With their test from the king, Cirrus sets off with his crew of desert pirates. With Paulus and a map, they were on the right track.

“So, is there a particular reason it’s called the Sand Sea?” Cirrus said, looking out and the expanse of sand.

“That is because this part of the desert’s sand is like water from how to lose it all is. If one were to step foot, that foot would sink right in,” Paulus said on the edge of the ship.

“So, like a massive area of quicksand?”

“Quicksand?” Paulus looked at Cirrus in confusion at what he said.

“Never mind. Jane, how far off are we?”

“Hmmm, about a day’s journey. Our guys need some rest.”

“Then we go for a bit longer than we stop when the sun sets.”

“Roger boss!”

They go until the sun had set, and they all stopped to rest. The three ships laid out boardwalks so they can walk to and from the ships. They ate and drank till they fell asleep. Cirrus, who was still young, simply went to bed.

As Cirrus slept, Nox slept on a little hammock in her owl form and slept comfortably after so long.

The next day they continued to their destination, finding it with stone walls and guards patrolling.

“I suggest striking them when night falls.” Said Paulus.

“Aye, we should do as he says.” Said Jane. “Getting into that base will be hard, even with a status it’ll be — “

“Nox.” As Cirrus walks to the ship's bowsprit and stands on the end, a white owl lands on his shoulder.

‘What do you have in mind?’

Cirrus disengages his armor as he looks at the base, far off in the distance, and smiles.

“You fly me up and drop me off.”

‘Fufu, are you sure?’

“Of course, fly me as high as you can to prevent them from spotting me.”

‘Sure thing!’

As everyone on the crew watched as the most innocent white owl their eyes has ever seen landed on Cirrus’s shoulders. Nox flapped her wings behind Cirrus as she grew in size.

“!?”

“Oi! Come to the base once you see its gates wide open!” he shouted.

Nox grew several times more considerable and then picked Cirrus off and flew him high into the sky.

“… Do owls in Orario change size?” asked Jane to Paulus.

“I… I don’t know… but can I ask… is he a Pallum?”

“… Huh? I never asked. Shit, I didn’t even see his face?”

“He sounds relatively youthful… maybe that’s why he wears a mask.”

“Well, whatever he’s a clever kid, EVERYONE!! ONCE THE BOSS OPENS THE GATES, WE’LL COME IN AND HELP!!”

“URAA!!!

High in the sky above the base.

‘I should have asked, but how are you going to stick to the landing?’

“Well, drop me and see.”

‘Fine.’

Drop.

Whoosh!!

Whoosh!!

Whoosh!!

Falling from a towering height, Cirrus felt refreshed by the wind as his magic circle appeared behind him.

“(Exousía, Adorn: Stymphalian)!!!”

As his feathered mantle wrapped around him, his dive speeds up. With his avian hood concealing him, the wind presents no longer a problem for his eyes. He draws his sword as he nears the ground with enemies.

 

Back on the ship.

Jane and the others were watching as they saw him plummet from up on high. A white light appeared briefly and then a shine that Paulus recognized as a sword.

As they see him, go down with even greater speed. He unfurled his mantle and swooped down, cutting through three men’s necks.

"... Well, that's one way of getting, huh?" said Jane.

"An airdrop..." Paulus said, a bit shaken. "Where did you find this child?"

"Uhh, he sorta found us."

From there, they merely saw bits and pieces of the bloodshed he was doing. They could see it until the gates of the base were slammed open with a body as smoke rose.

When they arrived at the base, they found it covered in blood as several of the remaining people left on desert ships.

They looked up at the base’s wall to find Cirrus. With his deer mask and white clothes slightly sprinkled in the blood, it made them a bit scared. It was as though they witnessed a holy animal tainted by the blood of a man.

Jane and the other came up to him and they saw the soldiers running away.

“B-boss, why did you let a few of them get away?” Jane said.

“… I allow them to go so they can spread my fear.”

“Y-your fear?” said Paulus. “What do you mean?”

“I mean,” Cirrus looks at him with his deer mask and he felt a shiver run down his back. “I will be your country's monster. Those who left will tell those of Israfan what transpired here today. When they see me, they will know death is now on their doorstep.”

Gulp!!

Jane and Paulus looked at each other and let out a sigh of relief as they were thankful he was on their side.

“Well, what are you waiting for crew!!! TAKE EVERYTHING THAT ISN’T NAILED DOWN!!!”

“URAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!”

In retrospect Cirrus would regret this path he took thinking he could walk down this path and not regret it. But he also acknowledges it was his time in the desert that would forge the eventual hero, Cirrus Zephyr.

 

A while later, back in the Shalzard Royal Palace throne room.

“So Paulus, how was he?” the king asks.

“… He accomplished his task successfully; he didn’t even need my nor the Calico Pirates' help aside from leaving nothing behind that wasn’t extremely heavy or unprofitable. He… he was a force on of itself with a Familiar growing large enough to fly him up and drop him into enemy encampments and ruthlessly cleared it.”

“Then he is as savage as those pirates that follow him?”

“Not even their captain. Jane found it disturbing by how the scene turned out, but her face lit up as she raided the place.”

“Hmm… then should we enlist his help?” the king said, looking at Paulus with keen eyes.

“We should… he let a desert ship of the enemy solely just so they can spread his visage to their comrades in Israfan.”

“Why would he do that?”

“He said… it was to spread his “Fear” at first I didn’t get it but now thinking on it… in his own words “I will be your countries monster…” and that is what he will be a monster to the enemy but a thing of legend to our people.”

“Then we will send him more tasks out on the battlefield.” The king said as he looks out into the vast expanse of the desert.

This was the tale told in Shalzard of the Golden Horned Demon of the Sands, Zephyr, and his Holy Familiar. To the royals, they know that the demon truly existed and simply left once his goal was accomplished, departing from them to their inter-palace politics.