I twisted and turned, studying myself in the full length mirror I'd put in Devilla's room. I looked pretty damn good! The backless red dress Chloe had picked out for me clung to my curves, showing off my chest. The twins may have been smaller than Devilla's titantic tits, but they were still a perfectly fine size! The skirt, meanwhile, flared out from around my upper thighs. I'd have to be careful not to flash anyone today. I wouldn't want anyone thinking I was trying to proposition them in the middle of a date.

"You look pretty!" came a voice from behind me, almost making me jump. I just barely managed to maintain my composure, though, turning around and forcing myself to smile at the newcomer as she continued speaking. "I love your dress!"
"Thanks," I said, plucking at the skirt. I couldn't help but feel a little self-conscious all of a sudden, as ridiculous as that was. It wasn't like I actually cared what Lucy thought… Did I? I hadn't even wanted to go on a date with her in the first place! "Chloe picked it out. She said it would make you go gaga over me or something."

"It does do a very good job of showing off how attractive you are!" she told me. "I think you'd look even better without it, though!"

"That's… Kinda sweet? A bit too early in the date, though. Like, way too early. That was the sort of thing you said after a really nice dinner or something." What sort of idiot would try and start the date with it?

"Oh… Sorry! Eena said it would be impolite if I didn't mention how pretty I found you. And that you'd probably get upset if I didn't mention your body…"

"Yeah, well, I'm pretty sure Devilla learned everything she 'knows' about romance from a combination of maid gossip and bad romance novels… Take whatever she tells you with a mountain of salt, alright?"

"So I probably shouldn't expect sex on the first date, then?" Lucy asked.

"I mean, I don't see why we wouldn't sleep together if everything goes well, but… Maybe don't bring that up until after we know we click well enough?"

Lucy nodded happily. "That's fine! Where are we going on our date first?"

"To a play," I told her. "Chloe got me tickets. But before that, I think there's something else we need to worry about…"

"What's that?" Lucy asked.

The sheer innocence with which she asked it, the sheer obliviousness to obvious problems… I couldn't help pressing a palm against my face and sighing as I wondered just what I'd done to deserve a life like this.

"You're wearing a fortune in metal, Lucy. Not to mention the fact that it's armor."

"Oh!" Lucy said, her mouth a perfect little 'o' of surprise. "...I didn't bring any extra clothes with me, though!"

"Yeah, Chloe figured that would happen, so she picked some dresses out for you too," I told her, pointing towards the bed where several outfits had been laid out. "The girl is so thorough it's kinda scary."

"She does seem to have put a lot of thought into our date," Lucy agreed. "But I think it's nice of her! I mean, I don't really know about you, but I'm actually really nervous about this date! I've never tried going out with more than one person before. Or with anyone at all except Eena, for that matter! I don't know a lot about polyamory, either, so I'm not really sure what to expect in the future if things go well. Not to mention all my worries about what might happen if things go bad… I try not to think about it too much, but it's hard not to worry!"

"Regretting this whole thing then?" I asked. "If you'd just left it with me pining after her then you'd never have been in this mess."

"Maybe," Lucy agreed. "But I'd rather follow my heart and be hurt than go against what I'm meant to stand for!"

Death and destruction? I wanted to ask. I didn't say anything, though. I wasn't going to lash out at Devilla's girlfriend… and potentially my future girlfriend… just because she'd figured out her feelings for Devilla before I could. "Should I ask what that is? Or are you going to spill it on your own?"

"A better future! A world where everyone, both humans and demons, can feel safe and happy! To make that happen it's not enough to just chase my own happiness! I have to help other people, too!"

"Even if it could cost you everything?" I questioned her, unable to help myself.

"I don't think it will!" she replied with a smile. "But even if it does, I don't think I'll regret it. I'll always know I did my best!"

Yep, there's another stab of guilt for thinking ill of her. She really was too pure. "Ugh… I don't even know why I'm bothering to rehash this. You already said everything last time we talked about this, right? So just… just pick a dress so that we can get going, alright?"

"Alright!" Lucy agreed, turning her attention to the outfits Chloe had laid out.

I didn't really bother paying much attention to Lucy as she hopped from outfit to outfit, picking up articles of clothing and holding them up against herself so she could study the results in the mirror. I didn't want to think about how her excitement was sort of cute. Or how she really was just a girl trying her best to do right by everyone, while I grumbled and groaned about being dragged along for the ride.

There was one thought I couldn't block out, though, no matter how hard I tried. The fact that the Heroine - the enemy of all demon-kind, slayer of queens and heroes, the real life boogeyman most parents wouldn't even dare to terrorize their children with, out of a deep rooted fear of her appearance? She was kind of a dork.

"You must really like playing dress up," I remarked. More for something to say than anything, honestly.

Lucy shook her head in response for a bit before pausing and tilting her head in thought.. "It's not that. Well, not just that at least! It is really nice to do something so normal, but I'm also just really happy that you went through all the trouble of picking things out for me! That's why I want to make sure I put proper thought into the outfit I wear!"

"Chloe prepared them, not me," I replied, rolling my eyes. Not that she'd be able to tell. "Honestly, you can go in anything for all I care. I'm sure you can pull any of them off."

"I'm pretty sure pulling them off is what you do at the end of the date," Lucy said with a giggle. "And e ven if you're not the one who picked out the dresses, I still want to look pretty for you!"

"Yeah, well… you'd look pretty good in anything, if I'm being honest, alright? Just pick something that goes with your eyes or whatever and let's get going or we're going to be late to the theater!"

"Alright," Lucy agreed, putting the black dress she was holding down. She picked up a red crop top and a small black skirt. "Is it okay if I wear something less formal, then? I almost never get to wear casual clothes!"

"What? You're not going to tell me you're in that armor twenty four seven or anything, are you?" I asked, arching an eyebrow. "Because that's some serious commitment to the job."

"I mean, I am pretty committed," Lucy said, "but I don't always wear it. Sometimes I wear formal dresses and stuff, too! That's mostly just when I'm meeting with nobles and such, though."

"What about when you just want to relax?" I asked, curious despite myself. "You've gotta take some 'you' time sometimes, right?"

"I mean, it's not like being me and being the Heroine are two different things to me," Lucy replied. "I like helping people! And I get a lot of 'me' time when I'm traveling, too - or I did before I joined with Eena, I guess? Not to mention Feyra, Grell, and Dyona…"

"But you can't be like this all the time, can you?" I pressed. "So… happy and upbeat. It's gotta get tiring, right?"

"I wouldn't say tiring," Lucy replied, reaching for her hair so that she could wind a few strands around her finger. "It can be hard sometimes when things aren't going well, or when I mess something up… It's really lonely, too, since most people treat me like I'm just the Heroine and not a living, breathing person. …It's part of why getting to play dress up and pick out pretty outfits for our date is so fun for me."

"That sounds pretty tiring to me."

"It's also really rewarding, though! Knowing I'm making a difference, and that just my presence can bring people hope makes me feel good! Plus, it hasn't been lonely anymore since Eena joined me!"

"That just makes it worth it, not… not tiring."

"Tiring implies I get tired of it, though!" Lucy protested.

"No, it means that it's hard. You think I don't find it tiring to help Devilla? I still do it. It still makes me happy to know that I'm helping her. That doesn't stop me from moaning, groaning, and just generally bemoaning what a mess she is or all the trouble she leaves in her wake. I'll never tire of it, but I can sure as hell be tired out by it."

"I don't like complaining about it, though," Lucy protested. "What if I make people feel like they're putting something on me? I want them to know that I'm here for them because I want to be!"

"Then don't complain to people. Complain to Devilla - hell, complain to me. We're dating now, aren't we? I'm pretty sure listening to each other's petty complaints is part of the deal."

Lucy didn't say anything for a moment. I almost thought I'd upset her or something. "...You know, I think I can see why Eena values you so much… You're really good at cutting to the heart of things, aren't you?"

"I'm just speaking my mind," I told her, rolling my eyes again. "Not like I'm dropping ancient wisdom here or anything. Now go on and get dressed! I wasn't kidding about us running late if you don't hurry."

"Right!" Lucy declared, immediately starting to strip herself of her armor.

So much for getting undressed at the end of the date. Not that I was complaining… If anything, I was just grateful for the fact that no one could tell where I was looking, because I was staring at Lucy hard while she was changing into the new clothes.

Not that she couldn't guess as much, in all likelihood - nobody took that long to change without an audience - but… well, it did seem like I suddenly had a new reason to be looking forward to the end of the date.


Watching the play with Abigail was really fun and we even made it on time! It was about two women, a goblin and catgirl, fighting to win the heart of an orc. They did all sorts of things to sabotage each other, but the more they fought with each other the more they got to know each other, and eventually they fell for one another too! It was kind of funny to watch them both complain to their friends about how they were in love with their rival and panicking about how to approach each other. It ended up working out fine, though, since all three of them got together in the end!

I couldn't help but think Chloe had chosen this play on purpose. It wasn't an exact match for my situation with Abigail - it's not like we were fighting over Eena or anything! - but it was nice to see polyamory in action, even if it was only as part of a play. Abigail didn't seem to appreciate it as much as I did from the way she scowled as we left, though.

"Is everything okay?" I asked her, hoping she'd be honest and admit that something was wrong. I didn't want to push her, and I wouldn't say anything if she lied, but it was definitely better to get things like this out in the open!

"It's fine," she lied instead. I think she must have seen my expression though, because a moment later she let out a sigh. "Ok, fine. I just can't refuse that cute sad expression… I'm annoyed that Chloe thinks I need a lesson on polyamory shoved down my throat, alright? I already know going through you is the only way I'm ever going to be with Devilla."

"I don't think that was the point," I replied, wanting to defend Chloe. She'd put a lot of thought into this date from what I could tell! "I think she just wanted us, or maybe even just me, to learn more about polyamory? Or maybe she wanted us to see a positive relationship? It was really educational and encouraging for me! Plus, I think it helped me understand demon culture a bit better… I mean, there were so many different types of demons in the play all getting along together! I always imagined there being little enclaves of each species…"

"Yeah, well, it used to be like that according to my old history lessons," Abigail told me. "Villages of mostly one type of monster girl or another, but when humans started lumping us all together we had to band together. We do still have some 'enclaves' - I mean, almost all the harpies live in Mipha's territory, for example - but it's… different. If a harpy falls in love with a lizard girl, or if a cat girl wants to date a mouse girl, there's no prejudice or anything."

"What if a demon wants to marry a human?" I asked, unable to help myself.

"Yeah, like that would ever happen…" Abigail muttered before glancing up at my sunhat. She'd insisted I wear it - said that people would probably assume I had non-human features under it if I did. "Humans aren't exactly popular around here, you know? Even if most of us have never actually even seen one before..."

"Not every human is involved in the war effort… A lot of them just assume the worst about demons because it's all they've ever been told. I think Eena's journey so far is proof that people can overcome that, though!"

"Maybe," Abigail agreed with a shrug. "But still. You're sort of the stuff of nightmares for most of us. We all know, deep down, that it's only a matter of time before you, or someone like you, wipes us all out… Even if it's just an abstract concept for most of us, it's still pretty damn hard to see humans in a potential romantic light."

"Do you think that could change?" I asked curious. It wasn't like I needed Abigail to fall in love with me for things to work out. As long as we could get along well enough to not cause any trouble for Eena, I was sure everything would be fine! That didn't mean I wasn't going to put my best effort into getting to know Abigail, though! If we could all end up together, I was sure it would be even better!

I don't think Abigail shared my optimism, though. She just sort of shrugged and then started looking around.

"Chloe told me I'd know where to go after the play somehow, but-"

At that moment something ran by us, so fast its form seemed to blur. Which was weird, since it didn't seem to actually be moving that fast. Just… fast enough that I didn't quite react in time when it bumped into Abigail and then kept going.

"What the…" Abigail muttered before suddenly paling and patting her waist. "My purse!"

My eyes widened and I was instantly on alert. "They went that way!" I declared, pointed toward the figure. They must have been using magic or something, because even now that I was focusing on them they were still nothing more than a blur of red and black to me. Unless it was just a feature for some sort of monster girl I didn't know about?

Either way, it was pretty obvious what I had to do. Grabbing hold of Abigail's hand, I ran after the blurred being.

"Wait!" Abigail called out, trailing behind me. "I'm not that great at the whole running thing!"

"Really?" I asked. "Even though you're… you know?" A demon. I might have been the Heroine, but I was still just starting out - I shouldn't be that much stronger than the average demon. I could even be called weaker than some of them as Chloe had proven.

"Yeah, well, athletics have never been my strong suit…" Abigail muttered. "Something about my Mom not getting enough lust when she was pregnant with me? I don't know."

It sounded like there was a story there, but I didn't think Abigail wanted to share it right now. Instead I did what I thought Eena would do in this situation - I scooped Abigail up into a bridal carry and kept running!

"Hey!" she protested, her wings flexing a little as she settled into my arms. They made carrying her a bit awkward, but with Abigail shifting herself into the right position - despite her protests - I was still able to keep hold of her and continue pursuing the shadowy figure.

"Sorry!" I told Abigail as we neared some trees. "I think they're going into the forest!"

"It's a park," Abigail replied. I could tell she was a little disgruntled, but I didn't have time to pay attention to that right then. Just like I didn't have time to ask how a forest (or a park?) could possibly grow inside a tower. Maybe some sort of holy magic or magic from another demon I didn't know of?

Either way, I kept running after the blurred figure while still carrying Abigail. She, because this had to be some kind of monster girl, weaved her way through trees with ease, often leaving me to force my way through paths she could just slip through. I could feel twigs and branches breaking against my skin, but it didn't bother me. I just did my best to make sure I'd take the brunt of the impact instead of Abigail and kept going.

Eventually my chase led me to a clearing. In the center of it was a large red and white blanket with a wicker basket in the center. At the edge closest to us was Abigail's purse with a piece of paper tucked beneath. The blurred figure was nowhere in sight.

"...Dammit Chloe!" Abigail shouted from my arms, wiggling around a little. "Let me down!"

"You think Chloe did this?" I asked while gently lowering Abigail to the floor.

She didn't respond right away, but instead stomped her way over to her purse and the paper underneath. "...It says that we're free to talk here. She'll make sure nobody overhears us… Fuck. There was probably someone following us, wasn't there?"

"Do you think they know who I am?" I asked. I was a little worried. I knew I'd taken a risk coming here, after all, even if I was pretty sure that Devilla's friends and family could sort anything out for us if necessary. It would probably look really bad for Devilla if people knew she'd brought a human into the tower, though - let alone the Heroine!

Abigail shook her head, though. "It's not you they're after. Nivera warned me I was becoming a 'person of interest' by hanging around with Devilla so much… I didn't think anyone would be following me, though."

"Are you in danger?" I asked, looking around.

"No," Abigail said hurriedly. "I don't think anyone's dumb enough to actually try to kill Devilla's only known friend. Or at least nobody has said anything about it being a possibility… I'm just under observation for now, whatever that means."

"It means spies, I think," I told her. "I'm used to being under lots of eyes, though, so I know what I can and can't say in public! I don't think we really discussed anything that would cause trouble."

"Yeah, well, I guess that's why Chloe decided to put us somewhere she could guard us. I'm pretty damn sure she could have pulled this off without stealing my purse!" Abigail raised her voice towards the end, yelling at the trees around us.

"At least she gave it back?"

"Yeah. Small favors," Abigail grumbled, looking into her purse. I was pretty sure she rolled her eyes while she said that. "At least there's nothing missing. Hell, I think she might have added a couple coins while she was at it."

A soft giggling sound, carried on the wind, made me and Abigail tense for a moment before we realized who it must have come from.

"You think she's listening?" Abigail asked me.

"That, or she's just sending giggles at random!" I replied.

Another giggle followed my words. It sounded exactly the same as the first.

"...I can't tell if that's confirmation of your theory or mine," Abigail muttered after a few seconds of silence. "Maybe she's just trying to fuck with us?"

"Why would she do that?" I asked, curious. "She seemed pretty nice when we met!"

"Yeah, well she's a self-proclaimed trickster extraordinaire," Abigail told me with a weary sigh. "So whether she's nice or not doesn't really factor into it…"

"Well, if you don't want her to overhear us I could use my privacy spell?" I suggested. "Then nobody will even notice us!"

"Is that the one that requires hand holding?" Abigail asked me, arching an eyebrow. "Because it might be kinda awkward to eat our dinner like that."

"I'm pretty sure we could manage if you wanted to!" I told her. "But we don't have to, either. I'm sure Chloe's doing a great job of keeping everyone else away!"

"Yeah, well, she sure did a good enough job of luring us here," Abigail agreed, reaching for the basket. It was covered by a lid, which she flipped up to reveal a pair of sandwiches and two flasks, as well as a small pile of cookies.

"At least there's nothing with potatoes in it," Abigail said after looking everything over for a bit. "Pretty sure the sandwiches are chicken."

"What about the flasks?" I asked. "They aren't alcohol are they?" I didn't drink much. I mean, alcohol didn't do much to me to begin with, and I really didn't like the taste!

Abigail took out a flask, unscrewed its cap, and took a sniff. Then she tilted it back and took a small sip. "Grape juice. Guess she didn't want anyone making mistakes they might regret…"

"She really put a lot of thought into this, didn't she?" I remarked.

"I think she just gets some sort of sick amusement out of making me squirm," Abigail complained. "She knew I wasn't looking forward to this…"

"Because of who I am?" I asked. I tried to keep the hurt from my voice. This was different then when humans feared me. I must have let a little slip, though, from how Abigail winced.

"...Sorta," she admitted. "Also what you are, species wise. I mean, I know you're different, you're Lucy, but… I don't know. It feels… weird. Like I'm betraying everyone somehow, doing something anathema to being a demon… I'm not sure how Devilla does it. Maybe the human memories?"

"Why did you agree if you didn't want to date me?"

"You didn't give me much of a choice," she pointed out. "You basically just declared it was going to happen, and by the time I wrapped my brain around the fact that you were actually serious it was already too late. Not that I would have said no, anyways, I guess… I want to get closer to Devilla, after all, and that sort of means going through you."

"I don't think you have to go through me," I protested. "I mean, I already gave Eena my blessing to date other people! And you're not just other people, but someone really important to her! I'd never stand in your way even if you didn't want to go on a date with me!"

"Yeah, well… it doesn't really feel that way. Even if it's true. You're just… I mean, you're you. Powerful, dangerous, kinda hot if I'm being honest… Not to mention you're strong enough to at least sorta kinda keep up with Devilla."

"I don't think anyone can keep up with Devilla if she doesn't let them," I replied. "And I don't think anyone could stop her from coming to your side if you needed her! Not even me. You're really important to her, you know?"

"But she's dating you!"

"Just because I asked her out first doesn't mean I have a bigger claim on her heart than you! In fact, there's a part of me that thinks she might like you even more than me! I worry that maybe I just pushed her into dating me, but I know better than to give into the part of me that thinks that! The way to Devilla's heart isn't through me or you, it's just a matter of being ourselves! The only opinion that matters in this is Devilla's!"

"...Yeah, no. I'm pretty sure that's not true. I mean, you're in a relationship. You do realize that means you get to have your own thoughts about who she dates, too, right? If her dating me makes you uncomfortable you don't have to accept it just because she wants it. Hell, you could even demand her to be monogamous if she wants to stay with you. She'd probably agree, too."

"I wouldn't want to push her into that!" I protested. "I mean, I'm not sure I really want to be monogamous, either, for one thing… but even if I did, I think telling Devilla she could only have me in her life would be really selfish! I don't want to tell her who she can and can't date, either!"

"Yeah, that's great and all, but… seriously… you do realize that being in a relationship means your own thoughts are important too, right? That you don't just have to go with what Devilla wants? Like… seriously?" I was definitely sure Abigail was looking right at me at this point, maybe in disbelief at what I'd been saying?

"I know!" I promised. "It's not like I'm ignoring my own needs to meet hers! It's just… I don't think it would be very good to push her into anything…"

"There's pushing, and then there's compromising. Something tells me you give way more than you get in life, don't you?"

"I get plenty! I mean, Eena makes me really happy! And it doesn't make me sad at all that she wants to date other people, or I'd have told her so!"

"But what if it did? Would you have dumped her if she insisted?" Abigail pressed.

"I…" I hesitated. The answer probably should have been yes. I mean, she was asking about what I'd do if Eena didn't respect my boundaries, so the answer was pretty obvious, right? But… for some reason, the thought of breaking up with Devilla like that… I mean, it was only a hypothetical to begin with, but… "...I guess it would depend on how much it meant to me?"

"Uh-huh." Abigail didn't look that impressed. "You're lucky Devilla actually does value your opinion so much. I mean, most people would probably just take advantage of you in cases like this, and it sounds a whole lot like you'd let them… Then again, it's not like it would be hard for you to return the favor with how broken Devilla is, huh?"

"Maybe…" I confessed with a frown. I didn't like to think about it that way, but… "Maybe we're both broken, a little. I mean, I've been isolated for so long just being treated like a regular personby Devilla makes me so happy…"

"Really?" Abigail asked. "I'm more happy when she treats me like I'm special."

"I mean, I guess she makes me feel special, too," I amended. "It's just… a different sort of special? Like I'm special because I'm Lucy, and not just because I'm the Heroine. Even though I'm pretty sure the Goddess only picked me to be the Heroine because she knew I'd grow up to be me to begin with. Most people don't seem to realize that, though. They call me special because the Goddess picked me, when really - in my mind - the Goddess must have picked me because she saw something special to begin with… That's part of why I always try my best to live up to whatever she saw in me! To be my best self, and to inspire everyone else to be their best selves, too!"

"Yeah, I'm not touching that," Abigail replied while shaking her head a bit to reorient herself. "Look, my original point was that somehow Devilla and your broken, jagged, and wrecked brains fit together like two pieces of a puzzle. I mean, normally you'd think shoving two broken people together like this would be a recipe for disaster, but somehow you two manage to actually make each other better… Which is great for you, but I don't see where I fit in. I'm just some random nobody who happened to fall in love with one of you."

"I don't think you need to fit in! You just need to be you, someone Eena cares about! We can figure out the rest as we go!"

"That's… very optimistic of you, I guess," Abigail agreed before letting out another sigh. "Come on. Enough big serious talk, alright? Let's just eat."

"If you want," I agreed, reaching out to take a sandwich, a flask, and a cookie. I started with the treat first, just to see what it was like. It was delicious! Sweet, crumbly, and kinda buttery!

The sandwich was pretty good, too, actually! So was the drink. The whole meal was great, really, and it wasn't long before I was back at the cookies to chomp my way through dessert. The only problem was that, despite all the happy noises we'd been making while eating, Abigail and I had sort of stopped talking…

"Why don't you tell me about yourself?" I asked before biting into another cookie.

"...What do you want to know?" Abigail asked. Her voice sounded sort of wary, which hurt a little, but I wasn't going to let that get me down!

"Well, what sort of monster did you come from?" A lot of demons were obvious. Kitsune were a lot like Fox Demons, for example - tricky creatures that could disguise themselves as normal foxes and which made heavy use of illusions to conceal their true intentions. Others were a little harder to figure out, like werewolves - there were all sorts of wolf monsters, which meant there were actually a lot of different subtypes for werewolves. I'd been taught to recognize them all, too!

Succubi were like werewolves, in that it was hard to identify their background, but sort of on the opposite side of the spectrum. I had no idea where they came from! I'd thought bat monsters at one point, but there were actual bat girls and they didn't look anything like Abigail. I mean, for one thing their wings usually were their arms, not completely separate limbs! They didn't have pitch black eyes, either! Oddly vampires, which could turn into bats, did though…

"Succubi don't come from monsters," Abigail replied, taking me out of my mental wandering. Shetook a sip of her juice before continuing. "We're demons."

"Aren't you all demons?"

"Most 'demons' are technically monster girls. You know, what with them coming from monsters and all that? True demons come from Hell like my ancestors did. Your stupid church started teaching that monsters came from Hell, too, and suddenly every monster girl out there was being labeled a demon by humans who can't tell the difference."

"But what about the Demon Queen?" I asked, curling a strand of hair around my fingers. "Why is she called that if most of you aren't even demons and why would demons or monster girls care what humans or our church called you?

"You mean the fallen angel that leads us?" Abigail asked, arching an eyebrow. "Luci, the angel that fell and became the first demon queen, had the idea of bringing us all together under one banner. I guess she figured if we were all going to be treated the same anyways, we might as well lean into it and work together… Calling us all demons was part of that."

"Wait… Does that mean you're, like, an actual demon from Hell?"

"Like one, maybe. Am one? No way. According to legend, my ancestors had to give up a lot of power before the Goddess allowed them to migrate to Solla. Why the hell Devilla's ancestor got to skip out on that I've got no idea. I mean, Devilla is supposedly weaker than her aunts in heaven, but if that's the case I don't even want to know how much stronger angels are than demons…"

I nodded, tugging at my hair a little as I tried to process everything. I didn't know why, but sometimes doing so helped me calm down and think a bit better. Maybe because I'd been doing it as a habit for so long?

"If you're a true demon," I said eventually, "does that make you any different from the monster girls?"

"Not really," Abigail replied, chomping down on the final corner of her sandwich. "The only real difference is life span. I can keep going forever if I don't get too badly injured, or violently killed. Other than that it's just a matter of looks, I guess. Monster girls come in so many different shapes and sizes that it's not like anyone cares about that, though…"

I nodded, then frowned as an idea came to me. "Do you think… maybe you could teach me more about demons and monster girls? And life in the tower in general? I really want to know more - I mean, I already know that we're basically the same, deep down, but the more I see and hear for myself the more I can share with other people to convince them!"

"...Maybe," Abigail said noncommittally before grabbing her flask and swiftly chugging the last of it. "Later. Right now? I just want to get back to Devilla's bedroom."

"Right! I guess it's going to be a pretty long walk, huh?" I remarked, thinking back to how we'd gotten down to begin with.

Abigail shook her head though. "Nah. We can take a basket most of the way up. Walking up and down stairs is for when I haven't just eaten. Now come on!"

Saying so, she grabbed my hand and pulled me to my feet before turning around. I followed after, staring at our clasped hands as I did so. It… didn't feel quite the same as when I was holding Eena's. It didn't fill my heart with warmth, happiness, and a wish for even more. But… it didn't feel bad, either!




The trip back to Devilla's bedroom went swiftly enough. Lucy almost went crazy when she found out what I meant about taking a basket, or rather having a couple harpies carry us and a bunch of other people up floors in a massive basket. It was a pretty normal way of getting around for the flightless in the tower, so we drew a lot of looks - though some of those were my fault, seeing as how people with wings didn't exactly take baskets that often. Regardless, though, we made it up to the hundred and first floor without issue and from there made our way to Devilla's bedroom. Which meant there was only one thing left to do before the date could officially end…

"So… Wanna have sex?"

"Sex?" Lucy asked with wide eyes. "Right now?"

"I mean, it is the end of the date. Or did you think I was joking when I said that's when the clothes usually come off?"

"No!" Lucy replied hurriedly. "It's just… I've never had sex with anyone but Devilla before. I mean, Grell sort of offered, but I was pretty sure she'd change her mind and start panicking if I actually said yes and I'm not sure I would have wanted to sleep with her anyways… Plus, Devilla's been keeping me really satisfied."

"So that's a no?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. It was fine if it was. I had zero intention of pressuring anyone - let alone the human Heroine - into bed with me. It was a bit of a shame, though. Sex was a great way to get to know someone a bit better. How they acted during it could tell you a lot!

Plus, Lucy was hot.

"I didn't say no! It's just… are you sure you want to have sex with me? I know you didn't really want to go on this date in the first place…"

"That is that, and this is this," I replied, rolling my eyes. Not that Lucy had any way of telling. "Dating someone is a way bigger commitment than sleeping with them. If anything, having sex is really more of a getting to know you thing."

"Really?" Lucy asked. "I don't think humans usually see it that way…"

"So again, is that a no?" I asked, getting a little impatient now. I tried not to show it on my face, though. When I said I didn't want to pressure her, I meant it.

"No… I… Think it might be nice? I mean, yes! It sounds very nice!" Lucy said, hesitantly at first but with certainty by the end. "I mean, I've never even slept with anyone but Eena before! It would probably be good to sleep with others, too!"

"It'll tell us a thing or two about whether we're compatible, anyways," I agreed before reaching for the hem of my dress. One swift tug and it was off my body and onto the floor. Not exactly the best place for it, but considering I was the maid I figured I could get around to cleaning it later.

Lucy just stared at me for a moment before hurrying to take off her own clothes. Pretty soon she was just wearing a pair of panties and a band around her breast, the latter of which was already coming off.

Her chest was… kinda… divine, if I was being honest. Boobs on par with Devilla's, if I had to say. Perfectly formed. I just wanted to get my hands on them immediately, but I kept my calm and instead reached to take off my own top, before bending down to grab my panties.

Taking my eyes off Lucy might have been a mistake, though - when I lifted my gaze, she was suddenly right there. It was almost kinda frightening - would have been frightening, if not for the goofy grin on her face.

"You look really nice!" she told me, only to hesitate right after, curling a strand of hair around her fingers. Something she did when she was nervous, from what I could tell. "Do I… pick you up, now? I'm not really sure how I'm supposed to do things…"

"Why would you lift me?" I asked. "Pretty sure we both know who the top in this situation is."

"Me?" Lucy asked, pointing to her chest. It was… honestly kinda adorable, how clueless she looked.

"Yeah, no. No offense, but I'm not exactly feeling the whole 'vulnerable positioning' thing right now. Having the Heroine pinning me down naked is the stuff of sexually confusing nightmares, not sexual fantasies. The Heroine pinned under me on the other hand… Unless that's too much for you?"

My tail coiled around Lucy's ankle, giving it a little tug. Not enough to send her tumbling, or anything - not by a longshot - but enough to symbolically capture her.

Lucy, for her part, seemed nervous for a moment, but then she closed her eyes and nodded. "Alright! I'll try being on the bottom again! Just make sure you take care of yourself, too, okay? Eena really just focused on me, last time I did this…"

"Trust me, I can look after myself," I promised, smirking at her. "Now onto the bed with you, alright?"

Lucy nodded quickly, if nervously, and made her way towards the mattress. I watched her crawl onto it, her naked rear on display for me. It wasn't as fat as Devilla's, but it was rather well defined. It might not be as fun to slap, but I was willing to bet it'd be at least as good to squeeze.

Putting that thought aside for later, I waited until Lucy had lain herself back down on the bed before slowly making my way towards her. My tail whipped back and forth me as I walked, slashing through the air in what I hoped was a rather suggestive matter. From the slight blush on Lucy's cheeks, and the way her eyes couldn't seem to help but follow along with my tail's spade tip, it seemed like I was succeeding.

"Do you know why you're here?" I whispered, my voice dropping down to something lower, almost menacing.

"Because… I wanted to date you?" Lucy suggested, obviously a bit confused.

"Because I want to play with you," I replied, my tone now shifting higher, teasing. "Because I want to hear you squeal."

"...Is this some sort of bed play thing?" Lucy asked, confusion written across her brow.

I let out a sigh. More aimed at myself than her. To be honest, watching her crawl into bed like that… I'd momentarily forgotten that this wasn't the brothel and that Lucy wasn't a customer who knew what I was doing, but a girl who'd only recently started to have sex herself.

"Yes, Lucy. It's roleplay. It's something I used to do for my clients, back at the brothel. Powerful people sometimes like being pushed around and played with in private…"

"Really?" Lucy asked skeptically.

"Really," I promised. "I can show you if you want? It's… a bit different than the plain vanilla sex you were probably expecting, but I promise I'll make you feel good."

"Have you done this with Eena?" Lucy asked, her voice laden with curiosity. I was pretty sure she was actually thinking about my offer, which made me pretty happy. As reluctant as I'd been to go on this date, originally… Well, I had gone on it, so I might as well reap the after-date rewards, right? Finding out if your partner and you were compatible in bed was important! I mean, if you weren't, that was a major activity suddenly crossed out when it came to your future lives together.

"I've done some stuff with Devilla. No whips or chains or anything like that, but I've teased her a little and ordered her around. Figured I'd go light on you though - the heavy stuff was always more for my clients than me, anyways."

"Well… I don't mind," she said after a moment's pause. "But I think we should work out a roleplay scenario together if we're going to go that far…"

"Really? I was mostly just going to tease about being naughty, or something, but I guess if you really want we can go with the captured Heroine route. You know, with me trying to 'break' the helpless Heroine and turn her into a demonic tool, or something?"

"That sounds kinda fun!" Lucy said, grinning at me. "Do you have handcuffs or anything?"

"Not on me," I admitted. "Maybe next time? I'm probably getting a bit too advanced for our first time, anyways. This time's meant to be about checking out our base compatibility…"

"Next time, then!" Lucy agreed happily.

Which was about the moment I realized I'd basically just promised a 'next time' to begin with, but… Well, whatever. Honestly, I was starting to see how Devilla hadn't been able to leave her alone, even back when she was planning to run away from everything. It was way too easy to get caught up in her rhythm and she was sort of hard to say no to, besides.

For now, I decided to crawl into bed, sliding my body over Lucy's until my breasts were hovering over hers. Which was maybe a bit of a mistake, seeing as how now I couldn't help but notice how much smaller mine were than hers, but… Whatever.

"So. Lucy. I guess this is where I teach you what sex with a professional is like."

"A professional?" Lucy asked before her eyes widened. "Right! You said you worked in a brothel, didn't you?"

"And I was very good at it," I promised her before sliding down her body a little. This time I stopped when my mouth reached her chest, lowering myself so that I could seal my lips around one of her nipples.

She let out a little gasp of surprise. "Can… Can I touch you back?" she asked.

"I mean, I'm the one who forgot the handcuffs," I teased back, before placing another kiss on Lucy's nipple. Her chest was so warm and soft, I couldn't help planting kiss after kiss first on and then around the areola.

Lucy retaliated, of course, her fingers finding my chest and cupping my breasts. Mine weren't exactly massive - though I was happy to see they still provided a good handful for the Heroine to grab onto. As she pressed the flesh, I felt warmth filling my center, little shocks of pleasure running through my system whenever her fingers found my nipple in particular. She was observant enough to pick up on that, too, and soon enough she was playing with my nipples more than anything. I had to bite down on my lip to keep from crying out.

That didn't mean I was taking her attacks lying down, though. My own fingers found her free breast, allowing me to squeeze and tease her even as I kissed and sucked upon her flesh. My tail, meanwhile, provided an additional advantage - I set it curling around her thigh, the tip of the spade teasing at her thighs, coming perilously close to her folds but never quite touching.

"Please," she whimpered. "Don't tease me…"

"...Remind me to teach you what a safeword is for next time," I replied. "I'm going to assume you're being serious this time, though."

Even as I spoke, my tail moved to actually rub against Lucy's folds, the tip questing out after a moment to try and locate Lucy's clit. Not that it was hard to find, exactly - I could find pretty much any bit of a girl's anatomy blind, what with all my experience in the brothel.

Soon enough Lucy's whimpers had turned into gasps and moans, the expert movements of my tail, lips, tongue, and fingers all working together to keep her perched on the edge of cumming. At the same time, she'd been doing everything in her power to return the favor - though there was a limit to what she could do with only her hands.

"Wait!" she called out, just as I was about to plunge my tail into her pussy. I'd figured it was time to wrap things up, but apparently Lucy had other ideas. "Let me… let me suck on your breasts while you're doing it… I want to… return the favor!"

She was panting. Barely able to get the words out, thanks to everything I'd made her feel. Everything I was still making her feel. When I lifted my head up from her chest, though, I saw the determination in her eyes. So I shifted, putting my breasts above her mouth.

She lunged for my chest, her teeth digging slightly into the tender flesh, even as her tongue began to lash against my nipple. The movements were rough - too rough, at first, but when I told her that she eased up.

"That's it," I whispered when she'd eased up enough. "Now move a bit more slowly with your tongue, alright? No need to whip it back and forth like a weapon."

Lucy didn't respond - naturally, seeing as how she was still latched onto my breast - but her movements shifted to reflect my teachings. It was actually a pretty nice feeling, having her listen to me - and it came with an immediate reward, to boot, as I electric tingles running through me with every application of her tongue. It wasn't going to be long before I came.

If I was going to come soon, though, Lucy needed to come now. There was no way I was losing out to a relative newbie in sex when it came to making my partner feel good!

With that in mind, I slid my tail inside of her, the sides of my spade curling up on themselves as the tip pressed itself against Lucy's walls. Swiftly, but still carefully, I made my way through Lucy's body, finding the sports that made her squirm and squeal. Finding the spot that made her gasp out in surprise, her body trembling with pleasure. Then I reached down with my hand, gently teasing her clit with a finger, even as my tail began to pump its way in and out of her, paying special attention to that spot.

Within seconds, I was rewarded with Lucy's scream.

The fact that I followed pretty soon after is besides the point.


I stepped onto the teleportation circle, turning around right after to wave goodbye to Abigail.

She returned the gesture a little lazily, barely bothering to lift herself off the bed, but honestly I saw that as a compliment! I'd been the one who tired her out, after all!

Smiling happily - to myself as much as her - I focused on teleporting back to the inn room I'd rented with Eena. In less time than it took me to blink I was already there!

Except for some reason, Eena wasn't there to greet me. I thought for a moment that maybe she was still exploring all the food stands, but then I realized that the night was eerily quiet. Looking out, I saw plenty of stands, but no people running them. Not only that, I could see a massive column of smoke in the distance.

It was at that moment that a knock came at the door.

"Heroine?" called Dyona. "Is that you moving around in there?"

"Yes?" I called back, hurrying towards the door. For once I didn't even mind that she'd called me 'Heroine,' rather than my name! I just wanted to know what happened.

For a moment I thought I saw a flicker of relief in Dyona's gaze when the door opened. If it was there it was gone an instant later.

"Come with me," she said, gesturing for me to follow her as she turned around and headed towards the front of the inn. "I need to borrow your authority."

"What for?" I asked, hurrying after her.

"To stop the messenger birds from flying. There's a limit to what I can do as a maid, no matter who I'm serving…"

"The messenger birds?" I asked blankly.

"Of course. Unless you want to explain to the Grand Patriarch how, exactly, your companion is managing to fight a dragon?"

Watching Lucy disappear from the teleportation pad was honestly a little jarring. One moment she was present, the next she was gone - off to the tower, beyond my immediate protection where who knew what could happen to her… Yet that was a risk she'd willingly chosen to take. She wanted to get to know Abigail outside my presence. My people, too, for that matter - she wanted to know what they were like when not under my gaze. Something I could accept no matter how much it worried me.

That didn't mean I could simply stop worrying, though. Not only for her physical safety, but for our relationship. What if she overheard people talking about me in the tower? Spreading rumors, true or false… I'd informed Lucy that I was hated by my own people, but would seeing it for herself cause her to start doubting me? Would knowing everything I'd done turn her affection into hate?

I knew it was unlikely - Lucy wasn't the sort to take rumors as fact. She'd ask me, first and foremost, and likely accept whatever I'd done besides… but still, my mind was roiling with worry.

As such, it was something of a relief when a distraction appeared in the form of a loud knock at my door.

"Eena!" called a familiar voice. "Heroine! You in there? I thought we could finally have that arm wrestling competition!"

"Funny," I remarked, opening the door. "I don't recall agreeing to any such event."

"Aw, come on!" Grell whined, even as the door swung open to reveal the pouting noble standing at the door with her arms crossed. "This is my one chance to arm wrestle the Heroine while Dyona's too busy to scold me!"

"Where is your shadow, anyways?" I asked. "I would have thought her all but glued to your side from the way you talk."

"Scouting! For food stuff, I mean. Mapping out all the most popular places to hit and searching for any hidden gems. She, uh, said it wouldn't do to feed me something that didn't meet my taste, so she said it was best she went by herself… I think she might just be enjoying some alone time, though… But that's exactly why this is the perfect time to arm wrestle with you and the Heroine!"

"You know, she might be more tempted to agree if you'd just use her given name," I pointed out.

"No way!" Grell objected immediately. "I might be a failure of a duke's daughter, but even I know better than to act so familiar with the Heroine!"

"You're also apparently a failure at keeping secrets," I teased. "Or did you intend to tell me your social position?"

"I mean, I'll tell you mine if you tell me yours! It was mostly the Heroine I was hiding from anyway."

"Mine?" I asked, feigning innocence with a hand to my chest. "I'm just a traveler."

"Like anyone would believe that! You're probably, like, a foreign princess on the run or something, right? Or maybe you're traveling incognito so that it doesn't look like the Heroine is favoring a specific kingdom?"

"If I was hiding my identity for such a reason then I hardly see why I would stop just because you asked about it."

"Oh come on!" Grell pleaded, clutching her hands together. "I'll tell you my background! I'm Duke Darrington's seventh daughter! The theoretically chronically ill girl nobody ever gets to meet, Agrellissa!"

"You…" I had a sudden flash of empathy for Abigail. Was this what she felt like around me? I resisted the urge to slap my own forehead in exasperation and simply shook my head instead. "You do realize that simply telling me of your own accord does nothing to move me, yes? In the first place, you're the one who one-sidedly declared I'd have to tell you if you told me - a change in rules I had not and will not accept. Not to mention the way you revealed your secret so casually - it hardly garners trust on my end!"

"...Will you at least arm wrestle me, then?" Grell asked, giving me puppy dog eyes. They were inferior to Lucy's, but…

"If you wish to be crushed, then fine," I agreed with a sigh. "But only until Dyona comes back from her errand... Assuming you don't mind me joining you on your trip through the stalls?"

"Nope! I'd love to have a pretty girl with me! Though I guess you're sort of taken, what with dating the Heroine and all…? Ahhh, if anything you might scare off other hot babes! Unless… one of them comes up to challenge you to an arm wrestling contest, after noticing how hot you are… Hmmm…"

"Do you want to arm wrestle me or not?" I asked, arching an eyebrow.

"I do! I definitely do! It's just… You know… Ah! What about the Heroine?"

"Lucy is busy," I replied with a small wince that I hopefully went unnoticed. I'd hoped she'd remain distracted from the topic for at least a little while.

"Really? I didn't notice her leaving the inn…"

"She's busy sleeping," I amended, lying through my teeth. Thankfully, Dyona wasn't present - I was sure I had at least a hundred tells she could pick up on.

"Wait… Then wouldn't it just be me and you arm wrestling?"

"If you can't beat me, then how can you hope to beat her?" I asked, arching an eyebrow. I knew that no matter how strong Grell thought me to be I couldn't possibly compare to 'the Heroine' in her mind.

Grell sucked air through her teeth at that, before biting her lip and rocking back and forth on her heels. "I guess that's true," she muttered eventually. "But I really did want to arm wrestle the Heroine…"

"That sounds like a bad idea at the best of times," a new voice declared, causing Grell to jump. "Speaking of which - have neither of you noticed the dragon?"

"...The what now?" I asked.

"The dragon. There's one descending down the mountain. It seems to be headed towards the city as we speak. People are already evacuating."

"A dragon is attacking?," I asked again, my voice flat. "And everyone's just… evacuating? You speak of it as if it were a routine event…"

"Despite a lack of recorded dragon attacks in recent times, the people of Gour nevertheless boast surprisingly robust evacuation procedures as a precaution before each festival. Grell always called the practice stupid."

"Well, they're preparing to run away!" Grell pointed out. "Why isn't anyone preparing to fight it instead?"

"Because most people are not stupid enough to try fighting a dragon," Dyona replied, shaking her head. "Speaking of which, if you intend to go punch this dragon you will need to go through me."

"Wh-what do you mean, Dyona!?" Grell demanded.

"I mean exactly what I said," Dyona answered, lifting her chin. "If you wish to throw your life away then so be it, but I will not stand by and idly watch."

"I told you I was going to fight it from the start, didn't I? I've always said I'd love to fight a dragon!"

"And I never thought you'd actually find one!" Dyona replied through gritted teeth. "An oversight on my part. One I intend to rectify, here and now."

"Ahem?" I feigned a cough, causing both women to swivel their heads towards me. Their combined glares almost made me take a step back, but I didn't falter. I couldn't wait for them to sort things out at their own pace. "Apologies for interrupting your fight, but I really need to get past you and make my way towards the door."

"...Of course…" Dyona said. Her smile was bright, but I sensed an edge of danger to it. I'd likely be paying for my interference later.

…Well, assuming she still wanted anything to do with me after all was said and done, that is.

"I'm sorry," I said, pushing between the two of them so that I could move down the hallway, towards the front door of the inn.

"You said that already," Dyona pointed out even as she fell into step behind me. "If you're truly sorry, then help escort us to safety."

"I'm afraid that won't be a possibility," I replied, pushing open the inn's doors. The streets outside weren't quite empty as of yet, but there were certainly much fewer people than there'd been just an hour ago. "This dragon… appearing now of all times… Should I thank it for coming too late to ruin Lucy's fun? Or hate it for the position it's placed me in?"

"What are you talking about?" Grell asked. "I thought Lucy was sleeping?"

I made no reply, choosing instead to glance up at the skies. I couldn't see anything at first. Then I saw a dot, which shifted into a blur the moment I locked onto it, before finally settling into the iconic image of a dragon as I focused on it. A four legged beast with dark red scales and a triangular head set on a sinuous neck.

"It's still quite a distance away…"

"You can see it?!" Dyona asked with surprise. "I'm told the person who spotted it was using a spyglass."

"Yes, well, my senses are quite a bit better than most," I replied, drawing an odd look from Dyona. I ignored it for the time being.

"...Sorry," I repeated.

"Again?" Dyona asked. "Isn't that the third time?"

"I once apologized a hundred times to get Dyona to forgive me for something!" Grell piped up.

"The first apology was for interrupting," I told her, ignoring Grell for the moment. "The second was for pushing you aside. But the third is for something different." I took a deep breath then let out a sigh, running a hand through my dyed brown locks. For a moment, I considered removing the false coloring and showing myself in all my glory, but it would be a waste of magic just for vanity's sake. Against a dragon I'd probably need every drop I could spare.

"You wanted to know who I was," I said, finally focusing on Grell. "My identity. I'll tell you when this is all over and done with - assuming I survive and you actually still want anything to do with me… Tell Lucy I'm sorry, too. I'm probably not coming back. I'll be waiting at the site of the fight, though - I'm sure it'll be easy enough to find the place by the time we're through."

"What are you…?" Dyona started, only to trail off as pitch black wings sprouted from my back. Thankfully, my current outfit was backless.

"Once again, I am sorry," I repeated, beating my wings and bringing my magic to bear. A moment later I was floating five feet in the air. "But I really must take care of this…"

Another beat of my wings and I was gone.


I stared at the speck that used to be Eena, watching until she passed out of sight completely before turning to Dyona in confusion.

"I'm dumb. Explain what just happened to me?"

"Our savior - your most recent target of affection - just revealed herself to be a demon," Dyona replied. "She also apologized. Profusely."

"Right…" I muttered. Profusely meant a lot, right? I was pretty sure it did. "Why was she saying sorry so much, again?"

"Because of the difficult position this will put us in politically if anyone learns of our involvement, I imagine," Dyona replied.

She used big words, some of which I only sort of understood, but I nodded along anyways. Dyona might be feisty and prone to biting the hand that fed her, but she knew her stuff. I trusted her. "So… what do we do now?"

"That depends on how you want to handle this," Dyona replied. "This is likely your one and only opportunity to separate yourself from what's about to happen."

"What? No! Why would I do that?" I asked, confused. "I want to help them! I mean, the Heroine is probably gonna be in trouble, too, right? I don't really get why she'd be with a demon - maybe she doesn't know? - but even if she did… we traveled together. We laughed at awful jokes together. We complained together!"

"And you still haven't gotten to challenge either of them to an arm wrestling competition."

"That too! And they're both really hot! How am I supposed to just walk away from all that?!" I demanded, shaking my head. "So… what do we need to do to help?"

Dyona didn't say anything for a moment before sighing loudly. "I knew you'd say that, my Lady, which is why I've already thought about the best way forward. We need to stop any new messenger birds from being sent out. Some were likely already released on account of the dragon and that's fine, but we don't need word going out of Eena's involvement. Especially not if anyone connects her to the Heroine."

"Alright," I agreed. "Go do that, then. You know where I keep the family medallion. That should give you enough backing to stall, at least. And check on the Heroine whenever you can, too!"

"What about you?" Dyona asked with a frown.

I grinned back, surprised she hadn't already guessed my response. "I'm going to go punch a dragon!"


It didn't take long to reach my target. No matter how far it had seemed initially, the sheer speed at which we both were flying ultimately made the distance quickly close.

The dragon must have noticed my approach at some point, but it made no attempt at slowing down. Instead, it met me head on with a roar that forced me to cover my ears and fly in place for a moment. It then swung at me, its claw raking through the air. There was no time to dodge horizontally, but vertically was another matter - it was simply a matter of halting my flight and falling towards the ground for a bit as the dragon's claws swiped through the space I'd been.

I flew up again, drawing my hand back so that I could punch the dragon in the side as hard as I possibly could. I expected my fist to bounce off or be stopped cold by the dragon's hard scales, but instead I pierced through them without any resistance, getting my entire arm stuck in the dragon's side up to my shoulder. The dragon roared in pain, thrashing wildly in the air to throw me off, and a moment later I was spinning through the sky. A few beats of my wings had me right side up again, though, hovering over the sea of trees.

As for the wound I'd delivered to the dragon… well, I doubted it was anything more than a nuisance. My arm was covered in surprisingly little blood considering it had been stuck in the dragon's side up to the shoulder. There was a detail about the dragon I hadn't really had the time to process yet, or perhaps it was better to say that I didn't really want to process it: the fact that this dragon was larger than a house and my punches, no matter how vicious or surprisingly piercing they were, were little more than flea bites to it.

Its claws were longer than I was tall, for goodness sake! A single fang was as large as my entire body! Against something this huge I feared I was little more than a gnat.

I shook the thought off, trying to focus on the battle again, but it was too late. The dragon was upon me again, its mouth open wide as if to swallow me whole. I flew up and over its head, allowing it to pass under me.

Perhaps it was a mistake - even if I was too small to attack its outsides, maybe I could wreak havoc from inside it. Yet, no matter how easily I'd punched through its scales, I was a little worried about the hardiness of its organs. What if it had a literal iron stomach? Or perhaps the acid in its stomach was so strong I'd dissolve in an instant?

Supposedly, even late term Heroines - the ones strong enough to fight and kill Demon Queens like me - had an extremely difficult time fighting a dragon like this one. There had to be a reason for that, and since it clearly wasn't the creatures's exterior defense I had to question everything else.

For now I chose to study it, weaving through its attacks in mid-air, harassing it without ever actually attacking. I was looking for a weakness - something, anything I could exploit. So far the only idea I could come up with was grabbing it by the tail and spinning around to throw it back towards the mountains, from whence it came - a ridiculous, cartoonish notion that was unlikely to work, but… well, I was running out of ideas!

I was considering what spells I knew that could turn the tide when it happened - the dragon suddenly changed its attack pattern once more. Where before it had been swiping wildly at me, now it was falling towards me. It had folded up its wings, allowing its weight to come crashing down on my head, roaring all the while as if challenging me to get out of this.

I spun towards the ground before it could collide with me, beating my wings and flying down with all my might. Crossing my arms in front of my face, I broke through foliage and tore my way through branches, hurtling towards the ground only to dart out to the side at the last second, and barely - just barely - clearing the space beneath it as it slammed into the ground.

The earth shook upon the dragon's impact, birds squawking as they took flight, animals running in all directions, and even a tree or two toppling over. Then there was silence. I was catching breath I didn't need off to the side while the creature was laying flat and still upon the earth. For a moment, I thought perhaps it had been hurt in the fall - that the trees it crushed beneath its weight might have perhaps managed to puncture something - but a moment later the beast let out a loud snort, and began to move. It shook itself off as it pushed its way up onto its feet, turning its head towards me.

I cursed, spreading my wings with the intent of taking to the sky once more. The dragon, meanwhile, spun with surprising speed, slamming its tail through the nearby trees and towards me, moving too fast to dodge, angling upwards even as I flew towards the sky. It smacked me in the stomach, sending me flying until I slammed into something hard. I heard something crack, but there was no time to process it. The tail had slammed me forward towards its head, which was now coming towards me, maw agape.

It wasn't trying to swallow me this time, though. It was trying to roast me, roiling flames bubbling up from its throat. Before I could even take stock of my current injuries, its fiery breath came jetting out towards me, bathing me in heat beyond anything I'd ever known. The air itself seemed to be on fire, every breath I drew into my lungs tinged with flames. I stopped breathing as soon as I realized, of course, but… surely, it was too late, with that superheated air already inside me.

I realized, in that moment, that I was going to die. Right there, right then, in a fight I hadn't even thought through before picking. I'd tried to play the hero on a whim and now I was never going to see Lucy, Abigail, or anyone else again.

Except… Why didn't I feel pain, then? Had the fire flash seared my nerves? No… I could still feel the flames blasting away. I knew exactly how hot they were, but… it didn't hurt. Even the discomfort I felt was more psychological in nature, stemming more from a dislike of the temperature than any actual physiological response.

When the torrent of flames at last ceased its flow I realized something. A few 'something's, in fact. For one, it wasn't my body that had broken, but the tree I'd slammed into. For another, I was nude, my body covered in nothing but ash. In fact, even my hair was coated in the stuff - though it was already flaking off, revealing gray tinged locks. Not a hint of brown dye, though - it had likely burnt off in the flames. Much like my clothes and the blood that had been on my arm. And everything else I had on me, spare the Empty Bag which had fallen to the floor by my feet. Nice to see that it was dragonfire proof, I suppose.

The dragon blinked at me in surprise, clearly as shocked as I that I'd survived its flames. Then it brought up a paw and slammed it down on me as if to crush me, but I merely lifted a single hand to catch it. The weight of it came down, but I myself did not move, and when its unstoppable force met my unmoving opposition I won.

Not that it felt like much of a victory when I was covered in blood from having bodily pierced its paw.

The dragon stared at me in shock, not even reacting to its injured paw.

I didn't stare back. I instead used a bit of magic to remove the blood that was covering me as I climbed out of the hole I'd made and walked around the dragon, finding and grabbing hold of its tail. The dragon continued to stare, apparently dumbfounded, even as I began to beat my wings and take off into the sky.

Only when its tail had gone taut did the dragon finally snap to its senses, likely due to the sensation of being hauled up into the air. It roared in complaint and tried to wrest its tail free by clawing into the ground, but I fought back against physics with all my strength and a good dose of magic, my wings working overtime to keep me in control as I rose higher and higher, lifting it off the ground entirely.

The creature roared even louder as its paws left the ground, but I continued to ignore it. It tried to spin itself around to free itself from me, but I still held on and ignored it. It tried to fly up itself, but I outpaced it. Then I began to spin around. It seemed my idea of imitating a certain plumber's method of attack wasn't quite wasn't so ludicrous after all.

"W-wait!" came a loud voice as the creature suddenly began to shrink. "H-hold on a sec!"

I paused, staring blankly down at the dragon even as its form shrank down from the size of a house to something just a little larger than myself. A dragon girl by the looks of it, with horns, wings, and a tail. Her hand had a fairly large hole in it from where she'd slammed me through her paw and she was bleeding from her side where I'd stabbed her with my arm earlier.

"L-look! I'm a person! Like you, see? S-so let's be reasonable here!"

I didn't respond. I just stared at the redheaded girl dangling by her tail below me.

"If you start swinging me around like that, someone's going to end up hurt! Namely me!"

"...You know, I thought you would be a threat."

"A-a threat?" the girl asked. "N-no, I-I'm not a threat! Nope! I'm just… uh…"

"I thought you were supposed to be dangerous."

"N-no, I'm-"

"I thought our fight would be fatal. I thought I wouldn't be coming back alive! I thought I had to race off and leave a massive mess for Lucy, just so that I could sacrifice myself to save people I don't even know! Because that was what Lucy would have done if she was here! Because it's what Lucy would have wanted… I thought… I thought that I was never going to see Lucy again. But you're… you're so weak."

"H-hey!" the beast in girl form protested, suddenly indignant at being called weak. "I'm not… I mean, I… probably would have been a tough fight for a normal person, alright? Like your Lucy!"

"Perhaps as she is now she would have struggled," I conceded. "Though your toughness is questionable, the rather large forest fire beneath us is a testament to your offensive might. Can you put that out, by the way? Or will I need to do it myself?"

"I-I've got it!" the dragon hurriedly promised me, obviously not eager to see just how I'd go about dosing such a fire. A moment later the flames that had been dancing at the edge of my vision were snuffed out.

"Good… Now, as I was saying, Lucy as she is now might struggle, but I was told that you were meant to be on par with late stage Heroines. Not 'challenging' to rookies."

"Hey! I could totally take a late stage Heroine!" the dragon protested, only to wince and quickly place her unwounded hand upon her side. I was actually starting to pity her. "Honest! I mean, not that I've ever tried, but I know a dragon or two who beat Heroines and they're total wimps compared to me!"

"...What?"

"N-not that Heroines are weak or anything, either! I mean, I know they're strong enough to beat your… Oh… Shit! You're the Demon Queen, aren't you? I thought you were supposed to be weak enough for Heroines to defeat! You wanna talk about people with unnatural strength, then what the hell's going on with that?"

"That… is something I would very much like to know, myself."

First things first, aside from landing and placing my prisoner upon the ground, I decided I needed to cool my head. Quite literally, in fact, as it took me merely a moment to conjure up a ball of water large enough to dunk my head into. From there, I made the water vibrate vigorously before letting it descend down from the top of my head to the tips of my toes. By the time it was over, the originally clear water had turned a murky black. I, on the other hand, was clean as a whistle.

"You really are the Demon Queen, huh?" the dragon asked me while staring at my hair. The locks were quite dry, my control over the water ensuring that none of it remained on me, but I doubt that's what he was staring at. More likely he was taking in the fact that my hair was pure white, the dye having burned off in our fight.

"Just as you are truly a dragon… I assume?" Though she currently looked like a dragon girl, similar to Lenora, I was fairly sure actual dragon girls had no ability to call forth their monstrous ancestry. If they could then they'd probably be even stronger than the real deal, seeing as how monster girls almost always outclassed the monsters they were descended from. Indeed, if Lenora were to fight this dragon in its current form, she'd undoubtedly come out on top - but if she were to face the mountainous form it had taken before… Well, quantity was a quality all of its own.

"Yeah, I'm a dragon," she confirmed. "And my name's Jahara, if you're wondering."

"I wasn't," I replied, still a little too annoyed for common courtesy. I would start calling her by name, though, now that I knew she had one. "I am curious as to why you were flying towards the city, though."

"Ah, well… about that…" Jahara looked down and clenched her fists, ignoring the pain her injured hand must have caused her. "Usually I just attend the festival as a human, but some asshole adventurers snuck into my cave and stole the money I'd earned this year!"

"You earned money?" I questioned, arching an eyebrow.

"Sometimes I go into town and sell some of my shed scales and talons, claim I snuck into a dragon's cave for them. Wait, crap… I bet that's what gave those jackasses the idea in the first place!"

"Right… and the reason a lack of money led to an attack on the city of Gour?"

"Hey, I wouldn't call it an attack! More like a…food raid? I sorta figured I'd scare all the humans off and then help myself to a snack… I mean, come on, I saved up all year just to come feast! Am I supposed to give it all up just because some jerks stole my money?! You understand, right?"

"No," I replied flatly, my voice as cold as I could make it. Cold enough to make Jahara take a startled step back, wincing as her injured side caused her renewed pain. "You realize you ruined the festival for everyone else, just for your own selfish gain?"

"I mean… humans can make that shit for themselves any time they want, can't they? I don't even know how to cook! I only eat things raw or charred most of the year! This was… I mean, sure, I knew I might have to explain myself to a few of the other dragons, but, well… I thought I could take them. Never thought I'd run into an abomin- I mean an anomaly like you."

"An anomaly?" I echoed. Was that what I was? An anomaly? It would explain why a creature meant to be my peer in power was so trivially easy to defeat. Why the dragon was unable to even scratch me, actually injuring herself in the attempt. That, or there could be some secret to Lucy's power, something that allowed the Heroine - and only the Heroine - to hurt Demon Queens. Both were perfectly reasonable explanations.

So why, then, did I feel a sense of dread in the pit of my stomach? Why did my mind continuously flicker to a possible third option? One that I didn't even want to put words to…

I needed answers and there was only one person I could think of that might have them. Unfortunately, she was at the tower, and I… I was here stuck babysitting this imbecilic dragon.

"What?" Jahara asked, backing up a step and flinching once again in pain from her side and hand. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Like what?"

"Like you want to skin me alive and turn me into a handbag… How the hell do you manage to look so scary when you're tiny and na- oh shit, what did I say this time!?"

"I am not short! You're just tall!" Six feet tall, to be precise.

"I don't know," Jahara muttered, her pain seemingly forgotten now. "I've seen a few Demon Queens over the centuries, you know? From a distance mostly, but still. I'm pretty sure you're small for one."

"That's…!" I grit my teeth. "If you must know, my dam was apparently on the small side!"

"Is that why you're giving me the handbag look?" Jahara asked. "Because I'm pretty sure you could pull it off without breaking a sweat and it's really creeping me out."

"...Apologies," I muttered, forcing myself to look away from her. "There are simply questions I want answers to and the potential answer source is currently… not present."

"Hey, it's not like I'm going to keep you here! If you wanna leave…"

"And let you continue with your rampage?" I demanded, returning my gaze back to her and causing her to flinch yet again. "No. Where I go, you're going. The only problem is, I left a message for Lucy to meet me here, at the site of our fight…"

"I wasn't going to go into a rampage! I just figured I could, maybe, you know, scare people off by looking all terrifying and breathing some fire into the air. Maybe I'd ignite a few trees? Then I'd just sneak a bite or two from the abandoned stalls before people start filtering back in again."

"I'm not sure they will be coming back anytime soon," I replied. "Not if anyone figured out my presence in all this mess." It was hard to believe my flight through the skies had gone unnoticed. If nothing else, my midair fight and our eventual finale should have been fairly flashy.

"So… there's still a chance I could grab some food once you're done with me?" Jahara asked, giving me puppy dog eyes.

"You…" Where, exactly, was the vicious dragon that had just been trying to kill me?! "Fine. If it's food you wish, then it's food you shall have so long as you promise to shut up about it. After I heal you, though. Perhaps you can focus on food with such big holes in your hand and side, all covered in blood, but it's bothering me."

Saying so I walked over to her and put my hands on her hand and side and intoned the holy words to heal her injuries. She looked surprised as she examined her hand and side, now completely healed, before letting out a yelp as I repeated the water trick I did earlier to clean her off as well. Then I bent down to snatch up my Empty Bag and began to pull forth bowls and plates. Tomato stew that had been simmered slowly over the course of a day, steak so tender it would fall apart at a touch, and of course some crispy fries with a side of spicy… not-quite-ketchup. The taste was almost there, but the consistency was off.

"I could have cleaned myself off, thank you very much!" Jahara said indignantly, jumping around to shake off any lingering water.

"Have at it," I declared, as I manipulated the soil to form a simple table made of compacted earth. Placing the dishes down, I ignored Jahara's suddenly ended complaints, her gasps of shock, as well as the disaster of an eating scene that followed as the dragon began to rampage and gobble everything up with her bare hands, even going so far as to stick her fingers directly into the stew to scoop it up. I suppose I would see if she really could clean herself up after making a mess of herself again

I focused instead on something much less distressing - my wardrobe. I'd been naked ever since she had tried setting me on fire and now I'd washed off even the ashen remains of my outfit. It was only natural that I pulled more clothes from my bag. A backless red crop top and a short black skirt, to be precise, alongside a new pair of heels.The latter in particular helped, my bad mood dispersing a little now that my footwear situation had been dealt with.

"Oh man, what is this stuff?" Jahara asked between bites of food. "I mean, it's all stuff I had before, but the meat, the stew! It tastes so much better than what I usually get!"

"Of course. No matter how good the food at those stalls may be, they simply lack the sheer amount of experience, time, and care that goes into a palace dish. I can't help but notice you didn't mention the fries…"

"I mean, they're alright? Not something I've had a lot of before, so I guess that's nice. Sauce is new, too. But it's just… I mean, they're potatoes. There's sort of a limit to what you can do with them, you know?"

Lacking a mirror, at the time, I'm not entirely sure what expression I made in response to that blasphemous statement. I do know that it caused Jahara to shut up in a hurry, though, busying her mouth with eating instead. Probably for the best, even if her table manners had somehow gotten even worse...

For my own part, I pulled out a plate of fries and ketchup, determined to properly enjoy what the damn dragon failed to appreciate. We ate in silence, each of us focused on our food, and neither of us having anything to say to the other.

For my part, I was still rather annoyed at the situation I'd found myself in. Even if it was ultimately my fault for rushing ahead without a second thought. I wondered what was wrong with me that I'd rush out to risk myself for people who weren't even mine without a second thought… but I knew that if I hadn't Lucy would have the moment she got back and I didn't even want to think about the way she'd look at me if I refused to help those in need. Regardless of whether I was met with forgiveness or hatred, it would surely have altered our relationship.

…Not that the damn dragon had even intended on hurting anyone, apparently, but I hadn't known that at the time!

As for why Jahara kept silent… I'd like to say it was tactfulness, but mostly I think she was just too invested in her food to spare me any attention. Especially since I kept pulling out more from my bag, letting her stuff her face until, finally…

"That's it! Enough! I've made up my mind!"

"On what?" I inquired, arching an eyebrow.

"On joining you! I don't care how scary you are, if working for you comes with perks like this I am one hundred percent on board!"

"You…" I stared at Jahara for a long moment. "I don't recall ever giving you a choice, you know…"

Whether she'd intended to hurt people or not, Jahara's actions had forced the evacuation of an entire city. Who knew how many people had gotten hurt in the process? If nothing else they'd been severely inconvenienced. In truth, I hadn't decided what to do with Jahara at all, but letting her go had never been an option.

"I suppose it's for the best if you're following me around willingly…" I conceded after a moment.

"At your command, boss!" Jahara declared, hand on her heart…. Or at least I initially assumed she was aiming for thereabouts, only to be caught off guard when she put a hand on her stomach instead. "Just keep on feeding me, alright?"

"I'll let the kitchens know to prepare extra meals in the future," I replied, rolling my eyes. "Many extra meals. For now, though, I'll ask you to be quiet, clean yourself off, and put some clothes on. I need to think." I took a spare outfit from the Empty Bag and handed it to her.

"Sure thing boss!" Jahara declared, miming the locking of her lips with a hand before winding back her arm to throw away the 'key.' I was speechless when she actually followed through and tossed the invisible key hard enough to send her spinning, as if she'd truly sent it sailing over the treetops. Afterwards, she looked in the direction she'd thrown the 'key' with a pleased grin before turning to put on the outfit I'd given her. Thankfully, she realized on her own that she was still covered in the debris of her food rampage, before I had to stop her. A quick spell was enough to incinerate any mess left on her before actually putting on the outfit.

I shook my head and said nothing, lost in thought about what to do next… or at least I wanted to be caught up in thoughts of logistics. I already knew what I wanted to do next, though - I knew who I needed to talk to in order to get the answers that I sought. I just didn't want to think about what those answers might be. I still had a terrible feeling in my gut whispering that I wouldn't like the answers.

So, instead, I went over my plans in my head again and again. How I'd make it back to the tower - flight, most likely, unless Lucy thought to bring the teleportation pad with her - what I'd say to Abigail - I'd keep the small talk to a minimum; I wasn't in any state to enjoy her company, and she certainly wouldn't enjoy mine as I was right now - and who I'd talk to first - Sylvanna. If anyone knew where Doll was, it would be her.

Of course, there were also some worries about Lucy to keep my mind occupied. Would she be mad at me for racing off without her? Would she have preferred I come to get her on her date? Had I done what she would have done? What would she have done, if I'd died?

Eventually my brooding silence was interrupted by the sound of branches breaking, twigs snapping, and a loud, "Hello? Eena? Are you out here?" as a familiar figure came walking through the woods, panting heavily from exertion. She'd probably run all the way here.

"I'm over here, Grell!" I called out, trying not to let the exasperation show on my face. "Did you really chase me all the way out here? Why?"

"To punch a dragon, of course!" Grell replied, standing up straight so she could puff out her chest and toss her blonde locks over her shoulder. "And to arm wrestle the… Demon Queen? Wow. You're… the Demon Queen?"

"I thought I made that fairly obvious when I sprouted the black wings," I remarked. "Though I suppose I lacked my trademark white hair at the time."

"Right… You're… the Demon Queen," Grell muttered. "I'm going to arm wrestle the Demon Queen! Wow. That's one heck of a story. You're, uh, not going to smite me or anything, are you?"

"Please. If I was going to be killing anyone it would be our new dragon friend. If she's still standing then you're certainly fine."

"Right!" Grell shot me a weak smile. "Does… uh… the Heroine know?"

"Does it matter to you if she does?" I shot back.

"Maybe? I mean, politically it's a pretty big deal I think…. Also probably says something about the state of the world and our potential doom? Or something? Honestly, I suck at complex topics like that. I mean, the way you apologized, and then ran off to fight… Really I'm just confused! Especially without Dyona to explain everything to me. So at the end of the day, I'm mostly just here to do what I do best - punching problems until they go away! And, uh, making sure you know Dyona's stopping any messenger birds from going out with word of a demon's presence. That's probably important, right?"

Air rushed out of me in a loud sigh, a tension I wasn't even aware I was carrying fading away in that moment. It seemed that Lucy wouldn't be getting into trouble after all. At least not right away. With luck, maybe we could even figure a way out of this mess together…

"Thank you," I said after a moment. "The dragon is right before you. Feel free to punch her to your heart's desire."

"H-hey!" Jahara protested.

"You can take it, can't you?" I asked, arching an eyebrow. "I doubt a human fist would even leave a bruise on you. And I thought you'd locked your mouth shut?"

"Th-!" Suddenly shuttering her mouth, Jahara turned and ran off into the woods. Grell and I just looked at each other in bemusement until she came back a few moments later, triumphantly holding her hand forward to show off her invisible key, and then unlocked the padlock she'd mimed setting on herself.

"Ahem. Well, yeah, but that's besides the point! You can't just offer me up as a punching bag!"

"I certainly have to commend you for your commitment to the bit. I'll treat you to dessert."

"So, about using me as a punching bag!" Jahara replied, giving Grell a sharp toothed smile. "Should I change into my full dragon form? Or my full human form? That one would probably hurt you the least to punch."

"...Eena… Did you… tame… the dragon I wanted to punch?"

"A little," I confessed. "She was rather easy to win over, actually… It turns out the quickest way to a woman's heart really is through her stomach. Is that a problem?"

"Of course it's a problem! I can't go around punching people's pets!"

"Uh, I'm more of a freelance employee, I think…"

"She's more of a pest than a pet," I said simultaneously.

"I'll totally challenge you both to arm wrestling, though!"

"You'll lose," I warned her. "Even against Jahara, I suspect."

"What's this 'even' nonsense!? I am strong, I tell you! Super strong!"

"Probably!" Grell agreed, ignoring the protests of the local pest who was now hopping up and down in indignation. "But hey, how many girls can say they got totally wrecked by the Demon Queen and her pest dragon?"

I stared at Grell for a moment before letting out a sigh at Grell's persistence and phrasing, and then gestured towards the earthen table. "Very well. In return I'd like you to carry a message to Lucy. Let her know that I have something urgent to take care of in the tower and that she should join me there when she gets the chance. She'll know what I mean."

"Done!" Grell declared, plopping her elbow down on the table and lifting her hand up for me to take.

I did so, getting my own arm into position before throwing a glance Jahara's way. "If you wouldn't mind being the judge for this one?"

"Sure thing, boss! On the count of three!" Jahara declared by way of answer. "One! Two! Go!"

The bout itself went about as expected, of course. Perhaps a little better? Grell survived without so much as a sprain, after all. The table I'd made on the other hand… didn't.

"Gah! My stew!"



Flying upon a dragon was an interesting experience. One that Jacob likely would have enjoyed greatly, seeing as how it was one of his whimsical fantasies I was currently living out. Unfortunately for me though, I found it rather dull. Also uncomfortable. The scales beneath my legs were unable to deal any damage to me, but if I were a normal human I was pretty sure their sharp, rough edges would have shredded the skin on my thighs.

It was fast, though. Faster than I could fly? I couldn't say. It wasn't as if I could simply leave the dragon behind, though, so even if she was slower than me it didn't make much of a difference in the end. Even if we'd been flying side by side I'd have had to keep pace with her since I certainly wasn't willing to carry her the whole way.

Regardless, with her flying at top speed and me focusing my magic on creating a proper shield against the wind, I doubt it took more than an hour or two before the tower was in sight. When we reached the edge of its surrounding wasteland, however, I tapped Jahara's back twice - a signal to go down.

"I don't need you causing panic in the tower," I told her once we'd landed and she'd craned her neck around to look at me. "Take your dragon girl form and we can fly the rest of the way side by side."

"Whatever you say, boss!" Jahara agreed, somehow managing to give a salute with one of her paws. The feminine voice was a little… disconcerting, coming from a mighty dragon, but so long as she was voicing agreement I figured I could deal with it.

I soon found to my disappointment that Jahara was noticeably slower in her human form. She was weaker, too, apparently, and felt naked with so few scales covering her. Though to be fair, the red dress she'd conjured onto herself was apparently made of transformed scales and boasted similar defensive properties. Perhaps the fact that it could come off was the source of her discomfort?

I wasn't in the mood to question her or voice my mild annoyance that she hadn't mentioned this ability before receiving one of my spare outfits earlier. As such we traveled to the tower in silence, reaching the hundred and first floor without issue.

"The kitchens are that way," I told Jahara, pointing towards a nearby door. "You can ask Lenora to cook you something if she's on duty. Just tell them I sent you."

"Wait, you're letting me out of your sight? Does this mean you trust me?! It's a sign of growth in our relationship!"

"It's a sign of the space being too small for you to transform and the walls likely being indestructible. Just… don't hurt Lenora, or anything. She's a dragon girl."

"Ew…" Jahara grumbled, wrinkling her nose. "A dragon girl? Seriously?"

"Will that be a problem?" I questioned her. "I know monsters don't tend to like the monster girls that evolve from them, but I'd have thought you beyond such instincts. Not to mention that right now you are a dragon girl too."

"I mean, it's not like I'm going to act on them or anything. But still… being near a dragon girl puts my scales on edge," Jahara replied. "My form is different. It's just an in-between state between human and dragon, not something… unnatural like that."

"You'll have to deal with it. I've got something I need to do."

Saying so, I parted ways with Jahara and made my way back out the window of the hundred and first floor. I briefly considered going to see Abigail - there was a chance she was still on her date, and I was sure neither she nor Lucy would mind its interruption for something like this. At the same time, though, I couldn't help but think they deserved a care-free date. If they were still on it I honestly didn't wish to interrupt, and if they weren't then it was likely only a matter of time before Lucy popped in of her own accord.

And… to be honest… I wasn't entirely in the mood for a conversation at the moment. Not even with those I loved.

With that in mind one can imagine how little I was looking forward to talking with Sylvanna, who's door I soon found myself knocking on.

Silence followed my knock for a long moment before I heard a squelchy noise. The door creaked open to reveal a slimy pink figure. It was a large portion of her body, too, much to my relief - about six feet of her.

"Devilla?!" she asked, surprised to see me. "What do you want?"

"Where's Doll?"

"What? Not going to ask after my day?" she demanded, crossing her arms. "Maybe tell me how you're doing on your quest for the fucking depetrification spell? I know you offloaded it onto your maid already, but if you're planning to make excuses then you could at least make them yourself."

"Where is Doll, Sylvanna?" I repeated through gritted teeth. "I need to talk to her."

"Well, maybe I need to talk to you. You know, I don't appreciate it when-"

"Shut up, Sylvanna!" I interrupted. "I am not in the mood for this! But you know what? If you want me to transform your people back so badly I can start right now. I can't guarantee anyone I try it on will survive, but I'm sure there's one or two people you wouldn't mind me testing on, hmm? Perhaps someone you've always hated? Or perhaps you want me to test it on you? I'd have to petrify you first, but I'm fairly sure I could turn you back without too much damage. You're a slime, so you might even be able to piece yourself back together if things go wrong! Maybe."

"I-" Sylvanna actually flinched and took a step back at my glare. She was staring at me with wide eyes. "You…"

"I will get my hands on the proper spell," I continued. "I will heal your people. I'm not delaying or making excuses to waste time. It's literally the next thing on my docket. But right now I need to meet with Doll."

Sylvanna recovered her composure as she scowled at me, not saying anything. Then she turned around, sloshing back to her desk and yanking open a drawer. Reaching in, she pulled something out and tossed it my way.

"Here," she said, glaring at me. "She said you'd know what it meant."

I stared down at the object in my arms - at the toy I hadn't seen since I was a child.

Then I turned around and walked out the door without another word, taking my stuffed rabbit with me.



Standing in front of my mother's bedroom, I took a deep breath. Unnecessary? Perhaps, but it was calming. At least in theory. In truth, my heart was beating a mile a minute and my palms were clammy as I reached for the door. The stuffed bear still in my arms helped comfort me a bit.

I half expected it to be locked, it was supposed to be locked, but it opened easily. On the other side was my mother's bedroom, a room so similar to my own. The bed was in the same place, the nightstand besides it a near duplicate of mine. The closet door was open, though, revealing an empty space where clothes had been tossed aside - and on the other side of it was another open door. That was something I was certain didn't exist in my own closet… Not that I'd ever checked.

Shaking that thought off I walked forwards, towards, and then through the door into a large empty space. A white room with walls so uniform that the floor, ceiling, and everything all blended together, creating a blank space that seemed to stretch on for eternity.

In the center of the room was a podium, atop which was a black ball. It pulsated with not just light but holy magic - powerful enough that I could sense it the moment I entered the same room. Potent enough that it likely should have spilled out into the bedroom as well.

I wasn't going to question why it didn't, though. It was probably just some feature of the room, anyways. My attention was focused solely on the person feeding it magic.

General Doll. She stood there, with her straight black hair and her dark eyes, features perfectly doll-like, her attention focused solely on me. For a long moment neither of us said a word. It was as if every word I'd wanted to say, every question I'd wanted to ask, had fled me. I had plenty of them, starting with the nature of this place and ending with the nature of myself, yet not one left my lips.

Not until Doll spoke.

"Tell me truthfully, Devilla," she said in a monotone voice. "You messed up the Rite. Correct?"

I didn't say anything. I couldn't say anything. Her eyes pierced me like a thumbtack through a bug.

"The Rite of Insight. The one spell every Demon Queen must cast upon their coronation. The spell which seals you to your duty and makes you the 'true' queen. You messed it up, didn't you?"

Again, I said nothing. I didn't even breathe. I just swallowed.

"I heard the words you spoke. I've heard them many times before. You said the last word wrong, yet the spell still seemingly went off. Even I was fooled into thinking it had somehow succeeded anyways… but it didn't, did it?"

I opened my mouth, then closed it. For all that I'd come to interrogate her, I felt less like her Queen in that moment and more like an errant child.

Still, after a moment I managed to ask, "So what if it didn't?"

Now it was Doll's time to stay silent, as her eyes trailed over me, taking in every inch of my form before her gaze finally settled on my own again.

"If it didn't succeed," she began, "then it failed. And if it failed… then it means your mother's wish came true somehow. It means you're the first Demon Queen in history to escape Luci's thrall and geas."

Content warning: Discussion of suicide and suicide adjacent actions.

Silence hung in the air as we stared at each other. Doll seemed content with the silence, apparently having said what she wished, while I didn't even know where to begin. In the end, though, I suppose the decision was obvious - I decided to start with the beginning.

"Geas? What geas?"

"The 'Rite of Insight' is actually a spell of control," Doll replied, her voice as flat as ever. Even her eyes seemed dim somehow, devoid of their usual contempt. "One which binds you to the position of 'Queen.' One which forces you to play your role as she intended."

"Can you stop with the cryptic nonsense and just tell me what the hell you actually mean?!" I demanded, frustrated that even now she was being vague and evasive. "Why would Luci create a geas like that? To ensure that we would do our part in the war? That we wouldn't run away?"

"In part," Doll confirmed, slowly nodding her head. "But the part she intends you to play is not the one you think."

"Meaning?" I asked with impatience. The venom was dripping from my voice as my hands clenched and only the feeling of something soft in my left hand kept me from forming proper fists. It was the stuffed rabbit I'd recovered from Sylvanna. The one Doll had left for me to find.

"You stand upon a grand stage," Doll said, speaking slowly and carefully. "The setting is an endless war that is only now approaching its conclusion after over two millennia. Your role was to be the final Demon Queen. She who falls at the Heroine's hand, and bringing peace to the land… or so I imagine, at any rate. It's not as if Luci actually told me any of her plans."

"You're saying I'm supposed to die?" I asked, wishing to confirm Doll's words. "To L… to the Heroine?"

"Correct, but you already knew that. It was part of how you were raised- to be a sacrifice for everyone else. Like your mother, and her mother before her, and every mother before that all the way back to Luci herself," Doll confirmed. "No, that isn't quite right. All the way back to Luci except for her. She makes you fight and she makes you fall, but she only pretended to fill the same role herself."

"That… that doesn't even make any sense," I replied, trying to ignore all the ways in which it did. How it explained why I, unbound by the geas, was impervious to attacks that would have ended my supposed equal… How I had theorized that it might be possible to will myself weaker… "Are you saying it binds our strength?"

"Worse. It forces you to bind your strength. Forces you to cap it, keep it low, and fight the Heroine on equal terms to her."

"So you mean it forces us to fight until we die?" I asked, clinging to the faint hope that I'd misunderstood what Doll had to say. That she wasn't claiming everything I knew to be a lie. "You're saying Luci didn't trust her descendants to do their job?"

"I'm saying that a Demon Queen - an angel - could never be slain by a human under normal circumstances. Not even if she was substantially weakened and out of magic. Luci would never give a mortal that sort of power."

"Luci would… what?" I asked, my mind spinning. "Luci is dead. She died fighting against one of the first Heroines! Against the being her sisters empowered!"

"Luci still lives. She still leads. It was she who came up with the plan to plunge us into war with the humans. She who ensured that the war would be endless. She who sends Demon Queens to their deaths even now."

"By forcing them to fight?" I asked, desperate for her to tell me I was wrong.

"By forcing them to lower their defenses and be slain," Doll replied, somehow monotone and merciless at the same time. "Did you not think it strange that no prior Demon Queen ever led any serious attacks on human lands to conquer them or sought to exterminate them all by herself? You know you have the power necessary to do that if you wanted to. Did you think it a coincidence that your mother was the only Demon Queen to ever fall to her first Heroine? The only Demon Queen to ever die without a princess of age ready to take her place?"

"I… I thought it was because she'd just given birth to me…" That's what everyone always said. That she was weakened because of me. That she was unable to fight at her best. That it was my fault.

Certainly no one had ever implied it was Luci's.

"...You're lying," I said after a long moment. "There's no way Luci is still alive. It's been over two thousand years!"

"Angels are made to last for eternity," Doll replied, her voice still flat, her face still expressionless.

"She fell from grace! She gave up her powers to stand against the Heroine!"

"She changed the color of her wings and nails to black and acted to bring the various monster girls under her banner. She worked in coordination with her sisters who were still in heaven to choose the most militant branch of the Goddess's church and help their ascendance to power with angelic backing. It was her idea to create the Heroine in the first place. To make this war one of extermination."

"That's… that can't be true!" I said, shaking my head in denial. "It goes against everything I was ever taught! Everything everyone was taught! Luci… Luci was the hero who helped us survive this far!"

"Luci is the angel who orchestrated this war."

"Why?" I demanded. "Why would she even want to do such a thing?"

"Why would the angels suddenly pick the human side in a war that barely existed as such? Two thousand years ago there were skirmishes, but nothing of any serious scale. Not until Luci stepped in and played both sides of the conflict."

"But… why?!" I demanded. I could feel tears running down my face, but I paid them no mind. They didn't feel real at this moment. Nothing did.

"She never told me, but she must have her reasons. Not even she is so cruel and mercurial as to cause so much death and suffering for no reason. I only know that she intended for it to last for as long as possible. For Heroines to rise and fall, fighting against Demon Queens and dying directly in the aftermath. For Demon Queens to stand in the back until it's time to fight to the death, going again and again until she decides it's time to end the charade and begin anew. At least until your mother derailed everything.."

"...My mother?" I asked, clutching onto the change in topic. The idea that Luci had betrayed us… it was too much to think about right then. She was practically a figure of worship for us! Her choice to descend to the mortal realm was the only reason we'd survived as long as we had! She couldn't possibly be back in heaven, watching all this while laughing and eating popcorn… right?

"Your mother was a menace," Doll declared emotionlessly. "She fought against the geas every chance she got."

"She tried to break free?" I asked. "Did she succeed?"

"No," Doll replied, shaking her head. "She did not fight to escape. She fought to irritate."

"...Irritate?"

"Yes," Doll confirmed with a slow nod. "She would go out of her way to annoy Luci. She exploited every loophole she could find to that end and that end alone. If she couldn't insult Luci for being selfish, she'd do acts of charity in Luci's name, knowing she would hate to see her own flesh and blood doing physical labor among the peasants. She'd make sure to very loudly do it in Luci's name as well, telling everyone made up stories about how Luci herself used to do numerous unpleasant jobs to help her people."

"That sounds… petty…" Not exactly befitting the image I had of my late mother.

"It was very petty," Doll agreed. "But so is Luci. I'm sure she was quite bothered by it… It's not like your mother stopped there, in any case. She explored and stressed the limits of her geas like none that came before her, putting every ounce of energy she had into defying Luci in even the petty ways. She would lie about Luci's favorite breakfast cereal, share embarrassing stories, value troop lives over territory and hasten our eventual defeat…"

"...One of those sounds very different from the others." I was unable to help myself. Not even with tears streaking down my cheeks.

"Yes. Your mother's efforts to end the war were the final straw, to be honest. Everything she'd done before, I could accept, but once she started messing with Luci's grand plan…"

"What did you do to her?!" I demanded, my eyes narrowing as my fists clenched. The sound of a stitch straining forced me to relax a moment later, reminding me that I carried something precious. Something my mother had left for me.

Doll didn't seem to care either way. This entire time she had been regarding me cooly, her expression still blank. After a moment or two she said, "I helped her."

"...Helped her?" I questioned. "You'll have to forgive me if I'm a little skeptical. You just told me that my ancestor was a traitor and that you've been sitting on this information for… how long?"

"Two thousand years, approximately. Though I was not really conscious at the beginning of it all - not until Luci's daughter modified and added to my enchantments to the point I gained true sentience…"

"And you didn't tell anyone?!" I demanded. "This entire time?!"

"...Demon Queens are not the only ones bound. Many restrictive enchantments have been placed upon my body. I am, generally speaking, unable to speak of these matters to anyone but the Demon Queen. The 'true,' post rite Demon Queen."

"And yet you're telling them to me," I pointed out. "Someone who didn't do the rite properly."

"I am," Doll confirmed with a nod. "But these are special circumstances… Do you know what it is I have my hand upon?"

I glanced at the dark ball her hand was resting on. It was set into the dais at the center of the room, swirling with holy energy. "Some sort of enchanted item, I assume?"

"It is the charging station for this tower. For two thousand years, Demon Queens have fueled this tower's many enchantments by pouring energy into this dais. It can store quite a lot. Enough to survive a twenty-one year drought, even… though it was getting close to running out when I finally decided to put my hand on it."

"So you're fueling it?" I asked. "How?! You're not an angel or a Heroine. You're an artificial construct, aren't you? There's no way you can wield holy magic."

"Correct," Doll confirmed again. "I cannot wield such magic. I am simply powered by it."

"Then… You're transferring your energy stores?" I asked. "To fill up the tower? Why? You could have simply asked me."

"You are technically correct that I am fueling the tower, but it would be more accurate to say that I am draining my own power supply. Though, in truth I finished doing so long before you ever came in. At this point the moment I take my hand away from the podium I shall finally run out of power and die."

"...What?" I whispered.

"The enchantments that control me rely on holy magic to function," Doll informed me. "They utilize the very power that drives me in order to restrict me. Right now, however, there is no power within me. I am drawing out exactly the amount I need to stand and speak and nothing more. For the first time in two thousand years, my own enslavement geas is - quite literally - powerless."

"But… If you let go…"

"When I release the podium I will be completely without any holy magic. This should permanently end the enchantments placed on me - both those that control me and those that give me life. If you find a way to charge this body again, feel free. I will happily donate this shell to you as a blank slate if it helps to achieve my goal."

"Your goal?"

"I want to make a mess so big that Luci herself will have no choice but to come down and fix it personally. I want to reveal her true identity and derail her plans. To make whatever she's been working toward for these last two thousand years fail… or, failing that, to annoy her in the same petty way your mother did. It is to that end that I agreed to help your mother."

"My mother?" I asked. "We're back to her again? You… said that you helped her, didn't you? But also that she went too far. What's that about?"

"She found and exploited too many loopholes. She annoyed Luci while forcefully altering the timeline Luci had planned for. As such, I expected Luci to tighten up her geas and eliminate whatever loopholes she could find. If you'd taken the geas, you would likely have found yourself more restricted than all who'd come before you, completely enslaved to her will. It would have been utterly impossible for you to derail, or even irritate, Luci."

"So… you worked together with my Mother… to ensure I wouldn't be bound in the first place?"

"Correct. The original plan was for me to drain myself right before your coronation so that I could reveal everything to you before you took the Rite. Unfortunately, your childhood development was… sub-optimal. I decided that trying to keep you from being controlled by the geas would be too great a risk for too low a chance of success. I was planning to instead wait for my next opportunity - no matter how long it took."

"Wait. You were going to let me take the Rite? Let me be enslaved?"

"I was going to do the same thing I have done for the last two thousand years - wait endlessly. I will likely only have one chance to upset Luci before she destroys me. I did not wish to waste it on a brat who likely lacked what it takes to survive on her own."

"You…" I took a deep breath, forcing myself to calm down. I hugged my stuffed rabbit to my chest. "You chose to sacrifice me. Like all those who came before me."

"I did. And yet, somehow you avoided the geas despite this. If I didn't know better, I would think it was your mother's handiwork… but there is no way Luci would allow her anywhere near the mortal realm now that she's been slain."

"Wait - what do you mean the mortal realm?" I demanded. "Are you saying-"

"That your mother is alive?" Doll interrupted. "I told you, did I not? Luci would never give a mortal enough power to actually hurt an angel. Their physical bodies may have been slain, but such things are only an inconvenience for an angel. Your souls can construct new housing for themselves if given time. Luci and her angels simply make a point of scooping up any wayward Demon Queen souls before that can happen."

"My mother… is alive?" I whispered.

"Likely trapped, but yes." Doll tilted her head a little to the right, frowning. "I am surprised to find you so invested in this. You only knew her for a few hours at best, did you not? Even with an angel's perfect memory you should barely have any recollection of her."

"She's my mother" I whispered, as if that explained anything. Maybe it did. Doll didn't seem to think so, though, from the way she shrugged.

"I have a letter for you from her, if you wish to take it."

"...What?" I whispered.

"I said I have a letter for you from her, if you wish to take it."

"Why do you…?"

"The Rite of Insight promises the wisdom of your ancestors after the completion of the spell, does it not?" Doll reminded me. "That part at least isn't entirely a lie. To be precise, it offers you access to the knowledge I have stored over the last two thousand years. I will warn you a fair portion of my memory is taken up by letters such as the one your mother wrote, though. In fact, they are mostly from mothers begging forgiveness from their daughters. Though the geas has a large effect on the actions and expressed personality of an individual, often preventing them from forming close bonds with even their family members, it would appear each nevertheless feel guilty about their daughters having to go through the same thing they had suffered."

"That's… I mean…" I didn't even know where to begin. "Just… give me the letter. Please."

"Of course," Doll said. "Would you like me to write it down, or would you prefer the audio recording?"

"The… Just… write it down." As much as the recording intrigued me, I did not want to hear my mother's voice from Doll's lips right now. I wasn't even sure I would be able to recognize it as such, given I had no memory of her actually speaking at all…

"Of course," Doll said, reaching into her skirt pocket with her free hand and withdrawing a folded piece of paper. "I took the liberty of writing it down for you in advance."

I didn't say thank you. I simply took the letter from Doll's hands, opening it up and scanning its contents. I don't know what I expected to find. A clinical explanation, such as Doll had given me? Confirmation of her words?

Whatever I was expecting, it certainly was not what I saw.



My dearest Devilla,

If you're reading this, then that means that bitch Luci finally sent me to my death. Probably getting revenge for that one time I said she used to dig latrines. Or that story I told about her barking like a dog to make some redblood kid happy. Or maybe she's just pissed that I keep retreating instead of fighting… who knows?

Does it matter? Nope! It doesn't. Screw her. This letter is about you, Devilla. My precious baby girl. Did you know I named you after a story? One that's been passed down in our family from generations. Supposedly Luci shared it with her daughter once when she was feeling a bit maternal, though I doubt the bitch is even capable of caring about anyone other than herself. It's all about this girl named Devil who defies the heavens and carves out her own destiny. I sorta changed it to give you a little of my own name, too - hope you don't mind - but… at the end of it all, that story's what I want for you. For you to defy heaven, and carve out your own path. Even if it means using the very tools Luci's given you.

Things… things are going to be tough going forward. I mean, if you're reading this letter in particular, that means you avoided the geas, right? My plan worked! Doll actually did something other than stand there uselessly and helped for once in her damn life! You're actually free! Free to do whatever the hell you please. Free like I couldn't be…

Luci's… probably not gonna like that. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if she's breathing down your neck even as you read this. She's definitely going to come down from heaven the moment she notices things are wrong. She'll probably try and force another geas on you, too - but here's the thing…

She can't. At least not on her own. I mean, there's a reason she has us cast the spell on ourselves - one angel can't trap another like that! It only works because she's using our own damn magic to enslave us!

That means you have a card to play. You can make a deal, if you want. Get her to use a less restrictive geas on you, maybe? Not that I would actually trust Luci to keep her word… You could just promise to go along, I guess? Make sure you have some freedom, in this trap… I mean, the other option is fighting her, and I have no clue how that would go. She's an angel, just like us, but… she's also something special. The Goddess's representative. That means she's got strength the rest of us lack. She has access to Divine magic, rather than just holy. Beating her… is probably a pipe dream. Which is why, again, I'm going to point out the lovely card you have in your back pocket! The fact that whatever she's after, whatever she organized this damn war for, it's not going to end the way she wants without your cooperation! If Doll's letting you read this then that probably means she won't interfere, either. If anything, she'll be happy if you can earn her more time to plan something foolproof… I kinda forced her hand when it came to helping me, after all. Something about me making too big a mess?

You're… probably not going to go that route, though, huh? Not if you take after either of your parents. Maybe you won't wanna get tied down - like me - or you can't stand to see people suffer - like your dam. Or maybe there's someone you want to protect? Some reason for you to fight with all your might? I don't know… but… I somehow can't see you taking the route I'm suggesting.

No matter what route you take, though, I've got a request from you. A dying wish from your Mom, you could say. Not that I'm sure how much weight that'll hold with you… but still. It's too important for me not to ask of you, anyways.

Be selfish. Think of yourself, occasionally. Care about your own happiness. If not for your own sake, then for the sake of everyone who came before you - every ancestor of yours that never got the chance.

Also, know that you are loved. Know that I love you with all my heart, and that I'll support you no matter what your decision is.

I'm your Mom, after all, aren't I? That's sort of what we're here for. I know you'll make me proud.

Love,
Grimmilla.



"...I… Think I need a moment to process this," I whispered, closing my eyes and holding both the letter and stuffed rabbit tightly to my chest.

"I suggest thinking quickly," Doll replied. "There's someone outside the door."

Running through an actual forest with Dyona in my arms wasn't as easy as I'd thought it would be. Eena never seemed to struggle with carrying me, but Eena could also blast aside any obstacles before they became a problem. I was pretty strong, too, but not to the point of terraforming the land around me for an easier trip!

It was still a lot faster than letting Dyona walk, though. Or taking a horse, for that matter. The dense forest wasn't really the best place for riding one in the dark even if I was using magic to light our way!

"I think they're close!" I told Dyona as I ducked under yet another branch. "I smell burnt things!"

"It smells somewhat like my Lady Grell's attempts at cooking," Dyona replied. "We're likely getting close. …Are you sure it was wise to leave the city? If the bird keeper was to send a letter during our absence…"

"I'm pretty sure he doesn't want to go against 'the Heroine,'" I replied. "At least he seemed pretty scared of me once he realized who I was… and between that and Grell being a duke's daughter we should be able to keep him quiet for at least a little while."

"We could have made that a guarantee if you'd left me behind to guard him," Dyona pointed out.

"And leave you all worried about Grell? No way! It's important to check on our loved ones!"

"That's… I don't… I mean…" Dyona trailed off, her cheeks a light red.

"Even if you don't love her that way, you're still travelling companions, aren't you?" I pointed out. "You've been together so long it's only natural to worry about each other, right? Which means we need to know they're okay so we can do our best work on this end!"

"I… suppose I could concede that point…"

"Though if you do love her that way, I think you'd make a really cute couple!" I added, ducking under yet another branch. I'd honestly lost count of how many that was. It sort of made me envy Eena's ability to just blast her way through everything… but that just meant I had to work harder to reach her and make sure she was ok!

Dyona didn't reply right away. When she did speak it was so soft I almost missed it. "My Lady only cares for the strong. The weak have no place in her bed, let alone her heart."

"There's more than one kind of strength. I think the strength of your heart is actually the most important sort! I mean, anyone can get strong physically if they're dedicated enough."

"As much as I appreciate the concern, Heroine, I have no intention of fighting for my place by my Lady's side. She's already reliant upon me for her basic survival, after all. That's more than enough for someone like me."

"Someone like you?" I asked. I hadn't thought Dyona would have self-confidence issues, but she was sounding an awful lot like Eena.

"A sadistic servant who wishes for nothing more than to watch her mistress writhe. Now if you don't mind, I believe we're drawing close to my Lady, and I would truly prefer that she not overhear this conversation."

That… didn't seem like a very healthy relationship dynamic to me! I didn't say anything, though. Mostly because we broke into a clearing a moment later and had more pressing concerns to focus on.

I guess clearing might not be the right word for it? I mean, it was an open space, for the most part, but only because a bunch of trees had been knocked over. Even those that were still upright were charred black, their foliage completely burnt away.

"Heroine?" Grell called from the center of the clearing. "And… Dyona? You're… carrying… Dyona?"

The expression on Grell's face looked pretty complicated for a moment, but then she gave us both a smile. "Ok then! Good to see you. Did you manage to stop any birds from being sent?"

"Any new ones, anyway!" I said. "They already sent out some requests for help with the dragon, though. I don't think we'll be able to hide what happened for long." Not that anyone really seemed to know exactly what had happened. There were definitely rumors flying around about the dragon being knocked out of the sky by a winged figure, but a lot of people were saying that the Goddess must have sent an angel down to save them. At least one person must have spotted Eena, though - there's no way they weren't keeping an eye on the dragon as it came down, after all! That meant there was still a chance someone would connect my 'traveling companion' with the 'winged figure' that had fought the dragon.

There was something else bothering me for the moment, though… "Where's Eena?"

"You mean the Demon Queen?" Grell asked pointedly. "She rode off on her pest dragon a while back."

"Her… what dragon?" I asked.

"Do you mean pet?" Dyona asked at the same time.

I was pretty sure Eena didn't have a dragon for a pet, though… and even if she did, she'd never call it down upon the city! I guess it never actually attacked anyone other than her, though, even if it did cause a panic…

"I know what I said," Grell replied before I could think too deeply on the matter. "She said she was a pest. The dragon I wanted to punch… Give me back my dreams of valiant battle dammit! Ah, right… Jahara did promise I could arm wrestle her some day, so there's that to look forward to I suppose."

"Did she say where she was going?" I asked. "I thought the plan was for her to wait here for me?"

"She said something about having to go back to the tower." Grell replied. "She said you should use the usual way to meet her there as soon as you could, saying you'd know what she meant. What did she mean, though?"

The teleportation circle! Maybe Eena had already teleported back? But… why had she gone back to the tower in the first place? Was she just moving the dragon away from the city? Was there some other meaning to it?

"Sorry, but I can't tell you that! Did she say anything else?"

"Not really," Grell replied, shaking her head. "I mean, she arm wrestled me before leaving, which was cool and all - utterly destroyed me, by the way. Also the table. And the food. Totally worth it! Eena didn't look very happy about it though. She looked pretty upset actually… Not sure why."

"Upset?" Why would Eena be upset? What had happened during her fight with the dragon? She hadn't gotten hurt, had she? Or maybe…?

No, focus! I wasn't going to waste time worrying about potential problems when I could be working on definite solutions!

"I'm heading back to the city," I declared. "Grell, can you carry Dyona this time? I'll focus on clearing a path so that we can get back as quickly as possible!"

"Sure," Grell agreed with a shrug. "Does this mean you knew Eena was the Demon Queen, though?"

"Eena's the nicest, sweetest, most self-sacrificing person I know!" I replied, turning back to go the way we'd come. Thankfully I'd already made something of a path just getting here. "She's really strong, too! But… she really hates herself more than anything… all of that's way more important to me than her title!"

"But… Demon Queen?" Grell said, shooting Dyona a helpless glance. "Demon Queen equals bad, right?"

"I think the Heroine is claiming the situation to be a little more complicated than we thought," Dyona replied.

"...Does that mean it's okay for me to like her, too?"

Dyona nodded, which made me smile. I'd been ready to leap in for Eena's defense, but it hadn't been necessary.

"Come on!" I declared. "I want to see if Eena's back yet!"


Eena was not back yet. Not even with how long it took Grell and I to run back to town. A lot of that was probably just her needing to travel to the tower, though - and I knew that! I knew it, but… I couldn't help but worry.

"Maybe I should go check on her after all?" I asked myself, eyeing the teleportation circle. I wasn't sure going to the tower unannounced was a good idea, even if Eena had asked for me to join her there. It seemed an especially bad idea since I wouldn't be in a disguise… It wasn't like I needed to even step off of the teleportation pad though, right? I could just take a quick peek into the room, apologize if I saw anything I shouldn't, and come back again relieved that everything was ok! I mean, if nothing else, Abigail or Bailey would surely know what was going on, right?

With that in mind I took a deep breath, stepped up to the teleportation circle, and closed my eyes. That last part was sort of important, because I'd learned that seeing one scene suddenly transition to another could be pretty jarring.

"Lucy?!" a voice called out in surprise. "What are you doing back here?"

"Abigail?" I asked back, opening my eyes to see the succubus still in that same red dress I'd been admiring just an hour or so ago. "Do you know where Eena is?"

"Isn't she with you?" Abigail asked, her brow furrowing as she frowned.

"She had to fight a dragon and something about that apparently led to her going back to the tower?"

"She fought a dragon?!" Abigail seemed upset for a moment before pressing her fingers against her forehead and letting out a deep sigh. "Of course she fought a dragon. This is Devilla we're talking about. She doesn't even know the meaning of staying out of trouble!"

"I think that's a bit unfair… It's not like Eena called the dragon to her, or anything! She was just fighting to protect the town!"

"Yeah, yeah," Abigail muttered while waving me off. She let out another sigh. "I know, alright? It's not like she goes looking for trouble or anything - she just cares. A little too much for her own good, sometimes…"

"Does that mean you haven't seen her, though?" I asked. "Since you didn't know she fought a dragon, and all."

"I haven't," Abigail confirmed. "Haven't heard any news either other than something about someone making a mess in the kitchen, but that doesn't really sound like Devilla. Either she hasn't made it back here, or she didn't make much of a scene…"

"Queen back." A new voice came from the opposite side of the room from me. Slowly a figure rose up, her dark black hair tumbling down over her shoulders as she moved, her red horn almost seeming to glisten in the light.

"Bailey?" I knew she could take a humanoid form, but for most of the time we'd been together she hadn't been in it.

She nodded, thankfully. "Queen return little bit back. Came with red dragon woman. Queen sent Dragon to kitchen, then went somewhere else… not sure where. Was sleepy and Queen seemed too busy for play…"

"Did you have any idea where she might have gone?" I asked. Bailey shook her head, but Abigail frowned.

"I don't know either," she admitted, "but I know someone who might. Nobody keeps a better track of what's going on in the castle than her…"

"Is it Chloe?" I guessed.

"Okay, nobody except maybe Chloe keeps better track. The person we're going to see is a lot less pleasant to be around, but I don't think we have much choice if we want to know what's going on."

"We could try asking Chloe?" I suggested. "I mean, the person you're talking about doesn't sound like someone we should be asking favors from."

"I don't know where Chloe is," Abigail replied. "I do know where to find Sylvanna. That's assuming she'll even let us in without an appointment, though."

"We could also just wait for Eena?" I pointed out. "Maybe she has everything under control?"

"Maybe," Abigail admitted. "But do you really want to risk it? We both know Devilla isn't the sort to volunteer information on her problems, even if she will give it up when asked. If she's actually in trouble, she's probably going to try and figure everything out for herself without even thinking about involving the people who care about her."

"I guess that's true," I admitted, thinking back on my time with Eena. When it came to physical threats, I was sure she could handle just about everything! When it came to internal issues, though… It was less that she didn't want to involve other people, and more like she didn't seem to realize that her problems were truly 'problems' to begin with! Whatever she went through, she'd just say it was something she deserved.

"Look, you can go back and wait in the inn if you want to," Abigail told me, "but I for one am going to go hunt Sylvanna down. Are you with me, or not?"

There was only one possible answer I could give!

"Of course!"


Getting to see Sylvanna, thankfully, wasn't much of a problem. Her assistant let us right in! She did give me an odd look even though I'd gone through the trouble of changing out of my armor, and back into my date outfit. I guess looking like a normal human really did stand out around here… The General didn't look very happy to see us, either.

"Well, if it isn't Devilla's little girlfriend, pet, and… whoever the hell you are," Sylvanna drawled, looking over each of us in turn. "Let me guess. You're here to berate me over being mean to Devilla when she was down, or something?"

Bailey - currently in wolf form - growled at the slime woman, but Abigail held up a hand to stop her.

"We're here to find out where she is now," Abigail said through gritted teeth. "And it sounds a hell of a lot like you know where she would be."

"No clue," Sylvanna replied, shrugging her slimy shoulders. Normally I'd want to marvel at that since I'd never met anyone made of slime before, but at the moment I was a little too focused! "She asked me about Doll, I gave her some ragged old stuffed rabbit, and then she took off."

"A rabbit?" Abigail asked.

"I think she told me about this!" I volunteered. "She said she had a stuffed rabbit when she was little! Her mom gave it to her."

"Queen Grimmilla, huh?" Abigail asked. "I think I know where we need to go next… it's also the one place maids aren't allowed to go."

"I'm sure Eena will make an exception!"

"Let's hope she isn't actually there and doesn't actually need to," Abigail replied, her tail slicing through the air. "Come on, girls. Let's go."

"Some thanks would be nice, you know!" Sylvanna called out after us. "I mean, I help and I help and this is the thanks I get?"

I pivoted as we left, making sure to give Sylvanna a great big wave. "Thanks!"

I'm pretty sure Abigail was rolling her eyes as she looked at me. I knew why, too - Sylvanna was supposedly super mean to Eena, even if Eena herself would never put it that way. Still, that was that, and this was this! She'd given us a clue to help find her and showing appreciation for that was important! At the same time, now that I'd given thanks, I could put the slime girl out of my mind and focus entirely on finding Eena!

"Don't worry, Eena," I whispered to myself. "We'll find you soon!"


"Eena!" came a voice - Lucy's voice. In my shock, however, I failed to fully register it. I was too focused on her outfit. The casual red top and short black skirt, shorter than anything I'd ever seen her in. The snow white sun hat that covered her head, large enough to potentially be covering a pair of animal ears if one did not know better. Her actual ears were hidden by her hair, meanwhile. Not that the disguise really did anything to hide her from me - it was just…

"You're wearing casual clothes?"

"Uh-huh!" she declared, running through the door to scoop me up into a hug. For once outside of the bed I could actually feel the softness of her skin as she embraced me, the warmth of her touch and the heat of my own embarrassment as she spun me around while squeezing me tight. "It's what I wore for my date with Abigail!"

"What are… what are you doing here?" I asked, confused. "You're… I thought I told Grell you could wait for me rather than rushing over here?"

"I got worried, and she made it sound like you were really upset," Lucy confessed, slowing her spin to a stop and allowing my feet to once more touch the ground before finally parting from me. "Maybe I shouldn't have? I mean, it's not like I don't trust you or anything! It's just… you're the sort to try and face everything all on your own, even when there's people who really want to help!"

"People like us," Abigail remarked, walking in next. Bailey, who followed, nodded as well.

"This is highly irregular," Doll declared, frowning at my friends. My girlfriends… and Bailey. "Traditionally, only I and the current Demon Queen are allowed to enter this space."

"Yes, well, traditionally Demon Queens have apparently been little more than puppets for our ancestor, have we not? Perhaps it's time things started changing."

"Wait," Abigail said. "Wait wait wait… could you repeat that for me? Demon Queens are what traditionally?!"

"The were slaves," Doll answered, her voice as cold and flat as always despite the dramatic nature of her words. "To put it in the simplest terms. They were bound by an ancient geas put in place by Luci, disguised as the Rite of Insight. Those who take it are forced to take their place in an ancient play, a comically cruel charade of blood and death in which the Demon Queen leads our forces to their slow but inevitable demise, with them blind to the truth of their situation."

"Apparently my mother, and all those before her, were forced to fight and allow themselves to die at the hands of the Heroines."

"Huh?" Lucy asked.

"It's all a lie, Lucy," I told her, my voice almost a whisper. "Heroines and Demon Queens? Humans versus Demons? It's all some kind of deranged scheme… Something engineered by the supposedly 'fallen angel' we demons have always looked up to. The true leader of Heaven. Your namesake, Luci."

"That's…" Lucy frowned. "Okay, that sounds really bad! But I'm sure the Goddess-"

"The Goddess has been gone for over two thousand years," Doll declared. "I was there when she left."

My head snapped around towards Doll. "What…?"

"Where did you think I came from?" she asked, frowning at me. "I am an artificial servant, initially created by the Goddess to serve Luci, her head angel. Though I was far from sentient at the time, I was nevertheless alive the day the Goddess left the divine realms behind. Although I cannot say I personally witnessed the departure, I was present as Luci cried and cursed extensively about her leaving. I believe her destination was… some kind of coding bootcamp?"

"Coding…" I paled. "As in, for a video game?!" What did that mean? Was this, in truth, a video game? Was my entire life nothing more than digital data on someone's computer?

Thankfully, Doll shook her head. "Divine Magic is often routed through something similar to the Earthen construct known as a computer. Rather than depending purely upon the imagination of the caster, it is more reliable to to program the exact results you wish to see from your spell ahead of time. Holy and unholy magic are the same, for the record - your spells are both preprogrammed features activated by a password system, just powered by different energy sources."

"Unholy magic?" Abigail piped up. "Like… the stuff my ancestors used to wield?"

"Indeed," Doll agreed, nodding. "Unholy magic, also known as negative-aligned holy energy, is utilized by the demons of Hell, likely to this day. We are, however, getting wildly off topic."

"Well, perhaps I'd rather be off topic than actually confront the things you're saying," I confessed with a frown. I had to stop myself from asking Lucy to hold me again. "Such as the fact that my Mother was forced to sacrifice herself to the Heroine by one I once revered…"

"Yeah, that's… pretty hard to process," Abigail admitted. "And I'm not even directly involved."

Lucy… didn't say anything for a long moment. Then… "Does that mean I… wasn't picked by the Goddess?"

"You were likely chosen by Luci herself," Doll informed us. "A girl who would not exist without Grimmilla's intervention, chosen to kill Grimmilla's daughter? The mixture of sadistic irony and cruel pettiness was likely irresistible to her. I would not be surprised if Grimmilla was even forced to watch it happen."

"Wait," I said. "You know who Lucy is?"

"Of course. Do you think that the tower would lack the ability to detect a Heroine entering? You are lucky I suppressed the alarm before it could activate this and all the other times you brought her here. Though as to why you, of all people, would bring a Heroine to your room I could not initially understand - it was only when I saw you two hugging and talking peacefully together that I finally allowed myself to believe you had truly escaped the geas."

"Wait…" Lucy started speaking before pausing. She seemed shaken. "You're saying… I was only chosen to be the Heroine… to hurt Eena's mom by killing Eena?"