The walk to the cabin felt longer than the physical distance suggested. Cassia kept her eyes fixed on Natsus back, noting the easy, unburdened way he moved. It wasn't the gait of a knight or a seasoned mercenary; it was too relaxed—yet there was a strange rhythm to it that she couldn't quite place. It bothered her.
The silence of the farm was different from the forest. It wasn't a suffocating void, but a peaceful quiet that felt… intentional. Still, as they neared the long wooden table—piled high with steaming dishes that smelled of rosemary, roasted meats, and fresh bread—the lack of visible workers nagged at her.
Too quiet.
"Would you humor me, Natsu?" she asked, her voice steady once more—though a faint edge lingered beneath it. Natsu didn't turn around, but his shoulders shifted as he let out a small hum of acknowledgment. "Ask away, Miss Ghast. I'm all ears."
Cassia took a measured breath before continuing. "Your place is... remarkable. It is teeming with life," she said, gesturing vaguely at the rows of vibrant crops they had passed. "And yet, I don't see anyone else. Aside from you and Lunara, this entire estate seems deserted despite the scale of the labor required. How is that possible?"
Natsu stopped just as they reached the edge of the porch. For a moment, he didn't answer. "You find that weird, huh?" he said at last, glancing slightly over his shoulder. "I guess that's fair. It's a valid concern for a visitor."
The group halted behind them. The soldiers stared at the cabin, their expressions a mix of suspicion and longing as the scent of the feast reached them. The structure was built of heavy, dark logs with a wide porch and simple, clean lines. Sturdy. Warm. Inviting.
It felt… normal.
Too normal.
Natsu turned to face them, his expression softening into a small, almost apologetic smile. "I think it'll be better if I just show you."
He didn't move. Not a step. Not a gesture. And yet—the light around his feet dimmed. Subtly at first. Then all at once. His shadow surged outward. It spread across the grass with the fluid grace of spilled ink—too fast, too smooth—stretching until it formed a wide, shimmering pool of darkness beneath the table and the porch.
Cassia's hand flew to her hilt. Behind her, the ranger cursed under his breath as several soldiers stumbled backward, their boots slipping against the turf in their haste to retreat.
The air shifted. Not heavier—just… wrong.
From the depths of that inky expanse—something moved. Ten feminine figures rose from the darkness. They didn't climb. They didn't emerge. They simply… appeared. Stepping upward as though the shadow itself were solid ground. They wore crisp black-and-white maid uniforms, their posture immaculate, their movements perfectly synchronized.
Each one inclined her head in a slight, respectful bow. "We answer your call, my liege."
The voice came from one of them—smooth, composed, yet carrying a faint, hollow resonance that did not belong to anything alive.
As quickly as it had expanded—the shadow snapped back. Light returned. Abrupt. Jarring. As if nothing had happened at all. Natsu rubbed the back of his neck, his expression turning sheepish as he looked at the pale, rigid faces of his guests. "Sorry if I frightened you all," he said casually. "It's a bit complicated to explain, but my shadow acts as a doorway for my people. There's no need to overthink it."
Cassia stared at him. Then at the figures. Then back again. Natsu gestured toward the maids, who remained perfectly still. "I assure you," he added, his tone light but carrying an unspoken certainty, "you're in the safest place in the world… so long as you don't decide to antagonize them."
The maids moved. In perfect unison. They turned toward the group with a synchronized grace that felt far too precise to be natural. They bowed. And when they spoke—their voices blended into a single, melodic harmony. "Welcome to our lord's domain, dear guests. We will serve you to the best of our abilities. Enjoy your stay."
They turned slightly toward Lunara, their heads dipping a fraction lower. "Welcome home, Lady Lunara."
They held their posture with flawless etiquette. Elegant. Refined. Perfect. Then—they looked up. And the illusion broke. Their eyes did not have pupils. Only light. A steady, neon-purple glow burned within them—cold, unwavering, and far too aware as it settled over the mortals one by one.
Watching. Measuring. Waiting.
Cassia's fingers tightened briefly around the hilt of her sword—then loosened. Slowly. Deliberately. She forced her hand away. Her heart was still hammering. Her instincts screamed. But her expression remained controlled.
She looked at Natsu. Then at the "maids." Then back at him again. And in that moment—the illusion of the "simple farmer" collapsed completely. What stood before her was not a man living quietly in the woods. It was something else. Something that kept an army—hidden in its shadow.
The shadow maids moved with a fluid, silent grace as they invited Cassia and her group to the long table. Cassia felt a flicker of reluctance but chose to go with the flow, allowing herself to be serviced by beings that clearly didn't belong to the mortal realm she knew. The mage followed her lead, as did the ranger and the four soldiers, though they all moved with a stiffness that betrayed their nerves.
The cleric was the last to be seated, and he was a shell of his usual self. Ever since he had glimpsed the face behind Lunara's veil, he had been visibly pale, his hands trembling as he clutched his holy symbol. He muttered broken prayers under his breath, words that were unintelligible to the rest of the group. Cassia watched him with growing concern.
"Alright! So, let's get this started then?" Natsu said, his voice ringing out in a casual tone that seemed to ignore the sheer absurdity of the situation. Natsu took his place at the center of the table.
Lunara settled into the seat on the cleric's left, a move that caused the man to whisper even more frantically while she offered him a small, amused smile from behind her veil. Cassia deliberately chose the seat to Natsu's right, wanting to study him from a closer vantage point. She watched as Natsu caught the eye of one of the shadow maids and gave a small nod. The maid bowed and vanished back into the cabin.
Cassia's gaze wandered across the table, noting that four seats remained empty on Natsus left side. "If you don't mind me asking, Natsu, I noticed four empty seats beside you," she said, her voice careful and inquisitive. "Are we expecting more people to join us?"
Natsu turned to her and smiled, the warmth in his expression feeling almost too genuine for a man with his titles. "Yes, we are. They live here as well. They make the place a lot livelier than it seems, Miss Ghast."
The silver-rank mage sitting beside Cassia leaned forward, her curiosity finally outweighing her fear. "If you don't mind me asking, Sir Natsu... I noticed that most of your family seem to be women," she said, glancing toward the maids and a smiling Lunara. "Do you have any other men around? Aside from, well, you?"
Natsu's face lit up at the question, his eyes brightening with interest. "Oh! Good question, Miss... sorry, I didn't catch your name." "Right! Where are my manners. My name's Lorie Sherry. You can just call me Lorie, Sir Natsu," the mage replied, her voice regaining some of its professional clip.
Natsu repeated the name softly, nodding in greeting. "Lorie Sherry. It's nice to meet you, Lorie. To answer your question, I guess you're right. I never really considered the gender ratio until now."
"You have always been a focused man, milord," Lunara added, her voice smooth as velvet. "It was only natural you never considered such trivialities. But that focus is what allowed you to build everything we see here." Natsu chuckled, shaking his head. "You give me too much credit, Lunara."
The heavy doors of the cabin creaked open, drawing every eye at the table toward the porch. Tara and Sicily emerged first, standing as silent sentinels on either side of the frame. After a brief pause, two women stepped into the late afternoon light, wearing elegant dresses that highlighted a grace the group hadn't expected to see in the wilderness.
It was Tanya and Anyael. For a moment, the entire table went silent, the beauty of the sisters catching everyone off guard. Even Natsu seemed momentarily frozen by the sight. "W-we're here, Natsu," Tanya said softly, her cheeks flushing as she realized all eyes were on them. Anyael looked down at her skirts, shifting her feet shyly. "Do we look weird?"
Natsu stood from his chair and approached the porch with a broad smile. He reached out, taking each of their hands to assist them down the steps. "Perish the thought. You two don't look weird at all. You look stunning. I almost didn't recognize you."
His words turned their rosy-pink blush into a deep crimson. He guided them to their seats with the help of the shadow maids, leaving only two chairs empty. Once settled, Tanya offered a hesitant smile to Cassia and Lorie. "I see our guests have arrived," she said. Anyael remained quiet, her gaze drifting toward the four soldiers at the end of the table.
"Guests, huh? I see," Anyael murmured. Cassia caught the subtle shift in the girl's tone, noting the way her eyes lingered on the soldiers with a strange, guarded intensity. Cassia hummed a low note to herself, filing the reaction away for later.
The ranger suddenly squinted at Tanya, leaning over the table to get a better look at her face. "Wait a dang sec... why do I think I've seen you before?" Tanya froze, her breath hitching as she slowly turned toward him. "M-me?" she asked, her voice trembling.
The ranger studied her for a long moment, the silence at the table becoming taut and uncomfortable. Then, he leaned back and waved a dismissive hand. "Ahh, forget it. I must be mistaken. They couldn't possibly survive out here."
He caught himself and offered a rough nod of apology. "Sorry for that, missy. You resembled someone I once knew. I didn't mean anything by the stink-eye." Tanya exhaled a long breath she had been holding, and Anyael's shoulders visibly relaxed. The sisters knew exactly who these men were, even if the ranger had convinced himself otherwise.
Cassia watched the exchange, her eyes darting between the sisters and the ranger. She saw the relief, the tension, and the unspoken history flickering in their eyes. A small, calculating glint appeared in her gaze. "Hmm. Interesting," she whispered to herself, a faint smile touching her lips.