Not gonna lie, Nivera highlighted how utterly and hopelessly alone, and broken Devilla was and how the Tower society enabled it for short-term political gain and that Devilla isn't exactly fair to herself.
She would probably been better off raised by a pack of monster wolves, than this and we know it's a disaster and a half.
Yeaaaaah.... That's basically Nivera's role in the story, at least in part. She's here to give us insights into Devilla's past, because Devilla is too damn biased against herself to do a decent job of it. (Unfortunately Nivera has her own issues, which led to us seeing her at her absolute worst over the last couple chapters... Future interactions with her should be considerably less painful.)
P.S. I find it hard yo believe that people with this much chemistry and romantic tension can have sex and it be anything, but romantic, no matter what MC is saying. They ARE dating in all but name and you can't convince me otherwise!
Just because friends can have sex without it being romantic doesn't mean they can have sex without it being romantic... But let's let them have their delusions.
It speaks volumes that Devilla didn't even think about it even within the sanctity of her mind. If it was that traumatic I can imagine that it can be painful to even think about. She might've gotten better, but it doesn't mean she's ready to make up for all the hurt she caused. She doesn't believe it would be possible to make those amends nor that she's worthy of forgiveness, so tends to think in terms of pure problem solving: helping others indirectly, impersonally.
Even with somebody like Sylvanna, Devilla being put before an ultimatum, it would be hard to determine whether she's motivated by fear for herself or for her people and genuine remorse. And they won't see it, as long as she keeps accepting prior assessment of her, while trying to problem solve around them (though, it is nice that she asked Sylvanna to help her).
She's been bouncing around between different people's demands and her plans had been derailed every time she was confronted or being demanded things to make up for her past misdeeds. Devilla might crash and burn very hard soon enough, if things continue like that.
And I also hope she'll make it up for her spyder-mistress girl 🥺😢😭. (Sulking insulted spymaster with nothing to lose is usually a very bad sign for your long-term state stability)
Devilla is not exactly fit to be a ruler of the nation, because apparently nobody was preparing her for that role. And she's an orphan, raised by servants in total isolation...
This is all such a cluster fuck of epic proportions, of hurt egos, crushed dreams, state interests and internal politics... AAAAAAAAAAAAH!
At least, things with Lucy go an O-K. Nothing can go worse on that front. Nothing at all. Absolutely nill. Nada. Zilch. Smooth as a butter.
I awoke to the sound of a soft moan, and the sensation of something squeezing tightly about my waist. A quick glance was all it took to spot the culprit - a pair of slender arms, attached to a sleeping Heroine, whose head was currently resting upon my breasts.
"Eena…" she whispered, before giggling in her sleep. "You're so cute…"
Me? She was the one who literally exuded adorability, even in her sleep.
"You know I don't care how tall or small you are, right…?"
"Just who are you calling small!?"
Lucy's form tensed against my own as her eyes snapped open, surprise and fear momentarily painting her features. It was almost odd to see how swiftly that fear faded, once her eyes landed upon me. As if… no, because my presence put her at ease.
Even if it was only possible because she didn't know who I was… And yet, she was okay with not knowing who I was, so…
"Eena? Are you okay?"
"Is it just me, or are you asking that an awful lot?" I remarked, propping myself up on one elbow, and pulling myself free from Lucy's grip, so that I might look down upon the redhead.
"Of course I am!" Lucy declared, immediately shifting to regain her grip upon my waist, and pressing her head between my breasts. Somehow, the passionate gaze she directed up at me seemed no less fierce coming from betwixt my tits. "It's only natural to ask how someone's doing when you're worried about them!"
"Well, worry not," I assured her, gently brushing a few strands of hair off my breasts, before petting the blushing redhead herself for good measure. "I was merely lost in thought. It happens from time to time."
Especially around Lucy. While I was certainly prone to bouts of introspection by default, Lucy in particular had a habit of birthing emotions and thoughts full of such conflict as to actually give me pause. With others I could easily think things through in the briefest of moments, between one word and the next, but when it came to Lucy… Well, I would clearly need to get a better handle on it if I didn't want to worry her.
"My apologies for worrying you first thing in the morning," I added, before narrowing my eyes at her. "Though, since we're on the subject of my emotional wellbeing already, I must ask - just what sort of dream were you having, to be prodding at my insecurities even in your sleep?"
"Huh? I was just reassuring you!" Lucy protested. "And I don't think it's really fair to be mad at me for what sort of dreams I'm having, anyway."
"I'm not mad!" I replied. "Merely… concerned about what was going through your mind…"
"Eena…" Now it was Lucy's turn to narrow her eyes at me, her expression bearing remarkable similarity to what I could only think of as Abigail's 'pre-lecture look.' Yet, to my surprise, what came out next was not an angry tirade, but a high pitched giggle.
"Lucy?" I questioned. "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine!" Lucy promised me, squeezing me a little tighter. "I'm just really happy! And also kind of annoyed? Because you really should just be honest about being mad, even if it's something simple! But at the same time, I never thought I'd get to have petty arguments with someone like this! Most people only disagree with me about super serious things, you know? Stuff like whether they stole, or murdered, or did something that would just generally put their soul on the line! But you…. You make me feel like a normal girl, with the way you treat me. And I really like that!"
"Lucy…" I frowned. To think she would take such pleasure from a simple squabble. "I promise you, here and now, no matter what may come, to think of you as Lucy first, and the Heroine second, if at all." A promise I could make wholeheartedly. For while it was true that I needed Lucy's help as the Heroine, it wasn't exactly her title that had ever drawn me to her. Rather, it was only who she was as a person that made me believe her title could be used for good. "And I also promise that if you ever call me short again, in your sleep or no, I will find a way to get revenge."
"Is it weird that I look forward to it?" Lucy asked, squeezing me tighter. "To arguing with you and having sex with you, and poking fun at you while you poke fun at me?"
"A little," I confirmed, albeit with a teasing tone and smile. "But I suppose what you're really longing for is a relationship. A friendship."
"To start!" Lucy agreed, nodding. As best she could with her head still buried between my breasts, that is. "I mean, I definitely want more than that one day! And it's not like I don't have any friends, besides you, but…" She frowned. "Well, it's different with you, I guess… My title doesn't put a wall between us. It's like you don't even care I'm the Heroine!"
"...It's not as if I don't care," I admitted, grimacing. The subject she'd broached was one I'd have preferred to avoid, but now that it had come up I feared that there were things I needed to say to her. To do otherwise would break the spirit, if not the letter, of our truth-telling agreement. "In fact, there's something I need from you, that only a Heroine can give."
"Something only a Heroine could give?" Lucy asked, her voice quivering a touch. I could only imagine what was going through her mind.
"A couple things, actually…" I confirmed, fighting the urge to try and backpedal. I needed to see this through. But that didn't mean I couldn't try and reassure her. "One of which I can't tell you. And neither of which I'd feel comfortable asking from just any Heroine."
I hesitated a moment, before moving to wrap an arm around Lucy, to hold her against myself, even as she tightened her grip on me. "I want to be clear that I meant what I said earlier, Lucy. While your title of Heroine might be of use to me, it's not what draws me towards you. Rather, it's only because you are you that I feel comfortable coming to you at all."
Lucy nodded slowly, and while her hold upon me grew no less tight, I felt less tension in her hold. "I believe you… And thank you for telling me."
"Even though it ruined the mood?" I asked, smiling ruefully. "I know it can't be great to hear that I have an ulterior motive in befriending you…"
"Even then!" Lucy affirmed. " It means a lot to me that you'd tell the truth like that! And I know it's not the main reason you came to meet me - I mean, it's not like you arranged for our first meeting, right? And I was actually really worried you wouldn't agree to another meeting when we first parted! So this is probably something new, isn't it?"
I nodded, slowly. "Correct on both accounts."
"Then it's fine if you have another reason for spending time with me! I mean, I tried to bribe you into coming out and spending more time with me, to begin with, you know? By promising to help you join the guild, and everything. So who cares if you have an extra reason to keep spending time with me? Especially since I believe what you said about it being me you want help from, rather than just 'the Heroine'! And besides, I'm sure you wouldn't be bringing it up at all if you didn't trust me as a person, right?"
"I wouldn't," I verified, in turn. "Even as it stands, I can hardly believe I dared to tell you this much… But you've made it rather clear that you appreciate whatever honesty I can manage. And I feared it would taint our relationship, if I wasn't clear about wishing something from you."
"It's fine," Lucy repeated. "I mean, it would be nice if you were just spending time with me because you wanted to, but it's not like I don't want stuff from you, too! Like sex. And cuddling! And teasing! And… Well, I guess I mostly just want you. But it's not like you don't enjoy spending time with me, right?"
"...I do enjoy it," I admitted, a little surprised myself to find it the case. Perhaps it was simply nice to be with someone who didn't know of my flaws, just yet. Or perhaps it was the way she relaxed around me - how my presence seemed to make things better for her. With Abigail, I was happy simply not to make things worse. And Bailey… Well, once again, my relationship with her felt closer to that of a pet and her mistress than that of a friend or lover.
"Then that's enough!" Lucy declared, giving me one final squeeze before at last parting from my flesh. "Oh! But you said there was one thing you couldn't ask me right now - that means there's something else you can ask for, right?"
"There is," I agreed, nervousness tinging my own voice now. "But it might come across as a little strange…"
"Strange?"
I nodded, slowly, closing my eyes and gathering my courage. "I need to know the words of a holy spell."
My fists clenched tight on the bed, as silence fell between us. It was a risk I was taking, asking Lucy for this. If she knew that the Demon Queen could cast holy magic, she might be able to piece together my identity. But the way Lissera had described me - as a being made of sin, tentacles, and such - led me to believe that the church didn't know of the Demon Queen's true origins. And even if they did know I was a fallen angel, would they truly preach that one who'd supposedly left the goddess's side could still wield the same magic as her 'chosen one'?
"A holy spell?"
I thought not. And, judging by the fact that Lucy's voice was laced with confusion over suspicion, it seemed that my wager might pay off.
"Specifically, a depetrification spell." One I desperately needed, if I was going to get Sylvanna off my back. One I couldn't afford waiting to ask about, if I was to build a proper relationship with Lucy. Because there was no way in heaven or hell that I could approach her casually with the deadline of Sylvanna's ultimatum hanging over my head.
The ever-looming war between our people was, of course, an issue in and of itself - but it would take time for humans to gear up for the resumption of our war. Time for them to reach the tower. Time before they could even think about breaching our defenses. Time I could spend talking with Lucy, and growing closer to her. Assuming that I didn't have to worry about the entire tower falling apart because its administrator threatened to turn against me.
"Well, I guess I can get that for you?" Lucy agreed, inspiring me to let out a breath I hadn't even aware I was holding. "I mean, I don't think there's any harm in it, anyway? But I'll have to write to the Grand Patriarch, and have it sent to me - I don't have that one on me!"
"You don't?" I questioned her, surprised. "I would think you memorized them all."
"No way!" Lucy said, shaking her head rapidly from side to side. "There's way too many holy spells for that! And I do write a lot of them down, but…"
"But…?" I prompted, arching an eyebrow in curiosity. Whatever could be the problem with carrying such a harmless spell?
"Well, the depetrification spell is really close to the petrification spell! Like, only a couple letters off! So if I memorized one, it would probably jog my memory of the other every time I thought about it? And I feel like if I knew both spells, I might be tempted to use them… I mean, it seems like such a useful spell on the surface, right? You could use it to capture bandits without killing them! There'd be no risk of anyone escaping, and you wouldn't even have to worry about accidentally hurting someone in battle - just say a few words! But…" She frowned. "But nobody at the church can tell me what happens if the statues break. Whether they can be put back together. Whether they can even be depetrified at all… Maybe the petrified person's soul would break, alongside them? Or maybe they'd just stay stuck in the statue, forever. And who knows what happens to their minds like that? Are people actually conscious when petrified? Nobody in the church has ever been petrified, or knows anyone who has been, so nobody can tell me anything for sure! It sounds… Well. Not evil. The goddess wouldn't have an evil spell! But… Still… I think it's the sort of spell that should be reserved for the worst of the worst! So I don't ever want to risk being tempted to use it, just to make my job easier."
"And yet you're willing to learn it for my sake?" I questioned, unable to keep the wonder from my voice.
"Well, it's not like I have to memorize it just to give it to you!" Lucy pointed out. "And I trust you not to give it to me without me asking! And to remind me why I don't want to know, if I ever do ask! So it's fine!"
"Lucy…" Now it was my turn to tighten my grip about Lucy, my hand pressing her head between my breasts. "Thank you."
"For the spell?"
"For being you…" Someone so damn different from the monster who had killed my mother. For being a true hero, and not just another heartless Heroine.
"Eena," Lucy murmured, her cheeks oddly warm against my flesh. "Um… Since you asked me for a favor… Can I ask for something, too? Not that it's really in return, or anything! I already agreed, and I won't change my mind! It's just something I really, really, want!"
"Something tells me I know exactly what it is you're about to ask for… But go ahead."
"Then Eena… Please have sex with me again!"
"Hah…" I'm not entirely sure whether it was a laugh or a sigh that ultimately left my lips. But whatever it was, it certainly wasn't disagreement.
And we're back to short chapters! Especially for chapters 22, 23, and 24 - the two epilogues of volume 2, and the prologue of volume 3 respectively. I'm looking forward to sharing 23 in particular, as it gives all 3 of the main characters a bit of focus - that'll be up on 3/06. (Or you can read it on Patreon now, for as little as a dollar~)
All else aside, I hope you enjoy! Many thanks, as always, to FallingLeaf, as always, for proofreading and to Lulla for beta reading.
It's a little depressing, too. I mean, she's so deprived of meaningful connections with her background, that she's jumping onto what is essentially a perfect stranger simply because she's willing to treat her a little casually.
It's a little depressing, too. I mean, she's so deprived of meaningful connections with her background, that she's jumping onto what is essentially a perfect stranger simply because she's willing to treat her a little casually.
Accurate. Though Devilla and Lucy alike would argue that there's nothing wrong at all with having sex with a stranger, their relationship in general is definitely advancing a bit quickly. It doesn't help that they're sort of two sides of the same coin, so neither of them are going to put up much of a fight against it.
All the same, I do think they're going to be good for each other.
It would seem I had underestimated Lucy. Or her endurance, at the very least. Considering how quickly she'd tired out the night before, I'd expected her to want nothing more than a quick tryst in bed to start the day. Instead, I had to bring her to orgasm three times before she was satisfied - and she'd still seemed rather reluctant to let me go, in the end.
Not that I really minded, per se. It was obvious that she was seriously sex starved. Probably touch starved too, judging by how everyone seemed to treat her. In fact, I likely would have agreed to keep going, if not for the fact that I was rather overdue for a check-in at the tower. As it was, I had little choice but to beg her leave to depart the bed and inn alike, citing business elsewhere.
The details I could give were rather sparse, seeing as how words like 'demon tower' and 'angry maid' would have been a bit too close to the heart of my secrets, but Lucy didn't press me in the slightest. She'd only asked that I meet her back at the inn when I was done. A promise I was more than happy to give.
Thankfully, my trip to and from the tower would be a short one - at least, in theory. All I really needed to do was leave the city, head into the depths of the woods, far away from prying eyes, and pull out my portable teleportation circle. From there, I would focus on the disk, concentrating on the place I'd left its paired mate, and apply my arcane magic to travel instantly to the tower.
At least in theory.
Yes, in theory. Because in reality, the thrice damned thing wasn't working as it should! Which wasn't to say that it did nothing at all, mind you. Simply that it was doing something it shouldn't - specifically, the moment I fed it arcane energy, I felt it begin to pull hungrily at something else inside me: my holy magic.
It hadn't done that in the tower! There, the only requirements for using a teleportation circle was knowing where its mate was kept, and having been to that location at least once before. And yet now, out in the wider world, it was reaching for an entirely new energy source? What precisely did that mean? Was it a matter of distance? Did it need more energy than arcane magic could give, past a certain threshold? Or was arcane magic never enough to begin with? Did the tower, perhaps, somehow provide it with holy magic? That would mean that the tower itself had some of that energy at its disposal… A not entirely preposterous idea, considering how long the tower had stood for - I was fairly certain Luci herself had built the damn thing.
I wished I could experiment. No, more than that, I wished I'd paid attention to my lessons to begin with. To think that I might know so little of my own home was rather maddening. It almost made me want to find one of my old teachers and beg them for remedial lessons. If only I had the time.
If only I was actually on speaking terms with the one teacher who'd ever succeeded in making me give a damn.
If only I hadn't promised Abigail that I wouldn't experiment with spatial magic. I was pretty sure that feeding the thing holy magic at random would count against me, there. Which meant I'd be in for another lecture, even if it succeeded. She was surely mad enough at me, already…
With a sigh, I placed the circle down upon the grounds. With luck, I'd be able to use it to get back in a hurry, but for now? I had quite a bit of flying to do.
***
Abigail
"Devilla!"
I don't know what I really expected to feel, when Devilla finally came home. Anger at her being so damn late, maybe? Relief that she was okay? Or maybe more like 'relief that she hadn't run away,' considering she was the damn Demon Queen and her getting hurt was practically a non-issue.
Happiness that she was home? That one probably would have been pretty low on the list of possibilities, if I'd made one. Which made me feel a bit weird about the fact that I got hit by all three in equal measure.
Maybe it had something to do with the whole 'I see her as a friend' realization? Though considering how long it took me to have said realization, it's pretty easy to see that I suck at the whole 'figuring out my own emotions' thing.
"Where the hell were you?" Of course, friendship or no, I was still feeling pretty pissed at her for disappearing. Seeing Devilla flinch when I snapped at her, though… "Are you okay?"
"Why does everyone keep asking me that?" Devilla muttered, crossing her arms. Her pout looked kinda cute, to be honest, but that wasn't going to distract me from the bit where she didn't answer the question.
"Maybe because you're generally not? Also, it's kinda normal to worry about someone when she doesn't come home for two days, after promising me she'd try and check-in at night."
"...I thought you'd be mad?" she muttered. Her eyes were pointed towards the floor for some reason.
"I am. Also worried. And kinda happy to see you? Apparently, I can be all three at once!"
"Anger usually leads to a lot more yelling," Devilla pointed out, finally looking up at me. There was something weird about her gaze, though. Almost… Scared? "You yelled last time."
"Last time I didn't know what the fuck was going on," I pointed out. "And I was running around like a chicken with its head cut off, trying to make sure nobody panicked about the missing Demon Queen. This time I've got Sylvanna taking… care of all that…." Okay, was I imagining things, or did she flinch again when I said Sylvanna's name? Just how bad was her relationship with that woman?
"I'm making strides with Lucy," Devilla said, uncrossing her arms and then… Crossing them again. Like she didn't know what to do with them. "She's agreed to give me the depetrification spell, though she apparently doesn't have it memorized, so it might take a little while for her to get ahold of it. And she's promised not to press into my past, so I have time to work on properly befriending her. Though she seems insistent that we're already friends… A strange concept, I know." The laugh she left out after that was bitter. "I fear I'll need to go back sooner than later, though. I wasn't able to utilize the teleportation properly, you see. I need to run a quick test on it, in the tower, where it's safe…"
"Devilla…" I kept myself from glaring at her. She didn't need that right now. "You know you don't need to give me a status report, right? I'm not your boss here. Hell, you're mine."
"I'm also Sylvanna's," she pointed out. "And that's never stopped her from lecturing me on everything I've fucked up."
"Yeah, well, I'm not Sylvanna. And Sylvanna's not your friend. I am." Devilla's eyes widened. She looked like she wanted to say something to that, but nothing was coming out. So I just barreled ahead to keep things from getting any weirder! "And besides, if anyone has something to report, it's me… But that sounds awkward as hell, so why don't we just tell each other about our days, instead?"
Devilla stared at me, wide eyed for a moment. Then, she smiled. It was kinda cute. Cuter than her pout, even. "I'd like that."
***
Lucy
Sex was great! And Eena was great at it. She'd given me three orgasms! Three! But she only let me give her two before leaving… Not that it was a competition, or anything! But I really wanted to get more practice at sex in, so that I could get better at it. That way I could take charge in bed, and make sure Eena got her needs met!
I mean, maybe she already was getting them met? Maybe she needed less orgasms than me to be satisfied? I didn't want to assume! She definitely seemed like the sort of person who ignored her own wants and needs to take care of everyone else, though. Or more like the only way to get her to care about her needs was to focus on how much I wanted to meet them…
I guess there wasn't much point in worrying about it when she wasn't around, though! Though that wasn't to say there was no point. I did definitely do my best thinking after the fact - I tended to act on impulse, in the moment - so it was definitely good to give everything a little thought! But I also didn't want to spend all day laying in bed, thinking about having sex with her!
Though maybe I could spend a little time laying in bed, wondering about the other mysteries surrounding her? Like what she needed the depetrification spell for… I mean, it wasn't like anyone but me could cast it? Except maybe for the Demon Queen? I'd heard she had some sort of weird dark and twisted version of the goddess's magic, so it was maybe possible she'd figure out a way to depetrify people if she had it? I didn't think that was necessarily a bad thing, though.
I mean, she already had a way to petrify people, from what I'd been told, so there's no way she would use it for that. And if she used it to depetrify people the past Heroines used it on - or people she herself petrified…. Well, I wouldn't wish petrification on even my literal worst enemy, so it was fine!
I really hoped that Eena needed it for a different reason, though. Not that I knew what that reason could be… But trusting someone didn't mean having no doubts about them. It meant pushing those doubts aside, and having faith in them! And I had faith in Eena. Specifically, I had faith she was a good person, who wouldn't use what I gave her for evil! Which was why I was going to keep my promise and respect her secrets! And stop overthinking things!
I was also going to get cleaned. And dressed. And start writing a letter to the church, asking for the depetrification spell. And maybe the petrification spell, too? Since it would look really weird if I only asked for one… But I'd just cross that one out, and make sure not to memorize either before handing it over!
And after all that, if Eena still wasn't back yet? Then I'd go visit my friend Eff!
Or. Well. My acquaintance Eff. She didn't like it when I called us friends. Said I was going to bring trouble down on both of us, if word got out that the Heroine was hanging around someone from a cursed bloodline… I didn't really get it, but it basically meant I had to be very careful. I couldn't even use her full name, in case I slipped up!
Eff definitely needed my company every bit as much as I needed hers, though. I mean, she had even less of a support network then I did! Though she was weirdly good with people? Specifically, knowing what made them tick! She gave the best relationship advice!
Not that I really had anyone to compare her to? She was the only one I could go to for that in the first place, but she was still good at it!
I was hoping she could help me figure out how to get a little closer to Eena. Even if she couldn't help, though, I really wanted to talk to her, and tell her how things had been going for me. And I also wanted to thank her!
After all, it was her advice that helped me get this far with Eena in the first place!
So, this is another chapter that didn't really go the way I expected it to. I originally planned to have a full discussion between Abigail and Devilla, and for Lucy to go talk to "Eff" in chapter 24. But then Devilla was uncooperative - she didn't want to risk anything with the teleportation spell, due to the promise she'd made, and she was oddly reluctant to go home. (Though it's not actually that odd in retrospect - she just unconsciously drew a connection between reporting back to an angry Abigail and getting lectured by Sylvanna...) I think it worked out well enough in the end, though!
As always, I want to give thanks to my beta reader Lulla, my proofreader FallingLeaf, and - of course - my readers for sticking by me. I hope to see you all for the volume 3 prologue, next week! (Or earlier, if you want to check it out on my Patreon for as little as a dollar~! I've already written and released up to chapter 25 there.)
Reading Lucy's inner thoughts and more specifically her thoughts about the Demon Queen is always an arrow through the heart. I hope they can, in the end, come together without any permanent damage caused by each other. Great chapter though!
Ah, yes, I can see that: "Seduce Demon Queen with your cute energy and earn victory over demonkind by making a putty out of her in bedroom! Kill two birds with a single cat!"
Author's Note: For anyone who's forgotten Feyra's identity - it has been a while - she made her first appearance in chapters 12 and 13. She's the tour guide Devilla mentioned having paid in saints.
Feyra
I was still laying in bed when I heard it - three harsh knocks, a pause, and then two softer ones. The Heroine's signal for visiting - one set done with her gauntlet, one set without.
My first thought? Shit. My second? That it was too damn early for this. And my third? There wasn't any time for a third. I had to get out of bed and answer the damn door before that dumbass of a Heroine drew too much attention.
Of course, when I actually got to the door, I didn't so much see a Heroine as a… I don't know… a vague understanding that there was a cloaked figure in front of me? One part of that was what she called her privacy spell. The other part, of course, was the actual cloak, which I insisted she wear if she wanted to visit me.
I knew she hated covering herself up like that. She always wanted to announce her presence - to be a shining beacon of hope for humanity. That kinda shit. But I had enough people whispering behind my back already, what with the whole cursed bloodline thing: people wondering whether I was going to snap, whether the Demon Queen whispered in my ear at night, whether it was only a matter of time before I turned demon on them… Not to mention the less savory rumors about my potion 'dependency.' The last thing I needed was for some idiot to accuse me of corrupting our innocent little Heroine on top of all that. I knew exactly what sort of blasphemous shit went through her head, and I was not going to take the blame for it.
"Heroine? That you?" It paid to be sure. Especially with the fucking Demon Queen in town.
"That's me!" she confirmed, dropping her spell. Suddenly I could actually focus on her - I could see the bright red hair peeking out from under her cloak, the vibrant orange eyes, and that cheerful smile she always seemed to have at the ready. The one that made it seem like everything was going to be okay, even when you knew it wouldn't be. Like a big fat lie, except for the fact that she actually seemed to believe it. "I'm pretty sure it would be less suspicious to just call me Lucy, though?"
"I don't want to get in the habit." I pushed the door open and turned away, heading back inside. She followed behind me, as always, shutting the door tight. "It'd be bad if I slipped up and referred to you all casual like in public."
"I guess…"
"So what are you here for?" I asked, deciding to hurry the Heroine along. The sooner she was gone, the sooner I could go back to staring up at the ceiling and wondering why the hell the Demon Queen had come to town. It obviously wasn't to attack the Heroine… unless she just hadn't found her yet?
Hopefully she wasn't keeping tabs on me. And couldn't actually take control of my body, the way some of the rumor-mongers seemed to think she could.
"Well…" She hesitated for a moment. She was blushing. Why was she blushing? "Did you go to the guild last night?"
"No. Why? Your girlfriend finally show up or something?"
"Uh-huh! And she joined the guild, too!"
"...Is that so?" Don't get interested, Feyra. Even if that does sound like incredibly bad news with the Demon Queen in town. And interested in the guild. The guild that the Heroine was apparently going to have good reason to hang out at for a few days. "So uh… You didn't happen to run into anyone else interested there, did you?"
Maybe someone more interested in killing the Heroine than kissing her, for example? Or maybe just scouting her mortal enemy out? Or… Well, doing who knew what, actually.
The Demon Queen coming to kill the Heroine this early in her journey was kinda unprecedented. Something about the goddess's restrictions on her person, the cumulative damage of past Heroines, and the toll reincarnation took on her… Or something like that. Lu… The Heroine had explained it to me, once, but I hadn't exactly been paying attention.
Point was, things were weird, and I was hoping the Heroine would stay away from that weirdness. For all our sakes.
"...That's actually why I need your help, Eff!"
"...Huh?" Shit. "Run that by me again?"
"You got distracted again, didn't you?" the Heroine accused me, narrowing her eyes at me. "And after asking me a question, too!"
"Right, the guild. You run into anyone else?"
"I already said I didn't! But I didn't really spend much time there, either. I sort of, kind of accidentally asked Ee out on a date in front of everyone, and she got upset when the other adventurers started gossiping, so I took her out under a privacy spell. We still had a wonderful night together, though! I'm just sort of worried about how our guildmates will treat her after all this…"
"Ee?" I blinked. "Ee, as in the girl you like, Ee?" I mean, she'd 'Ee' before, but… Ee? As in Eena? The woman I'd shown around today? The one I was pretty damn sure was the Demon Queen!? No. No way, right? There had to be all sorts of girls whose names started with E. Who arrived in town today. And who'd been to the adventurer's guild… "Uh. What exactly does Ee look like?"
"Huh?" The Heroineblinked. "You actually want to know?!"
"Nevermind," I muttered, looking away. I wasn't involved! I wasn't. I wasn't! I mean, it wasn't like I could actually do anything if I was right! If I told the Heroine, she'd just challenge the Demon Queen and get killed! And technically, I didn't even have any proof that she was the Demon Queen to begin with! She could have been an… I don't know. An angel or something? Or maybe a dragon in disguise? There were tales about dragons doing that!
Either way, this wasn't my business.
"So what was that about wanting help from me again?"
"You're acting really weird, Eff…" the Heroine whispered. She looked concerned. Which… I guess is a pretty damn obvious reaction to have with the way I was acting, but it gave me hives. I didn't need anyone being concerned about me! "Did something bad happen?"
"Uh-uh. No personal shit. That's the rule, remember?" She didn't stick her nose into my business, I… Okay, maybe I did stick my nose into hers a little, but only to give the bare minimum of advice! And only because the optimistic idiot was likely to do something stupid if I didn't.
Not that my advice was helping that much, if she was asking possible Demon Queens out in front of an audience…
…Not that 'Ee' and 'Eena' were the same or anything! Or that she was definitely the Demon Queen, here to play with her food.
Nope.
"Can we get back to the bit where you said you needed my help?"
"Right! I want you to go on a quest with Ee and me!"
"...Huh?"
"I want you to go on a quest with Ee and me!" the Heroine repeated, reaching out to snatch up my hands. For once, I was actually shocked enough to let her. "To pick healberries!"
"Healberries?!" I demanded. No. No way. "Like, from Daroom?! In the middle of a Monster Movement? Are you out of your mind?!"
Healberries were exactly what sounded like - berries that could be used for healing potions. I'd been told they grew in various places all over the continent, but the closest spot to us was Daroom - specifically in the forest, which was pretty damn dense with magic.
Which, of course, meant that it was dense with monsters. And if that wasn't reason enough to nope out, there was the tiny little detail of us being in the middle of a Monster Movement. Something that happened every three years or so, when something went weird in the middle of the Daroom Woods and caused all the local monsters to move out of the depths for a while. It made even the relatively safe places where healberries grew absolutely deadly. Which in turn jacked up the prices, and made healing potions super expensive.
All of which was to say…. "Why the hell would anyone in their right mind want to go there?!"
"To find the cause of the Monster Movement, and bring it to a close, of course!" the Heroine declared, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. Which… Y'know, her being her? Maybe it kinda was. "That way, healing potions will become affordable again!"
"...Figures… And let my guess - you want me to use my powers to help figure out what's causing it?"
"And to help find the best healberries!" the Heroine confirmed, with a happy little headbob. Like she was asking me to go on a fun little outing with her not-the-Demon-Queen girlfriend, rather than wanting me to risk getting torn limb from limb just to help a bunch of people I didn't even know with potions. "That way, we can bring a bunch back and help out at least some people, even if the rest of the plan doesn't work out!"
And for money. Money that could be used to get my potions. But still! There was no way I was going to do that! Especially not with that monster in human skin tagging along! That was basically just asking to be killed.
…Wait. Didn't that mean the Heroine was just asking to be killed?
"Plus, I thought it would be a great way to show everyone that you and Ee are good people! Since we'd be doing something that would help everyone so much…"
"You mean make them think of me as your pet redemption project?" I muttered, trying very hard not to think about the Heroine in bloody pieces, torn apart by monsters she never saw coming. Because she wandered into the woods with a monster, full of confidence, and absolutely no warning about what she was getting into.
"Do you really think it would be that bad?"
"Yes!" Not that there was any guarantee that the person she was going with was actually the Demon Queen. Hell, maybe going out there would get her away from 'Eena.'
"Don't you think there's still a chance we could get something better if we try?"
"No." If 'Ee' wasn't Eena, she'd basically be on a fool's mission, but she'd probably be fine. If she was? She'd die. Torn apart by monsters while her fake girlfriend laughed.
"So you won't come with us?"
A fake girlfriend my advice maybe helped her get with…
"I… didn't say that…"
Fuck. Me.
"So you'll-"
"Decide after I meet your girlfriend." Who probably wasn't even the Demon Queen, anyway!
And then I was being hugged. Crushed. Squeezed to death by a squealing Heroine who was acting like I'd granted her fondest wish. Or maybe her second fondest. You know, after being fucked by definitely-not-the-Demon-Queen.
…I'd always known I was destined for hell, with the whole cursed bloodline thing, but it was at times like this that I had to wonder if I was already there.
And thus the mysterious "Eff" is revealed - though I'm sure some of you saw this coming. And that others have probably forgotten who she is altogether. Hopefully this chapter acted as a refresher course?
As far as notes on the chapter go, it's another one that went a bit differently than I expected. I originally planned to do it from Lucy's PoV... But it was honestly too heart rending? I couldn't keep up the optimism, or convey why 'Eff' was such a good friend, in her mind, despite making her cover herself up and denying their relationship.
I hope this chapter does a better job of explaining why Lucy values Feyra so much? At the very least, it should give you a better idea of who Feyra is as a person.
Anyways, as always, I want to give a quick shout out to my proofreader - FallingLeaf - and my beta reader - Lulla - who's help makes this just a bit more enjoyable. And to my readers, of course, for joining me on this journey~! Chapter 25 will be up next Weds, as usual - though Patreon is already up to chapter 26 if you're feeling impatient! )
"I can't believe you came home with a privacy spell," Abigail muttered, glancing down at the hand that held her own, before turning to glare at… Something. Not me, exactly. Nor Bailey, who's lupine head was laying upon my lap. The only target I could detect was the wall - or perhaps the tower? The world as a whole? "After everything I went through…"
"That's what you're focused on?" I questioned, arching a brow. "I'd have thought Lucy's confession of affection to make a much better bid for your attention."
"I mean, sure," she grumbled, shifting her gaze to me. The anger had thankfully left her gaze, but I could sense her frustration all the same. "The fact that the literal nightmare of our people has somehow developed a crush on you is big news. But it's also so mind bogglingly insane that I can't even process it right now. So yeah, I'm more focused on the fact that I apparently unleashed political chaos and had to deal with that bitchy lamia for no damn reason."
"I still can't believe you met Nivera," I admitted, shaking my head in disbelief. A completely valid sentiment on my part, that was only partially driven by pangs of guilt and a desire to avoid eye contact with my poor maid. "Do you have any idea how long it's been since her name passed through my head?"
"Since you made it illegal to say her name, maybe?" Abigail remarked, before narrowing her eyes at me. "Speaking of which, it'd be great if you changed that. I usually prefer to insult people by name over species."
"Right…" I nodded, my cheeks turning pink as I recalled the brash law I'd put in place. An abuse of power, if ever there was one. "Consider it legal."
Abigail didn't say anything, at first. She merely stared at me. Only after several uncomfortable seconds of this did she press a hand against her forehead, let loose a pained groan, and mutter, "I can't believe I'm friends with the fucking Demon Queen… You seriously just changed the law, didn't you?"
"I'll need to alert Sylvanna and have word of it spread… But effectively, yes." I suppose it was weird from an outside perspective. Jacob certainly would have found the idea 'mind boggling.' In fact, the mere thought of any American president changing the law with a word was enough to send shivers down my spine. And yet, at the same time, the knowledge that I could do so felt as natural to me as the fact that I could talk at all.
Personally, I was more stuck on the fact that Abigail had actually begun to consider me a friend. It felt to me as if she'd been through nothing but suffering at my hands. She'd been forced to deal with Mifa, then Sylvanna, and now Nivera, all because of me. And for what? A few french fries? Delicious as they might have been, I wasn't sure even paradise on a plate could pay her back for what she'd been through.
She'd probably just glare at me if I pointed it out though.
"Right…" Abigail muttered, blissfully unaware of my likely headache inducing doubts. "Because that makes it any less crazy. Also, speaking of Sylvanna, what's the deal with you two, anyway? I mean, obviously she hates your guts, and you feel terrible about what you did to her and all that, but… is it just me, or are you sorta afraid of dealing with her?"
"I wouldn't go so far as to call myself 'afraid,'" I protested. "I simply… Dislike the way she makes me feel." Small. Insignificant. Stupid. Like a child, in over her head, desperately lashing out at the world while simultaneously begging for someone else to take her burdens away. The same as when we'd first met. "We both know I deserve it, though."
"I mean, you did threaten to leave her entire population petrified," Abigail confirmed. "But, like I keep telling you, you aren't the same person anymore. You just need to give her time to learn the real you."
"I don't think it's that simple, Abigail," I said, shaking my head. "Fifteen years of forced labor is a bit much to forgive, no matter how much I change my behavior. Even if I was arrogant enough to think myself worthy of a second chance, I'd still say you're asking too much from her. "
"Fifteen years…?" Abigail whispered. The look of horror on her face was expected, painful as it may have been. Her next words, however, were not. "Devilla… How old were you, exactly, when you made that threat?"
"Around seven? It was a little bit after the debacle with Nivera - so more like fourteen years and change, I suppose. Though I hardly think it makes a difference."
"And how old was Sylvanna?" Abigail pressed, again narrowing her eyes. Somehow, despite her glare being pointed in my direction this time, it still didn't feel as if it were meant for me.
"Seventeen, I believe? Too young for the duties I pushed upon her, no matter how you slice it."
"Too… Devilla! You were literally just a little kid! And she's been talking to you like… like that? This whole time!?"
"Of course not… She's had time to calm down since the start. But I hardly see what that-"
"Okay, first off?" Abigail said, holding up a hand to interrupt me. "You and her aren't talking anymore. I'll handle the status reports, or whatever. Second? What the hell happened with Nivera? Because if it's anywhere close to being as fucked as this, I'm going to need details."
I shook my head, a wry smile upon my lips. "Your concern is as touching as it is misplaced, Abigail. I'm royalty, remember? I'm meant to-"
"Details. Now."
Now it was my turn to glare at the interrupting Abigail - or it would have been, had Bailey not picked that moment to lift her head up from my lap and growl - at me. As it was, with both of them against me, all I could do was shake my head and sigh.
"You're both being ridiculous. But if you both insist… Well, I can't say I'm heartbroken about not getting to meet with her. Though, as far as details with Nivera go, I think you'll find yourself disappointed."
"Uh-huh."
Somehow, she didn't look very convinced. Nor did Bailey, for that matter, who actually went so far as to roll her eyes. I didn't even want to know where she'd picked that up.
"Seriously… It was a simple case of me being selfish," I explained. "I'd begun to ignore my duties as a princess, in order to pursue more time with her. Her parents disapproved of my actions. They tried to interfere with our friendship - to keep her away from me, so that I would spend more time doing what I was supposed to. So, like an idiotic brat, I fired her dam, who was working as one of my Generals. A decision that obviously didn't go over well. Nivera became upset with me, for good reason. I got upset, for what I thought was a good reason. Except while she contented herself with calling me names, I locked myself away and… well, made various terrible decisions…" Like studying my mother's old speeches, so that I could try and talk like her at her most formal, in a vain attempt to earn the people's respect, if not love. Then, when that didn't work, I started firing various Generals. I refused to follow any advice, screaming and throwing things at anyone who dared to go against me. I even went so far as to strip one of the bloodlines of political power - and maybe broke a few of their representative's bones, when she objected to the decision… A move of such monumental idiocy that it almost tore the tower apart.
"I do not believe I can stress enough just how horrifically I messed up, Abigail. How close the tower came to falling apart under my terrible excuse for leadership. It's why I largely withdrew from the political sphere. I became content to complain about everyone else failing to put in an effort, despite knowing full well that I could do no better…"
"Funny," Abigail muttered. "I get the feeling Nivera would put it pretty differently. Also, you were seven."
"I was also in charge!" I retorted. "If everyone had died, my age would have made for little solace. Especially when all I had to do was continue listening to those who knew better." I frowned. "And besides, if the only issue was my behavior at seven, then people would hardly hate me to this day, now would they? My behavior might be better now, but I still spent almost a decade and a half making every single person hate me."
"Yeah, well…" Abigail hesitated, as if searching for a counter that we both knew didn't exist. "Maybe if people knew more about what happened in the past, they'd at least be quicker to accept that you're trying to be better now…"
"Perhaps," I agreed. "But I have no interest in garnering sympathies with tales of a poor childhood. It would come across as nothing but excuses. And rightfully so, so far as I'm concerned."
"Well, you've got my sympathy, anyways. And I want to know more about what happened back then, too! Preferably from someone less biased than you. Like Nivera, may the Fallen One help me…"
"Fine," I conceded, throwing up my hands as Bailey released another growl of affirmation. "Talk to her, if you wish. But I'm not sure why you think she'd give a less biased opinion than me. In fact, I struggle to believe she doesn't hate me, after everything I did. The idea that she might somehow want to help me, after everything is hard to wrap my mind around… Keep your guard up, Abigail. And ask for her aunt to be present, if possible."
"General Sallina?" she queried me, tilting her head a little to the left. "Not Chloe?"
"I can hardly entrust your wellbeing to Nivera's fiancee," I pointed out, frowning at the mere thought of it. "Especially when I know absolutely nothing about the girl, other than the fact that we're theoretically related. If she intends to act as a tempering force then more power to her, but this and that are unrelated."
"Fair enough, I guess. But a General? I didn't think you got along with any of them."
"I don't," I confessed. "But of them, there's none I'd trust more than Sallina. There was a time I considered her close to family - in fact, I might even go so far as to say that I saw her as a surrogate mother figure, in part. Before she chose to take in Nivera, at least."
She'd been my tutor. The only teacher I'd ever had that actually made learning seem worthwhile. Perhaps it had something to do with the encouragement she'd given me, whenever I struggled with a question, and the approval she'd grant whenever I came to an answer. But in the end, all we were was teacher and student. She was actually related to Nivera - if only barely - and, more importantly, Nivera had actually needed her. It was obvious whose side she'd choose, when it came down to it.
Of course, that wasn't to say she'd given up on me entirely. She'd at least tried to patch things up with me and Nivera, back before I went so far as to make saying her name illegal. But I suppose I must have crossed a line at some point. Why else would she have betrayed me to Lucy in the game?
The worst part was, I didn't even know why. Jacob skipped the associated dialogue! All I could remember were the sex scenes - something I was less than happy about, all considering. Though, considering how fast he'd been going at the end, I had blissfully little knowledge of even that! Mostly I just recalled flashes of bare skin and… blue… scales…
"Sallina has red scales, though…" I whispered
"Huh?"
"Sallina wasn't in the game," I said, my voice rising in pitch and excitement alike. "She wasn't the one who betrayed me in it!"
"The game?" Abigail questioned, her brow furrowing. "You mean the one from your old world?"
I nodded. "A game who's timeline we've apparently diverged from… Though I suppose that's hardly a surprise, considering everything I've been up to."
At least, I assumed my actions were the cause of this discrepancy. Perhaps I'd fired her in the game's timeline? Though it was hard to imagine myself doing so. Even her choosing Nivera over me hadn't been enough to inspire such an action, after all… Perhaps she'd tried to reach through to me, again, in that timeline? To stop me from going further down the dark path that led to my defeat? If so, I could only hope that my response had ended with her losing her job, and nothing else.
"It doesn't matter, in the end," I declared, more to myself than Abigail. Whatever that version of me had done to Sallina, whatever Sallina may have done to inspire it, it was all constrained to a world of fiction. None of it had come to pass in reality. "It's just nice to know…"
"Okay?" Abigail replied, obviously confused, but thankfully willing to move past it. "So Nivera's aunt is trustworthy, I guess?"
"That would be the main takeaway, yes," I confirmed. "Though it might be best to take that assessment with a grain of salt. As much as it pains me to say, it has been quite a few years since our last serious discussion. A lot could have changed."
"You're giving me a lot of conflicting signals over here," Abigail complained. "Trust Sallina more than Nivera, but don't trust Sallina too much? How about I just… Talk to them and see what happens? Maybe bring Bailey along? She's actually pretty good at getting a read on people."
I glanced down, towards the horned wolf in question. Her response was to stick her tongue out and wag her tail. The very picture of a household pet.
"...If you say so."
"Just trust in us," Abigail insisted. "You've got enough to worry about with the Heroine crushing on you. Which is still breaking my brain to imagine, by the way."
"I know what you mean…" I confessed, grimacing. "It's hard for me to imagine anyone developing feelings for me. Let alone someone as pure as Lucy…"
"Could you maybe not turn my words against yourself like that?" Abigail demanded, crossing her arms in front of her chest. "That's not what I meant, and you know it."
"I simply meant-"
"What? That you're unworthy of love? Because news flash, Devilla! There's other people in your life who like you. Maybe not in that way, but… I wasn't kidding when I called you my friend, earlier. And I wasn't taking pity on you, either, so don't even go there! I care about you. Hell, I can even see how someone could fall for you!"
"I…" I hesitated. I wanted to argue with her. To remind her of all that I had done wrong. To tell her that it wasn't a matter of whether someone could fall for me, but whether I deserved it. But she'd heard it all before, hadn't she? What point was there in bringing it up? I was only going to annoy her with it…
Besides, I could practically hear her insisting to me that the affections of others weren't for me to dictate. Just as I could picture Lucy nodding in the background, barely holding back a speech about her love not being a thing I needed to earn…
"Thank you. For saying that."
"Why do I sense an if in there?" Abigail grumbled, looking me up and down. "Like 'thanks for saying that, even if it isn't true' or 'I don't deserve it.'"
"Even I know better than to annoy you with that refrain," I remarked, turning my head away from her - though I could do little to escape Bailey's growl of annoyance.
"Uh-huh. One of these days I'm going to drill it into your brain that it's okay for people to care about you. And that I can forgive you for whatever crap you think you've put me through, even without your permission. Something tells me it'll take longer than we have, though… Didn't you say the Heroine was waiting for you?"
"She prefers Lucy," I pointed out. "As do I, actually. It helps to separate her in my mind from the genocidal maniacs who held the title before her."
"Well, it feels weird calling her by name," Abigail complained. "It sounds too much like the Fallen One's."
Bailey let out a short bark - one that sounded suspiciously like a laugh.
"Right, well…" I hesitated a moment, looking between the happily panting Bailey and the now glaring Abigail. "Do I want to know what's going on between you two?"
"It's nothing. Go back to the Her… Lucy. We'll hold down the fort here, alright?"
"...Right…" I muttered, reaching into my bag to pull out the teleportation circle. "Time to experiment with teleportation magic, then."
To be clear, not all complaints against Devilla are as old as Sylvanna's. She's done lots of stuff to piss people off in more recent years. But Sylvanna in particular has been the tower administrator for a while...
I don't really have much to say on the chapter, beyond that, but I do hope you'll look forward to the next one - I'm certainly excited to share it. Mostly just because I had a lot of fun writing it~! (Chapter 27 is running a bit late, and is currently in the proofreading phase, but chapter 26 is already completed and up on Patreon!)
Thanks, as always, to FallingLeaf for proofreading, and Lulla for beta reading!
"Are you sure she's coming?" Eff - or rather Feyra, since we were in public and all - asked.
She'd actually asked me that a few times already, but I really didn't mind. She was speaking to me in public, after all! And I was about to introduce my friend to her! In public! I mean, sure, Feyra still didn't want everyone to know we were friends, but we were being seen together! Publicly! Like friends! Or at least like guild mates who didn't have to pretend to have never seen one another before!
"Heroine?"
"H-huh?" What did she ask again…? Right! "Yes, I'm sure! We didn't really set a specific time, but she'll definitely come! Eena would never stand me up!"
Feyra flinched. Maybe because I'd said Eena's full name? But we were in public, so I was pretty sure it would stand out more if I didn't.
"Lucy!" a familiar voice called out to me, causing my head to snap around so quickly that I think it might have even generated a breeze! My hair definitely went flying, anyway. But that didn't matter, because I could see a familiar figure walking down the street towards me!
"Eena!" I called back, launching myself at her. Like before, I basically tackled her - and, like before, she absorbed the impact, only needing to take a single step back. It was actually really impressive! I mean, I was wearing armor and everything! If anyone could handle me at full speed, though, it was Eena!
And maybe other demons, too? Something I'd have to consider… a different time! Right now, I was hugging Eena. Who actually relaxed into it, this time, and put her arms around me! It was so warm!
Not that I could really feel it, through the armor, but the sentiment definitely got through. The knowledge that she cared, and was making an effort for me, even though she wasn't used to this. Just knowing that my affection was getting through to her made me feel all warm and tingly inside!
"My apologies for the wait," she said. "There was… an unexpected obstacle."
The way she said that, there was totally something she didn't want to tell me. "That's fine! You're here now, aren't you? And I knew you would be!"
"Of course I am," she said, putting a hand on her chest. "I swore I'd return, did I not?"
I wondered if Eena knew how dramatic that sounded. Probably not? She seemed to have a pretty big blind spot with that stuff! "I never doubted it for an instant, I'm just excited to be reunited again! Even though it's only been a short while… I guess that's what happens when there's someone you like being with all the time?"
Was this what it felt like to fall for someone? Feyra called it a 'crush,' - not love, but something that sort of mimicked it - and she was probably right. I didn't think that was a bad thing, though! Maybe it was just infatuation right now, but that didn't mean it would stay that way! With the passage of time, and the nurturing nature of her caring presence, I was sure it would blossom into something wonderful!
"I think it's a bit early to make comments like that," Eena replied. "You do realize you've hardly spent any time with me at all, in the grand scheme of things?"
"I know. But that just means we need to spend more time together, right?"
No matter what my feelings were rightly called, I knew the feeling in my heart right then was happiness! I mean, I know she was sort of trying to shut me down, but that was definitely Eena's way of worrying about me, right? Even though she needed something from me, she didn't want to take advantage of me. And not just because she was worried about sinning against the Heroine, either!
Of course, it did hurt to think about how she probably thought my feelings would turn to hatred, but time would surely change that as well!
"Oh right! I went to the guild to look for quests while you were gone, and I think I found something? Something I really want to do, and which I hope you'll do with me! It would help a lot of people, while also proving your strength to everyone in the guild, and maybe even helping someone else find their place! But before I get into that, did you take care of everything you needed to do?"
"Did you seriously just present me with a crusade of justice and friendship as if it were a casual aside?" Eena asked me. She sounded exasperated, but I saw the little smile tugging at the corner of her lips! "You can't possibly think it's okay to simply turn the subject to my business after that, can you?"
"Of course it's okay!" I replied, putting one hand on my hip and pointing a finger at her with the other. It was the same sort of thing Father Tuffel did when he wanted me to take something seriously. "Listen, Eena! The importance of my mission doesn't take away from the importance of yours! I can't ask you to listen to my requests without at least checking to see if you need more time for yours!"
"...I wish I could say that you're overestimating the matters I had to deal with, but I suppose I'll settle for a 'thank you' for the consideration. Still, if this request is so important to you, I'd rather discuss it in full. Especially if it has something to do with why that girl - Feyra, I believe? - has gone from staring at us with wide eyes to staring into the void with the deadened gaze of one who has lost her soul. I originally assumed she was simply shocked to realize I knew you, but the shift in her condition has given rise to some concern."
"You know Feyra?" I asked, turning back to look at my not-technically-a-friend. She really did look kinda bad! Maybe she used her Magic Sight to see how strong my adventuring companion was? I didn't know for sure how much magic power Eena had, but the simple fact that she'd spent three days unconscious after running through her capacity told me she had a lot! More than should be possible for a human, surely. If Feyra had already realized that Eena was probably a demon as a result, then I'd definitely need to have a discussion with her about keeping that to herself!
"She was the guide I mentioned to you when we were at Wilhoon's stall," Eena explained. "The one I paid in saints."
Really!? I totally wanted to tell Eena she was also the one who introduced me to Wilhoon's stand, in the first place! Too bad I still wasn't supposed to tell anyone how well me and Feyra knew each other. Also, she liked to keep her connection to Wilhoon quiet. Since her cousin's bloodline curse hadn't manifested like hers had, he was able to live a pretty normal life as long as she stayed away. Which was pretty messed up, actually, but this wasn't the time to be thinking about that!
"Feyra?" I called out. "Are you okay? Do you need some water? I can conjure some!"
"I-I'm fine," Feyra said, shaking her head from side to side so fast I was actually sort of worried her neck might snap! "S-so this is the one you want to g-go off into the woods with? Alone?"
"Well, I did want to bring you for the first mission," I reminded her. Though traveling alone with Eena, knowing there was nobody around for miles to hear us, did sound pretty nice. There was no way I could do this mission without Feyra, though! And helping people came before sexy times!
Also, Feyra already knew we were sleeping together, so I'd just need to make sure I found a tent big enough for two people to fit in it!
"Right… Me… And her… In close proximity…"
"Do you perhaps have issues with highborn?" Eena asked, frowning. "I'm told my appearance and choice of words gives off a certain impression that some might find… off-putting." She smiled at that, but it wasn't a nice smile. It was weak, and sad, and full of pain. A smile that said that things were wrong and that the wrongness was okay. Probably because she thought it was only wrong for her.
"Let me have a quick talk with her," I said, instead of answering, before reaching out to grab Eena's hand. "Whatever issues she has, I'll go over them with her. And if she doesn't want to come with us at the end of it, then we'll figure out a way to do this without her, okay?"
"I wouldn't want you to-"
"I do want to, though!" I interrupted. It was rude, but I didn't want her to say more terrible things about herself. "You're important to me, Eena. So please, don't tell me that I shouldn't do things for the sake of being with you!"
She nodded, slowly, like she wasn't convinced but was going along with what I wanted anyway. I was actually pretty used to things like that, though most people did better at hiding it. Usually it was upsetting, but I knew that this was about Eena not trusting herself, rather than just wanting to please me. Which was still upsetting, but in a different way. Again, this wasn't the time for that, though!
"Can we talk, Feyra? In private?" I let go of Eena's hand, and held mine out to her instead. She knew about my privacy spell, of course, so I was sure she was smart enough to figure out what I wanted! And, sure enough, she did reach for my hand after a moment of hesitation.
I was holding hands with Feyra! In public!
Oh, but I still needed to cast the privacy spell! "Veroon, Bellooosa mador!"
"Can she hear us?" Feyra whispered, glancing at Eena.
"Nobody can!" I promised her. "Not unless I'm touching them. Though I don't think you really need to worry about it in Eena's case."
"Don't need to - of course I need to worry!" Feyra protested. "Look, I know you like her, but there's something you need to know! She's-"
"I know!" I interrupted, before Feyra could finish. I doubted she knew more than me, but I didn't want to hear anything from anyone who wasn't Eena herself! "Or at least I think I do? I've seen how powerful she is first hand, and she's definitely way stronger than me! Physically, probably, and magically for sure. I'm pretty sure we both know what she is…or at least what she isn't… but that doesn't matter to me!"
"You wouldn't say that if you could see what I do! She's-"
"A good person!" I interrupted, again. "Someone who saved a village for root vegetables, and drove herself to collapse in the process. Someone who saw a girl in need, and helped her, without asking anything in return. Someone I've chosen to trust!"
"Because she bedded you?!" Feyra demanded.
"Because she deserves it! Because everyone deserves a chance! Don't you wish people would give you one, rather than just judging you based on your bloodline?"
"That's…" Feyra opened her mouth, then closed it, and stared at me in silence. After a moment or two, she all but deflated. "Don't blame me if you end up dead to that monster."
"She's not a monster," I replied. "And neither are you. "
"Fuck! I should be saying screw you, you know?" Feyra muttered, closing her eyes. "I should tell you to go do this damn mission on your own if you want to throw your life away."
"But?" I prompted, hope rising in my chest. Was she going to say what I thought she'd say?
"But there's no way in hell I'd be able to live a normal life in this city if I just sent you off with that monster and you never made it back. You do realize people have seen us together, right? They're totally going to assume I had something to do with it if word gets out!"
I couldn't help myself: I hugged her! "I'm pretty sure they wouldn't! But I'm also pretty sure that's just an excuse for saying you want to come along!"
"Want has nothing to do with it!" Feyra protested, squirming a little in my grip. "I just don't need any sleepless nights wondering what the fuck is going on with you and that girl!"
"Also, please don't tell Eena I know about her probably not being human, okay? I want her to tell me on her own when she's ready!" I gave Feyra one last squeeze before parting, a bright smile on my face.
Although Feyra didn't seem that happy about my request, she still gave me a nod. She obviously didn't trust Eena at all… But that was fine! The trip to Daroom Woods would likely take us a few days, after all, and there'd be plenty of time to bond during the trials of blood that would comprise our crusade!
Or at least that's how Eena would put it. Personally, I just hoped the blood would be limited to monsters!
This was the first chapter from Lucy's perspective where she actually interacted with other people, and it was an interesting experience to write. She's very much the other side of Devilla's coin - just as verbose, often as dramatic, and much more focused on other people's needs than her own. It's just that she's full of bubbly happiness instead of self-doubt!
Thanks as always go to FallingLeaf for proofreading, and Lulla for beta reading and listening to my babble.
PS: Chapter 28 is running a little late, but chapter 27 is already up on Patreon.
It's one part excitement, one part plot necessity, and another part, "I don't want to hear Eena's secrets from anyone but Eena herself." It would, in her mind, be a breach of trust to let Feyra reveal anything that "Eena" hasn't seen fit to share.
Thanks! And no worries - I've been told my sex scenes can sort of blend together, and I don't disagree. They aren't my forte, no matter how many I've written.
Thanks! And no worries - I've been told my sex scenes can sort of blend together, and I don't disagree. They aren't my forte, no matter how many I've written.
