Eighty-two artificial beings make their appearance.

Who was the person now smiling at Kurama with such gentle kindness? It was none other than the supremely cunning and dangerous Major Mustang, whose schemes could kill without remorse! Did you think being treated to his gentle smile was a good thing? Not at all!

Kurama felt certain he ought to be on this black-hearted man’s blacklist. The instincts of the demon fox were sending him fierce warning signals. Yet, confronted with Mustang’s "friendly" greeting, suffused with ominous darkness, Kurama responded with a smile just as warm and elegant, extending his hand to gently return the handshake.

"Hello, Major Mustang. It’s a pleasure to meet you. Helping Lieutenant Colonel Hughes was merely a small favor—it hardly warrants such heartfelt thanks from you."

When their exchange ended, the demon fox and the major smiled at each other, and for a moment the room seemed filled with sunshine and blooming flowers. Yet the others in the living room were completely bewildered.

One scheming mastermind was already more than anyone could handle—now there were two? Was there any hope for peace?

Hughes and Lieutenant Hawkeye exchanged glances, seeing deep helplessness and worry in each other's eyes.

***

Fortunately, events did not proceed as Hughes and the others had feared. Though the atmosphere between Kurama and Mustang remained strangely inscrutable, their opinions and views on certain matters were surprisingly harmonious. This made the subsequent long conversation flow smoothly and naturally, and gradually Hughes and Hawkeye set aside their initial worries, realizing things weren’t as dire as they had imagined.

But reality proved their relief was premature.

After agreeing on a series of responses and discussing the attempted assassination of Hughes, as well as the tangled mysteries surrounding the Philosopher’s Stone and the homunculi, night had fallen outside, and the enticing aroma of Gracia’s cooking began wafting from the kitchen. The heavy mood in the living room lightened, and Roy, Hughes, and Gesset—old friends who hadn’t gathered together in ages—found themselves reminiscing. Yet thankfully, Hawkeye and Kurama were not neglected, and the conversation remained harmonious.

When the topic turned to why Gesset was present, the doctor’s recounting of Hughes being brought to his clinic by Kurama on the night of the attack gave Mustang another reason to direct the conversation toward Kurama.

"Although you say it was just a small favor, in truth, you did far more for Hughes than you realize."

Without Kurama’s chance intervention, his friend might have met a tragic end. Roy was well aware of this, and despite his doubts, he hadn’t pressed for answers—especially since Kurama seemed to harbor some inexplicable caution toward him. Roy was forced to steer the conversation elsewhere, following the cues of his friends and subordinates. Yet his questions remained unanswered, leaving everything shrouded in uncertainty.

Roy was certain Kurama had saved Hughes and was someone worthy of gratitude and trust, but some things needed to be clarified from the start, lest they impact future plans in ways he would rather avoid. Better to resolve them now.

For example:

Who exactly was this mysterious youth named Kurama? According to Hughes, he appeared out of nowhere at Central Command, unnoticed by anyone. How had he managed that? And how did he stall Hughes’ injuries, use "illusion" to drive off the homunculus by convincing it Hughes was dead, and conjure a body indistinguishable from Hughes himself, even under examination? Any one of these abilities was enough to command attention and awe—what was their true nature?

Kurama had previously said, "There are more ways to achieve miracles than just alchemy," but in a world where alchemy had reached its pinnacle and permeated every corner of life, it was hard to believe the methods that repelled even troublesome foes whom alchemists couldn’t defeat were not related to alchemy. Roy, deep down, couldn’t quite accept it.

But Roy’s attitude mattered little to Kurama. Truthfully, Kurama had few expectations for this world; there were precious few items here worthy of trading with Yuko. He couldn’t simply steal the "Gate of Truth"—besides, opening it required a price even steeper than trading with Yuko, and Kurama had no intention of specializing in alchemy. Better to avoid such dangerous pursuits.

If the Gate of Truth was out of reach, the only thing left for the demon fox to collect was the Philosopher’s Stone.

Yet Kurama truly wished to avoid entanglement with it, for just thinking of its origins sent a cold chill through his heart. In the demon world, he had encountered monsters who used the blood and life force of humans or demons to forge treasures or artifacts, but compared to the Philosopher’s Stone, which used an entire city or even a nation as raw material, those monsters’ methods seemed almost gentle.

Even though Kurama was no longer entirely human, he could not accept nor grow accustomed to such disregard for life. He wasn't a crusader for justice, so it was unrealistic to expect him to expose or oppose every evil.

Thus, Kurama chose to cooperate with Hughes, providing help only when necessary to alter the trajectory of events while keeping the main storyline intact, subtly changing key details to prevent certain tragedies. This approach suited him well, and he cared little for Roy’s probing—indeed, Roy’s current attitude matched Kurama’s own tastes and expectations of the major. If Mustang continued to treat him with gentle kindness, Kurama would be truly alarmed—he was an expert at dealing with smiling tigers and knew better than anyone how tricky they could be.

Compared to that, Mustang’s overt cunning was easier to handle.

Kurama flashed his trademark gentle smile and nodded slightly to the dark-haired major.

"If you insist, then I won’t be modest. I know my abilities are astonishing—even to a master alchemist like yourself. But I told Lieutenant Colonel Hughes the truth—there was no deception."

"—It’s not alchemy."

Looking straight into Mustang’s deep black eyes, Kurama’s lips curled in a pure, innocent smile.

"I said I’m a traveler, Major. Haven’t you considered that possibility?"

As soon as he spoke, the dark-haired man’s pupils contracted sharply. Kurama knew Mustang had grasped the deeper meaning behind his words.

The demon fox's smile grew even more enigmatic.

***

The conversation at Lieutenant Colonel Hughes' home seemed to end inconclusively, but everyone present knew otherwise. Hughes’ survival was kept secret for the sake of upcoming plans; he became a hidden chess piece, waiting for the right moment to deliver a decisive blow. Yet Hughes’ daily tasks were even more complex than when he worked at headquarters.

He took over Roy’s intelligence operations, kept to a strict routine, but with Kurama’s illusions, he transformed into an unfamiliar tenant in the same building, shedding his disguise only at home. The magic was so seamless, even Gesset, who likewise couldn't show his face in public, envied it.

Gesset, too, returned to service, bringing trusted associates to rebuild a private clinic for Roy’s people, matching the military hospital in equipment and skill. This greatly eased the burden of treating injuries that couldn’t be handled publicly, effectively rejoining the team.

Kurama, meanwhile, remained at Roy’s side as a special advisor. After their initial conversation, they developed an understanding no one else could fathom, their rapport oddly harmonious despite its strangeness. No one would guess they’d only met a month prior—their mutual knowledge seemed deeper than Roy and Hughes’, as if they were old friends.

Outsiders’ comments left both the demon fox and the major unmoved. They knew their own motives well, making their collaboration smooth—their goals didn’t conflict, and their personalities and methods were remarkably similar. This fresh dynamic suited them both.

Soon Kurama became firmly established at Roy’s side, known as the major’s most valued and capable aide besides Lieutenant Hawkeye. His résumé was legendary: in just two or three years in the eastern city’s army, he had already risen to captain—a rare talent.

Of course, Kurama’s "resume" was a collaborative creation with Roy, but neither feared investigation. Anyone visiting Kurama’s supposed department in the east would find meticulous records of his three-year tenure, and every colleague could recount details as if they’d truly worked with him—thanks to Kurama’s demon world plants’ potent hypnotic and illusionary abilities.

In short, within just a month, Kurama had become a bona fide military officer in the Fullmetal world, contentedly ensconced in Roy’s office, praised even by the proper lieutenant Hawkeye. His days were quite pleasant.

Mokona was even happier! Roy’s office was full of trusted people, so the little creature didn’t have to worry about being exposed as a talking animal and sold as a rare chimera. On the contrary, Mokona’s sweet, well-behaved nature made him a favorite among the tough-yet-tender soldiers—even the formidable Lieutenant Hawkeye once brought homemade cookies for him.

As these contented days passed for more than a month, the main characters Edward and Alphonse finally returned to Central, and the plot’s gears began spinning rapidly once more.

This time, however, when Ed and Al heard of Hughes’ death at headquarters and rushed to his home, they were greeted not by Winry’s tears or Gracia and Elicia’s grief, but by laughter and cheerful voices.

The "deceased" dark-haired man was sitting there, laughing heartily with Winry. Gracia listened smilingly, and Elicia, nestled in Winry’s arms, wore the same adorable, radiant expression as before.

Ed and Al were utterly stunned, unsure how to react, until Hughes noticed them and warmly welcomed them inside. He explained the truth behind his "survival," urging them to keep it secret. Though he had no hope for the three youngsters’ acting skills, they still had Kurama, didn’t they? With those miraculous illusions, any effect could be achieved. Hughes began calculating just how much this would degrade his operatives’ ability to conceal emotions in the future…

Learning Hughes was alive, Ed and Al were greatly relieved. Yet the fact of his assassination attempt, and the conclusions he reached, further spurred the brothers’ pursuit of the Philosopher’s Stone’s secrets.

Thus fate’s gears turned again. That night, Kurama followed Roy to chase clues to the military’s Third Research Institute, and—according to the major’s calculations—he accompanied Roy into the underground facility, where he encountered his first homunculus in this world—

"Lust."

She was a stunning beauty with long black hair and a voluptuous figure, and her identity… seemed special. She accurately called out the name of one of Roy's trusted blond subordinates, who, tearful and aggrieved, confirmed she was his current girlfriend.

"Haberk…" Mustang, feeling embarrassed by his subordinate’s conduct in front of Kurama, covered his face, muttering, "You’re attracted to her chest, aren’t you?"

The blond officer turned away, tears streaming, "I love big breasts the most!"

Kurama turned aside, struggling not to laugh.

Mustang’s mouth twitched even harder.

"But you should pay attention! The ouroboros tattoo on her chest marks her as a homunculus—I’ve told you all this many times!"

But Haberk only looked more miserable.

"We haven’t gotten that far yet, and she always wears clothes that show her figure but never reveal that area. How could I see the tattoo…"

"..."

Mustang wanted nothing more than to throttle his subordinate. Such a failed attempt at romance! What a waste of that deceptively handsome face!

How could he have such useless subordinates? Wait—Mustang, your priorities seem off.

"Anyway, you haven’t let anything slip in front of her, right?" Mustang cleared his throat, trying to steer back to business.

Haberk immediately shook his head, "No, just personal matters, nothing about work."

"That’s good." Mustang nodded gravely, then asked about Hughes. Hearing it was truly connected to the homunculi, and that this woman had previously attacked Hughes, Mustang’s fury exploded.

He fired repeatedly at the black-haired woman, but the wounds healed instantly.

"Homunculus…" Haberk murmured, as if realizing her true identity for the first time.

But the woman gave them no time to react. Transforming her fingers into claws, she launched herself at them, severing Mustang’s handgun and the overhead water pipes, leaving the famed Flame Alchemist powerless. Mustang and Haberk were forced to retreat to the door, barely able to catch their breath.

At that moment, they exchanged glances, horrified—

"Where’s Kurama?!"

Unbeknownst to them, the person they’d "forgotten" stood calmly inside the room, gazing at the scene.

Before him, the homunculus Lust had her clawed hands poised to strike, but two spears shimmering with faint magical light barred her path.

Behind the spears stood a handsome young man with a captivating beauty mark at the corner of his eye, his expression steady and composed…