Well, this is pretty embarassing... If I had to die anyway, I wish I could have died protecting Sylphie...

She sighed.

I haven't even said goodbye to Mama and Papa yet... Geez. They're going to be so angry at me.

But the more held it in, the more it squeezed at her.

"Eh, ehehe..." She sobbed and chuckled at the same time.

I guess dad was right, after all... This stupid girl with flowers growing inside her head... is going to die on a silly adventure, chasing her dreams.

But you know what?

A teardrop crossed the serene smile drawn upon her lips.

It was fun.

It was fun being around Sylphie. Though she yells at me a lot like papa does.

It was fun seeing the world outside Ealdton.

It was fun meeting people like Letty, Ruth and Ceressa.

If nothing else, I wish I could just tell you...

I don't regret going on my last adventure with them.

She giggled.

My friends...

Not a moment later, a familiar voice reverberated against the cavern's walls and ceiling. "Hey, you dumb cat! Here we are!"

It was a tiny voice, reminiscent of the tiny specks of light hanging amidst the sun rays that filtered though her window in a bright, Sunday morning.

She jerked upright.

A tiny girl with hair unfurled and blowing with the wind, stood defiantly in front of the mass of kobolds. Behind her stood three others: A man in steel armor; a woman dressed in light attire that left her abdomen exposed; and another, shrouded within a large mantle and a wide-brimmed hat.

"S-Sylphie!?" she yelled, "Ruth... Ceressa... and Miss Letty too!? Why didn't you run guys away!?"

"Huh!?" Sylphia said in an abrasive tone, "Don't be an idiot, we ain't going anywhere without you!"

Her shoulders fell. "E-eh...?"

"What?" Ceressa crossed her arms. "Were you seriously thinking otherwise? I won't have you taking us lightly, Rika!"

Ruth grinned. Placing his arms on his waist, he added, "Didn't I teach you the Adventurer's Honor?"

A spark of electricity ran down her spine as she recalled her time with the two of them from back in the kobold village.

She muttered, "N-no one gets left behind..."

"...no matter what." Letty stepped beside Sylphia. Her mantle fluttered with the wind, and as she brought out a thick spellbook with a blue binding, so did she hold down her hat, lest it be swept away by the strengthening wind.

Finally, a flood of tears gushed down the bruises etched on her face. It stung as the salty trails came into contact with the fresh wounds, but she did nothing to fight it.

She could hardly feel the pain, to begin with; not while her heart overflowed with emotion.

Sylphia locked eyes with the kobold leader.

"Nyaaaa?" his loud voice assaulted her ears, "Didn't I tell you to toss away your weapons, meow?"

He walked forwards and approached them.

"Well, either way, meow. You furless will pay for deceiving us and siding with the dogkin, meow!"

"Hmph." Ruth snickered. "I did toss my weapon. The weapon you gave me that is! I'm not one to accept anything from someone who'd hurt my friends!"

Ceressa smirked. "Well said."

He then whispered, "Hey, remind me to pick it up after we're done here."

"Ehhh..." She grimaced.

"Nya. too bad, and you might have stood a chance too, if you had a weapon that can match ours, meow!"

"Oh, don't worry, I've got one right here." With a leathery scritch, he drew Demonbane from its scabbard. At a single glance, it differed not from the common longsword, apart from the jewel inset within its pommel. The shimmering gem gave off a spectral glow that tended towards a faint yellow and blue.

"Funya nya nya nya," he sneered, "one measly sword can't match a hundred, meow! Just because you proved yourselves once in the arena, you're getting full of yourselves, meow? Pathetic, meow." He shook his head. "Why don't you be obedient and drop your weapons, meow? Then maybe we will be merciful, and grant you a quick death, meow! Fuuuu-nya nya nya nya!"

The surrounding kobolds joined in laughter.

Sylphia smirked. "Give up? Us? You must be mistaken."

The cat boss's eye twitched. "Nya!?"

"In fact, I'm here to offer you the chance to surrender peacefully."

"Insolence, meow! Looks like you don't care what happens to this friend of yours, meow!?" He then drew his sword and pointed it at Rika's neck.

"Hguk-!?" The girl jerked her neck away from the sword, but the kobolds flanking her held her head back down.

Sylphia's expression darkened. "Don't do something you'll regret."

At once, a dense black fog condensed around them, gathering around the nearby kobolds. It swirled around their necks like murderous clouds, strangling them, slowly, painfully.

The kobold leader froze in place. "Gnya-!? W-who are you anyway, meow!?"

"Who am I?" Her lips curled upwards.

He swallowed his breath.

Next, she pulled the folding fan out of her belt, pointing it straight at the catman. "That's a good question."

Finally, with a flick of her wrist, she unfurled it, revealing the face hidden underneath.

"Uh... hey," greeted Sebastian.

"Ghka-!?" The kobold leader flinched.

Withdrawing Sebastian to cover her mouth, she then asked, "You know who this is, don't you?"

Apart from the leader himself, the all the kobolds shrank away. It was such that a large space opened around them, leaving the four adventurers to face the catman alone.

One by one, worried murmurs spread among the kobolds.

"The Almighty God, meow...!" A kobold shrieked.

"But why, meow!?" One asked the other.

"I... I don't understand, meow..." The other kobold answered.

"H-h-hinyaaaaaa!" The kobold leader squealed. "W-w-why, why is a lowly furless like you holding our most revered God, meow!? Release Him at once, you heretic, meow!"

He ran forwards and swiped at her, in a half-hearted attempt to recover his God, but was held at bay by Ruth and Ceressa.

"Heretic?" Sylphia said, "That's right... that's what you call someone who opposed the gods, right? In that case, you're the heretic here, aren't you!?"

The black haze spread further.

Further and further, the kobolds' morale dropped. Self-doubt, reinforced by their zealotry, forced many a catman to finally lower their weapon.

But one, in particular, stood defiant.

"Gnyaa!" the kobold leader screeched, "Why should I heed the words of a furless like you, meow!? Acting big like you're the God's prophet or something, meow! Hand our God over right now or you will really regret it, meow!"

"Prophet... huh?" She rubbed her chin. "Has a nice ring to it... but that's a bit below me."

"Gnyak!?"

"Allow me to to introduce myself." Her chin raised high, she tilted her head such that she looked down on the kobolds before her. "My name is Sylphie, the Goddess of War. One of the Death God's divine Pantheon. And he has called me here to bring down divine judgement upon sinners like you!"

"Wha..." Rika winced.

"Huh?" Ruth furled his brows.

"Eh?" Ceressa's upper lip lifted to one side in disgust.

Meanwhile, Letty tried to keep a straight, if nervous, face.

Even Sylphia knew.

Ah... they must be thinking right now...

'Has she lost her mind?'

She caught, at the corner of her eye, Rika's eyes filled with pity.

It stung.

But she soldiered on.

Uuuu... I wanna crawl under a rock.

Her companions notwithstanding, her intended target, appeared to have taken the bait.

"S-s-sinners, meow...!?" The kobold leader balked at her threat. "But why, meow!? There is no more faithful servant than-"

At that moment, he stopped and looked down on his paws.

Hm?

"No, meow... That's not true, meow!" He shook his head. "I see through your furless ruse, meow!"

Sylphia flinched.

Eeeeh?

His entire body trembled with fury. "You might have fooled the common warrior, but to me, the most devout follower of the Death God, meow! Heretic, meow! How dare you use the name of our God in vain, meow!"

Tsk. What a stubborn cat! But I'm not done yet.

She then glanced down at her fan and said. "Sebastian, go ahead."

"Right," her fan answered. His normal, almost nasally voice, then transformed into the persona of the Death-God. His voice boomed as though it crashed down from the sky, as he declared, "My faithful!"

Even from just those words, a significant portion of the kobold army fell to their knees.

But he continued, "Heed my words! This is word of the Almighty Death-God, Barog-Tong! I now go by the name of Sebastian! And I have called upon the Goddesses of my Pantheon to finally bring an end to strife in this dungeon!"

"G-Goddesses, meow!?" the kobolds muttered amongst one another.

"Indeed. The flat-chested girl before you is my herald."

Her eye twitched at his remark.

"She is the Goddess of War, Sylphie. Take her words as though they were my own!"

As the echoes of Sebastian's voice dissipated, all that remained was a field stunned in silence.

Apart from the catmen, Ruth, Ceressa and Rika all directed their baffled gaze at the little girl with the talking fan.

But the effect was without doubt.

His words shook the kobolds to their core. A multitude fell to their knees and lowered their heads to the ground before their God, asking for his forgiveness.

However, the kobold leader was not so easily convinced.

"Gnnnnnnyaaaaa!" His piercing voice rang in Sylphia's ear like a bad case of tinnitus. "Lies, lies, meow! You furless are all liars, meow! There is no way the Death God will choose the form of a lowly furless as his herald, meow! You, get on your feet, meow! Do not be deceived by these furless, meow!"

A kobold with a white stripe drawn across its pure black fur stood in front of the kobold leader.

"Stop, Chief Hunter, meow!" he said with a far deeper, masculine voice, "There is no doubt that the Death God speaks before us, meow!"

"You foolish meow!" He drew his sword. "You would take the side of the furless above your kin, Second Chief Hunter, meow!?"

"Nyaaaa!" The black kobold purred angrily. "I take the side of the righteous, meow!"

In an instant, chaos and discord descended over the center mass of kobold horde. Wracked in a dogmatic struggle, kin would point their sword at kin, while others would see this and take the opportunity to flee.

Before they even knew it, the girl they needed to rescue, was surrounded by hundreds of catmen who were just about to lunge at each other's throat.

Sylphia swallowed her breath.

Uh-oh. This... might not turn out as well as I expected.

And all this while Rika's limbs were bound.

The kobold leader ordered, "Kill all the furless, meow!"

And the black kobold retorted, "No, protect the Goddess, meow!"

There was no longer room for reconciliation.

Then, it began.

With an ear-splitting scream, each kobold let loose a flurry of attacks against one another. Fur and blood spattered everywhere as a brutal mass-fratricide unfolded.

Amid the chaos, the one with a white stripe across his fur protected Rika.

"Nyaaa!" he said, as he parried blow after blow, "You unfaithful shall not harm the property of the Gods!"

"Nyaa!" the kobold leader yelled, "Cleanse these traitors, meow! These fools, meow!" With a wide swing, he then brought his massive sword with full force at the striped kobold.

"Ungyaa!" Despite blocking the attack, the black kobold still flew off into a group of others already engaged in melee, tossing them aside like bowling pins.

Soon, the kobold leader's shadow loomed over Rika.

Though she remained on her knees, the kobold leader stood at just her eye level. His helmet fashioned in the form of a lion beamed the bright flow of mythril, a glow reflected from his pitch-black eyes underneath.

"Nyaa..." he said, "You cursed furless, meow! This is all your fault, meow! How dare you, meow! After we treated you with kindness, meow! This is how you repay us, meow!?"

His words were like a needle pricking her chest.

What he said was true after all. The kobolds had treated them rather kindly since taking them in. They fed them, housed them, laughed with them; And though this one did have a strange fetish for her hair, she didn't hold a grudge against him or anything.

She had no reason to.

If I were in his position... I'd feel betrayed too...

She'd have felt sorry for the poor kobold, if it weren't for the overflowing killing intent directed towards her.

"Unforgivable, meow!" His voice cracked.

"I'm sorry..." Rika muttered. "...but I can't let you kill me!"

With all her strength, she pushed herself off the ground and tackled the kobold leader with her shoulder.

"Hngf-" she grunted.

Her shoulder connected with the catman's tough mythril plate, shooting a wave of pain throughout her torso. She swore that she heard a cracking sound just now, but ignored it.

The impact sent his sword flying away in the back as he fell over and hit the ground with a hard thud.

With the two laying on top of each other, Rika screamed into his face.

"If I die, then Sylphie will be sad!"

As those words left her lips, so did her tears fall on his shining plate of mythril below.

"Ceressa, now!" Sylphia screamed, "Shoot her binds!"

"Yeah!" She inserted the arrow into the nock on her bow. "I won't miss!"

I'll make sure of it!

The black haze wrapped around Ceressa's hands, painting the arrow with a writhing black smoke as she pulled it back into her bowstring.

With a loud twang, the arrow shot right by Rika's shins, cutting the weaved blue-grass binding them together.

Taking a deep breath, Sylphia cupped her hands over her mouth and yelled, "Rika, run for it!"

"Yeah!" the girl shouted back. With hands still bound, Rika pushed herself off the kobold leader and made a mad dash towards her friends.

Meanwhile, utter chaos littered the path between them. Kobolds, left and right, lunged at her, only to be fought off by other kobolds.

It was such that Ruth had no idea who to fight and had resorted to shielding everyone as they ran.

"Ruth! Letty! Ceressa!" Once more Sylphia's black haze wrapped around them.

"You got it!"

"Mm!"

"Alright!"

First, Letty opened her spellbook and chanted, "Quagmire!"

Its pages tuned, creating a ball of thick, blue smoke. The smoke shot out at great speed past Rika and turned into a spear of mud mid-flight, striking with great force at the catmen in pursuit. They had the immediate effect of staggering the attackers, but most importantly, the spell drenched their fur in heavy, sticky mud, slowing them down to a crawl.

Meanwhile, Ruth dashed forward, parrying all incoming blows with his shield, sword, and armor, shrugging off even the close blows that dug into his steel plate. Even as blood pooled over his shirt, he shrugged it off and laughed, "Hahaha! This is nothing!"

Behind him, the others followed, with Ceressa protecting them from any stragglers with her twin blades. "Leave these to me!"

"Ruth! Ceressa! Miss Letty!" Rika yelled with tears streaming down her cheeks. "Sylphie!"

They were but a few feet apart when, out from behind, came the kobold leader once more. He tackled Rika from the back, knocking the wind out of her and sending her face down onto the ground.

"Nyaaaa!" Without his weapon, the kobold leader resorted to his paws. He bright them together and, like a hammer, brought them down repeatedly on the girl's head, "Die, meow! Die, meow! Die, meoooooow!"

"Ack! Ow! Aghaaaa!" Rika screamed as she covered the back of her head with her hands. "Help me!"

"Rika!" Without thinking of anything else, Sylphia dashed forwards along with Ruth.

"Hold on, Rika!" Letty let loose another cloud of magic. "Gust!" This time, it turned into a torrent of wind that swept the kobold leader from side to side. "Get off of her, you...! You...!" Like invisible fists, her magic pummelled the kobold's body again and again, but he merely shrugged it off and continued his assault.

"Get off of her you damn monster!" Ruth raised his sword overhead. "Howl, Demonbane!" As he brought his sword down sparks of lightning jumped into the air.

"Eh!?" Sylphia flinched. "Wait, Ruth!"

She reached her hand out to him, but he was too far away.

Noticing his attack, the kobold leader lifted his armored gauntlet and blocked the sword.

The sword connected with the gauntlet.

In that instant, a powerful current of electricity coursed from the gauntlet and into the kobold leader's body. He convulsed violently from the shock as a result.

It travelled down into Rika as well, however.

"Higrgrgrgrgrg-" Rika's body tensed up as her body shook from the electric shock.

"Ah!" Realizing his mistake, Ruth quickly withdrew his blade. "I'm sorry, Rika!"

"Ugnyaa!" Furious, the kobold leader got up and tackled Ruth as well.

Instead of whaling away at him, however, the kobold leader found a mythril blade on the ground nearby and picked it up. When he finally lifted his head, he met eyes with Sylphia.

She froze in place. "Oh shit!" She looked frantically around her. Rika and Ruth were down, and Ceressa was busy protecting Letty.

She was alone.

Completely alone.

And a very angry kobold was walking menacingly towards her with a sharp blade in hand.

"Hyaaa!" She squealed. Ever since she met Rika, she had stopped bringing her own blade along, since it was heavy, and it was useless in her hands anyway.

All she had on hand was Sebastian.

"Awawa... awawawawaaa..." With trembling hands, she raised Sebastian in front of her.

"Hey, little girl!" He protested. "What the hell do you think you're doing!?"

"W-w-what!? Y-you're a living weapon, aren't you!? Then be my weapon!"

"You can't just say that whenever it's convenient!" The pitch of his voice jumped as he screamed. "I can't fucking block that thing, I'll get sliced in half!"

"Th-th-then buy me time or something!" She unfurled Sebastian in front of the kobold. "Quick, say something!"

"What something!?"

"Something Godlike! You're their God, aren't you!?"

"Little girl..." His face turned blue and his scowl redrew itself into half-dropped eyes. "...I don't think he's in the mood for a sermon."

"Nyaa..." The kobold leader said in a breathy whisper. "You pretenders, meow. I shall strike you down in the name of our true God, and offer your heads to him when we meet him again, meow!"

"Eeeeeeek!" Sylphia staggered back. "He's completely lost it!"

He lifted his sword.

"In that case...!" She turned around, only to see that her escape path was blocked by several kobolds locked in a deathmatch with one another. "Oh shit! I can't even run away!?"

"Die, meow!!"

"Eeeeeeek!"

She reflexively placed Sebastian between her and his blade. "Wait! Wait! Little girl!" he screamed, "Put me away! Don't use me as a shield!"

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He swung his sword.

"Aaaaaaah!" The two of them screamed as Sylphia closed her eyes.

Then, the sound of striking metal rang in her ears.

After a few more moments of cowering, Sylphia finally opened her eyes.

"Nyaaa...!" A catman stood between her and the furious kobold leader. He panted heavily and his striped black furhad been spattered with blood all around.

Despite this, he crossed swords with the larger catman. The radiant blades scritched violently as each tested the other's strength.

"You again, meow!" The leader said.

"What do you think you are doing, Chief Hunter, meow!? Pointing your blade towards the Gods themselves, meow!? Is there no depth to your depravity, meow!"

"Pweh." The chief hunter leapt back and drew his sword to his side once more.

"Have you nothing to say for yourself, Chief Hunter, meow!?"

"My words will not reach the ears of a gullible fool, meow. If you wish to protect these pretenders, then I will gladly offer your head to the true God as well, meow." He lifted his sword over his shoulder.

And so too, did the black kobold. He shook his head and uttered, "To not even see yourself blinded from the truth, meow... What a pity, meow."

Their blades clashed.

"Nyaa!" The chief hunter slashed.

"Gunyaa!" And the black kobold parried.

Sylphia watched on as duel unfolded before her eyes.

Jesus, I need to get out of this mess! But...

Her eyes turned to Rika and Ruth, both still down on the ground, but out of her reach, behind the duelling kobolds.

What do I do...!? Can I command this guy? Does he think of me as his ally!?

But just before she said a word, the chief hunter delivered a heavy blow against the black kobold's blade. The pressure of the impact send him to his knees. "Ungyaaaah!" He screamed, clutching his abdomen.

Sylphia didn't notice it earlier, but the streaks of blood on the kobold's fur had been expanding throughout his abdomen.

What that- Her heart jumped. That's not just blood spatter - this guy has a cut over his stomach!

Taking advantage of his momentary weakness, the chief hunter lunged forward and kicked him in the midsection.

"Bugyaaah!" The black kobold fell to the ground and rolled by Sylphia's feet.

"Hey! Hey!" She crouched down and slapped him over the face but the fallen catman could not even open his eyes any longer. "Hang on!"

Shit, he's out!

"Meow..." The kobold leader loomed over both of them. "First, I finish this traitor, meow." He raised his blade.

"Hngk-!" Sylphia bent down and closed her eyes, wrapping her arms around the kobold that tried to save her life.

"Then, the pretender, meow. Die, meo-!"

The ground shook with a hard thud.

With her anticipated end not forthcoming, she cautiously opened her eyes.

Eh?

Before her stood a box-headed sentinel clad in thick mythril armor. With his massive cleaver, he stood between Sylphia and the kobold leader who had, somehow, fallen to the ground.

"You...!" she said with a breathy voice.

Soon, enough, she noticed that all around her, the kobolds that were fighting amongst each other were all running in one direction.

That means...

The ground rumbled.

The air shimmered from the unified howl of hundreds of siths.

"Awooooooo!"

Sylphia leapt onto her feet.

"Arf! My Goddess, are you unharmed?" Though he was right in front of her, the muffled bark of the Assault Company Captain sounded distant as he refused to turn his back to the enemy before him.

Her eyes welled up. "Y-you guys!"

"Arf! Forgive me, my Goddess. Arf! I cannot stand idly as the Gods are put in danger. Arf! I shall accept whatever punishment that awaits me."

He then turned to the sides and ordered, "Arf! All units, protect the Gods and their companions!"

When Sylphia followed his gaze, all of her soldiers had closed the distance, and were fighting within the chaotic melee. Their boots shook the ground as they clambered forth, chasing away the kobolds in their path.

With the black kobold in her arms, she watched with mouth agape at the scene unfolding before her.

"Rawr! Company A, on me!" said it Captain, "Rawr! Protect the Goddess of Mercy!"

"Awoo!" The pikemen charged through the melee and cleared a wide area around Letty and Ceressa.

Right, behind them conscripts of the home guard poured forth. "Bow!" Their captain said, "Home Guard, forward! Bow, beneath the pikes!"

"Bowow! Company B, no dinner for you if the Goddess of War so much has a scratch!" said its Captain. He then ran up to Sylphia and gave her a salute. "Bowow. Your loyal soldiers are here, my Goddess. Bowow. Give us orders!"

A warm feeling rose from within Sylphia and sent shivers all over her body. She could not but smile as she wrapped her arms around the sith before her.

"B-Bowow!? My Goddess!?"

"Mm. That's right!" She stood up. "I'm your general, after all!"

"Awoo!" The siths of Company B and the home guards attached with them stood in salute.

"Company B!" Sylphia whipped her fan in the air. "Protect Ruth and Rika! Assault Company, on me! Don't attack anyone who doesn't resist!"

"Awoo! Awoo! Awoo!"

The siths swarmed outwards, clearing the surrounding kobolds.

All, except for one.

The kobold leader, their chief hunter, once at the head of a multitude of kobold warriors, now stood alone, surrounded by dozens of hostile siths. He swivelled his head around him and looked each of the dogmen in the eye.

The lone catman hissed. "Filthy doglings, meow...!"

As the battle reached its conclusion and noise faded away, the catman's tired panting slowly came to the fore.

"Imbeciles, meow! Barbarians, meow! Why, meow!?" His voice cracked. "Why must the Gods favor these vile creatures instead of us, meow!?"

A handful of siths twitched at his open insult, but none of them dared to act outside Sylphia's orders.

"Was our devoid found wanting, meow?" He placed his paws on both sides of his helm and popped it off.

Beneath that golden-green plating was a kobold with fur of deep grey. His face resembled the battlefield - scarred and broken. On it were etched, the indelible marks of a long and violent history.

The scar-faced catman lifted his head and looked directly at Sylphia and said, "If you are truly a God, then you would know that I - we of my tribe, had fought long and hard to reclaim the long-lost relic of our God, meow. His most holy and sanctified body; the vessel of Barog-Tong himself, meow..." He sniffled. "Is that not devotion enough, meow...?"

The air stood still, as if it, too, had taken an interest in the matters of the living.

"My Goddess, meow!" the kobold's voice cracked as he screamed, "Please answer me, meow!"

But Sylphia could only look down on him with pity.

You were just the victim of chance - a fickle whim. Had it been the other way around... She glanced at the Assault Captain beside her. I could very well be hearing these same words from him.

You may curse me, if you wish. But I did what had to be done.

For the better...

Her eyes narrowed.

...and for my ambition.

"Chief Hunter, meow..." the black kobold strained his voice to speak. With some help from Sylphia, he sat back up and staggered onto his feet. The wary dogmen cast an eye of suspicion at him, but ultimately let him go unmolested.

The catman knelt down beside his leader. Then, clutching his abdomen, he continued, "It is not the place for us mortals to question the whims of the Gods, meow... That was the one teaching the Almighty God passed down to us, is it not, meow?"

"Was it, meow? Nyah nyah. It has been so long since I succeeded my mentor that I must have forgotten, meow."

"Nyanyanyah..."

Almighty God?

Sylphia snuck a downwards glance at Sebastian.

"Because they kept asking me stupid questions...!" he whispered.

She rolled her eyes.

The kobold leader sighed.

With a forlorn face, the defeated catman looked up once more to Sylphia. "My Goddess, meow..." He then lowered his head and knelt down before her. "I have soiled my honor, meow. There is nothing I could offer you but the head resting upon this body, meow."

Her eyes widened.

"I only hope that, with this unworthy offering, our village be spared the retribution brought about by this poor old fool, meow."

The kobold with the black fur with a white stripe knelt down beside his leader. "And should his offering not suffice, please, take mine as well, meow!"

In the spur of the moment, found herself taken in by their way of thinking. While she thought it crude and obsolete, she could also not help but respect it.

That seemingly foreign word reverberated in her mind.

Honor... huh?

With a flick of her wrist, Sylphia unfurled Sebastian, producing a loud patter, like a bird spreading its wings. With each step she took, the siths of the Assault Company advanced, weapons at the ready. Eventually, she stood in front of the two.

"Very well. Just your head will suffice." With cold, dead eyes, she stared at the scar-faced catman before her. She then pointed her fan at the head of the kobold leader and said, "Do it."

"H-huh?" Sebastian stammered, "What?"

Her eyes narrowed.

"H-hey... are you serious, little girl? This one's still alive...."

"Isn't it appropriate? You are their God after all. Their Death God."

Her black haze then wrapped him in a fog thick enough to cut with a knife.

"Urk... Tsk… for crying out loud. Fine."

The kobold leader trembled.

Slowly, blood dripped down from his nose and floated towards the fan. Each droplet melted away as soon as it made contact with its facade of pure red. The catman hacked and grunted as the flow of blood grew stronger. Soon, blood pooled even around his eyes, and like tears being whisked away by the wind, they too were sucked in. It slowly escalated for minutes, until finally, his blood squeezed out of his very skin.

He convulsed in pain.

But despite his bitter agony, he refused to scream, nor ask for reprieve.

Until finally, he took his last breath.

Like a puppet whose strings were cut, the chief hunter fell limp. The armor of pure mythril rang hollow as it hit the ground, his body reduced to an almost skeletal husk.

Sylphia stared blankly at the entire spectacle without flinching. She expected at least the rush of vindication, having repaid what he had done to Rika.

Instead, she felt nothing.

There was a certain simplicity to these monsters. That earnest mindset, that straightforward conception of right and wrong, made it difficult for her to truly hold a sense of animosity for them. Even as the kobold fell dead at her feet, there was no sense of joy, no catharsis; just a hollow sensation, like the passage of time.

Beside the dead husk, the black kobold remained. Though he trembled, witnessing the fate of his leader, after all, he nonetheless stood his ground and held his head down, offering it to her satisfaction.

Moments passed in silence.

Then, Letty's voice called out from the distance. "Sylphie...?"

She waded through the wall of siths to check up on her companion.

"I-is it over...?" She balked upon seeing the aftermath of the incident, but forced herself to stay. "What happened?"

"The leader is dead," the little girl blankly replied.

"I.. I see that..."

"Sorry, I couldn't keep my promise."

The scribe fidgeted anxiously. Her lips flapped open as though she wanted to say something, but in the end, she couldn't say a word.

Then, from out of the blue, the Assault Captain stepped between them. "Arf!" he said, "Dear Goddess of Mercy, please do not rebuke the Dear Goddess of War."

Both girls turned their attention to the dogman.

"Arf! He was a warrior. Arf! There is nothing more bitter than to lose one's honor as a warrior. Arf! By accepting his sins, and repenting for his crimes, the Goddess of War showed him not cruelty, but utmost mercy, by restoring his lost honor."

The girls looked at each other with baffled expressions.

"Is... is that true?" Letty asked.

"Err..." Sylphia averted her eyes. "...yes?"

The anxious scribe sighed. Walking closer, she then crouched down and wrapped her arms around the young girl.

"E-eh...?"

"I don't really understand, but it looks like there's a lot more about them that I still don't know..." Letty then whispered into her ears, "But more importantly, I'm glad that you're alright."

"Uh... mm..." She blushed.

The black kobold struggled as he stood up. "My Goddess, meow. Please do not judge the Chief Hunter from what had transpired, meow... Till the end, his thoughts went to his tribe and kin, meow. That is the true Chief Hunter that I know, meow."

Sylphia glanced at him. "It's not as if I hold a grudge against him."

Anymore.

Noticing that the black kobold still held down the wound on his stomach, she then asked, "How about you, are you going to be okay with that?"

"Ah, this, meow? It is just a flesh wound, meow. It will heal in a few days, meow."

These monsters really are tough...

"In that case, you... Second Chief Hunter, right?"

"Yes, My Goddess, meow."

"Return to your village. Tell them to lay down their arms. The Gods are intervening in this conflict. The war between kobold and sith ends today."

"N-nyaa!?" His cat ears perked up. "Is that true, meow!?"

The catman crumpled to his knees and practically kissed the ground.

Even Sylphia was weirded out by his reaction.

Uwah, he's that happy?

"Yes." She cleared her throat. "We'll come visit in the near future to discuss the terms of peace."

"Then as the Gods will, meow!"

Thus, the black kobold was released. The siths laid their eyes on him as he passed swiftly through their ring. Once safely out, he then went down on all fours and hurried back into the mushroom forests at the distance.

With that done, Sylphia sighed and then glanced at Letty who, at the time, had a surprised look in her eyes.

"T-that means..." muttered the scribe.

"Well, I'm tired of all this fighting, so I figured I'd give your idea a shot." She grinned. "Hihi!"

The scribe lit up like a christmas tree. Clasping her hands together, she let out a giggle.

Alright.

Sylphia scanned left and right, marking the faces of her loyal dogmen gathered around her.

"All of you!" Sylphia placed her hands on her waist and yelled to the mass of siths gathered before her. "Mission Accomplished! Let's go home and have dinner, yaaaaaaay!!"

"Awoooo!" The siths cheered in unison.

Finally, the victorious siths and their adventurer allies all marched back to the highlands.

Behind them, they left the battlefield, scarred by uprooted grass and covered by a mat of dead bodies. As each sith crossed the first hill, they would turn around, kneel and bow their head. Leaving a short prayer, they then clanged their equipment exactly once, before continuing on the march.

Just this once, Sylphia followed this tradition, as a sign of respect.

While on the march, Sylphia noticed Rika off the corner of her eye.

The technically-bald redhead stopped for a moment and removed her hat. She then rubbed her scalp and sighed before putting it back on.

Hmm... so it really is bothering her, after all...

She sighed.

She likes to act tough like nothing bothers her, and I guess it's a pretty cute trait to have... but always keeping your feelings bottled up isn't good for you, you know?

Not that I'm one to talk.

Thus, the little girl ran over to Letty and tugged on her mantle.

"Letty," she said, "can you bring Ruth and Ceressa to the village? Maybe also remove the table from the temple, so they can spend the night with us."

"Uh, okay?" Letty nodded. "Are you going somewhere?"

"Yeah. I'll catch up with you later."

"Eh?" She cocked her head. "Where?"

Sylphia tilted her head towards Rika.

"Ah..." She smiled. "Okay... don't take long."

"Yeah."

After that, Letty ran over to Ruth and Ceressa and then led them back to the Sith village. Rika too was just about to idly follow behind them when Sylphia ran over to her.

"Wait." She said as she grabbed the girl's hand.

Rika's eyes flickered. "What is it, Sylphie?"

"Just a sec."

She pulled her away from the others, up an untouched hillside overlooking the vast, now broken, grassland. There, the two of them sat, side by side. The only ones still around were the few Siths still roaming below, collecting the remains of the battle, but even they knew well enough to stay away.

However, now that she had Rika all to herself, Sylphia struggled to think of what to say. With her mind blanking out in the heat of the moment, she blurted out, "Are... um, are you okay?"

"Ehehe." Rika snickered. "Of course, Letty already treated my wounds, see?" She held her forearms up, revealing the bandages wrapped around them. "Thanks to her, these will be healed in no time!" With those bright words, she beamed a smile so radiant that not even the scratch across her face could dampen it.

But rather than looking at her injuries, Sylphia instead gazed into her eyes. Their jade sheen had faded since she last saw them, her eyelids drooping down and casting a weary expression over her face.

"Sylphie?" But nonetheless, the cheerful girl cocked her head playfully, just like she always had.

Without saying a single word, she reached out and placed her hand just beneath Rika's ear. The girl's cheeks took on a rosy tint as she rubbed her thumb across them.

"Ueh...!?" As if in reflex, her arms shot up, and she bent slightly back.

In response, Sylphia bent forwards, leaning her face even closer. Their shoulders bumped into each other as they each gazed into the other's eyes.

As a soft warmth radiated into her hand, the little girl, head tilted upwards, finally loosened her lips, pursed in worry, and relaxed her shoulders.

And with a breathy whisper, she said, "Welcome back. Rika."

Rika's shoulders twitched. For a moment, she sat speechless as she maintained a deep stare into Sylphia's golden eyes. Then, she jerked her entire body forwards.

"E-eh!?" Sylphia flinched.

"Ahyaaaaaa!" With an ear piercing squeal, Rika lunged forwards and wrapped her arms around Sylphia's arms, preventing any means of resistance or escape. "So cuuuuuuuuuute!"

"Ughe! Ueeh! Weehaa!" Sylphia's body was thrown side to side as the affectionate girl held her tightly within a bear hug. "Rikaaaa!"

"Ehehe! You were worried about me, right!?"

Her cheeks flushed red, Sylphia turned her head away with a dismissive pout. "Hmph! No, I wasn't!"

"Ahyaaa! You're so adorable when you act like that!"

"Shut up, you idiot! What sort of bodyguard, what sort of Knight, leaves their Lord behind!?"

"Alright, alright, I'm sorry-dory!" Rika then rubbed her cheek against Sylphia's. "I missed you too!"

"W-w-wha-!?" Sylphia grimaced. With beads of tears collecting at the corners of her eyes, she yelled. "I never said I missed you! Idiot! Airhead! Baldie!"

The moment those words lashed out from her tongue, Rika suddenly froze.

All at once, she uncoiled her arms around the sharp tongued little girl, held her legs up to her chest, and sobbed.

"Ah." Sylphia covered her mouth. "E-er..."

"That's right, isn't it...? I'm... I'm... bald!" She sobbed. "Like my papa...!"

She winced. Scratching the back of her head, she muttered, "S-sorry... I didn't really mean to say that."

"But it's true."

She grunted. "W-well... um... I could buy you a hat once we get back out...?" She then raised her voice, "I nice one!"

Suddenly, the girl's body straightened back up. She then turned her head towards Sylphia and, with a twinkle in her eyes, said, "Really!?"

"Eh?" Her eye twitched. "Y-yeah! Mm."

"Yay!" Again, she wrapped her arms around the tiny girl sat beside her. "Ehehe!"

"Hngf-!" she grunted. "Aargh! Stop it!"

"No way! I missed you, you know!?"

Geez, do you not have any mode between depressed and overjoyed!?

With a small sigh, she finally gave up and let her smile shine through.

Really, this girl is too adorable.

Leaning her head on the girl's soft chest, she slipped an arm around and patted her on the back.

And finally, with a sweet voice, she muttered, "I missed you too, Rika."