The other two curious heads popped up in perfect sync—Gyuunyuu floating steadily, Lien bouncing like an overexcited puppy.
Both pairs of wide, sparkling eyes locked onto Piers with silent, desperate pleading.
"Master! We want one too!" they chorused, voices brimming with unfiltered eagerness.
Piers gave them a long, flat stare, then sighed.
"…Fine. Step back. I need space."
They obeyed at once.
His gaze slid toward the hulking orc in the corner.
"Come on, Thog. You too."
The big guy lit up instantly, like a child finally invited into the game. His grin spread wider than his shoulders as he stomped forward eagerly.
Piers raised a hand. Matter Forging.
The air shimmered.
Threads of light spun and wove around them—fabric forming, magic pulsing, energy humming in arcs until at last—
voila,
First, Gyuunyuu.
And… nothing changed.
She still looked exactly the same.
"…I mean, what was I supposed to do? She's literally a floating milk bottle," Piers muttered, scratching his chin.
"So… a bow fits the charm perfectly."
A tiny, sparkly bow perched neatly atop her head-cap.
Gyuunyuu twirled mid-air, pride swelling.
"I feel elegant!" she declared, puffing herself up like she'd just won a pageant.
Lien, however, was transformed completely.
Black-and-white one-shoulder wrap.
Loose combat pants with utility pockets.
A cloth sash.
Monk-style sandals tapping lightly against the floor.
He looked like he'd just stepped out of a martial arts epic.
"Functional. Loose for movement. Stylish,"
Piers noted with a flat nod.
"I outdid myself."
"Waaah!! I feel like I can punch the moon!!"
Lien whooped, already throwing wild jabs—nearly demolishing a vase.
And then—there was Thog.
Bare chest. Polished boulder-like muscles gleaming.
A brown sarong-style battle drape, belted with a softly pulsing Terramatic Crystal.
Simple sandals grounding the look.
"Well, it's the least I can do,"
"He gained, like, five levels of confidence just from looking at his own abs. No point covering those up.
The skirt's a monk-warrior vibe. Classic."
Thog's chest swelled with pride, his radiant smile and flexing arms saying more than words ever could:
Perfect. Majestic. Unstoppable.
Piers smirked, a smug gleam in his eye.
"What can I say? I've got an eye for aesthetics. Natural talent."
"Thank you, Master! These are so cool!!" Lien shouted, practically bouncing in place as he twisted and turned to check every angle of his outfit.
"Can we get battle versions too?! With, like, sparkles? And lightning? Maybe fire!"
Piers sighed, but the smirk tugging at his lips refused to leave.
"Let's not get ahead of ourselves."
Meanwhile, Gyuunyuu floated over to the girls with smug precision, twirling to showcase her shiny bow.
"It looks cute on you, Gyuunyuu!" Liel clapped,
eyes sparkling.
"It does," Luci added, a wry but genuine smile playing at her lips,
"it suits you."
Gyuunyuu tilted her head in mock modesty, bow gleaming.
"Of course it does. After all, Master made it just for me."
Her voice dripped with pint-sized pride, smug enough to overflow a cup.
The girls chuckled, amusement bubbling around her exaggerated smugness.
Nearby, Thog adjusted his sarong with reverent care, shifting into a grounded stance—shoulders squared, chin raised.
His smile stretched wide and honest, like sunrise over stone.
Nearby, Thog adjusted his sarong with reverent care, shifting into a grounded stance—shoulders squared, chin raised. His smile stretched wide and honest, like sunrise over stone.
Then his eyes slid toward Mutou.
He opened his mouth to call him forward, but Mutou simply lifted his sword a fraction—expression blank, steady.
No words. Just calm steel.
Piers nodded once.
Understood.
Behind them, Rook's party sat frozen—silent witnesses to a miracle they could barely comprehend.
Skree finally broke the hush, her voice a shaky whisper.
"Did you see that? No circle… no chant… not even a trace of mana. He just… made it. Out of nothing."
Rook's black feathers shivered faintly as his sharp eyes locked onto Piers. His voice, though calm, carried weight.
"I saw. This is beyond any magic, ritual, or craft ever recorded. No conduit, no invocation. Just pure intent… and reality obeys."
Rapi and Klak were slack-jawed, their wide eyes screaming the question they couldn't voice:
What kind of magic is that…?
And at the center of it all stood Piers—unbothered, half-smirking, arms crossed. As if the spectacle behind him was nothing more than an afterthought.
"Right then, guys—circle up," Piers said with a small motion of his hand.
His crew immediately snapped into motion, forming their familiar tight-knit ring.
Rook's party lingered a few steps away, watching with stiff, awkward curiosity.
Lowering his voice so only his people could hear, Piers's expression sharpened.
"Listen up. The ravens came here begging for help. According to them, there's a disaster headed their way in six months. A monster army—about twenty thousand strong. Mostly minotaurs and ogres."
A ripple of unease passed through the circle. Piers' eyes flicked briefly toward Rook's group before returning to his own.
"If their intel's true, that horde won't stop at their territory. It'll reach us eventually. Which means…"
His tone dropped, colder.
"It's smarter to move first."
Mutou's flame flickered faintly.
His voice remained low, steady.
"Young Master, is it wise to trust outsiders? Their words are convenient. And we—" his hand rested on his sword's hilt, the faint blue flame reflecting in his steel— "are more than capable of facing an army of such size."
"Yes, Master! Let's kick the asses of that huge army!" Lien blurted enthusiastically.
Piers shot him a flat stare.
"Get serious. I'm talking about an S-rank army. Twenty thousand. Even if that's small compared to what we've handled, we can't just charge in blind."
He tapped Shyuu's head absentmindedly, eyes narrowing.
"Besides, the ravens aren't alone. They've got the Lamia and Harpies.
That adds another thirteen thousand fighters."
His voice lowered.
"I know every one of you could wipe that horde on your own.
But we're not showing our full strength yet. Not until we know we can trust them."
He cast a brief glance toward the corridor where Rook's team sat waiting.
"Allies or not… they're still outsiders."
Luci tilted her head, crimson eyes thoughtful. "Piers-sama, maybe we can form an alliance. At the very least, we could gather information from them. It would also give us a reason to explore the forest more deeply."
Aww, atta girl, you read my mind!
Piers grumbled inwardly, lips twitching upward.
Out loud, he said, "Yes. Exactly. We'll form an alliance—and in return, we'll get rewards. Information, resources, something to upgrade the base."
Liel shifted uneasily, fingers fidgeting at her skirt.
"Um… Piers-sama, is it really necessary to fight? Couldn't we just… talk to their army leader?"
The circle fell silent.
Six pairs of eyes turned on her at once.
"What? Don't look at me like that!"
Her cheeks turned pink.
Piers regarded her for a long beat, face unreadable. Then his expression flattened again.
He let his hand drop, a sly smirk replacing the blankness.
"Okay then, it's decided. We'll form an alliance, and we'll help them… but not for free."
"Not for free," the group echoed, eyes gleaming with conspiratorial fire.
They broke the huddle in perfect sync—faces smug enough to suggest they'd just finished plotting the downfall of a kingdom.
Piers stood at the center—calm, calculating, already two steps ahead.
He moved forward, cleared his throat, a faith smug edge tugged at his mouth.
"So, Rook. My friends and I have decided. We'll help you."
Relief washed across Rook's party, feathers fluffing as their shoulders sagged.
"But…"
His tone hardened, cutting their celebration short.
"It's not going to be for free. We'll fight for your village, sure—but in exchange, we're taking all valuable—treasures, knowledge, information… whatever precious items you've got.
Hand it all over when this is done. Deal?"