Demon Queened

[PrincessKay]

Devilla​

The next few days seemed to go by at a crawl, yet looking back it was as if they had passed in the blink of an eye. Traveling by day and dealing with tower politics by night, we managed to collect the healberries we'd officially been there to find while also comforting Araina and assuring her she wasn't in danger of losing her job. Mellany, meanwhile, was promised a special position - it came with a hefty salary, and would show that the ban I'd placed upon her bloodline had been lifted, but had no actual authority or responsibilities whatsoever. Members of her family would be able to take government jobs again. It was a decision that might blow up in my face once Sylvanna vacated her position, but we'd cross that bridge when we came to it.

Speaking of Sylvanna, I'd made a point of gathering up all the petrified bits of inedible flesh the cockatrice had left as stone, and was making… some progress with learning to depetrify them. In theory, all I had to do was to quarantine a bit of the holy magic within my body, shape it into the same form as the cockatrice's wild magic imprint, and then run my arcane magic through the thing. Hardly a difficult task, in theory, what with my perfect recall allowing me to recall the imprint's exact configuration. In practice, however, the slightest deviation could result in a wide range of results. A problem, considering I had absolutely no experience with directly manipulating holy magic.

While I had technically succeeded once, the other twenty or so times I'd tried had varied rather dramatically in their results. I'd done everything from temporarily reducing the stone's weight to outright liquefying it. One memorable attempt had even resulted in a stone claw jumping about in my hand like a living thing, only to break apart under the stress of its own movements. A further complication was that every attempt took a rather significant chunk of arcane magic, enough where even my reserves would risk running empty if I wasn't careful.

"Everything okay, Eena?" Lucy asked from beside me, no doubt noting the morose look upon my face.

"It's nothing," I assured her, only to be met with a frown. "Nothing serious, at least. I'm merely ruminating on my failure to consistently replicate the cockatrice's depetrification ability."

"If it's making you upset then it sounds pretty serious to me," Lucy replied, one hand moving towards her hips. The other probably would have joined it, had it not been occupied with holding my own. "You shouldn't downplay problems just because they're yours."

"...I suppose I do have a bad habit of doing so," I conceded with a frown of my own. "But, really, for all the effort I've put into the matter, it's still nothing more than a contingency plan. With any luck, the church will have replied to your missive with the necessary spell and I can cease experimenting."

Even though I said that, I would likely continue to practice with my holy magic regardless. Manipulating it internally didn't seem to do anything to my magic supply, and the thought of being able to duplicate wild magic at will was a rather tempting one.

"I hope so, too, but I bet that doesn't make it any less frustrating to fail," Lucy rightly pointed out. "You've been trying really hard to do it, too! To the point where you've sort of been ignoring everything while we walk…"

That was true. If not for Lucy's hand to guide me I likely would have been crashing into trees throughout the entire journey. As it was, I was fairly sure there'd been a few close calls.

"Why don't you stop for a while?" Lucy suggested after a moment. "We're almost back to the city and the inn should probably have the church's response by now! Plus…" She hesitated a moment before glancing towards Feyra who was riding a few steps behind us. "I was sort of hoping you could talk to Feyra a little before the adventure ends? I think there's something on her mind…"

I resisted the urge to glance back at Feyra, not wanting her to know she'd become the topic of our conversation. Of course, Lucy's prior glance may have made it a moot point, but I wasn't going to make things worse.

Feyra had been treating me oddly enough as it was. Where once she'd regularly complained about me, now she looked at me with eyes full of uncertainty, and every time I met her gaze she'd hurriedly look away from me. It was perhaps better than the animosity she'd shown previously, but not by much.

"Are you sure that you wouldn't be the better choice to talk to her?" I asked Lucy. "I could give you two some alone time, perhaps make up some excuse about checking in on Bailey?" The horned wolf girl had returned to the tower, now that we were so close to civilization, and I was admittedly a touch concerned about how she was handling the shift back to enclosed spaces. She'd lived her entire life running free, after all, at least up until she'd met me.

"You should probably do that later, anyway," Lucy said, "but maybe talk to Feyra first? I don't really know what's bothering her, but she keeps glancing at you whenever you're looking the other way. I think there's something she wants to say!"

"Something to say, hmm?" I wondered what it could be. An apology for her earliest behavior was probably too much to ask for, but at the same time I didn't foresee her adding any new complaints… At the very least, the looks I'd noticed hadn't held any animosity within them. "I suppose it wouldn't hurt."

At least, not physically. Emotionally, I was much less sure about, but even then the smile Lucy gave me in response to my reply was surely worth a little pain… Even if Lucy herself would never agree with that.

"Why don't you go ahead for a bit?" I suggested, reluctantly releasing her hand. Her fingers lingered for a moment afterward, as if she too were disinclined to disengage. "I'll be back soon enough."

"I know," Lucy said, yet the nod she gave me had a certain resoluteness about it - as if she were preparing to send me off to a long war, rather than simply relinquishing my company for a few minutes. "I just really like holding your hand…"

"Yes, well… there will be plenty of opportunities for that later," I murmured, embarrassment coloring my cheeks as I looked away from her. "Just wait a moment, alright?"

She nodded again, this time turning her gaze back to the road and pushing herself to walk a little faster, even as I slowed my own steps. Before I knew it, Feyra and I were side by side. Much to the former's shock, if her wide eyes were anything to go by.

"H-hey… Eena…"

"You seem nervous," I remarked, looking her up and down. Physically, she seemed fine, if a little disheveled, but emotionally… well, as I'd stated, the way she practically flinched when my eyes met her made her seem rather skittish. "I thought you were over your fear of me, what with the way you've been complaining about my every action."

"Yeah, well… I guess it's more like I got overloaded to the point of not caring, anymore," Feyra admitted, citing a reason I was surprisingly familiar with. It was much the same as what Abigail said, back when she stopped hiding her snarky side.

"Am I really that overwhelming?" I questioned, frowning.

"No. Yes! Maybe?" She shook her head. "I don't know. You're nothing like how I thought you'd be… Though I guess that makes sense, if you're… y'know… just a person, not the incarnation of all evil, like I thought… A… sorta… strangely nice person, who puts up with my crap when she could turn me into a smear on the ground the instant it stopped amusing her"

"It was never amusing," I remarked, my frown deepening a little. Feyra seemed to shrink back in response to it - though, considering her height of five foot nine, combined with her current position upon a horse, no amount of mundane shrinkage was going to keep me from having to look up at her. "But it was understandable... At least to some degree. And I suppose I somewhat appreciated your concern for Lucy, at least, no matter how misplaced."

"Yeah, well… I thought… I mean… I grew up my entire life thinking you were… bad? Hell, I thought I was bad just from association with you, and I'd never even met you! Except now I'm finding out you're just a ridiculously powerful person, and my stupid curse is basically just… I don't know… racism? Kinda? Except not really because they don't even know I'm part demon, so… Yeah…"

"I suppose that would be a lot to consider," I conceded. "But I'm not entirely sure what it has to do with me. I've noticed at least a few of the looks you've been throwing my way, you know?"

"Yeah, well… I guess… I sorta wanted to apologize," she admitted, causing me to raise an eyebrow. "...Plus, I wanted to ask you something."

"Let's put the apology aside for a moment," I said, "and start with the request." Part of me wanted to question whether she'd stick to the apology after her request was done with, but I thought it a little unfair. No matter how much she'd feared, or even hated me, she'd never once been insincere with me.

"Right…" Feyra muttered, looking away from me. "It's just… I mean, it's stupid, but… I mean… it's just a thought that got stuck in my head lately, but…" She took a deep breath, closing her eyes and scrunching up her nose as she mustered the courage to continue. "Can you actually turn me into a demon? Like the stories claim?"

I blinked. "A demon?"

"It's a stupid question, right?" She smiled, or attempted one, at least. It was rather obviously forced.

"I wouldn't say it's stupid," I replied, shaking my head. "Merely… unexpected. Why on Solla would you ever wish to become a demon?"

"Maybe because powers like mine are apparently normal for you guys? It would be nice not to be judged based on my bloodline for once. Plus… I mean… Well. You're all… girls, right? Which means, if I was a demon, I'd be a girl, too?"

"Well… yes," I confirmed, hesitantly nodding. "Though I hardly see why that's a draw… Unless you're hoping to widen your dating prospects by removing males from the equation?"

"What? No!" She sounded shocked and shook her head furiously. "I just… think it might be nice not to have to rely on mirror lilies all the time… I'm always worried about missing my next dose, you know? Even if it does take days to wear off, I can't shake the feeling that I'm going to start sprouting beard hair or something the moment it's out of my system."

Beard hair? I mouthed, frowning faintly as I struggled to process her words. "You mean, you're…?"

"Trans?" Feyra shrugged. "Yeah…"

"I see…" I murmured. "Another strike against you, so far as the church and its followers are concerned?"

Feyra gave me a searching look in response. Perhaps she realized I didn't have a negative reaction, at least, because a moment later she looked back towards the road in front of us and shrugged again. "I guess? I mean, they don't really care about the whole 'transforming myself into a woman' thing, in and of itself - it's just when I try to explain why I need to be a woman that they get all offended. The church teaches that our bodies are gifts, so we're free to do what we want with them - just so long as we don't try and say she gave us the wrong one."

"I… see…" I repeated, cursing my sudden lack of words. I really couldn't think of anything more to say on the subject, though. 'Transgender' wasn't really a thing among demons, what with us having no concept of 'male' to begin with. The only reason I was able to follow along as well as I could was because of Jacob's memories - he'd made a few trans friends in his final years of life, largely introduced to him by Alice. In fact, she'd introduced him to quite a few trans girls, thinking back on it…

"Anyway," Feyra continued, forcefully pulling me from my thoughts, "can you help me, or can't you?"

"I'd certainly be happy to try," I replied, trying to shake off the nagging feeling that I was missing something obvious. "But I'm afraid I have no idea how to go about it. If such a spell or ability exists, I have no knowledge of it. I'll keep an ear to the ground, and try to see if I can figure things out?"

It was entirely possible some holy magic existed for this sort of thing - though it seemed more likely to me that there'd be a gender changing spell, if anything at all. Even beyond that, though, there were a myriad of plants, monsters, and of course monster girls out there, each with abilities that defied the laws of reality as I knew them. It was entirely possible there'd be something out there.

"...Thanks…" Feyra muttered, shifting uncomfortably on her horse. "I… uh… I think we're going to be in town soon. So… talk to you later?"

"Later," I agreed with a solemn nod. Then I turned towards Lucy, who was currently engaged in the act of loudly whistling. An attempt to drown out our conversation for the sake of privacy? Or simply a diversion, while she waited for me? Likely it was both, but the only way I'd know was to ask.

Of course, if I happened to take her hand while questioning her, and held it the rest of the way towards the gate… well, a girl could be allowed her indulgences, couldn't she?

***​

Mellany​

***​

"Mellany…" Granny rasped from her throne - and it was a throne, no matter how many times she insisted it was just an 'ornate chair' or whatnot. "You've done well to gain the trust of those fools. Soon you'll be in a prime position to push forward our family's agenda."

"Yes, Granny," I agreed like the good girl I always pretended to be around her. Inside, of course, I was rolling my eyes. Literally - I'd grown a bunch of eyes inside my treasure chest just so that I could roll them!

I mean, seriously? For one thing, I did not have 'the trust of those fools.' Not by a long shot! Sure, they were working with me, but it wasn't like they were dumb enough to treat me like a trusted friend. That was a good way to end up with a knife in your back.

Metaphorically, I mean. Obviously. Though, at the same time, I wouldn't be entirely surprised if someone told me Chloe was secretly an assassin… That girl was way too damn sneaky for my liking.

"To think that horrible child has actually managed to trick people into taking her side…" Granny continued, growling to herself.

I nodded, of course. Like the good girl I was. Definitely not thinking about how I'd love to drag her down from her throne and spit in her face for all the bullshit I'd gone through just to gain her favor and have this chance. I mean, I clipped her fucking toenails! And mimics don't even have toenails in our default form! She literally grew them just to make people cut them as some sort of sick power move!

Which… you know… Respect, I guess? But you should probably make sure you actually have a handle on the one you're trying to crush underfoot.

"Did I ever tell you how many of my bones she broke?" she asked.

Oooh, trick question! Saying yes would annoy her for 'interrupting her,' but saying no would result in accusations of not paying enough attention… So the right answer was… "Why don't you tell me again, Granny? All about how awful she is."

There we go! That put a smile on her face, and there's nothing better than a smile from someone who doesn't know they're about to be betrayed…

Unfortunately, I couldn't spring the trap just yet. Chloe wanted to talk to her mom about something, first. I didn't know if she actually thought her mother had information, or if she was just stalling for some reason, but it was fine either way - it gave my little sis more time to gather support on my behalf in preparation for ousting Granny.

…Well, technically it was on her own behalf, seeing how she was totally planning to stab me in the back too, but eh. I didn't really want the job, anyway. Something cushy with no actual responsibilities was more my speed, and that's exactly what Queenie was going to give me.

Honestly, I just wanted to see how little sis managed her coup. Most of the family probably figured they were putting up a puppet leader to control, and I could not wait for her to prove them wrong.

Ah, but first things first - nodding and smiling for Granny! Whilst also plotting her downfall… Heh.

She was going to be pissed at the end of all this, but I couldn't help but wonder… would some small part of her be proud?

Spoiler: Author's Notes

Ugh, this one gave me some real writer's block... Or at least Devilla's side did. Mellany's was surprisingly easy? Which actually caught me off guard, because I was originally worried about my ability to get all the necessary info across while keeping it coherent... but it went rather smoothly. (Assuming I succeeded, at least?) On the bright side, writer's block or no, I managed to produce 3 chapters in 2 weeks so that I could avoid taking a second week break. Patreon is once again ahead by 2 chapters (even if they are currently in rough draft form/awaiting proofreading) so I'm satisfied.

Sorry to anyone/everyone who actually wanted me to write the meeting with Araina and Mellany out, by the way. The truth is, I'm not really confident in my ability to keep things realistic if I actually dive into the nitty gritty bits of tower politics, and I'm even less confident in my ability to make it entertaining.

Honestly, I never really intended to dive too deeply into them - for me, the politics are mostly just another way to keep everyone in motion, and keep the characters bouncing off each other as they each work towards their individual goals. A way to keep them interacting and occasionally put them in conflict with one another.

It's also just a good way for me to explore the tower side a bit, on top of me thinking that politics are rather difficult to avoid when one wants to convince a tower full of people who hate you to make friends with the people who've been trying to drive them to extinction…

By the same token, though, I promise we will see more of Araina and Mellany both as time goes on. It would be rather pointless to introduce the characters for the sake of conflict and then ignore them, after all…

Many thanks, as always, to FallingLeaf for helping me with proofreading!

 

[PrincessKay]

Devilla​

Walking back into town with Lucy's hand in mine was an… interesting experience. In some ways, it wasn't that different from when I'd traveled by myself. There were looks of shock and confusion, as if people didn't really know what to make of our presence. There was also a lot more whispering, though, and no matter how much I tried to block it all out, I couldn't help but hear words like 'girlfriends' and 'lovers.'

"Do you want me to cast a privacy spell?" Lucy asked.

I shook my head. "No… It's probably best if I get used to this." I couldn't correct misunderstandings that didn't exist - I really was dating Lucy now, and it was likely only a matter of time before the world knew it.

Then again, considering the amount of time it took information to spread in a world without phones or internet… Well, perhaps I'd be dealing with shocked looks for quite a while yet.

"So we're going to the guild, right?" Feyra asked, glancing at me and then quickly looking away again. Still uncomfortable after our earlier conversation, I suppose. "Have you figured out how much you want to tell them?"

"Well… Everything except Eena's secrets, right?" Lucy replied, tilting her head a little. "I mean, why would I want to hide anything? People should know the monster movements are coming to an end!"

"Probably coming to an end," Feyra countered. "It's not like we know all the inner workings of that place. Something else could be going on, still."

"Well, at the very least things should calm down compared to before," I interceded, hoping to offset Feyra's pessimism.

Perhaps I needn't have bothered, though, as Lucy's smile didn't budge a whit. "I still want to tell the guild so that other people can check our work and make sure! It might end up with someone at the church trying to lecture me, though…"

"Lecture you?" I asked, arching an eyebrow. "I wouldn't have thought there was anyone brave enough to face the Heroine's potential ire." My voice was teasing, but my curiosity was real. The way Lucy was treated by those we'd come across… Well, perhaps it was different in the church where everyone served the goddess?

"Well… most people don't," Lucy admitted, shattering my fragile hope that others treated her like a regular person. "They tend to talk to me really respectfully, but it doesn't stop them from also sounding really disappointed in me sometimes… But it's Father Tuffel who lives at the local church here, and he really will lecture me when he finds out!"

"Oh?" I smiled. "Is it odd I think that's a good thing?"

"Nope!" Lucy cheerfully replied. "I think everyone needs someone in their life who cares enough to lecture them when they do something dangerous!"

"...I suppose for me that would be Abigail," I confided, frowning a little. "Though… it somehow feels like a while since she's given me a proper scolding. I suppose with me being on the road so much she hasn't had a chance to give me more than the occasional exasperated glare."

"Maybe you should go see her sometime?" Lucy suggested. "We could stay in town an extra day or two so you'd have time to visit!"

"I… suppose that might be a decent idea," I admitted. "I'm surprised to hear you're so enthusiastic about it, though. Have you already tired of my company?"

Though I meant it as a joke, the glare Lucy gave me was far too real - and quite startling, at that. "Don't even joke about that! I'd never get tired of you, Eena! Never ever!"

"I… well… I didn't mean to imply… it was merely an attempt at humor, Lucy," I muttered, shrinking back a little.

"You say that, but I'm pretty sure you'd start to believe it if I'm not careful!" Lucy replied, frowning at me. "So I'm going to deliver a lecture on Abigail's behalf and remind you that I do really like you! That I want to be with you! That I don't want to ever stop being with you! And telling you to go spend time with Abigail is actually maybe a little scary, but also I care about you and I think it would lead to happier things for everyone if you did!"

"Yes, well…" My cheeks flushed bright red. "Perhaps I should avoid self-deprecating humor in the future." At least in her presence. "For now, though, would an embrace perhaps serve to quell your anger?"

"I didn't think you'd want me to hug you in public," Lucy said, her ire disappearing as quickly as it came. "People are going to stare."

"We're already getting as many stares as we possibly can," I replied, glancing at our fellow travelers who had slowed to a crawl in favor of gawking at us. "But even beyond that, I'm trying not to let the opinions of others get to me so much. At least in regards to how it affects my time with you…"

Lucy smiled, turning around on the street and wrapping her arms about me tightly for a long moment.

"I'm definitely not going to miss watching you two lovebirds flirt," Feyra grumbled from astride her horse. "Also, maybe you two don't care about all the fucking stares, but they're really getting to me. Could we maybe hurry it up a little?"

"Apologies," I murmured, reluctantly parting from Lucy - though I still refused to relinquish her hand, of course.

"Wait!" Lucy exclaimed. "You're not going to miss it? Does that mean you don't want to join us for our next adventure?"

"Your adventure to dig into the fundamental truths of our religion and take on the whole world to end a two thousand year war?" Feyra replied, her voice lowered to a whisper. "Yeah, no, I think I'll leave that for the absurdly powerful among us. Besides… I've got too much shit to sort through in my brain already, and something tells me hanging out with you two will only make it worse. Hit me up after you've saved the world, though, okay?"

"Aw! It's not going to be the same without you," Lucy said, frowning. "...Though maybe it wouldn't be the worst time if I got to spend some one-on-one time with Eena, too? It has been a few days!"

"What? You planning to act even more lovesick in my absence?" Feyra asked before shaking her head. "You know what? Don't tell me. I don't need to know what you two, of all people, are getting up to in your alone time. Let's just… get to the guild so we can say our goodbyes, alright?"

"I know I was just told not to even joke about this, but you're making it sound like you truly have grown tired of us," I remarked. A quick glance cast Lucy's way didn't reveal any fresh anger on her features, thankfully. Rather, she was coiling a few strands of hair around her fingers in what I was pretty sure was an anxious gesture.

"What? No!" Feyra denied, shaking her head. "I'm just not into big goodbyes. Plus, I'm sort of a third wheel around here, and… Look. It was… an experience traveling with you, alright? One that shook my whole worldview… multiple times. Maybe for the better, but I need some alone time to work through it, alright?"

"If that's what you require," I agreed, a soft smile touching my lips. "Then let us carry on, so that we may part ways."

"Yeah…" Feyra agreed, narrowing her eyes at me in suspicion. "Sure…"

I waited until she'd ridden off a few steps before leaning in to whisper in Lucy's ear. "We are going to have a goodbye dinner, at the very least, are we not?"

"Of course!"

***​

My reception at the guild was perhaps to be expected. A lot of shocked looks, a lot of whispers, a lot of people moving out of my way in a hurry. Really, it wasn't so different from the first time I'd entered. Just replace some of the fear with awe - the end results were more or less the same, regardless. Up to and including the secretary we visited freaking out, and the guild master himself descending to sort things.

Which was how I found myself standing in the man's office once more. This time, however, the man had his head in his hands as he let out a sound that sounded somewhere between a strained laugh and a sigh.

"So let me get this straight," he said, not even bothering to raise his head. "You, the Heroine, formed a team with your girlfriend Lady Eena and your friend Feyra, before taking steps to solve issues with the monster movement… as part of Lady Eena's rookie request?"

"That's more or less the case, yes," I agreed, as Lucy nodded happily alongside me.

"You do realize there wasn't even an open request for that, right? Which means the adventurers guild can't pay you for your efforts?"

"That's fine!" Lucy replied with a beaming smile. "That's why we brought back healberries, too! There's a standing request for those, right? And since it's a gathering request, it should work for Eena's first rookie request, too!"

"That is… technically correct, yes," Denden replied. "Though it's really not the sort of request we recommend letting rookies in on, considering the monster movement."

"Which we solved!" Lucy reminded him.

"By killing a cockatrice in an abandoned building," Denden said, his eyes finally lifting up to look at us. "One where religious fanatics experimented on monsters?"

"I'm sure you wouldn't dare to doubt the Heroine on that, would you?" Feyra replied. Perhaps there was some history between the two of them, because she sounded almost sadistic when she said it. "Not like when you're getting requests filled by someone cursed."

"...I'll talk to the secretaries about that," Denden muttered while Feyra rolled her eyes. "And I'll see about harsher punishment if they ever do it again, alright?"

Lucy looked like she wanted to protest - and I certainly knew how she felt - but a nod from Feyra and a glare in our direction put the matter to bed then and there.

"Alright," Denden continued after letting out a sigh of relief. "Then I guess the next step is your membership card, Lady Eena."

"Membership?" I questioned. "I thought one had to complete two rookie requests to join? Not to mention earning the money for registration."

"Yeah, well, you should have thought about that before you started dating the Heroine," Denden replied before grimacing. "No offense, your ladyships, but there's a certain degree of politics even in the adventuring world and letting the Heroine's girlfriend stay a rookie would get me chewed out by the big wigs. Only the best and brightest for our Heroine, you know?"

"...Should you really be saying all that with her right here?" I questioned, glancing Lucy's way.

"It actually took a lot of effort to get Denden to say what he really means in front of me!" Lucy answered, smiling brightly. "Though it's true I don't really like the reasons, it's also true that you're strong enough to be a real adventurer! So I don't think there's any problem with promoting you, at least."

"Great," Denden said, opening a drawer. "Because I already prepped all the paperwork. If I can just get you to sign this new card here, and put your print there…"

Saying so, he brought forth a small paper card, not too different from what I'd received after joining as a rookie. Except this card, when I held it, was far stiffer than the last. Though I made no serious attempt to bend it, I judged it to be as least as firm as cardboard despite its thinness.

"That's ironwood," Denden informed me. "Hard as iron, like the name implies. Pretty much flameproof, too. It's rare stuff - and very hard to process, from what I'm told. Keeps most people from trying to copy membership cards, all willy-nilly."

"I see…" I replied, following his instructions and signing the card before marking it with my thumbprint.

"Now if you'll just hand over the rookie card…?" he asked, prompting me to reach into my bag and withdraw it. "Good."

He then pulled out three golden saints and a few silver crosses, splitting them evenly between us. "And that's for the healberries."

"Thanks!" Lucy said, giving him a bright smile. "Now we have money for Feyra's parting party!"

"Wait, wait, wait!" Feyra protested, even as Lucy began to pull me towards the door. "You aren't serious, right? This is way too much money to blow on food! I don't even know anywhere fancy enough to take any of these coins!"

"I know a few really expensive places," Lucy replied. "Though… they aren't really my style, usually… Maybe we could just all eat Eena's food instead? It's usually pretty good!"

"That's because I have people to cook it for me," I remarked, lowering my voice so that Denden wouldn't hear. "But I might have a few things on hand…"

"On hand?" Lucy asked, turning to face me as we reached the end of the stairs and the end of the lobby. "Don't you need to go back to… you know?"

"Well… about that…" I gave her a sheepish smile, rubbing the back of my head. "There's something I should probably show you when we get where we're going…"

***​

Lucy​

***​

The dinner with Eena and Feyra went well! Even if Feyra complained a lot, I'm pretty sure it was mostly just to hide how sad she was about us leaving… She never stopped eating even as she griped at us!

Afterwards, I made a point of hugging her - in the privacy of her own home, where nobody else could see, so she couldn't complain that much! I think she maybe cried a little on my shoulder, too? But I thought it was nicer not to check, so I didn't.

It was a happy dinner, for the most part! As for the walk back to the inn with Eena… well, it was a bit weird. Normally, when I walked away from Feyra's house - or 'Eff's house' I guess - I always felt a little down, and lonely. With Eena, though, it was a lot easier to keep my smile! It really felt that so long as her hand was in mine, I'd never feel lonely again…

"Hey, Eena?" I whispered, turning to my girlfriend. "Do you think you could fly me somewhere special?"

"Somewhere special?" she asked, tilting her head a little to the side. She was seriously cute! "So long as your privacy spell can stop anyone from noting our ascent, I wouldn't mind. Where did you wish me to take you, though?"

"It's a surprise!" I replied, giving her my cheekiest grin. Which maybe wasn't very cheeky? But I really tried!

"A surprise, then…" Eena chuckled for a moment before taking her hand off mine. Then she slid one hand behind my back and pushed the other against my knees, scooping me up in a princess carry.

Wait. Eena was a queen, wasn't she? So maybe it was more of a queen carry? Or was it more about the person who got carried than the person who did the carrying?

It didn't really matter. I think I was mostly trying to distract myself, honestly, even as I spoke the words of my holy privacy spell. Even as her wings sprouted, we ascended to the air, and I started giving her directions to our destination.

The truth is… I was actually a little scared to think about where we were going. It was somewhere I hadn't been in a very long time. Somewhere I was always scared to go, to be honest.

Having Eena with me made me feel like I could handle it, though…

"We're looking for a small village," I told Eena, directing her flight first above the major roads, and then a well trodden side path, before finally shifting to what looked like little more than a game trail from the air, leading to a small village.

"Is this it?" Eena asked me, and I nodded, but then shook my head.

"It's the right place, but it's not where we're going! It's just my best landmark! The next part might actually take a bit, but… I think if we go left… We're looking for a small clearing!"

Eena banked left, looking over the forest as I craned my own neck to look down a bit. I don't know how long it took, but Eena was incredibly patient with me as we crossed over the trees again and again, until she finally found the right clearing. One I confirmed was right with a single look.

It wasn't much to look at, really. Just a small clearing, with a little cottage in it, somewhere near the edge of the forest. A few hours walk from the village. I asked Eena to bring us down.

"Is this place somewhere important to you?" Eena asked, her brow furrowed with curiosity. Or maybe worry, considering how somber I was acting? Maybe both.

I nodded. "Could you take me down?"

"Of course," she said, her worry still evident in her voice.

I wanted to comfort her, but… I couldn't. Not this time. Actually, I could feel tears forming in my eyes as she set me down and I walked towards the door. The plain wooden door on the plain wooden cottage.

It was clearly falling apart. There were some holes in the roof, and I was pretty sure there'd be a draft if I went inside. Also dust, probably. Lots and lots of it.

"This is where I grew up," I told Eena, placing a hand on the doorknob. "Until Mom died when I was thirteen…"

"Here?" Eena questioned, looking around. She was curious, I could tell, but also sort of confused? "I don't imagine the church priests were very happy to make the trek here whenever they had to reach you…"

I shook my head. "The church didn't know we were here. Mom… ran away to hide me here…"

"She fled?" Eena asked. "From the church?"

"From everyone," I told her. "Father Tuffel told me she used to live on the local church's grounds as a priestess, but on the night I was born monsters attacked the church… He thinks they must have been after me. And Mom didn't feel safe anymore, so she took me here and hid me."

"Does that fit with what your mother told you?" Eena asked. I could tell she was suspicious of the story - maybe because it came from the church? Or maybe because it was a bit of a big coincidence… I mean, everyone always said the Demon Queen must have sent the monsters, but she obviously hadn't. Still…

"Mom never told me anything," I told her. "Not about the church, not about my destiny. I didn't even know I was the Heroine until after she died…"

"Was your strength not a clue?" Eena asked. "Or were you isolated here the entire time…?"

"I went into the village, sometimes!" I told her. "But Mom always just said I was stronger than the other kids and needed to be careful with them… I guess I kind of took it for granted? I mean, Mom was strong too, so I figured I must have gotten it from her… I guess she had actually been training really hard to get that strong, though?"

I smiled faintly, before turning my eyes to my hand on the door. It took more effort than it should have to make the door turn.

The inside was just like I expected - full of dust… but otherwise, the same as it had been when Father Tuffel and the others took me from this place. I could even see the wooden cup I used to drink from laying on the kitchen counter from where I was standing.

"I think Mom was going to tell me, eventually," I added after a moment. "Maybe even when I turned thirteen? She did say she had something big to tell me, but… Well, she never got the chance, I guess…"

I started to walk inside, only to stop when Eena wrapped her arms against me. Her warm chest pressed into my back, her arms gently wrapped under my own, I leaned back against her to just appreciate her warmth.

When I looked up at her, though, I was surprised to find that my vision was blurry. I was crying.

"I just… after going to the Tower, and hearing that maybe Mom kept even more secrets from me than I thought… it's really hard to hear… If she knew the Demon Queen, then shouldn't she have told me? Shouldn't she have helped me prepare? If she knew my destiny, then I could have been learning to fight all along… then maybe I'd have been able to… to protect her…"

But I wouldn't have been able to, and I knew it. For one thing, she'd asked me to stay home that night. She'd been shopping for my birthday, after all, but… it was hard to let go of the thought…

"I think your mother wanted you to have a normal childhood," Eena said after a moment. "Or as normal as you could have… I doubt she intended to hide everything from you forever, at the very least."

I nodded. I knew what she was saying was probably true. My Mom loved me, after all, so she probably didn't like the idea of me having to fight in a war… especially if she knew that the Demon Queens weren't evil… but still…

"It still hurts, sometimes… knowing everything she kept from me…"

"I can't imagine," Eena whispered, tightening her arms around me. I leaned against her, just enjoying her warmth for a while. "Would it help if I promised not to keep anything from you?"

I shook my head. "That's not realistic, Eena… Everyone has secret,. and that's okay! But… maybe… if it's something that affects me, try not to hide it from me then?"

"Then I suppose I should tell you something, right now…" Eena whispered, releasing me so that she could instead grip my side and gently turn me towards her.

"Something you should tell me?" I asked, looking up at her with teary eyes.

She nodded. "I'm not sure it's the right time… or if the urge is even coming from the right place… but seeing you like this? I… really want to kiss you."

I… laughed. I couldn't help it. I mean, it was so badly timed! We were standing in my old home, talking about my old memories, and I was crying… and vulnerable… and all Eena wanted to do was kiss me.

To comfort me.

"I think I'd like that," I whispered.

Even though Eena was probably the toughest, strongest person on the planet, all I could think when her lips touched mine was… 'Soft…'

***​

It was late at night when we finally came home. In the end, I'd ended up giving Eena a tour of my old cottage. I'd shown her where I'd slept, and where Mom had been… and I'd maybe sneakily looked to see if there were any letters she'd left for me, but if there were I didn't find any. That was fine, though! Or at least it would be fine? Because I had Eena with me, and that made me feel like I could get through anything!

…It was still a relief to leave, though. Despite also being sad? Like I was waving goodbye to my childhood innocence all over again… but the world needed me and Eena! We couldn't just stay in the past like that…

Well, even though I say that, it's not like I wasn't still thinking about it. It's just that I was also thinking about the future! Which was why, despite how late it was, I still ended up asking the clerk at the desk if there was a letter for me. I felt kind of bad about it, since he was obviously hoping to nap at the desk again once we left, but he did get it for me all the same!

It was from the church, of course, and in it was hopefully the answer to Eena's depetrification problems. Which is why I took a deep breath before pulling the envelope open and pulling the letter out.

But when I read it… "They… want to meet you?"

Spoiler: Author's Notes

So, this almost ended up as two chapters - one to end the last arc, one to start the new... but it would have been two very short chapters, with the second not even breaking 2,000 words. So, I decided to combine them! A decision I hopefully won't come to regret when I'm hurrying to make another chapter before next Weds....

In other news, Lucy now knows about the 'empty bag'! And we now know what makes Lucy so different than the other Heroines... Or rather, why her views differ so dramatically from others in general. She wasn't given quite the same religious upbringing as other Heroines have.

We'll be getting more info on Devilla's take on that kiss next chapter, by the way~!

PS: There might be another one week break coming up... I'm gonna try and avoid it, but depression is kicking my ass and I've only got Patreon up to chapter 53.

 

[PrincessKay]

Devilla​

Lucy's lips were warm. Warm, soft, and sweet. It was all that I could think about as we flew back to the inn. My first kiss, discounting the time I'd brazenly stolen Abigail's lips during sex. That had been 'during sex,' though, so it didn't quite count. No… as far as my true first kiss went, I'd pledged it and my commitment both to Lucy. Told her that I would be here, next to her, for as long as she would have me.

That's what a kiss meant - to me, at least. To demons in general, really, if the stories I'd read and the gossip I'd overhead was anything to go off of. It was a commitment. Not on the level of a wedding ring, by any means, but it was essentially the first step towards that path. If I had to quantify it… half a step before 'I love you'? A declaration that you were at least starting to fall for someone. That if things continued the way they were going, you'd be happy to stay with her forevermore.

That was why I'd been so nervous about giving Lucy my first… but seeing her so vulnerable, so in need… Well. It wasn't as if I'd ever intended to abandon her. Rather, I'd always been convinced - was still convinced, really - that she'd be the one to tire of me, long before I'd even have the chance. Yet for now, until the day she left me, I wanted her to know that I'd be there for her. That I cared for her. That I was falling for her - and hard, at that.

It was a rather all-consuming thought. Which was why I could hardly focus on Lucy in the present - why my mind kept drifting back to that oh-so-sweet kiss, even as she read the church's response to her missive.

"They…. want to meet you?"

At least until she said that.

"They what?!" I was aware that I was gawking at her in surprise, but hardly capable of doing more than gaping at her.

"I mean, they don't specifically say that," Lucy informed me, before handing the letter over. "But they make a point of mentioning rumors about me picking up a companion and they want me to come to the holy capital in person to pick up the spell. They say it's because writing holy words on a plain letter would be sacrilegious, but I'm pretty sure that's just an excuse to get us over there."

"You sound almost suspicious of them," I remarked, blinking from surprise. "I thought you were more the sort to take things at face value?"

"Well, I like to!" Lucy confirmed with a smile. "I mean, I'd rather believe someone and be wrong than not believe someone when they really need my help… but that only lasts until I know for sure they're lying to me, you know? And the church… I mean, I do think most people in the clergy mean well, but… a lot of the higher ups get involved in politics. If someone sent them a letter about me being all close to you, then they'll probably want to talk to me about it… Especially since they're really focused on you, without a word about Feyra!"

I let out a noncommittal grunt, too focused on the letter to immediately respond. There was nothing particularly egregious written in it. A flowery greeting, followed by talk of her escapades reaching the church, and a 'rumor' about her 'growing close' to an 'unknown highborn.' Only the last paragraph actually mentioned her request for the depetrification spell, and even then it read almost as an afterthought. It was clearly an attempt to bring her to their capital, where they'd hold all the power.

"What do you wish to do about it?" I inquired, arching an eyebrow.

"Well, I'd like to go," Lucy confessed, frowning. "I mean, I have a lot of questions, and I think the holy capital might have answers! What about you, though? I could probably get the spell even if you don't come… I mean, it is sort of enemy territory for you, isn't it?"

"And in what world would I let my girlfriend go into enemy territory undefended?!" I demanded, giving her a frown of my own. "You might be on their side for the moment, but I don't want to imagine what they'd do to you if they somehow found out who I really am…"

"I am pretty good at protecting myself, Eena," Lucy countered, actually sounding a little annoyed. Any trace of that annoyance disappeared a moment later, though, when she gave me a bright smile. "I'm really glad you care, though! And there's a lot of places I'd love to show you!"

"Then it sounds like our next destination is set," I declared, privately relieved that I hadn't upset Lucy too much. I was likely being overprotective… but at the same time, if anything were to befall Lucy due to my own cowardice, my own unwillingness to step into that enemy territory - even knowing nobody there could harm me… The very thought of it felt like a dagger through the heart. "It shouldn't take us long at all to reach there going at full speed…"

"About that," Lucy murmured, curling a strand of red hair about her fingers. "I think you might actually be too fast. I mean, I can get anywhere pretty quickly, if I run at top speed, but your flying is a bit… no, way faster than anything I can manage! There'd definitely be questions if we went there at full speed!"

"I suppose that is true," I conceded, running a hand through my own hair. I was in a bit of a hurry to get the depetrification spell, what with Sylvanna's time limit taking up space in the back of my mind, but… well, making the church suspicious of Lucy in any way would be akin to putting the cart before the horse. "It would seem we have little choice but to take things at a slower pace, then…"

"Well, actually…" Lucy hesitated. "I was thinking that maybe we could take a detour? There's a place I really want to show you! And as long as we don't raise too much of a ruckus, the church won't send a letter to alert the holy city, so as far as they'll know any time we spend there is just time we spent traveling!"

Her plan made sense - at least so long as she was right about the church only reporting her presence if she made a ruckus. Honestly, I wasn't entirely confident in our ability to not cause a ruckus, but if Lucy thought it would help…

"Is it at least somewhat on the way to the church?"

"In the same general direction!" Lucy confirmed. "Though it's not the most direct route, I guess… If you want to hurry we can, but I really do want to show you this place!"

"What sort of place…" is it. Those were the words I meant to speak, and yet they never left my lips, for even as I began to form them I heard it. A squeak. My eyes darted around, seeking out its source, but there was nothing. Yet I heard it again - another squeak, coming from the direction of the wall.

It could have been a chair moved improperly. Or a mouse, for that matter, happily squealing over a bit of cheese. Neither would bother me, even if the latter did seem slightly unhygienic. Yet if it was what I feared… if it was what I dreaded…

Straining my ears, I could hear something suspiciously like scurrying.

"I have to get out of here," I whispered.

"Eena? Is something wrong?"

I nodded, eyes flicking to Lucy. I couldn't just leave her here, with that… that thing. Even if I knew it likely wouldn't be able to hurt her. Its teeth probably couldn't even pierce her flesh, let alone mine. Assuming it was even real to begin with. Yet…

"We need to get out of here," I corrected myself. "This place might have rats!"

"I mean… maybe?" Lucy agreed, frowning. "The inn probably has cats to deal with them, though!"

"You don't understand, Lucy… I… If I see a rat, I… I'm not certain of my ability to control myself. I might very well do something I'll regret…" Like incinerate this entire building.

"Do you hate rats that much?" Lucy asked, her eyes wide with innocent curiosity - and perhaps a touch of worry.

More than a touch, actually. Which was fair, considering the fact that I was practically trembling. "Hate them? No. That, I could at least attempt to suppress… I fear them, Lucy. With a terror as deep as it is irrational. The last time I saw one… the mere touch of it across my foot… it caused me to black out. And that was likely one of the better possibilities that could have resulted from such an encounter. I'm honestly just glad I didn't blow up Lissera's house…"

"It's that bad?!" Lucy asked, her eyes wide now as understanding began to dawn. As she began to realize the troubles I could bring upon this inn, should a rat appear within this room. "...I'll tell the innkeeper that we're checking out in the morning. And I'll do a really thorough sweep of the room for rats! Maybe you should spend the night at the tower while I do that, though?"

I hesitated a moment, reluctant to let Lucy face this threat on her own - as unthreatening as it may have been to her. Another little squeak made up my mind for me, though, as I soon nodded. "Just make sure not to move the teleportation circle, or put anything on it," I warned her. "That's all that it'd take to keep me from teleporting back."

"Got it!" she agreed as I took the teleportation circle in question out from my Empty Bag and placed it in a corner of the room. Quickly feeding it with my holy magic, I closed my eyes and focused on the circle's twin, safely located in my tower room.

When I opened my eyes again, I was there - in my nice, safe, and most importantly rat-free tower room - faced with Abigail, who was currently holding a forkful of eggs and gawking at my sudden appearance.

The only thing I could think to say?

"...Isn't it a little too late at night to be eating breakfast?"

***​

Abigail​

***​

So, there I was, bored out of my skull after another day of doing nothing in Devilla's absence - seriously, I almost considered actually asking the other maids if they needed help cleaning anything - when suddenly Devilla was there. Judging my choice of late night snack.

"...The kitchen was closed, alright! And eggs are really simple to make." Not that I couldn't have made anything more complex, but… come on, it was a late night snack! And I liked eggs!

"If you say so…" Devilla muttered, clearly judging me a little but too polite to say anything about it.

Which was just… "Ugh, you're worse than Mom! Can't a girl enjoy her choice of bedtime snacks in peace?!"

"Sorry," Devilla replied, looking a little flustered. Then she paused. "Wait… why in the world are you having a late time snack in my room? Aren't you usually home by now?"

"Usually, yeah, but Mom's got company over tonight and that gets… loud. Annoyingly so. And a little icky? I mean, some of the excess lust always ends up wafting my way, and I really don't wanna get my Mom's leftovers."

Even if I was feeling more hungry for lust than regular food, anyways… I'd been spending way too much time in Devilla's room of late, and not nearly enough time soaking up lust at the brothel. Devilla hadn't exactly been keeping up with her promise to feed me, either - not that I blamed her, with how busy she was… and besides, her lust was weird. Tasty, but weird - it never seemed to fill me up the way it should. Not that I wouldn't feel full in the moment, but an hour later…? Famished. The only exception had been when Mifa was going at it with her, but even then it was more like the harpy general was pulling her weight and then some… Maybe it had something to do with the whole 'angel' thing? Like even her lust was different than everyone else's.

"I see," Devilla murmured, blissfully unaware of everything going through my mind. "So you came here… Well, I won't say that you aren't welcome, but I should mention that I'm planning to spend the night."

"Does that mean you're actually going to feed me again?" I asked, arching an eyebrow. Mostly just to see her squirm a little. It was kinda… cute. The way her cheeks flushed red.

"Right… I've been rather lackluster in terms of that responsibility, haven't I?"

"It's fine," I told her. "I never intended to rely on you for all my lust, anyway."

"Still," Devilla pressed, "if you wish for me to fulfill my duties in bed-"

"Thanks, but no thanks," I interrupted. "At least not if you're going to refer to it as a duty anyhow. I prefer my bedmates to be a bit more appreciative, you know?"

"That's… I didn't mean to imply… I mean…"

A small smile tugged at my lips. It was actually sort of fun to tease Devilla like this. For all her power, political, physical, and magical alike, she was so quick to turn into a flustered mess when you pushed her buttons just right. "It's fine, Devilla. Seriously. You've been busy."

"Business is a poor excuse for ignoring someone so dear to my heart," Devilla protested and suddenly it was my turn to fight off a blush.

Where the hell did she get off spouting lines like that?!

"Dear to your heart, huh?" I teased, determined to get the upper hand. "Bold words from someone who's only known me for a couple weeks… I know we're friends, and all, but are you sure you wouldn't be saying this exact same thing if it had been another maid in my spot after the coronation?"

"Perhaps," Devilla confirmed. To my surprise the words sent a stinging pain through my heart. Then she continued. "But it wasn't just any maid who appeared next to me in that state, it was you. By fate or fortune, it was you who stood by me, both physically and metaphorically, as time went by. You who kept me from giving up on myself and simply shoving this mess onto the shoulders of others. You who made me believe it possible that I could make a difference… who made me think I could, perhaps, at least by some be forgiven, no matter how little I deserve it. So while it's certainly possible that another maid could have worked her way into my heart, I must say all the same - I'm glad it was you."

"Y-yeah, well… Sappy much?" I grumbled, shoving another bite of egg into my mouth and trying really hard not to blush. "What are you even here for, anyway? I thought Lucy was keeping your nights busy."

"She was," Devilla confirmed with a nod. Again there was that sharp pain in my chest, but I pushed it away. I had an unsettling suspicion as to what it might mean, but… well, now wasn't really the time to delve into all that, was it? "I… had to leave her for the night. The inn was… possibly… infested. With rats."

"With rats?" I questioned, hardly able to believe my ears. I mean… rats…? Really? "As in the small rodents that squeak?"

"Y-you know what they are?" Devilla asked, seemingly surprised. "You… we… wait-the tower doesn't have rats, does it?!"

"No," I said, shaking my head. "But we do have rat girls."

"Rat girls I can deal with," Devilla announced, letting out a sigh of relief. "But rats… actual rats…. They terrify me, to be honest…"

"Wait," I said, holding up a hand. "Wait, wait, wait…. You're afraid…. Of rats? You? The most powerful person on the planet?"

"Laugh if you must," she grumbled, "but it's a relic of my past life that I can't seem to shake. Perhaps because I never had any strong feelings about rats, one way or another, in this world… or indeed, any interactions with them. That void of feeling was vulnerable to being filled."

"Right… I'll just pretend that makes sense to me then," I declared with a shrug before popping another bite of egg in my mouth. "Well, this place is rat-free, at least. Your room especially, probably, seeing as how it's got all those fancy protections on it. You know, like the whole being 'spy proof' thing?"

"Ah! Right…" And we were back to flustered Devilla! Which was just the way things should be - me, calm and collected with my nearly-emptied plate of eggs, and her shifting from foot to foot with a very red face. "I suppose I still need to properly apologize for that… I swear I wasn't aware the room had such a feature. Much of what the tower can do has caught me off guard, actually… it makes me wonder how the whole thing is powered."

"By magic?" I suggested, rolling my eyes. "I mean, it seems pretty obvious to me anyways."

"Well, yes, but… how?" Devilla asked. "How does the tower have such a supply of holy magic? How have things kept running for two thousand years? Just how much power is packed into these stone walls? And how much of it is left?"

"You'd have to ask your ancestors," I pointed out with a shrug. Honestly, I don't really want to think about the tower running out. I don't think it would be a good day for anyone if that sorta thing happened, but it hadn't happened so far, and it wasn't like there was anything I could do to change things if it did, so…

"I think I missed my chance for that when I messed up the Rite," Devilla sighed, settling down on the bed beside me. "Not that I'm terribly upset about how all that ended up… it most certainly saved my life and hopefully helped to better the lives of others as well. But at the same time…"

"Yeah. It sucks to imagine - two thousand years of history coming to a halt because we ran out of power… But there's not exactly much point in worrying about what you can't change, you know?"

"I suppose…" Devilla murmured, sighing again.

I shifted a little, bumping my shoulder against hers. "Come on. It's lasted two thousand years without anything going wrong. It'll be fine for another year or two while you resolve things with Lucy."

"And if it isn't?" Devilla questioned me, turning to look at me with eyes full of… something. Yearning, maybe? For comfort, specifically. For someone to tell her that it would be okay.

Lately that had been Lucy's job. Lucy wasn't here, though, so… I put an arm around her.

"Then we'll face it together," I said with more confidence than I felt. "Now come on. Let's get some sleep."

"Together?" Devilla asked, a teasing smirk on her lips. "I thought you were opposed to us bedding one another tonight."

"Not opposed," I corrected, putting my plate on the nightstand. "Just not that interested. Maybe in the morning…"

"In the morning," Devilla confirmed, clearly deciding not to give it any more thought as she began to shuck her clothing, starting with the heels and moving onto her shirt, skirt, and underwear.

She really was gorgeous underneath it all. With her hair cascading down her back, a few strands falling against her breasts, as if trying to draw attention to the pert little nipples - one of which was currently peeking between two strands.

Before I knew what I was doing, I'd already leaned down to place a kiss on it.

"Goodnight," I murmured, turning my face away from Devilla so she wouldn't see that my cheeks were aflame.

"...Goodnight," she repeated, apparently deciding to shrug the action off as she laid down. Maybe she just thought it was a succubus thing… either way, it didn't seem to bug her for long, since she was asleep just half a moment later.

Me? I was up for a while longer than that. Just thinking about those pangs of pain in my heart, and what they might mean…

It was best not to worry about things one couldn't do anything about, though. Devilla was already with Lucy, and while there was a chance she'd be willing to share… I wasn't sure if I was… Not with the Heroine, of all people.

Maybe… Maybe Lucy and I should have a talk about it at some point, though.

Maybe.

Spoiler: Author's Notes

Not entirely sure how I feel about this chapter, to be honest. The first half... I felt a little stuck. I wasn't entirely sure where I wanted it to go, and it felt like I was wading through mud just to get from one sentence to the next. Then I switched over to Abigail, and everything just flowed so smoothly...

At the same time, while I'm pretty happy with Abigail's part, I'm a little worried she might be putting things together a little too quickly? Like she went from zero to a hundred - no idea what she felt for Devilla, to every idea.

At the same time, she's not exactly a dense character. She was blind to what she felt for Devilla due to a mixture of inexperience and a part of her still stubbornly viewing Devilla as "The Queen" - an entity that's simultaneously been synonymous with "brat" for most of her life, and also a position that's somewhat beyond her imagining.

Once she started feeling those pangs of jealousy, though? She's not dumb enough to ignore them. She might try and convince herself it's not what she thinks it is, but that's about it.

Thanks, as always, to FallingLeaf for the amazing job at proofreading!

PS: Depression has been a bit easier to deal with of late, but I'm still only up to chapter 54 on Patreon. Depending on how much I get done, next week might still be a skip week. Sorry in advance!

 

[PrincessKay]

Abigail​

Sleep wasn't exactly easy to come by that night. It did eventually take me, mind you, but I've got no idea when - I mostly just remember tossing and turning and trying real hard not to think too much about my feelings. Not the way I'd normally be handling things, but considering the source of those feelings was sleeping right next to me… Well, it wasn't exactly ideal for sorting through my mental state.

I know I fell asleep eventually, though, because I came to when I felt Devilla start to tug herself out from under my arm. An arm I definitely didn't remember putting around her - probably happened in my sleep, or something. Thankfully, whether because the clue was too small or the Queen too oblivious, Devilla didn't seem to make anything of it.

"Eager to get back to your girlfriend?" I asked, stretching and trying very hard to ignore the pang of what was probably jealousy going through me.

"Apologies for waking you," Devilla replied, a soft smile on her lips. I wish it was for me, but I was pretty sure her mind really was on Lucy. "To be honest, though, I'm actually rather nervous… I trust Lucy to have cleared the place of rats, and yet I can't help but worry she might have failed… It's utterly irrational."

"Relax, you'll be fine," I promised. "What sort of rat could even hurt you, anyhow?"

"It's not a matter of physical harm…" Devilla protested, frowning. "It's simply… fear. Terror, even."

"Terror… over rats?" The big bad Demon Queen being scared of rats was still difficult for me to wrap my mind around. I mean, she was half a step away from being invincible! There was literally only one person in the world who could beat her, and not only was she too weak for it right now, she'd actually joined forces with her enemy!

The way Devilla actually flinched when I said the word, though? Yeah, that was enough to convince me this was no joking matter.

"Alright, alright, I'll drop it," I promised. "For real, though - Lucy's probably missing you. It's her first night by herself since you reunited, right?

"I suppose that is true," Devilla conceded. "And I still wish to elucidate Lucy on matters of demonic etiquette before we meet with Chloe's mother, tonight."

"You mean your aunt?" I asked, causing her to flinch again. "No offense, but are you sure it's a good idea for her to be coming? Meeting a relative for the first time sounds stressful enough without adding an undercover Heroine to the mix."

"She wants to know more about her family," Devilla replied with a shrug. "Who am I to deny her a firsthand account?"

"I don't know, maybe the queen?" I pointed out. "The future of our country is at stake here. Not exactly the best time to let your heart lead over your head."

"My heart's taken me this far," she replied with a pout, "and I think it will take me farther yet. I won't ask Lucy to be satisfied with second hand crumbs when she could have been in a position to ask questions herself."

"Then how about a compromise?" I suggested. "Bring her in after your aunt cracks. Assuming she does crack, anyway."

"That… might be doable," Devilla conceded after a long moment. "I'll discuss the matter with Lucy."

"Good…" I sighed in relief, glad to have that sorted. Lucy showing up and announcing herself the way she did last time could easily lead to disaster… It was honestly a miracle it hadn't ended that way the first time around!

Though, at the same time… Well, considering those newfound feelings I was still trying really hard not to think about… Could I be 100% sure that this was a selfless move on my part? That I didn't just want a little more time with Devilla, sans Lucy? I mean, I could have brought this point up at any time, yet I was stomping all over their plan the day of?

Yeah… Feelings were complicated.

***​

Feelings were complicated. You know what else was complicated, though? Cooking! Or something.

…Honestly, I had no idea where I was going with that logic - or why I was even bothering with it for that matter. It wasn't like I needed to rationalize what I was doing, anyways… Not really…

Long story short? I was going to see a certain cook because she was the closest thing I had to a friend aside from Devilla… even if Lenora was more like a 'work friend,' really.

I wasn't exactly good at the whole social thing. Too prickly. Too prone to saying whatever the hell was on my mind. Also terrible at reaching out. And it didn't help that everyone at my last job hated me. They kept accusing me of getting good clients through nepotism, rather than hard work and talent. It was the main reason I ended up switching careers to be a maid in the first place, and as for making friends among the staff there? Yeah, good luck finding someone who'd stick around long enough to form a proper friendship. One day you'd be best buds, the next they'd be fleeing the floor in tears and you'd never see them again… All at the hands of a girl I now had feelings for.

So yeah. Even if I did actually have more friends to pick from, I probably wouldn't have been able to explain to most of them why I was feeling the way I was… Lenora, though, had actually respected Devilla before she stopped being a… No - before she started healing and actually became nice to be around.

So there I was, standing outside the kitchen, taking deep breaths and trying to calm down. Also trying to ignore the horned wolf sniffing at the air besides me. She was back to her usual 'protect Maid' schtick now that she'd been returned to the tower. Something I didn't need or appreciate! Even if it did sorta send warm tingly feelings through me when I remembered how Bailey's reasoning was that I was 'important to Queen.'

…Dammit, I had it bad, didn't I? When did this even start? I mean, up until a day ago, I'd been completely comfortable just being Devilla's friend! No, more like I'd finally gotten over the mind boggling fact that I was the supposedly bratty queen's friend! And now I was feeling warm tingles at the thought that I was important to her? What the hell!

Shaking those thoughts off - alongside my nerves - I went ahead and made my way through the kitchen doors. It was a bit past lunch at this point, and while I was pretty sure the kitchen never really came to a full stop during working hours, everyone there still needed to take breaks now and again. This was around time for Lenora's, which made it all the more baffling for me to find her exactly as I always did - sweeping the floors.

"...Seriously?"

"Ah… No, um…." She tightened her fingers around the broom, looking both ways as if begging someone to come save her. Of course, the few people who were still in the room just focused on their own tasks even more intently. "It's not what you think…"

"So you're not sweeping the floor during what's meant to be your break?" I asked, arching an eyebrow.

"N-No…?" Lenora tried, red tingeing her cheeks as her tail swayed nervously back and forth behind her. "I-I mean… I am, but… but I was cooking, earlier! I mean, it was mostly just mixing sauces, but still! The head chef said my work was satisfactory!"

I opened my mouth. Then I closed my mouth, placed my head in my hands, and let out a long sigh. "So you're pulling double duty as a cook and a scullery maid?"

"W-Well… I'm still proving myself…" Lenora muttered, shrinking in on herself. "I… I need to show that I can work hard! That I'm not just here because of my family's name…"

"Sounds more like you're letting them walk all over you," I replied, letting my hands drop back down from my face as I let loose another sigh. "But, as long as you're happy, I guess it's a step in the right direction…"

"It is!" Lenora agreed, happily thumping her tail against the ground. "I-I mean… it is…"

"Alright…" I conceded, holding my hands up in defeat. "But do you think you could at least put the broom down long enough to have a late lunch with me? I… maybe kinda sorta really definitely need someone to speak to for a bit."

"S-someone to talk to?" Lenora asked, confused. "But don't you have Bailey right next to you? S-she is a demon, isn't she?"

"Of course she's a demon!" I replied. Maybe a little too forcefully. I was a little tired of people asking me about that, though… There was a stubborn rumor about Devilla sneaking in a wild animal that just wouldn't die down. "I just… It isn't something I can talk to her about."

"Why not?" Lenora asked with a sort of tactless innocence I didn't even feel right get annoyed at her for.

"Because she'd be way too smug about it! Now, can you come talk with me or not? Because I'm feeling pretty close to my wit's end, here…"

"A-Alright…" Lenora promised, biting her lip. "I'll um… I'll just use magic to clean up the remaining dust… it's sort of frowned upon, since it sends dust flying everywhere for a second, but…" Lenora scrunched up her eyes, obviously concentrating, and a moment later I felt a wash of power running over me. Next thing I knew, dust and dirt and food particles were coming up off the ground all around me and gathering into a neat pile by Lenora's broom. Much to the complaints of those still scurrying around doing things, as the dust swirled around their legs to reach its destination.

"S-sorry!" Lenora called out. "I-It's for the Queen's p-personal maid, though, so-"

"Emergency!" I interrupted. "Very important Queen-based emergency. She's coming with me for a bit." Saying so, I grabbed hold of Lenora's hand and practically yanked her out of the room.

"A-Abigail?" Lenora stuttered. "I-is there really an emergency?"

"Yes. No. Maybe sort of? It's related to Devilla and it's urgent, anyways…" At least to me it was.

"I-I'm not in trouble, am I?" Lenora asked next, her voice shaking from fear.

That, at least, managed to stop me in my tracks. I looked back at her, baffled - an expression Bailey mirrored. "Why would you be in trouble?"

"I-I mean… W-well… The th-things I said to G-G-General S-Sylvanna, the other day… I mean, I was really mad, so I said things, and I meant them, but…"

"You mean the bimbo bit of her we had the displeasure of speaking with?" I asked, remembering the unpleasant interaction. "If she wants to stir up any trouble, she can go through me. And probably Devilla, too, but I'm not going to let her get past me in the first place." Not if it meant Devilla would have to face a woman who'd been verbally abusing her for the last fourteen years.

"S-So there is trouble?" Lenora asked, her usually dusky skin now almost pale.

"No, there isn't," I promised, forcing myself to keep calm. No need to push Lenora into a freak out. "I promise. I just want to talk to you about something… Queen related."

"A-Alright…" Lenora agreed, nervously nodding her head. "It um… Doesn't have anything to do with the secrets of why the Queen's sneaking around, does it? B-because I kn-know you trust me, but I r-really don't think I'm the right p-person for telling secrets to…"

"Not… directly," I replied, evading the question. I didn't really know how to answer it, myself. Did I even want to talk about Lucy? I mean, she was a complicating factor in the whole feelings thing… "I'll keep it vague," I promised, tugging her further down the hall and into Devilla's room. It was sound proofed, so far as I could tell - you could hear what was going on outside of it from within, but not the other way around. Other than that, I just had to keep an eye on the teleportation circle and make sure the owner didn't show up unexpectedly in the middle of this embarrassing chat. Bailey was a bit of a problem, but so long as she stayed in wolf form and kept quiet I could… think about it later. There had to be some way to buy her silence. Assuming she wasn't outright willing to let me handle things, anyways…

"Wh-what's going on, A-Abigail?" Lenora asked, her voice trembling as she looked between me and the closed door. I'd almost forgotten how nervous Devilla's room made her, but it wasn't like we could have this talk in a staff break room, so…

"I think I have… feelings for Devilla," I confessed - though I basically had to force the second half out of my mouth. Saying it aloud made it feel way too real.

"...L-Like… romantic feelings?" Lenora checked, staring at me with wide eyes.

I didn't answer right away. Instead, I wandered my way over to Devilla's bed, plopped myself down on it, and closed my eyes.

"A-Abigail?"

"...Yeah," I said eventually, opening my eyes again. "I think so." Envy for how much she cared about Lucy, warm tingles when I thought about how much she cared about me… fear when I thought about what she might say. I'd never really fallen in love before, but so far as I could tell this checked all the right boxes. "Maybe it's just a crush or something? Maybe I'll get over it…"

"W-well…" Lenora bit her lip, her tail shaking a little from nerves. "Th-the last Queen married a commoner, right? It wasn't really popular among the bloodliners, I guess, but…"

"The Smiling Soldier, right?" I asked, trying to remember what I'd learned about Devilla's dam, Issa. "She was already basically a hero on the front lines, though, wasn't she?"

"W-well… yeah," Lenora said. "B-But I don't think Q-Queen D-Devilla would care…"

"That's true…" Nivera might throw a conniption fit about the politics, but she'd get over it. It wasn't like she actually wanted Devilla to pick a bloodline member or anything, anyways. Sallina would probably be happy enough that Devilla was at least interested in a demon this time. They'd probably find a way to make it work, too… but… "It doesn't matter, though. She's already got a girlfriend."

"Sh-she does?" Lenora asked, her eyes wide.

"Don't tell anyone," I immediately added, "but yeah. They're both real lovey dovey, too. Devilla's always smiling whenever L…she comes up…" The tenderness in her eyes when she looked at Lucy was another dead giveaway. Also the determined look that she sometimes had - like she was ready to face the gallows if it came down to it, just so that she could spend a little more time with the girl. Which probably had more to do with Devilla's own hang ups than anything, but… it really did drive home how much she cared.

"D-Do you t-think they'd be willing to… um… share?" Lenora asked. At some point she'd grabbed hold of her tail and was now nervously fiddling with the tip of it. "Demon Queens ha-haven't really d-done that, h-historically, b-but Queen Devilla's pretty… different… than most of the others."

"Different how?" I asked, deciding to avoid Lenora's question for now. I wasn't sure about Devilla's answer, but from what little I'd seen of Lucy… maybe.

That would put me in the same relationship as the Heroine, though, and I really wasn't sure what to think of that. I mean, it wasn't like we'd have to date each other, but we'd definitely at least have to be able to get along.

"I-I've heard that most Demon Queens start acting v-very… distant after the Rite," Lenora told me. "Th-they always tend to k-keep to the s-same policies and s-stay away from the common folk… They're always aloof and mysterious. Q-Queen Devilla's mom was a-another exception, though, so m-maybe it's not a surprise?"

"Her Mom?" I asked, interest actually piqued now. I didn't really know a lot about the late Queen Grimmilla.

Lenora nodded. "S-she v-v-valued people's lives more than anything," she said, the stranglehold she had on her tail slowly loosening up as she started to get an excited look in her eyes. It was the same one she'd get when she talked about cooking. "She… maybe w-wasn't the best tactician, according to s-some people, but she interceded a lot more in the war efforts than most Demon Queens did, and she did her best to keep as many soldiers as she could alive! Sh-she always said her people were more important to her than the land… t-though some people say that's why we ended up with nothing but the Tower left… She ceded a lot of land to save lives. M-most people say that no other Demon Queen would have done that, let alone marry a commoner. She did charity work, too. And she was always so humble! Sh-she talked a lot about how she was only doing what Luci would have wanted of her… "

"Huh… I never knew all that," I admitted with a frown. "I mean, I knew the part about us losing a lot of land, but… I suppose that's the difference between a public education and one given to a bloodliner, huh?"

"O-oh, I-I'm not a bloodliner," Lenora protested, holding up her hands and waving them about as if she was scared of being hit with the label. "Th-though my family did hire tutors, I guess… but… Mostly it's just an um... s-special interest of mine..."

"Demon Queens?" I asked, then shrugged when she nodded. "Huh… And you're not a bloodliner? Even though you have a last name?"

"W-we're just… kinda… rich," Lenora murmured, sounding embarrassed. "W-we have a lot of stores. But we're not from one of the bloodlines, or anything…"

"Huh…" I repeated.

"B-but um… Didn't you want to talk about… your f-feelings?" Lenora asked, timidly.

I grimaced. "Yeah… about that… I'm not exactly sure what there is to say. I'm in love with a girl who's taken, and the only way forward is to ask her girlfriend, right?"

Lenora nodded, looking a little confused. "S-so then… Why did you want to see me?"

"I don't know… so I wouldn't have to think about it by myself, maybe?" I suggested, honestly unsure. "Because the thought of what I have to do is so mind bogglingly outside my comfort zone that I was really hoping you'd have another suggestion? Or maybe just because it's… I don't know. It feels more real when I'm saying it to someone. Like I can't avoid it anymore…"

I didn't like avoiding my feelings. Confronting them was unpleasant, mind you, but hiding from them? That was the worst. It got nothing done! Usually I didn't need to recruit allies for that sort of confrontation, though.

"M-Maybe you just needed a friend to talk to?"

"...Yeah…" I agreed. "Maybe." I was still in pretty much the same place I'd started, despite sorting through what my feelings meant, but… it somehow felt better being stuck with a friend around than if I'd been by myself.

"Want to eat a late lunch?" I asked. "Something tells me I'm not going to have much of an appetite come dinner…"

Spoiler: Author's Notes

Once again, I'm delivering a chapter that didn't go the way I expected it to. The info on past Demon Queens? Never meant to be there. And I did think we'd get some time with Devilla, too... Oh well. I'm actually rather happy with how it came out.

...Kinda? For some reason I was constantly worried that I was messing up Abigail, despite the scene coming out more smoothly than anything has in a while. It was almost too easy to write her, which only made me more concerned. Hopefully you all enjoy it, though?

Thanks, as always, to the FallingLeaf for the amazing proofreading job!

Next week might need to be skipped, again - I'm working towards preventing that outcome, but I've only gotten Patreon up to chapter 55 so far... I blame the sudden back pain that's been throwing me off. (It's getting better, but I slept funny or something and have been in pain for a few days. Nothing too bad, but enough to mess with my flow.)

 

[PrincessKay]

Devilla​

"Are you truly sure you're alright with being left behind?" I asked, wishing to confirm once more that Lucy actually was fine with Abigail's suggestion.

"I really am fine with it!" she promised me with a soft smile. "This is a family reunion for you, too, isn't it? It isn't just a chance for me to ask questions! If you do things this way you can focus on the first part first and I can do my thing after!"

"It can hardly count as a reunion if I've never actually met her before," I pointed out with a soft frown. "And I don't expect it to be very pleasant either… You aren't the only one intent on getting answers tonight, you know? It seems she also has information on my mother, and her plans for me…"

"Plans for you?"

"Right… You weren't there for that, were you?" I murmured, recalling that it was prior to me telling Lucy the truth of things. "My mother supposedly claimed that I would be the one to stop the war, at least according to my aunt's drunken ranting. I intend to find out what she meant by that."

"Well, if you can get her to open up, then we'll both win!" Lucy pointed out. "But it's still starting out as just a dinner with your aunt, right? It's fine if you don't include me for that."

"I suppose…" I reluctantly agreed, eyeing the teleportation circle that would take me back to my room. "It just feels wrong to leave you here, eating dinner by yourself while we feast… Especially since I made you relocate to the forest after the…incident at the inn..." Was it free of rats? Probably not. But it was a matter of not knowing! Ignorance was bliss!

"You're sweet to worry," Lucy told me, with a quick kiss to my cheek that set my face ablaze, "but I'll be fine! I've had plenty of meals in the woods by myself before I met you!"

"I don't believe that's as good a point as you think it is in terms of assuaging my guilt…" I grumbled before shaking my head and moving towards the circle. "Very well. I'll be back to spirit you away shortly…"

"I'll see you soon!" Lucy said cheerfully as she waved goodbye.

And just like that I was gone, away from the dark woods and back into my brightly lit bedroom… Or at least I assumed that my room was brightly lit. I'd come to realize that I was actually terrible at telling the relative light level unless I intentionally focused on it.

"Oh good," came Abigail's voice, "you're back."

"Indee…" I began, only to trail off as I caught sight of the speaker.

It was Abigail, of course - who else would it have been, waiting in my room? - but she looked very different from what I was used to. Gone was her maid uniform - or rather it was laying nicely folded upon my bed. Instead, she was wearing a bewitching backless black dress. Though it technically covered more than her maid outfit, going almost all the way down to her knees, the way it clung to her, and the absence of decorative frills, left even less to the imagination than usual.

"...Is it too much?" she asked, plucking at the tight hem and doing a quick twirl for me. "I didn't really know how formal I should be going for this, so I just went with my gut and picked out something nice from my closet."

"N-No," I said, my tongue suddenly tied as a torrent of competing compliments tried to jostle their way forward to reassure her. "It's… You look gorgeous."

"Th-thanks," she replied. I couldn't help but notice the red upon her own cheeks as she did so, as if my compliment had caught her off guard. "W-Well, I guess we should hurry up and join the others, then? I hear Chloe's Mom's a pretty big stickler for being on time."

"Right…"

***​

The trip to my aunt's place went smoothly, if only because I'd grown used to walking through town in disguise while taking cooking lessons from Abigail. She apparently lived on the 47th floor in an area that looked closer to suburbs than the urban territory Abigail and her mother inhabited. The houses were a little further away from one another and grass and trees could be spotted between them.

"Is it just me, or is Chloe's mom way better off than I was expecting?" Abigail asked, looking up and down the street. "I mean, maybe you're not aware of this, what with the whole 'having a whole floor to myself' thing, but space is kinda at a premium when your entire civilization is stuffed inside a single tower. It feels downright weird seeing this much room between buildings…"

"Well, she is the Queen's aunt," Chloe pointed out, popping up from inside a nearby bush. "I'm pretty sure she got this place when your dam was still alive, too - guessing Aunt Issa didn't really want her sister living in relative poverty while she feasted on royal delicacies every day."

"Wha-why- why were you…" Abigail looked between the small bush and the girl stepping out of it, obviously confused.

"To surprise you, of course! Really, I'm just glad I properly predicted what street you'd be coming down. Makes the time I spent waiting totally worth it"

"Right…" Abigail sighed, shaking her head. "I guess this is your take on being a trickster?"

"Oh, you haven't even scratched the surface of that!" Chloe promised with a sharp toothed grin. "Honestly, I've been too busy acting like the responsible one to get any good tricks in of late. It's been starting to make me feel all icky and stifled… Not exactly planning to pull a ton of pranks during a big important dinner, though, so you can get that right out of your head."

"Just a minor trick or two before dinner, then?" I guessed, unable to help the smile that came to my own lips.

"Exactly!" Chloe confirmed. "You get it, cuz!"

"Cuz, huh… It's odd, to hear that word used in reference to myself. In truth, I never truly thought of family as something I could have, in this lifetime… the idea of people simply spending time with you and loving you because of who you are was a foreign one for much of my life."

"Well, you've got a whole bunch of family now," Chloe pointed out, her toothy grin shifting to a more mundane looking smile as she undid the partial transformation she'd placed upon her maw. "I mean, sure, it'll take time for everything to properly settle in - but like a big lump of sugar in tea, it's only a matter of time before you ever so slowly melt into the greater whole that is a properly functioning family unit! Or something like that."

"You make it sound like I'd lose my sense of self," I pointed out, frowning a little.

"Yeaaaah, I'm not the best at metaphors. Try not to poke at them too much, or they'll fall apart like a sandcastle before a mighty toddler's foot. My main point is that right now you're in the teacup with the rest of us, but you haven't actually made yourself one of us. You're forcing yourself to trust us, because you want what we're offering, but you've been by yourself for so long that it doesn't feel real. Unless I'm mistaken?"

"...No," I confessed with a grimace, "you're correct. As much as I want to accept Nivera as a sister, of sorts, I've spent fourteen years trying my damndest to never think about her. It's… difficult to accept that we're suddenly talking again, no matter how happy the thought makes me…"

"Just give it time," Chloe suggested. "And make sure you don't accidentally alienate the people already in your life just because you're chasing after something new… Or am I imagining that slightly neglected look on your face, Abby?"

Abigail missed a step, obviously caught off guard by her sudden inclusion in the conversation. A miscalculation on my part - I should never have allowed the conversation to drift so far from what she could participate in.

"I'm fine," Abigail promised as if to assuage my fears. "I mean, I get it - you're talking family stuff. It doesn't affect me."

"Perhaps not directly," I interjected before Chloe could reply, "but you are as important to me as any other member of this new family I've found myself a part of. Perhaps even more so."

My words, meant only to reassure my friend, seemed instead to fluster her. Her cheeks turned bright red, and she looked away from me. "Careful who you say that to. You're going to give someone the wrong idea…"

"Then let the wrong idea form in their heads," I declared. "I care not a whit, so long as the truth reaches your ears. So I'll say it, again, Abigail - you are important to me."

"And you're both important to me!" Chloe added. "Important guests, that is. The house is right this way!" Saying so, she grabbed our hands and began to drag us down the street. "Come on! The sooner we get to the table, the sooner we can get this incredibly awkward dinner started!"

"You say that like you're looking forward to it," I remarked, frowning. "I didn't think you were the sort to feast upon misery."

"Misery? No. But stuffed pork chops and thrice baked potatoes? Yes! You can always tell just how awkward Nivera expects a conversation to go by how good she makes the food, and this one's going to be a doozy…"

"Wait," Abigail called out, her pace just short of a run as she struggled to keep up with Chloe's fast, if short, strides. It was a problem I could relate to. "You mean Nivera's the one cooking?"

"Surprised?" Chloe grinned. "She's actually pretty good at it. Mostly because she's too paranoid to let anyone else cook her meals when she can help it, but still! You haven't lived until you've tasted her potted meatballs."

"I'll keep that in mind," I remarked, trying not to chuckle at the mental image of Nivera in an apron. It wasn't even all that funny, just… so very different from how I normally envisioned her.

"Well, I guess if nothing else it's good to know the food won't suck…" Abigail sighed.

"Right?" Chloe grinned. "Always look on the bright side of things! That's my motto of the minute. And hey, I'm pretty sure we're going to get the answers you're looking for today, too. It's just… maybe…probably….definitely gonna be a bit messy…"

"Messy?" I queried, a little concerned by the phrasing. "What do you mean messy?"

"I mean, Mom might… say some things you aren't gonna wanna hear. Mostly about your own mom. She's… not a fan…"

"If that's all, we'll be quite fine," I assured her, shaking my head and smiling. Perhaps my smile was a touch colder than usual? Abigail certainly seemed to think something was off about it, from the way she practically flinched backwards. "We don't need to get along. I'm also not particularly fond of an aunt who never even attempts to make an appearance in her niece's life. I just need answers…"

"Well, you'll get them," Chloe promised me, releasing my hand and Abigail's alike so that she could wrap me up in a sudden hug. "With a side of family too. Because no matter what reason Mom did - or didn't - have for not contacting you, nothing's going to change the fact that you're in my life now."

"...You know, I don't recall you ever trying to visit me, either," I pointed out. There was no heat to my words, though. My aunt was one thing, but Chloe wouldn't have had the autonomy to seek me out until long after I'd descended into brathood. It was unlikely I'd have willingly seen her, even if she had tried. Still… "I'm honestly rather surprised you never showed up and tried to help. Not that I deserved it, but you just seem like the sort who wouldn't let that stop you… Unless you thought I was too far gone even for your sake?"

"Actually, I considered it," Chloe admitted. "I drew up all sorts of plans to sneak up to your room and give you an earful. Nivera always shot me down whenever I suggested it, though - always with some logical flaw on why my plan wouldn't work. Not that I was going to let a little thing like logic keep me from at least slipping you an invitation to our wedding, but… Well, you snapped out of it on your own before it came to that."

"When is the wedding, anyways?" Abigail asked.

"It's postponed, actually," Chloe admitted with a shrug. "Just until everything gets sorted out with you guys and the whole saving the world thing… It was going to be just a couple weeks after the coronation, originally, but then Illa suddenly started acting differently and Niv got way too freaked out about that to concentrate on wedding things even for a minute… The delay will be worth it in the end, though! Just so long as you actually attend your sister's wedding."

"I'll be there," I promised, a faint smile tugging at the corner of my lips. I probably should have felt bad about interfering with their plans - I did feel bad, in fact - but… knowing that I was wanted there? Filled me with a fuzzy sort of warmth inside.

"Good!" Chloe declared with a grin before coming to a sudden halt in front of a blue doored building. "Now come on in! Dinner should be ready by now and it smells amazing."

Spoiler: Author's Notes

Short chapter is short, I know, but I didn't wanna do yet another scene change in the same chapter. I'm afraid the next chapter's about the same, too, but I promise I'll get us through this dinner and back to the adventure as soon as I can manage. (Depression is trying to make things difficult on me, but... Well, I'm trying not to let it win.)

Thanks, as always, to FallingLeaf for the amazing job of proofreading! And if anyone's interested in skipping ahead... Well, you can read chapters 56 and 57 on my Patreon for as little as $1! Though I'll be upfront and tell you neither have been proofread yet.

 

[PrincessKay]

Devilla​

There wasn't much to say about my aunt's place. It was… nice, I suppose? It had four walls, decorated with a few painted family portraits and the occasional knick knack. To be honest, I was a little too stressed out to focus on the details.

It was only just occurring to me that I didn't even know my aunt's name. I couldn't exactly ask, either - not when I'd just been seated at the dinner table, sitting across from that very same aunt, who was now glaring at me from across the wooden surface.

"You look like a smaller version of your mother," my aunt said after a long and awkward moment of me desperately wishing for Chloe and Nivera to get back from the kitchen. Abigail's presence besides me, with her hand on mine, was just about the only thing keeping me from having a panic attack. "Except for your eyes, I guess. You took after my sister, there."

"...Thank you?" I proffered after an awkward pause. "I'm afraid I've only had the occasional portrait to go by, personally, so I'll have to take your word for it."

Rare were my mother's portraits, and even rarer were my dam's. In fact, the only picture I had of her was the singular family portrait I'd seen - my dam's arm around my mother, each of them placing a hand upon the latter's belly, with soft smiles on their faces.

Mother's face used to grace the currency, as well, but I'd had it replaced with my own image… perhaps in part to avoid feeling her judgmental eyes on me whenever I saw a coin.

"I didn't say it was a compliment," my aunt replied, "though I suppose your mother wasn't hideous."

"Look, Aunt…" Oh no. Why did I open my mouth? Now she was bound to find out I didn't know her name, and-

"Do you have to be so bitchy, Marlene?" Nivera complained, slithering out of the kitchen with a large platter of food in each hand. One was stuffed to the brim with the stuffed pork chops Chloe had promised, the other with thrice baked potatoes. Chloe was following not far behind, carrying two bottles of wine and four glasses while floating a green bean casserole behind her. Each of us was given one of the glasses, except for Marlene who received the second bottle in its entirety. "Devilla's her own person, not a derivative of her mom."

Aunt Marlene's head swiveled about to face Nivera, and for a moment the two's gazes met - one icy cold, one fiery hot. Then both pairs of eyes seemed to mellow out as Marlene let out a soft sigh. "Fine. I'll try. For your sake and Chloe's, if no one else's… but I'm going to need a lot to booze tonight."

"Got you covered!" Chloe said cheerfully. "There's half a dozen more wine bottles chilling as we speak!"

Marlene grunted, plunging a claw into the cork to pluck it out so that she could take a deep swig from the bottle. "...Alright, out with it. What do you want?"

"Who says we want anything?" Abigail asked defensively, narrowing her eyes at my aunt.

Marlene snorted. "Please. If this was just about getting to know my niece, Chloe would have come up with a twelve step plan to ease me into things - by the time I actually sat at a table with you, she'd have found some way to get me relaxed and open to you. This? This is rushed. You're after something."

"I'm pretty sure you already know what we want," Chloe chimed in. "Something to do with the name Alira, perhaps?"

"Personally I'm more interested in what you know of my mother and any plans for me," I confessed, shifting uncomfortably in my chair. This dinner felt like a crucible for scouring out the truth.

"Yes, well, lucky for you it's almost impossible to talk about the first without the second," Marlene informed me before taking another swig of wine. "Seeing as how Alira's blackmail material can be traced directly back to your mother's Fallen forsaken interference in my sister's life."

"Alira blackmailed you into staying away from me?" I asked, arching an eyebrow. That was certainly unexpected.

Then again, I wasn't entirely sure what I expected her reason to be.

"I've heard that Alira was a big proponent of isolating you," Nivera said with a frown. "I can't prove she was the one to come up with the idea, but she's always been my top contender."

"It was theoretically less about isolating you, and more about keeping people from having 'undue influence' over you," Chloe reminded us. "But we all know the end result. I'm guessing Alira didn't want you interfering, Mom?"

"Something like that," Marlene confirmed, swirling her wine bottle around and staring at the sloshing liquid. "And before you ask what she blackmailed me for, I'll repeat myself - it all goes back to that bitch who birthed you."

"You really don't like Aunt Grimmilla, do you?" Chloe noted before I could say anything. "Any reason why? Most people who remember her talk about her like she was the next coming of Luci, or something."

"Ha!" Marlene scoffed. "Don't think I don't know what you're doing, young missy! Trying to get more information from me… Whatever, I already promised I'd tell you, didn't I? All about that conniving, lying bitch who took advantage of my sister's idealism…"

"Aunt Issa's ideals?" Chloe pressed. This time, though, I was fairly certain the interest in her eyes was real.

"To start with, get that stupid image of Grimmilla out of your head," Marlene warned, her eyes trailing over everyone at the table before finally coming to rest at mine. "She might have tricked the masses into thinking she cared, but deep down she was just as selfish as you. I'm pretty damn sure there was only one person in this whole world she cared about, and it wasn't my sister, or even herself. It was you."

"Me?" I questioned, hardly able to believe my ears. "But I hadn't even been born at that point?"

"Yeah, well, you already meant the world to her, all the same," Marlene muttered, lifting her bottle of wine up and practically chugging at it for a moment or two. "Ah… Yeah. She… at first I think she mostly saw you as some sorta tool to use in her scheming. She talked about you all distantly, like you weren't real to her. When she actually got pregnant, though, she shifted her tune. Started actually getting excited when she talked about your future. She was always going on about the various possibilities you'd have before you… She said you'd be the first Demon Queen to ever truly be free. Free of the war, free of us, if you wanted to be. Because you were going to be the one to end everything."

"Everything?" I asked, my head spinning. The idea that my mother actually cared for me was somehow a revelation I had not expected - it felt like someone was squeezing my heart, all of a sudden, except instead of pain I just felt… warmth. Care. Like I suddenly had expectations to live up to, and yet those expectations weren't harmful to me in the slightest… I felt like crying. Instead, I pushed that potential meltdown aside for later, and focused on the woman in front of me. "Not just the war?"

"Definitely the war," Marlene agreed, eyeing her wine bottle - now with noticeably less wine in it. Chloe grabbed the second bottle from our side of the table, handing it over to her Mom without a word. "As for the rest… I don't know. She always said to interpret that however I wanted to. The only thing she cared about was that we helped. Or rather that Issa helped."

"Wait," Abigail called out, holding out a hand. "I get the whole 'she was secretly a selfish bitch' complaint, but where does your sister fit into this? I mean, she was just a commoner, right? She couldn't have been of that much help, could she? Mom said she won the heart of the Queen with her jokes and laughter, but-"

"Oh, she won something with jokes and laughter," Marlene snarled, violently ripping off the cork and putting the bottle to her lips for another big gulp.

"She won your mother's attention, but not her love. The only reason your mother approached my sister was because she wanted her daughter to 'inherit that smile.' She figured any child of Issa's would have the strength to keep laughing through even the most terrible times… Not that I was ever really sure why she thought a princess, of all things, would need such a trait. Wasn't exactly guaranteed you'd get it, either - obviously." She gestured at me with her wine bottle before taking another big sip.

"...I'm starting to realize just how little I know about my dam," I confessed. "Especially if her humor and smile really were enough to reach my mother's ears. That said, I'm afraid I fail to understand what my dam got out of this deal… assuming she wasn't already secretly in love with her queen?"

"What she got was an end to the war," Marlene told me, slamming her wine bottle down on the table. "Or at least that's what the bitch promised… Issa loved to fight, but hated killing. An end to all the death was all she'd ever wanted. That might be why she got the idea in her head to be a little proactive about it."

"Proactive?" Chloe pressed, before I had the chance to ask. From the enthralled look in her eyes, she was as eager to learn about my dam's actions as I was.

"Aye," Marlene confirmed, taking another long drink from her bottle. "Proactive. She decided that if her daughter was going to play such a big role in ending the war, the least she could do was play a small one. Or at least that's how she explained her insanity to me. How saving a single soldier's life was supposed to change anything, though, I have no idea…"

"A soldier?" I repeated, my mind flicking to Lucy. "Her name wouldn't happen to have been Brielle, would it?"

Marlene sputtered, spilling wine down her front as she slammed the bottle down on the table. "How do you know that name?! Don't tell me she came back?!"

"No… but her daughter did… sort of," I replied, not wanting to admit that I'd personally brought a human into our halls. Let alone the Heroine.

"By the fallen -just how dumb is she?! I heard Brielle hoped for her to be a bridge between our people - even talked about naming her after Luci herself - but this… to come this far… No, wait… How did I not hear about this before? A human coming to the tower should have spread like wildfire… She hasn't been squirreled away in the dungeon, has she?"

"I… wait…. Lucy was purposefully named after…?" I paused before shaking my head. This wasn't the time to get hung up on details. "She isn't in the dungeon. I've been keeping her disguised during her time here ever since I found her."

"Disguised?" Marlene demanded, narrowing her eyes. "And you're sure nobody found out? Because my sister went to all the trouble of hiding her human in a remote cave, yet she still ended up getting trailed…"

"Hence the blackmail material?" Abigail guessed, shifting a little in her seat besides me
.
"Aye," Marlene confirmed. "Hence the blackmail material. All for nothing - or so I'd thought… Don't tell me she has something to do with all the rumors swirling around you? The reason you've supposedly changed so much? Did my sister's insanity actually… lead somewhere?"

"Not… quite," I replied noncommittally. I still wasn't sure how much I could afford to tell this woman, aunt or no. I'd certainly had no intention of blurting out Lucy's status, or my own recent activities, this early on…

Not that it hadn't worked out fine for me in the past, but still.

"How about I go get her?" I suggested. "She'd likely appreciate hearing the rest of the story."

"Well, what are you waiting for?!" Marlene snapped at me, waving her bottle wildly in the air. "Go get her! I want to know what my sister's sacrifice amounted to."

"Right…" I responded with a nervous smile on my lips. It seemed as if Marlene's initial reluctance to speak with me had disappeared entirely, and I wasn't quite sure what to make of it… It didn't seem like she meant any harm, at least? Hopefully, meeting Lucy would even calm her down… and maybe lead to some answers for all of us.

I doubted she could answer the questions I really wanted to know, though. Like why the daughter of someone my dam had saved ended up as the Heroine… did my aunts in heaven do it on purpose? Had they hoped for the events of the game? For me to be slaughtered at the hand of someone who wouldn't exist if not for my parents' actions?

Lucy would probably say otherwise. She'd definitely think that the Goddess picked her in hopes of ending the war instead. That she could be the bridge her parents wanted her to be… It was possible, but considering I knew for a fact how the timeline would have gone if the rite had gone correctly…

I sighed and shook my head as I stood up from the table. Worrying about all this would get me nowhere. It was time to collect Lucy so that together we could extract whatever answers we could from Marlene.

Spoiler: Author's Notes

Ugh. Ugh, I say! I spent days stressing out over how best to bring Lucy into the conversation, only to realize it was best done with a chapter break… It feels a little pointless to have excluded her, considering how the story went, but the cast didn't expect the dinner to devolve into this so quickly. They haven't even gotten to the food yet!

Oh well. Next time, we'll finish up the dinner properly so that we can get back to the adventure. (Though there is one thing that needs to be done, beyond the dinner, before we can go back to the outside world… Wonder if anyone can guess what?)

Of course, if you don't want to be stuck guessing, you could always head over to my Patreon - I've got the rough/unpolished drafts (waiting for my proofreader) of chapters 57 and 58 already posted there, and available for as little as $1. Plus, you can read two chapters ahead on Naughty Magic, another series I'm working on, and be among the first to read any of my other series I manage to update when I've got spare time. Currently I'm working on a long overdue Ranma 1/2 fanfic commission, of which I've written four parts so far.

Thanks, as always, to FallingLeaf for the amazing job of proofreading - not to mention helping me smooth things out in general, and helping with the title.

 

[PrincessKay]

Lucy​

Sending Eena off was… Well, it wasn't exactly harder than I let on, but it was definitely a lot more difficult than I'd thought it would be. I really did want her to have a nice dinner with this aunt of hers, but I also really wanted answers to my own questions… Answers about whether Mom really had kept such big secrets from me and, if so, why? I didn't regret my decision to send her off first, though! I just wished I'd been more keenly aware of my own feelings so that I could've talked through them with Eena before she left.

That dissatisfaction is probably why I was more happy than surprised when Eena showed up a lot sooner than I'd expected. I'd just finished cooking up some soup for dinner. It wasn't much - conjured water, dried meat, vegetables, and a little bit of spice, all cooked in a makeshift pot of magically hardened earth with a magical fire. It was the sort of thing I always used to eat on journeys before Eena started spoiling me with all sorts of fancy food from the tower.

"Eena? You're back for me already?" I asked with a smile.

Eena didn't smile back. She just stared at the pot for a long moment before finally speaking. "Is… is that what you were planning to eat while the rest of us enjoyed our meal?!"

"Yep!" I confirmed while giving Eena a reassuring smile. "It's a bit plain, but it's also really warm and filling!"

"And to think I was going to be eating a decadent meal while you were - Why didn't you tell me your food stores were so limited?! I would have offered you something from my bag before I left!"

"Eena…" I said with the same smile still on my face. "Don't take this the wrong way, but… I'm not that picky about food."

"...?" Eena didn't respond, just staring at me with wide eyes.

"I mean, I do like eating!" I hurried to assure her. "Good food really tastes good! But I'm also really lucky when it comes to food! I can afford anything I want at the street stalls when I'm in a town or city, and I get served luxurious dinners when I'm being hosted by nobility or one of the bigger churches! I've eaten things most people will never even get to taste once in their lives… So I think it's okay to eat simpler food now and again! It helps remind me that not everyone can afford the stuff I usually eat!"

"But… You… It's…!" Eena faltered before shaking her head. "No! I refuse! I am the Demon Queen! No beloved of mine is going to be subsisting on subpar sustenance while I feast at my tower! You will be eating dinner with the rest of us even if I have to spirit you away to make it happen!"

"Well… It's not like I mind eating good food," I admitted, blushing faintly, "but what happened to eating with your aunt before coming to get me?"

"She didn't even give us time to pick up our utensils before questioning my ulterior motivations," Eena told me with a sigh. "I'm pretty sure she hates me. Honestly though, the feeling's getting fairly close to mutual. I have little to say to a woman who'd abandon her niece, only to insult her at every turn when they finally meet. Even if she was blackmailed into staying away from me during my childhood…"

"She was blackmailed?" I asked with wide eyes. "That doesn't sound good… Who did it?"

"Alira, a woman I fired many years ago. One of the ringleaders behind keeping me isolated as a child, if Nivera is to be believed. The better to hold power over me, I suppose? It obviously backfired, if so. I blamed her for the separation between me and Nivera, you see, so I was very… harsh when I kicked her out - or rather, when I threw her down the stairs… Regardless of her original motivations or actions, I must admit that her desire for revenge on me is at least a little bit justified. Not only did I treat her roughly, but I even stripped her family of all political power. A choice that nearly led to the other Bloodlines revolting…"

That…sounded pretty bad, but I was willing to bet it was a lot more complicated than Eena wanted to admit! She always tried to paint herself in the worst possible light, after all. Like everything was always her fault.

She was stuck in another negative thought spiral from the looks of it. Probably finding whole new ways to blame herself… That's why, rather than directly responding or asking more questions, I just stepped forward and pulled Eena into a hug. She seemed a little surprised, at first, stiffening up in my arms, but then she melted, wrapping her arms back around me.

It was warm. Not literally - I mean, I couldn't really feel it because of all the armor I was wearing! On the inside, though, it warmed my heart to be holding someone I loved like this. To reassure someone I cared about. Someone who cared about me…

"Yes, well," Devilla murmured after a moment before reluctantly pulling away from me. "We're meant to be going to dinner, yes? I'm sure you also have many questions for my aunt. She's already confirmed that my dam found and rescued a human soldier, by the name of Brielle. Apparently, my mother roped said dam into marriage with promises of me somehow ending the war, so my dam decided to do her own small part to help work towards peace by rescuing one of your parents…"

"You're sure it was my mother?" I asked, leaning forward a little bit. Mom used to talk about my… I guess demons called them dams? Mom talked about my dam sometimes. I knew she'd been a church guard and a soldier in the war against demons. That she'd been really strong and kind… that she loved to laugh and that she made my mother smile a lot. Lots of little things like that. But I'd never really known her in the way I knew Mom. So the chance to learn more… I was kind of excited!

"Fairly certain, at least," Eena confirmed. "She apparently had a plan to name her daughter after Luci - that is, after my ancestor. Considering the single letter separating your names, it's hard to believe my aunt could have been talking about anyone else."

"Well, I'd love to learn more," I admitted. "As long as you're sure about bringing me?"

"Trust me when I say that there's no heartwarming reunion, or even friendly meeting, at risk of being interrupted. So far all my aunt's done is continuously insult my mother and complain about the supposed lies that led to my birth. If she has any fondness for her niece hidden in that heart of hers, it is buried extremely deep."

"Well, if you're sure… I can't say that I'm not kind of excited!" I confessed. "Maybe a little worried, too? I never thought I'd be learning about my other mother like this…"

"Welcome to the club," Eena replied, holding out her hand for me to take. "It's been one unexpected thing after another ever since I messed up the Rite of Insight. Did I ever tell you that I was actually on a mission to gather salt when I first ran into you? I'm not sure what was more shocking - coming face to face with the Heroine I feared, accidentally seducing her, or discovering potatoes of all things in a tiny village I'd stumbled across."

"Um… Eena, one of those things seems pretty different from the others," I pointed out while taking her hand.

"Yes, well, I suppose perhaps intercourse should have been expected, considering our mutual lack of sexual inhibitions, but still. It was quite a shock to me at the time when you were so eager to go along with it…"

"That's not what I meant!" I protested, allowing Eena to lead me towards her teleportation circle.

"What, the potatoes?" she asked. "Please. If you think their discovery was anything less than life-altering, then you are severely underestimating the versatility of tastes they can offer! In fact, my sister's already figured out the wonders of thrice baking them as you'll see tonight."

"Eena!" I laughed with a broad smile on my face. Even though I was a little worried about meeting with Devilla's aunt and hearing about my family, I couldn't help but think that as long as I had Eena by my side everything would work out fine. "Oh right - Eena, what was that earlier about a 'beloved?'"

"I don't suppose you'd be willing to ignore words spoken in the heat of the moment?" she replied with a bright blush on her face. "Not that I have any intention of taking them back…"

I giggled and hugged Eena's arm against myself as we continued on to the teleportation circle. Yes, so long as I had Eena by my side, I was sure we could handle any hurdle that came our way. Together!

***​

Devilla​

***​

It was only upon returning to the dining room that I noticed a grievous oversight - namely that there were only enough pork chops and potatoes prepared for the expected number of guests, leaving poor Lucy with nothing to eat. Of course, I could settle that easily by giving her half of mine, but still… It was something to consider if I ever chose to crash another meal with Lucy.

"So this is the girl?" Marlene asked, her low tone dragging me back to arguably more important matters. "Brielle's daughter?"

"That was one of my moms' names," Lucy confirmed with a nod. "I don't really know if she was the same woman you're talking about, though… Mom - the mom who raised me, I mean - never told me about any of this stuff…"

"She didn't?" Marlene asked with an arched eyebrow. "And yet you somehow find yourself at the tower anyway?"

"Well, that's because I'm-"

"I discovered her," I interrupted, making a mental note to apologize to Lucy for the interjection. "In fact, we're dating… Quite the coincidence, I must admit, if what you say about her parentage is true."

"You're dating… a human?!" my aunt asked me with a mixture of horror and shock.

"More than that," I continued, sparing a glance for Lucy. She gave me an encouraging smile, no doubt predicting what I wanted to say. The very thing I'd kept her from admitting, a moment prior - but timing was everything, and saying that she'd come to the tower purely because of this would have given the wrong impression. "I'm dating the Heroine."

For a moment the table tensed. Marlene stared at me with wide eyes, while Nivera's gaze flicked between us, even as the tip of her tail curled and uncurled in anxiety. A tic she'd had since childhood. Abigail, meanwhile, had her eyes closed, but I could practically see the vein throbbing in her forehead. She was probably screaming on the inside, thinking me nearly as bad as Lucy for my tactlessness. I didn't even want to think about the lecture that was undoubtedly in store for me.

At least Chloe seemed amused.

Then Marlene laughed, loud and long. "By the Fallen… the angels above must have a truly twisted sense of humor if they chose her. They must absolutely loathe your family more than anything if they'd pick a girl who only exists because of your parents' actions…"

"And what, precisely, would those actions have been?" I questioned, noting the frown on Lucy's face. I was sure she had her own interpretation on matters and that we'd be hearing it shortly. For now, however, I was more interested in what my aunt had to say. "I know that you said my dam saved a human and brought her to a cave - but surely there's more to the story than that, yes?"

"Oh yes," Marlene confirmed, grabbing her bottle of wine and taking what was - by comparison to her previous binge drinking, at least - a reserved sip. "Lots more… Like the fact that said human's wife came to the frontlines looking for her."

"Mom did?" Lucy asked with a look of surprise.

"Aye," Marlene confirmed with a nod "assuming you're who my niece claims you are. It was a priestess by the name of Olivia. She came searching for her wife who'd gone missing in action, and one thing led to another, and well… I don't really know the specifics myself, but next thing I knew Issa was telling me there were two of them. Which is when things really started going to shit."

"What do you mean?" I questioned her, leaning forward across the table. "Is that how they got caught by Alira?"

"Maybe," Marlene said, shrugging. "Don't really know about the timing of that. But once there were two of them… Well, Issa was already struggling to figure out how to send back one missing soldier without attracting attention, so you can imagine the headache it gave her when there were two. It wasn't like they could just head back to human lands, no questions asked, you know? People would want to know where they'd been. How they'd escaped detection by demons. How they'd gotten back… That's why Issa had the bright idea to ask your mother for help."

"My mother?" I asked, blinking from surprise. "Mother helped with this, as well?"

"That she did," Marlene confirmed, taking another - much longer - swig of wine. "She and that General Doll of hers. They hatched the idea of putting their two guests together with a bunch of prisoners of war and allowing an escape attempt, letting them go back to their lands alongside a couple unimportant prisoners of war… And it worked, too - for a certain definition of it, anyways. I don't think it was worth the cost though…"

"What was the cost?" Lucy asked, trepidation obvious in her tone.

"Aunt Issa." Surprisingly it wasn't Marlene who answered , but Chloe. "She, along with a bunch of other soldiers, died when the Heroine attacked the prison camp they were at…."

Marlene didn't say a word. She just grabbed her wine bottle and emptied it before slamming it back down on the table.

"So that's what happened…" I murmured. "But why didn't Lucy's mother ever tell her about it?"

"Olivia was never sold on everything," Marlene muttered after a moment. "Not as much as Brielle, at least. Maybe she wasn't sure of what to say, or something." She shrugged. "No clue. You'd have to ask Doll if you wanted to know more. She was actually in on it, at least. I just sat back and worried about my crazy human sympathizing sister and hoped for the best…"

"Doll did seem to think we'd have questions for her at some point," I recalled, thinking back to her cryptic words the other day. "Perhaps it's time we went to her for that conversation?"

"That might be hard," Nivera said with a sigh. "She's on vacation."

"...Vacation?" Abigail asked. "What do you mean vacation? As in time off? Because I'm pretty sure this is big enough to warrant an interruption!"

"If she was taking time off I'd have said that," Nivera replied, crossing her arms. "She's on vacation. You know, as in, off who knows where, doing who knows what?"

"You mean she left the tower?" I questioned, hardly able to believe my ears. "Where could she have gone? Across the wasteland into human lands?"

"Maybe? Probably not, but… who knows? She's just gone. Left a lot of careful notes for her assistants to run things in her absence, but didn't even say when she'd be back…"

"Great…" I muttered, groaning. "So we have no way of tracking her?"

"I wouldn't say no way," Chloe chimed in between bites of food. She'd grabbed a potato and pork chop from the center plates at some point, and seemed to have consumed half of each already. "There's one person in this tower who's basically aware of everything, right? Even if Doll really has left the tower, she'll probably be able to point us in the right direction."

"You mean Sylvanna?" Abigail asked with a grimace before shaking her head. "Hell no! No way. You don't know what she's like to Devilla."

" Like hell I don't," Nivera replied with a scowl. "Do you think I haven't been keeping tabs on my sister all these years? I know exactly how much of a bitch Sylvanna has been, and I agree with you - Devilla shouldn't have to deal with her crap. I'll ask."

"Wait," Lucy interrupted, holding up a hand. "Isn't Sylvanna the slime lady Devilla promised to help? What's wrong with her? Devilla said they don't get along and that she did something very bad to Sylvanna when she was younger, but she never really went into details beyond that."

"She used unpetrifying the slimes as a ransom over Sylvanna's head, to force her into her current position," Abigail informed Lucy before I could say anything. "When she was seven. Sylvanna's taken that as an excuse to abuse her at every possible chance she gets ever since."

"I would hardly call her anger at me abuse," I protested. "She simply has… well deserved ire towards me."

"Nobody deserves the sort of stuff she's said to you, sis," Nivera argued, curling up the tip of her tail. "She's done everything from insulting your intelligence to outright blaming you for your mom's death. You don't need to go back into her crosshairs for more abuse."

"Well, I still need to report how I'm doing with the depetrification progress," I pointed out. My voice sounded weak even to my own ears, though.

"I'll handle it," Abigail promised. "Like I told you I would last time she came up."

"But this is different! It's about Lucy's parents! Surely it's worth me facing her for that, right?"

"No, it isn't," Lucy said firmly. "I mean, I'm not really sure of all the details, but if what they're saying is true then she's basically been abusing you since childhood, right? I don't want you to needlessly face more abuse just to help me learn more! Especially not when someone else could do it."

"...Fine," I conceded after a moment. "But if she insists upon seeing me to finish things-"

"You can burn that bridge when you come to it," Nivera said. "And maybe throw her into the canyon while you're at it so that you never have to see her again. For now, though, you're going to eat the food I cooked like a good girl and get to know your fucking family. Alright?"

"...Alright…" I nodded, cheeks red.

Lucy giggled, reaching out to take my hand and give it a squeeze. It helped me manage a smile, even as I began to load up my plate with potatoes and pork chops for the two of us. We'd likely have to split the potato in half, at the very least, as extras hadn't been made - but I was sure that seeing Lucy's delightful reactions to the food would make it worthwhile.

Of course, the dinner wasn't all fun and games, from that point forward. Marlene began to speak at some point, again, earning herself glares from me and Nivera alike. Abigail drank what felt like a little too much wine, though she still didn't seem drunk to my eyes. Nivera struggled to relax, muttering about Sylvanna, glaring at Marlene, and only managing to eat because Chloe literally spoon fed her. How she even managed to serve pork chops via spoon, I have no idea…

Yet, through it all, Lucy maintained her smile, finding delight in the wonderful cooking and dragging people into conversations about all sorts of mundane topics, all with a sparkle in her eye.

I didn't know how long this cheerful girl would allow me to stand by her side, but… so long as she did? I couldn't help but feel as if the two of us could take on anything.

Spoiler: Author's Notes

Happy New Year! Depression was still super bad when I wrote the first version of this chapter... I think it came out pretty well, all the same, though? And FallingLeaf's editing (because it really has gone beyond just proofreading at this point) has really helped it shine!

Tune in next time for a long overdue conversation between Lucy and Abigail! Or, if you're feeling antsy, you can check out the rough drafts for chapter 58 and 59 right now, over on my Patreon~!

Either way, thanks for reading!

PS: As there's been some confusion, I think it's worth clarifying that Olivia is Lucy's mom/the one who raised her, while 'Brielle' would be considered her dam in demon terms.

 

[PrincessKay]

Abigail​

Dinner went… better than I expected it to, I guess? Which really wasn't saying much, but I was honestly just glad that it ended without any dishes being thrown - Marlene slamming her wine bottles onto the table so much was bad enough, already. I guess Nivera didn't want to piss off her soon-to-be mother-in-law that badly, though, because she mostly stuck to glaring at Marlene a few dozen times to keep her in check.

The food was probably the one good thing about the entire affair. Nivera was a way better cook than I expected and Devilla emptied two entire plates, even if she did share with Lucy. Where the hell Devilla put it, I had no idea. Maybe angels just didn't have to worry about that sorta thing? Or maybe it all just went straight to her tits and ass? Something to maybe ask her about later, maybe.

Either way, with dinner done, the next thing to do was pretty obvious - get Lucy and Devilla back up to the 101st floor without anyone noticing that a human had been brought into the tower. Not that it was exactly a challenge with Devilla handling the illusion. In fact, it went so smoothly it's barely even worth a mention.

The rough part came after we reached Devilla's room, where the teleport circle was. That's when Lucy put a hand on Devilla's shoulder and asked, "Is it okay if I talk to Abigail for a bit before we go?"

"I certainly don't have an issue with it," Devilla replied with a glance at me. Despite what she said I could see the worry in her eyes. I wanted to believe it was for me, but I knew at least a little bit of it had to be directed towards her girlfriend's wellbeing. Maybe she was afraid of what I might say to her? I didn't know. Still, it was clear as day that she was asking what I wanted, which was appreciated, but… not really necessary.

"Not like I have any reason to refuse," I replied with a shrug. "What did you want to talk about?"

"Actually, I was sort of hoping we could discuss this by ourselves?" Lucy admitted. She looked at Devilla. "If you don't mind?"

Devilla blinked in surprise - hell, I did too for that matter - but shrugged and nodded before heading towards the door. "If that is what you wish, I certainly have no problem with it." She did her best to make eye contact with me before actually leaving though, and only opened the door after I gave her a little nod. Which, again, was appreciated, even if I couldn't help but think she might be worrying a bit too much.

I mean, sure, she was basically leaving me alone in a room with the woman whose entire existence was supposed to be dedicated to exterminating me and everyone like me, but I mean… it was Lucy! I didn't exactly like her, but I sure as hell didn't fear her. Even if I was a lot weaker than her, what with me being… well, weak in general. At least by demon standards. My magic capacity in particular being absolute shit…

"So," I began, deciding to push those self-deprecating thoughts away, "what do you want with me?"

"It's not really about what I want," Lucy said cryptically. From the smile on her face though, I don't think she was trying to be infuriatingly vague. "It's about you! And Eena! And how much you like her!"

…Okay, maybe the vagueness would have been better after all.

"What do you mean?" I asked, forcing myself to smile. Thankfully, I was really good at faking it. Certainly a hell of a lot better than a certain pair of sisters who couldn't even trick a toddler with their strained expressions.

"I mean… You like her, don't you?" Lucy asked in return, curling a strand of red hair about one of her fingers. "Like, you really like her. I can see it in your eyes when you look at her."

"So? You want to tell me to back off or something?" I asked, wincing internally at the obvious irritation in my voice. I wasn't trying to make enemies with my boss's girlfriend, here. Even if I did maybe sorta kinda fancy the boss in question…

Lucy's smile never budged, though. Hell, if anything, it maybe grew a little wider as she shook her head. "I think you should ask her out!"

"What…?" The hell? "Do you not have a jealous bone in your body?! Who the hell tells another girl to ask out her girlfriend?!" I mean, sure, polyamory was a thing - and a relatively common thing, at that - but there was a difference between accepting multiple partners and pushing someone towards your own partner with absolutely no regard for yourself! Especially considering Lucy didn't exactly know me. Hell, I wasn't even sure we'd ever actually directly talked with one another before. It was definitely the first time we had a private conversation, at the very least.

"I don't really get jealousy," Lucy admitted with a shrug. "I mean, if something's really great, why wouldn't you want to share it with people you care about?"

"You can't possibly be including me in the list of people you care about, can you?! We don't even know each other!"

"No, but we could fix that! You could go on a date with me after your date with Eena! Then maybe it'll turn out we all like each other!"

"And if we don't?" I pressed, narrowing my eyes at the Heroine. "What then? You expect me to give up on Devilla after actually working up the nerve to ask her out?"

"Well, it's not like we have to be head over heels for each other to share her," Lucy pointed out. "I mean, as long as she makes enough time for us both, it's fine, right? If things don't work out between us we don't really have to interact that much, but why should we assume the worst? Isn't it better to hope for the best? I mean, Eena really likes you, even if she doesn't see you that way just yet! Which means you're a good person, as far as I'm concerned, and I don't see why I wouldn't get along with you too!"

"Uh, maybe because you're a human?" I countered. "Not to mention the Heroine!"

"Why does that matter?" Lucy asked, confusion written all over her face. "We're working together to end the war, aren't we? Doesn't that mean we're already on the same side?"

"Yeah, but-! But…" I trailed off, unsure what to say. That this was different? It was - or at least it felt like it was, but I couldn't really explain why. Maybe because she was literally born and raised to exterminate people like me? Because she was a human, a member of the same species that had hunted our species to near extinction? Sure, I was onboard with the idea of peace, but that was more about necessity than anything else. We demons weren't in any position to win the war short of Devilla going on a mass killing spree to take care of all the enemy leadership, at a minimum. It didn't mean I actually wanted to live side by side with humans, or anything. I just… had to.

Just like I had to at least try and get along with Lucy if I wanted to stay by Devilla's side.

"Forget jealousy," I said. "I'm starting to think you don't even have any selfishness in you, either. Actively trying to share your loved one with a total stranger? No way I could ever do that."

Devilla probably could, though. In fact, I was willing to bet she'd do the exact same thing as Lucy if she was standing in her shoes. Though in Devilla's case, she'd probably outright expect to be left for the second party at some point. Speaking of…

"Aren't you afraid that I'll steal her away or something?"

"Definitely!" Lucy replied, causing me to gape at her in surprise. "I mean, I've never been with anyone before, you know? And Eena's really kind, sweet, and selfless - though the last part is maybe more about thinking she doesn't deserve anything… I'm sure she'll still be just as kind and generous even once she gains confidence in herself, though! Just… maybe… a little less self-destructive? Oh, but that doesn't have anything to do with why I'm terrified, though. Not directly, anyways. It's just that I can see all sorts of people wanting her time for themselves… Still, I don't want to keep her from knowing that someone else loves her! I want her to choose to stay by my side, even knowing that - and I don't mind if she wants to stand by someone else's side, too! Though I'd like it even more if we could all somehow stand side by side together!"

"You're actually insane. That's… You're basically pinning all your hopes on a dream of an ideal future! What if it goes wrong? What if I do try to steal her away from you? What if she's not interested in dating two people at the same time? What if she ends up having to choose between us? There's no putting things back in the box once I open up about my feelings, you know!"

"I don't think you're the sort of person who would try and steal her," Lucy replied. "And even if I'm wrong, I don't think Eena's the sort to be stolen…"

"And if you're wrong about both?" I countered.

"Then I want to know now, before I fall even deeper in love!" Lucy declared, placing a hand over her heart. "I really don't think I'm wrong, though! I believe in Eena!"

"Why?! You've known her for… what, a few weeks? There's all sorts of stuff you don't know about her!"

"And I can't wait to learn all those things about her!" Lucy replied, beaming at me. "But for now the first thing I want to learn is whether she's willing to date two people!"

"...I don't get it… Why are you willing to go so far for me? To risk everything for me?"

"It's not really for you." Lucy admitted as her smile faded. "Or at least not completely? I mean, I guess it partly is, but… it's also for Eena. Because I want her to be as happy as she can be! And I think that if you keep quiet about your feelings, it might interfere with that happiness… but even if it doesn't, I don't think Eena would be able to achieve peak happiness without knowing the truth! That can only happen if everyone Eena cares about comes together!"

"You're dreaming," I said, shaking my head. "You want an ideal scenario, where nobody has to give up anything, and everyone's happy - and you're willing to risk your relationship with her to get it? The happiness she already has with you? It's crazy."

"Maybe I am dreaming," Lucy admitted. "Maybe I'm crazy for trying something like this, but I know polyamorous relationships can work! And even more than that though… It's like I said before - maybe Devilla and I could have a happy ever after if I let things continue as they are, but we'll never have the happiest ever after if we don't at least try for it!"

"...Fine, have it your way. Not like I have anything to lose…" Except Devilla's friendship if things didn't pan out well. And my job, I guess. Not because she'd fire me, or anything, but more because it would be super awkward to keep working around her if things went sideways.

"Great!" Lucy said cheerfully. "Let's go ask her, then!"

"What? Now? Right now?!"

"Yup!" Lucy confirmed while reaching for the doorknob. "The sooner we do it, the sooner it'll be over! Then we can work towards our ideal future! Together!"

"That's…" Technically true? Though whether my heart was ready for it was another matter entirely! Lucy was already swinging the door open with a wide smile, giving me no time to steady my nerves. Devilla was right outside with a strained smile, obviously trying to pretend like she hadn't been quietly panicking throughout our entire conversation, wondering what we might have to say to one another.

The way she couldn't help but wear her emotions on her sleeve was part of what I liked about her, though…

"Is everything alright?" she asked, looking between the two of us with concern in her eyes. I couldn't help noticing that she didn't actually
linger on one of us in particular, either, like she was concerned equally about us both…

"Yup!" Lucy replied. "Abigail has something she wants to ask you, though!"

"Something to ask?" Devilla inquired with an arched eyebrow. "Something that required a private conversation between the two of you?"

"Yeah, well…" I hesitated a moment, but only for a moment. Then I took a deep breath, closed my eyes, and took the plunge. "It would have been a bit awkward asking you out without getting her permission first."

Silence. Absolute, deafening silence. Then, the slight clanking of armor as Lucy began to move. Clanking that only got louder the longer I kept my eyes closed, until eventually I forced one open to take a look.

I kinda wished I hadn't. I mean, Lucy was basically dancing in place and barely holding back a squeal of glee from the looks of things, while Devilla was just sorta… staring at me in shock?

"Did I break her?"

"N-no," Devilla replied, shaking her head rapidly back and forth. To clear it, I guess. "It's just… You've caught me off guard, is all. It… it almost sounded like you were expressing romantic interest in me, but… I'm sure you just meant… I mean, you can't possibly… I mean, I haven't done anything worthy of your affection, so why in the world would you…?"

"Like I know?!" I asked with my arms crossed. "Maybe it's because you're nice? Or maybe it's just me clinging to the first person who's
actually put up with me… Who listens to me and takes my advice seriously. Or because you're actually really sweet, and selfless, and you're always thinking about other people, even when you should really be thinking about yourself… Maybe I just have a thing for broken chicks? I don't know! I've never fallen for anyone before! But… I don't know. The more I learn about you, the more time we spend together, the more I start hating our time apart. I didn't even realize it, at first. I mean, one day I was perfectly fine, and the next I was dreading the moment you'd leave my arms to go back to her. And yet she's the one who's pushing me to ask you out, like some sort of martyr, while I'm rambling like a loon who doesn't even know when to shut up, and… and…"

Devilla's form blurred. One moment she was standing still, shocked, and the next she was standing in front of me, her arms wrapping around me to pull me into a hug. It was only then that I realized I'd started crying at some point.

"I would be honored to go on a date with you," Devilla declared in that formal tone of hers. The one that helped hide how incredibly bad she was at this sort of thing. I was willing to bet that her face was red as a beet, right then. Half the reason she was hugging me was probably to hide it.

…Okay, maybe more like a quarter of the reason? A third at most. It was mostly just because she cared.

"Then it's a date," I replied, deciding to push that thought out of my mind for the time being. "We can go… uh…" Crap. I hadn't thought about what to do after asking her out.

"How about tomorrow?" Lucy suggested. "We can fly to the city I wanted to take you to in the morning, and then you can go on a date with Abigail that night!"

"I… yes, that sounds good," Devilla replied. I couldn't help but notice the slight tremor in her voice, though. And her body. She was obviously feeling a bit overwhelmed, a feeling I shared.

"Tomorrow, then," I said, deciding to end the hug and save Devilla fro, further embarrassment.

Well, that was the plan before Lucy flung herself at us, anyways, wrapping both of us up in her arms and squeeing directly in my ear.

It was only then that I remembered something she'd said earlier, about her wanting to go on a date with me after my date with Devilla. She didn't actually expect me to go through with that though, right?

…Right?

Spoiler: Author's Notes

I nearly forgot my plans for this scene, but a random comment inadvertently reminded me… The good news is that writing this was a lot less stressful than I expected it to be. Abigail's been coming super easily of late, though, so maybe that's not too big of a surprise? I'm pretty happy with the results, one way or the other.

Next up is the adventure proper, and then the first date soon after. Of course, if you're too eager to read ahead, you can always join my Patreon and read two (unedited) chapters in advance! You also get 2 advance chapters of Naughty Magic, all for as little as $1~!

Thanks, as always, to FallingLeaf for the amazing job of editing! And thanks to all of you for reading, liking, and commenting!

 

[PrincessKay]

Devilla​

Abigail desired to date me. Abigail desired to date me. Me! No matter how many times or ways I repeated it, it failed to make sense in my head. It was too foreign a concept for me to wrap my mind around.

Lucy's stubborn misconception of me was one thing. She'd only seen the good I had to offer, so far… No, she was choosing to focus solely on the good and overlook what I'd hidden from her. She lacked an understanding of who I truly was, though. An understanding that Abigail, of all people, should have had! When had I ever caused her anything but trouble? What had I ever done to deserve her affection or insistence upon my worth?

I'd practically forced her into working for me, not to mention bedding me, all while withholding crucial information from her. I'd eventually informed her of my secrets, of course, along with my plan to leave the tower behind - and she'd called me stupid. She'd stood up to me and had convinced me to alter my plots.

What's more, she'd even taken it upon herself to remain active in my life, handling some things on my behalf. Even when my seemingly small request led her into a web of politics and lies and Nivera, of all people, she'd persisted in my name. She'd helped me without expecting anything in return.

She'd called me her friend. I'd thought it was the best I would ever get from her. It was far more than I deserved.

Yet now she apparently wanted to date me…

"Is everything alright?" Lucy asked from behind me while working an arm under my body to pull me in for a hug. We were currently sleeping together, as we often did, her naked body pressed against my own for warmth. Her breasts against my back, two weighty reminders of everything I'd gained and everything I could lose. Her love, her affection… it was already more than I deserved, yet now she was pushing me to seek even more?

"Why are you so invested in seeing me and Abigail together?" I asked, unable to resist. Though I wanted to treat it as a simple curiosity, my voice came out far more accusatory than I'd intended. Enough so that I flinched, worrying how she'd react.

"It's not really that I want to share you," Lucy told me in a surprisingly chipper tone. I could practically feel her smile across the back of my neck. "It's just that I don't see a reason not to? I'm pretty sure you'd push me towards anyone who you thought would be good for me, too…"

"Yes, but in my case it would be to ensure you still have support and love after you inevitably give up on me," I confessed. I would have shaken my head, were I not afraid of tickling her nose with my hair. "I understand the concept of polyamory. I might even be polyamorous myself. I certainly feel as if there's room in my heart for the both of you… or at least there would be, were the terror of potentially losing either of you not threatening to rend my heart asunder."

That was the problem, wasn't it? I didn't want to lose either of them. Ridiculous. I didn't deserve either of them, yet I was somehow certain that both would lecture me for thinking that way… Lucy would tell me that there was no 'deserving' anything when it came to love, only receiving it or not. Abigail, meanwhile, would insist that it wasn't my choice who she devoted her feelings towards.

"Both of you are wonderful," I admitted aloud. "Yet I have an easier time seeing you with one another than myself…"

"Well, I did ask her out," Lucy informed me before giving me a little squeeze. "For after her date with you, I mean. Maybe we can all date each other!"

'Or you could dump me for her' was my immediate thought, but the words didn't leave my lips. I was certain the thought would anger Lucy, who would insist yet again upon her affection for me… affection I did believe to be genuine, but which I could not see lingering as she grew to know me better. No matter how much I wished otherwise.

"I just… don't want to lose either of you," I admitted at last. "You, who has helped me, held me, and believed in me. Abigail, who was first to greet me after I gained access to my past life memories. She supported me, stood by my side, and made me feel as if I wasn't alone in this world… If I were to lose either of you, I'm not sure what I'd do… how I'd handle it."

"Don't think about that!" Lucy told me, though it sounded less like an order and more like a plea. "Just think about how happy we can all be if it works out! Isn't that worth aiming for?"

"Bringing the two of you joy would be enough for me, even if I wasn't involved in it…" I felt Lucy tighten her grip around me and quickly added, "But I suppose it would be better if all three of us could achieve it together somehow."

"Hmm… I know you don't really think it's possible, but… I'm going to convince you otherwise! You'll see for yourself that you can be happy, and that others can be happy to have you around!"

"For my presence to bring something other than misery… I suppose that's a fantasy worth working towards, if nothing else."

"You've already succeeded! Look how happy you make me," Lucy insisted, somehow cuddling even tighter against me. I swear, she must have been squashing her boobs against my back.

Not that I was in any mood to back away…

"Fine," I uttered at last. "Fine. I'll go on a date with Abigail and see where it leads us…"

"And then I'll go on a date with her, too, and see where that goes!"

"If that will make you happy… then so shall it be."

Maybe they'd both figure out they were better off without me, or maybe they'd end up dating one another and cutting me loose. Maybe I'd get to stay a friend, or maybe they'd decide it too awkward, preferring to never see me again.

Or maybe, some small part of me whispered as I fell asleep, just maybe we could all be happy together in the end…

***​

The next day came far too quickly. Not that I was dreading it, per se, but knowing that I had a date later that very night… Well, it was a bit nerve wracking, to put it lightly. Nevertheless, time kept on marching. I ate breakfast with Lucy, helped to put away the tent in my Empty Bag, and then scooped her up in a princess carry so that I could fly us towards our mysterious destination.

Lucy still hadn't told me where we were to have our date. The date that would directly follow my date with Abigail. Right before Lucy's date with her…

To distract myself, I eventually ended up focusing on something else that had been bugging me. Namely, my vision. It still bothered me that a mere lantern had ruined my night vision that one time, when I now knew that no such impedance should. Flying had reminded me of something else, though - during my first true long distance fight, I'd noticed that I could spot details fifty feet below me, to the point of being able to make out individual leaves on trees. While I wasn't entirely sure how impressive that was compared to what harpies and the like could manage, it seemed remarkably better than my day to day vision. Why?

Only one idea came to me, an easily testable one. Namely, I tried focusing on the trees I was flying over - and the world seemed to slow before my eyes. Suddenly, I could make out the leaves below me with ease, even spotting what looked to be a beetle atop one. Then, with the thought of returning my sight to normal, time snapped back to how it always was and the world blurred below me once more.

That… probably proved my theory correct. My senses - or at least my eyes - were not only highly adaptable, but incredibly responsive to my desires. My desires or unconscious expectations, if I had to guess. My eyes had misbehaved because I'd been thinking like a human, expecting myself to have human limitations despite all evidence to the contrary. Yet because I'd expected it, it became my reality…

I wondered what else that applied to. The ability to slow my perceived time was an obvious boon, but what about my other senses? What about my strength? If I was only ever as strong as I wanted or needed to be, then that might be the true reason I'd never struggled with accidentally breaking things, unlike Lucy. What about my durability? Was it possible for me to will myself to be frail? I had no intention of testing that out, but… it would probably be best to assume I was tough enough to handle anything, while preferably trying to avoid everything. If I feared an enemy's might too much, I might accidentally give it power over me, yet if I recklessly accepted an attack… I shuddered to think of the results. If nothing else, I'd receive endless lectures from Abigail for risking myself without certainty or necessity.

For now, I decided to experiment with something much safer by increasing my hearing range. Reducing it was… probably possible, but would be difficult to test. Lucy was focusing hard on keeping an aerodynamic wind shield around us to help us move faster and block out the sound as we flew. Increasing my hearing range, meanwhile, let me hear those same howling winds again. Much too loudly, in fact, as I'd naively tried to press the limits of how far I could push my hearing. It was enough to cause a mental overload so bad that I almost dropped out of the air for a moment.

"Eena?" Lucy called out after I'd straightened myself out. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," I informed her, my cheeks bright red. "I was merely paying for hubris, so to speak… are you alright, though? I should have known better to experiment with you in my arms."

"I'm fine," Lucy promised, "but what were you experimenting on?"

"My senses… I've discovered that I can manipulate how intense they are to some degree. I… went a little too high on the… hearing…" I paused. I'd been so focused on how overwhelming the sounds had been that I hadn't really processed them. It was only looking back on that unpleasant memory that I recalled a very different sound from the roaring winds. What it was, I couldn't tell you. I hadn't really processed it, after all. I just remembered hearing something different at that moment.

"Hold on," I told Lucy, heightening my hearing again as I began to lower us to the ground. I was more cautious this time, but perhaps unnecessarily so. The normal sounds of nature were not nearly as overwhelming as the wind had been… Still, I went slow, only finding what I was looking for after several seconds as a result - the sound of someone cursing up a storm, as they clashed against… something. Something that screeched.

"There's someone fighting up ahead," I warned Lucy, placing her firmly on the ground. I then - after only a moment more of hesitation - removed my high heels. "I don't know how far. We'll have to hurry…"

"You might want to carry me then," Lucy said. Her face had shifted to a more serious expression, one full of determination, yet I noticed the way she blushed faintly when she added, "You know, like you were before? I'm pretty sure you can move faster than I can…"

"Very well," I conceded after a moment, placing my shoes into the Empty Bag and scooping her up into my arms once more. I began to run. The rocks were at first uncomfortable against my bare feet, but by focusing a little I was able to turn down my sensitivity to it, knowing that nothing the ground had to offer could actually damage me in any meaningful way.

The rest of my body, however, was hard at work dodging through branches, even as I tore through the underbrush. I didn't care what scraped against me, but I didn't want Lucy to experience such a rough ride. Even if her skin was too thick to be broken by a mere branch, getting whacked by one still felt very unpleasant in my experience.

Eventually we closed in on the problem, bursting free of the forest and finding ourselves upon a paved road. A wrecked carriage was in the middle of it, tilted to the side. A girl stood in the doorway, kicking and punching at any of the small monsters that got close to her.

The leader of the pack wasn't going to allow that for long, though. Some distant part of me knew that. Knew that she would be in danger if this continued. That the monster was already moving towards her and I really needed to do something. In fact, Lucy was already calling my name for that very purpose. Squirming in my hold, trying to get free, wishing to go face that abomination.

It had four legs, covered in grey fur. Whiskers poking out on either side of its elongated snout. Two massive and sharp front teeth. A naked tail that swayed back and forth.

It was a rat. A giant rat. Surrounded by what had to be at least a hundred of its tinier brethren. A hundred rats.

A hundred.

A hundred and one if you counted the leader.

And Lucy wanted to go fight that? To enter their midst?

She would be safe. She would be. I knew that… and yet… the mere thought of letting her walk into danger, no matter how scared I was… No matter how many rats there were…

I tightened my grip around Lucy, wanting to tell her that it would be okay. I took a step towards the abominations, determined to face them this day.

Then the lady in the carriage punched a rat with enough power to send it flying right towards my face.

I wasn't… entirely sure what happened after that. There was screaming, I think. A lot of it. Some of it probably came from me. Other than that, though? Nothing. Just… darkness, as if I'd closed my eyes and locked the world away.

I obviously hadn't, though, because of what I found when I opened my eyes - which is to say, nothing. A massive crater of 'nothing,' where a portion of the road had simply ceased to exist, leaving only a smooth concave imprint of dirt behind.

I noticed that a wheel of the carriage was splintered - though whether it was me or the rats who did it, I could not say. The woman inside of it seemed fine, at least, even if she was gaping at me.

Lucy was safe, too, in my arms and hugging me. And speaking. She was trying to tell me something.

"-right! You're going to be alright!"

"I… am alright," I informed her, my voice monotone as I stared at the destruction I'd wrought. "But I think… I really need to work on my phobia in the future…"

"....That's… probably a good idea," Lucy agreed after twisting her neck to get a look at what I'd done. "But you didn't hurt anyone, right? Except the poor rats…"

"Poor rats?!" I questioned. "And what exactly did I do to the 'poor rats?'"

"I think you might be better off not knowing," Lucy replied, not quite meeting my eyes. "I'm not really sure, myself… You must really hate them, though."

"They're a terror," I confessed. "Left over from another life…" Jacob had lost some of his hearing to an ear infection after being bitten by one. Ever since he'd had a phobia of them. One I'd apparently inherited… I wondered why that had sunk in so deeply when other things had not. Perhaps because I had no real experience with rats in this life? So my image of them came completely from him…

Regardless, I had something else to deal with in the present. The aftermath. The woman from the carriage - a girl about my own age if I had to guess - was currently stomping towards me with a manic grin on her face. Another girl was following shortly behind, this one wearing a skirt and delicate looking shoes compared to the former's choice of trousers and heavy boots.

"Yo!" the first woman called out to us after stopping a few feet away. "My name's Grell and that was awesome! We have got to arm wrestle!"

Spoiler: Author's Notes

So, bad news first - I'm going through a lot with depression right now, and Patreon is only up to chapter 60. Depending on how things go, next week might get skipped in terms of public releases as I try to get Patreon two chapters ahead again.

As for actual chapter comments? Well, this one's been sitting in my head for a while now. Especially the second half. The first part wasn't really planned - it more demanded to exist, because Devilla was just too confused...

I've been wanting to work in the stuff about how adaptable Devilla's body is for a while now, though. It was just hard to find the right timing... Hope I managed okay?

Also. GRELL! You have no idea how long I've waited for this idiot... Though I only actually gave her a name, like... the day before I wrote this? DX She's been in my head forever, though, so I hope you enjoy her and her companion!

Also also. THE RAT KING. Don't take this as 100% canon until it's said in universe, but the basic idea was a a psychic beast that links up all the rats in the area and creates a hive mind... An abundance of rats might be a problem, but the complete and utter absence of rats says that there's probably one of these in the area! (I created them both to explain how lucky Devilla's been with not running into a ton of wild rats, and to give her nightmares! Endless nightmares...)

PS: Many thanks to FallingLeaf for the editing! It helps make the story that much better~! <3

 

[PrincessKay]

Devilla​

"Is that a no on the arm wrestling?" Grella asked when I stared blankly at her.

"My Lady," the girl behind her said, "you mustn't introduce yourself with such requests. It only makes it harder to lure strangers into a dark room where you can strongarm them into fulfilling your barbaric fetishes."

"You make it sound like I wanna do a lot more than arm wrestle her!" Grell protested, turning around and putting her hands on her hips with a pout.

"My Lady's heart rate spiked upon witnessing this unknown Lady's display of power. What's more, your face is flush, your breath rapid, and your palms sweaty. I am of the firm belief that my Lady does, in fact, wish to do a lot more than 'arm wrestle.'"

"Damn it, Dyona, what have I told you about monitoring my heart rate without permission!? Not to mention ruining my chances of snagging a hottie… or calling me your Lady when we aren't near anyone important!"

"My Lady, it would seem you have failed to notice the woman currently held sweetly in our savior's arms."

"Um… Hi!" Lucy said, waving happily - if a little embarrassedly - from her current position. I moved hurriedly to lower her only to be met with disappointed puppy eyes when I did. A moment later, though, she was smiling at the newcomers. "I'm Lucy!"

"Lucy…" Grell asked, pinching her chin and tilting her head to one side. "Lucy… Lucy… Do I know a Lucy?"

"You study her portrait nightly, my Lady, constantly claiming that you will conquer her and then sweep her up into your arms?"

"Come on Dyona, you know I do that with all the pictures of hot women I own. Is she the one with the legs from Crownick?"

While Dyona sighed, kneading her forehead with her hands, I took a moment to evaluate the duo in front of me. The first of them - Grell - was… puzzling, mostly on account of her peculiar fashion sense. The baggy trousers and boots she wore seemed almost designed to cover her up and make her look tough. Her shirt failed to complete this look though, especially around the chest, where her buttoned blouse seemed to be almost straining against her breasts. Combined with her slender limbs and long blonde hair, I couldn't tell if she was actually tough or merely halfheartedly trying to look the part.

Her companion, meanwhile, had an almost demure look about her. One mismatched with her viperish tongue. She wore black shoes, a black dress, and had a white ribbon tying her long black hair in a ponytail. If we were in the tower, I'd have assumed she was a maid. I didn't know if humans allowed such loose takes on the uniform, though.

"Um… Actually, I'm the Heroine," Lucy said eventually, choosing to grant relief to poor Grell who was still making blind guesses.

"The Heroine!?" Grell demanded before turning to glare at her companion. "And you couldn't just tell me?!"

"My Lady was so ardently challenging her memory that I couldn't bring myself to interfere," Dyona proclaimed while placing a hand against her chest. "Do you wish to punish me for my impertinence?"

"And have you spit in my food again? Right in front of me, too… So disgusting..." Grell shook her head before turning her attention towards us. "Anyways… Uh… Greetings, your Heroine-ness! My name is…. really long and rather unimportant! Just call me Grell!"

"Dyona, your Ladyships," her companion said with a deep curtsy. "It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

"Eena," I replied simply, glancing Lucy's way for guidance. She, however, was focused entirely on Grell.

"You look familiar…" she said.

"I shouldn't be," Grell replied. "My family has made very sure we've never… I mean… Uh… Quick! Dyona, say something distracting!"

"Shall I confess my undying love for you?" Dyona asked with an arched eyebrow. "Perhaps my everlasting devotion and desire to remain by your side?"

"Something believable, Dyona!"

"I won't press if you don't want me to," Lucy promised, placing a hand on her chest. "As long as it isn't something that would harm us, anyways?"

"Hah! Even I'm not dumb enough to harm the Heroine! Or her companion, for that matter."

"Girlfriend, actually," Lucy informed them, reaching out with her hand to grab mine.

A blush touched my cheeks as our fingers began to intertwine right in front of these strangers. I knew it was likely no big deal to Lucy - a simple romantic gesture - but to me it felt as if something terribly intimate was being done in public. All the same I enjoyed the contact far too much to pull away.

"Oh?" Grell asked. "Is that jealousy I hear, Heroine? Don't worry I would never steal your woman from you!"

"She'll just scheme about how she can bed you both," Dyona chimed in.

"I don't really do jealousy," Lucy admitted before Grell could react. "And Eena's free to sleep with whoever she wants! Personally though, I think I want to keep sex to people I feel things for."

The way she squeezed my hand at that last bit sent a new rush of red through my cheeks. At the same time, though, her words confused me. What did sex have to do with love?

…Well, I suppose I knew the answer to that. At least, I knew what people on Earth would have said. That love and sex are intertwined and that it's worth saving yourself for someone you have feelings for… Personally, I just couldn't understand it. Yes, sex was better with emotions - undeniably so, at least for me - but even random flings would still be sex. Yes, I suppose there was a higher chance of something going wrong, but by and large it still felt good. Just because I'd pick one over the other didn't mean I saw a reason not to indulge in both.

At the same time, though, if Lucy was abstaining…

Lucy squeezed my fingers again as if she knew what I was thinking. Perhaps she did. The bright smile on her face was certainly easy enough for me to read - it was reassurance to do whatever I thought right.

Still, I shook my head. "My bed is full enough, for the time being. I certainly wouldn't mind a session or two at a future date - if we hit it off… Though, speaking of that, there's still the small matter of how long we'll be in each other's company. I can't help but notice that there's a few things missing from your carriage…"

Like the horses. And half a wheel.

"Sorry, my brain's just imploding from the idea of the Heroine getting laid," Grell said. "I mean, you two aren't married, are you?"

"I believe your family would have informed even you about such momentous news," Dyona said, frowning between us. "Perhaps the Heroine means she's saving herself?"

"Either way, if my family got ahold of this kind of info, it…" She froze. "Uh… wouldn't be meaningful in any significant way?"

"I already promised not to press," Lucy reminded her. "Though I don't think I can avoid being curious at this rate. I still won't push, though!"

"Our thanks, my Lady," Dyona said, bowing again. "And to you, too, Lady Eena. Your concern for us is appreciated. We shall be fine without assistance, however - I'm sure that Lady Grell can simply carry our carriage the rest of the way towards Gour."

"Like hell I can!" Grell protested.

"Oh?" Dyona asked, arching an eyebrow. "Did you not say not two hours ago that you could reach the city faster walking? Surely you weren't positing leaving our carriage behind to accomplish that, were you?"

"T-That's…" Grell stuttered, shrinking back a little. "I mean… I keep saying I'd have been happier on a horse…"

"My Lady. Did you not promise me a proper vacation? One where each part of my body could rest?"

"Well… Yes…" Grell admitted, hanging her head low.

"So surely you should be able to carry the carriage and me to Gour. Yes?"

"Well… I… Wait. Why would I be carrying you?!"

"Who begged me to include her on my hard won vacation?" Dyona retorted, narrowing her eyes.

"Um… If it's not too much trouble, maybe we can help?" Lucy suggested. "Me and Eena are on our way to Gour, too!"

"We are?" I asked, curiosity caught. "Come to think of it, you never actually told me our destination…"

"Well, I was going to keep it a secret," Lucy confessed. "But… Remember those skewers we bought on our first date? I wanted to take you to where they were made - the city of Gour!"

"Is that so?" I asked, recalling the conversation in question. "Does that mean you wish to show me some new cultures?"

"Kinda?" Lucy said. "But I also just thought it would be a really good place for our next date! It's also known as the City of Cuisine, after all!"

"...Cuisine? As in… different dishes? New types of food? Things I haven't tried before?!"

"Maybe they'll even have stuff made with potatoes!" Lucy suggested with a twinkle in her eyes. Part of me couldn't help but wonder if she was teasing me… but even if she was it hardly mattered.

An entire city devoted to cuisine…

"Are you going for the Dragon Feast Festival?" Grell asked, interjecting herself back into the conversation with wide eyes. "Maybe we could all go together!"

"I'm not even sure what that is, but I believe my date with Lucy will be a private affair?"

"Well, sure," Grell agreed, "but the festival lasts for days! We can hang out during one of them, right?"

"...Perhaps," I agreed, glancing Lucy's way.

She, of course, smiled. "Maybe! Especially if we're all going together, anyways… I bet if the three of us work together, we can lift the carriage and Dyona without any trouble!"

"...Well, I suppose I might have something to do with the damage to their wheel," I admitted, eyeing the reason why I hadn't suggested merely pushing the thing. It wasn't as if I couldn't lift the thing with a single hand if need be.

"I think it was already broken from the rats," Grell told me. "Though hey, I won't say no to good company on the road! Especially when it's two beautiful women and we're all going to be feasting together!"

"Speaking of, is anyone going to inform me of what this feast is actually about?" I asked. "Or do you intend to keep me in the dark, until it's too late for me to refuse?"

"Well, it's mostly just a really big feast!" Lucy told me. "It's based entirely on food stalls and outdoor cooking, though! Everyone makes the best, most delicious smelling things they can!"

"An interesting idea," I confessed, trying not to salivate at the mere idea of such deliciousness. "But what does it have to do with dragons?"

"Well, supposedly one came down the mountain hundreds of years ago, drawn to the scents of the town. It was still small back then, just starting out! And the whole place could have easily been wiped out! But instead, they managed to turn it aside by bribing it with some of the food that drew it to the town in the first place! They satisfied it so well it left without harming anyone! So now the city celebrates every year, making a feast so big it could satisfy a hundred dragons!"

"An interesting story," I remarked. "If true…"

"It's a children story," Grell declared. "Real dragons would never play so nice… but that's exactly why I'm going! If one really gets drawn down to town, I wanna give it a beating!"

"And here I thought you merely wished for my continued company during this vacation," Dyona sighed, shaking her head.

"I don't think it would be a very good idea to fight one," Lucy warned. "I'm told even late stage Heroines struggle with them…"

"Is that so?" I asked. A late stage Heroine was supposed to be about on par with a Demon Queen. Strong enough to kill one, at least. If a dragon could kill them… Well, the very thought of such destructive power sent a shiver down my spine.

"Don't worry!" Lucy said. "Dragon attacks are really rare! At most they usually scoop up a cow or something in passing… I think humans are too small and flighty for them."

"But if a dragon was going to come down, it would totally be during this feast!" Grell declared. "You do see them from the city sometimes, you know?'

"Through telescopes, perhaps," Dyona countered. "They mostly stay in the mountains."

"Mountains which are practically right next door!" Grell pointed out. "And they do come down sometimes. Rarely. You know, to snatch a cow or whatever. Or they might even come to visit the city! You remember the stories about dragons taking human form to mingle with the people in town, right?"

"More children's tales," Dyona stated matter of factly. "All I can say is that we are unlikely to see any dragons this year."

"Bah, you'll see!" Grell scoffed. "You'll all see! And then we can all go punch it!"

"Well, first we have to get there!" Lucy pointed out. "So why don't you get in the wagon, Dyona?"

The woman in question froze for a moment before turning to look at Lucy. "Ar-Are you serious?"

"You're on vacation, right? So let's go! I'll help Grell carry it!"

"I suppose I might as well help too," I offered, shaking my head. "Let's hurry. With luck we can make it to the city by nightfall."

If possible, I'd prefer a solid inn room to hide my teleporter circle rather than a tent perilously close to strangers.

Even more than that, though, I had to admit that I was looking forward to the festival. To the feast. I just hoped with all my heart that despite the holiday's name - and Grell's multitude of flags - it remained a feast only for humans.

…Well, mostly only for humans, anyway…

Spoiler: Author's Notes

So, this is a rare chapter that feels like it's meaningfully changed since the rough draft. It's still the exact same in terms of how events unfold, but it feels like the new characters' voices are solidifying in my head compared to when I first wrote the chapter. My editor, FallingLeaf, helped a lot with that too.

He also gave me the advice of changing the city's name from Gruelle. Which was probably for the best... (He also came up with the title. Honestly, he just helped with this chapter all around.)

In other news - Grell and Dyona! I'm glad to finally introduce everyone to these two. I thought up Grell forever ago, with Dyona coming along as more or less a tag along. Of course, she instantly declared herself a lot more than that the moment my fingers hit the keyboard and her dialogue started coming out... but I'm enjoying her, so I wouldn't have it any other way.

Next chapter is going to be a bit short - though there's a chance I'll be revising part of it over the course of the next week, to make it a bit longer? 62 should be long enough to make up for it either way, though! It's a bit of a special one.

As always (or at least as usual), you can read two chapters ahead for as little as a dollar on my Patreon! Regardless of whether you read here or there, though, I do hope to see you again for the next update~!