Demon Queened (Remastered) – Chapter 7 – An Overdue Conversation

Devilla

I stared at the bear standing before me. It was something like nine feet tall, with dark brown fur and lighter brown spikes extending from its spine and elbows. They looked remarkably sharp, but I doubted their sturdiness. I could likely snap the things off if it came down to it.

The creature didn’t move during my examination. I could almost imagine that it was looking me over in turn, trying to decide if I was worth the trouble of feasting upon. Not an impossibility, actually, if it was anywhere near as intelligent as the horned wolves I’d fought.

“You do not wish to fight me,” I warned it, letting some of the magic within me spill out and over the bear. I wasn’t expecting it to instantly submit as that one wolf had, but I did believe it was smart enough to flee once it felt the difference in power between us.

To my surprise, however, it instead let out a roar and swung for my head with one of its massive paws. I ducked beneath but didn’t strike back, too worried about what Lucy might think if I were to send the creature flying.

“Wh-what’s going on?” Lucy demanded from behind me. Despite her uncertainty and her state of undress she looked ready to fight, her sword unsheathed and glimmering faintly in the light. “Spiked bears are pretty curious by nature, but they don’t usually attack unless they feel threatened!”

…Ah. Perhaps this was my fault, then? I felt bad for the bear, in that case, but I had little choice but to follow through with my threat and deal with the creature before me.

“Lucy!” I called out, ducking beneath another blow. “If I can keep it occupied, can you take it down?”

“I think so!” she replied, shifting her stance and readying her blade.

“You think so?” I questioned, grimacing a little. I wanted to pretend that I was weaker than Lucy, for the sake of my disguise, but if Lucy represented the pinnacle of human strength then I really didn’t know what to say. Shouldn’t it be easy for the Heroine to take down a single monstrous bear?

“I can try!” Lucy declared, ignorant of my thoughts. “Usually I’d say we should run, but if it’s attacking people for no reason then we definitely can’t let it go!”

“Good girl,” I said, lifting both hands and grabbing hold of the paw that swung toward me. I tried to make it look like a struggle, allowing its claws to get perilously close to my face, but in truth the biggest issue was keeping my footing, what with being in loosely strapped heels.

“Now, Lucy!” I yelled, reaching out with my magic—not to take care of the bear, but to finally secure my shoes.

The bear growled in response as Lucy leveled her blade toward the creature. Before she could step forward, however, I heard another roar behind me. Even without turning around, I could easily guess at its source.

“Another spiked bear‽” Lucy cried out, confirming my suspicion. “It must be the first one’s mate!”

“Then I imagine it’s not going to be very happy about this,” I muttered, taking advantage of Lucy’s distraction to thrust the bear claw away from me and take a step backward. 

Much easier to manage now that my footing was actually secured.

“Shall we each take one?” I asked, eyeing the bear in front of me. It tensed under my gaze, as if wary of what I might do. Not wary enough to back down, though.

“Each take one?” Lucy parroted, her orange eyes going wide as dinner plates. “Eena, you could barely fight it!”

“Physically, perhaps, but you haven’t seen me use my magic yet.” Humans weren’t generally strong enough to toss bears about—at least from my understanding—but magic was another matter. Capacity could vary wildly from demon to demon, after all, and I imagined it would be much the same amidst humans. “Can you take the other bear, Lucy? Preferably before it charges me?”

“…I’ll manage!” Lucy declared, lifting her sword up and running past me to intercept the second bear.

A small smile tugged at the corner of my lips. “Good girl,” I repeated, before turning my attention back to the beast before me.

It roared, dropping down to all fours and charging towards me. Its mouth opened as it ran, stretching far wider than I would have thought possible. I could see four rows of teeth within its maw, all razor-sharp and rushing toward me.

I dodged to the right, elbowing the beast in its side to drive it back a few steps, before unleashing a bolt of lightning that caused its fur to stand on end. By the time I cut off the flow of electricity, the monster was largely still, other than a minor bit of twitching.

Lucy’s back was currently towards me, her attention entirely taken by the bear before her. As such, I had no reason to hold back… and yet I could not bring myself to finish the poor thing off. The creature had, ultimately, only attacked due to my provocation. It felt wrong to kill it for that.

Unfortunately, I couldn’t expect such mercy from Lucy. Not when she was fighting a monster—a threat to humanity. Not to mention the fact that she didn’t seem to have the leeway to offer such mercy. It was all she could do just to get the occasional cut in between deflecting the creature’s claws and dodging strikes from it. Her foe had a myriad of red stains on its fur from numerous shallow wounds, but it looked no closer to going down. Lucy, by contrast, was uninjured—but how long could she keep it up? One slip-up was all it would take for the bear to knock her head clear off her shoulders.

“Perhaps I could help?” I called out, as Lucy jumped back to avoid another of the bear’s strikes.

“You’re already done‽” Lucy called back, her voice pitched high in obvious shock. Not that she let the surprise slow her down: she dodged another blow even as I watched, and gave the bear another shallow cut on its side for the trouble. 

“I got a few lucky blows in,” I lied. “Do you need help, or not?”

“I could really use some!” Lucy called back to me. “This one’s really strong! If my sword wasn’t unbreakable, I’d probably be dead‽”

“Unbreakable?” I asked, mentally sifting through my options. Perhaps a slightly smaller electric bolt would do the job? I didn’t need to bring the bear down, only give Lucy an opening for the final blow. Preferably without revealing my full strength. “I’m sure it’s well-crafted, but if you treat your blade as infallible you’re going to end up in trouble.”

“No, it’s literally unbreakable!” Lucy insisted, bracing the sword above her head to block an overhead swing from the bear. “It’s a holy blade!”

…I didn’t reply. Couldn’t reply, more like. There was only one Indestructible Sword that I knew of. One unbreakable blade, in all the world. It had, until relatively recently, been passed down my family line, going all the way back to Luci herself. Until it was taken from us during the last war.

“Lucy?” I called out, my voice trembling faintly. “Where did you get that blade?”

“Huh? My sword? It was a gift from the Grand Patriarch! Apparently the Demon Queen stole it from heaven, but the Church managed to recover it when Heroine Jodeyne defeated her last incarnation! It’s a really nice sword, but…” Lucy paused, using her blade to ward off another of the beast’s blows. “But it’s not really enough right now! A little help, please?”

I didn’t say anything. My eyes were locked on the weapon Lucy held: the holy blade that was mine by right. The miraculous item that had been stolen from us when my mother fell. I could feel my hands curling into fists, my nails biting into my palms. I’d been taught a long time ago that one should try to clench and unclench when mad, to let the anger exist and then let it go… but for some reason, my hands simply refused to cooperate. My fists only grew tighter, to the point I was surprised I’d yet to draw blood.

Every story I’d been told as a child flashed through my brain. Every tale of my mother’s valiance, of how much she cared for me and her people alike. How hard she fought for them, with that sword by her side—never used, until her battle with the Heroine, and yet always there as a reminder of her duty. Just as it had been at the side of my grandmother, and my great-grandmother before her, all the way back to Luci herself. Always present, always ready to face the Heroine who threatened our people.

“Eena?” Lucy called out again, as the bear drew back a step. “Eena, what’s wrong? I could really use some help!” 

The bear dropped down to all fours, its eyes locked on Lucy. Its jaw opened wide, revealing rows of teeth that were obviously meant for tearing apart meat. Tearing apart Lucy. It charged toward her.

“Eena!” she shouted, desperately jumping to the side.

The bear didn’t stop its charge, even after Lucy leapt out of its way. It ran right past her and towards me, its jaws somehow opening even wider as it prepared to take a bite out of me.

I wasn’t scared. I doubted it could hurt me—though it was welcome to try. I probably deserved it, what with letting Lucy fight and risk her life like that. Not helping when I said I would. When I’d caused this problem to begin with. I knew full well that I was in the wrong.

It was just that she had my mother’s sword.

“Eena!” Lucy called out, terror in her voice as the creature bore down upon me, its paw coming up to strike me even as it aimed its jaw at my shoulder and neck.

Suddenly, a blur of black and red struck against the bear’s side, driving it away from me before it could finish its attack. The monster let out a roar of pain and surprise, striking at the thing that had hurt it and sending the black-furred creature tumbling across the forest floor. It came to a stop a little to the right of me, whimpering faintly.

“…You…” I whispered, staring at the horned wolf I’d spared a few days prior. She whimpered again in response, her dark eyes fluttering open. Her gaze focused on me, and she let out another noise. It sounded almost happy—as if she were relieved to see I was alright.

…What, precisely, was I doing? What was I thinking? Allowing people to worry over me, to get hurt because of me, all because of some sword? What would I have done if the beast had chosen to focus on Lucy instead of going after me, the one who’d taken down its mate? Had I not spent the day thinking of Lucy as just another victim of the Church? Not to mention the hope she represented for my people. 

Could I have lived with myself if she had died?

Forcing myself into action, I turned my attention to the bear. The wolf’s horn had struck it in the side, and a patch of its fur was blackening and falling away. That didn’t stop it from turning toward me again though, roaring loudly as it prepared for its next charge.

“Eena!” Lucy shouted out, fear in her eyes. A fear she held for me. Because she honestly thought I was in danger. Because she cared.

Would that fear for me turn into fear of me, when she saw what I was capable of?

Did I even care?

Casually, I lifted a hand toward the beast, as if I intended to stop its charge with no more than my palm. A bolt of lightning shot out from the center of my hand, striking the bear mid charge and causing its muscles to spasm. It collapsed to the ground, tumbling forward and coming to a halt a few inches away from me. It was still breathing, but in bad shape.

I stepped toward the creature, grabbing ahold of one of its limbs and dragging it toward the other bear. I was aware of Lucy staring at me, eyes wide, but I didn’t say anything. I only placed my hand on both of the monsters and sent warmth into their bodies.

As with Abigail and the wolf, healing the bears resulted in a sudden understanding of their anatomy. They were both females, though that hardly discounted Lucy’s theory of them being mates. I wasn’t entirely sure how monsters reproduced, but if it was anything like monster girls then the sex itself wasn’t actually necessary. Reproduction was more a matter of mixing magical energies—and even if that wasn’t the case for them, it wasn’t as if homosexuality was foreign to the animal kingdom.

“Eena?” Lucy called out from behind me, stepping closer. “What… what are you doing?”

“I’m healing them,” I replied calmly. “They only attacked us because they felt my magical power; they were afraid of me. As perhaps they should have been. Still, I hardly think that’s worth the death penalty.”

I expected Lucy to object. These were dangerous creatures, after all, and they posed a potential threat to humanity. I knew that. I also knew that alone didn’t define them, though. The way the second one had come right for me, only facing Lucy long enough to get her out of the way before charging at the one who stood above its mate… how could I hate a creature capable of loving another like that? I refused to let them die in a fight I had unintentionally provoked.

To my surprise, however, Lucy did not object—at least not at first. She instead pressed her lips together into a thin line. Perhaps a sign of anger? Not that it was enough to turn me from my course. I continued what I was doing, pouring my energy into them. Even as she stepped up close, and crouched beside me, holding her own palm out toward the bears.

“…Bellora radem akor morrin.”

White light spilled from Lucy’s hand, bright even beneath the light of the sun. Instantly, the blackened flesh and fur of the bear on my right began to lighten and heal, the fur that had fallen away growing back before my eyes. What’s more, my magic told me that the electrical damage I’d inflicted on both bears was starting to heal. In moments it was gone altogether, and the two beasts were slumbering peacefully before us.

“…That was holy magic.” It wasn’t a question. I had felt the warmth of it as it intermingled with my own magic and there was no mistaking it for anything else. Not for me.

“You’re really strong, Eena,” Lucy told me in lieu of a confirmation, a small smile on her lips. “Your magic is amazing, and your physical strength—I’ve never met anyone like you before! You must have trained really hard! No wonder you were able to take on all those horned wolves!”

“…You’re not mad at me for concealing my true strength?” I asked cautiously.

“You’re really strong,” Lucy repeated, her smile brightening. “But you’re even more kind. The way you saved the village, and the way you decided to spare these bears—I bet you did something really nice for that horned wolf over there, too!”

The wolf in question was still laying on the floor. She was breathing heavily but otherwise seemed unhurt to my eye. I wanted to check on her, but my attention was currently locked on Lucy.

“And you’re not mad that I helped monsters?”

Lucy hesitated for a moment. When she at last spoke, her voice was soft but firm with conviction. “The Church says that monsters are evil; that they’ve been tainted by the demonic energy of the Demon Queen. My mom never believed that, though. She told me that monsters were just animals with a little extra magic, and that demons are just people with a few extra parts. She said people used to know that, back before the war started.”

“…That sounds like a rather blasphemous viewpoint,” I remarked. Honestly, what she had said wasn’t too far from what demons were taught. Supposedly, in the ancient past, the world was much more saturated with magic. The theory was that monsters came from animals that were exposed to high concentrations of it during pregnancy. There were even some who took it a step further and claimed that monster girls had originated from monsters undergoing the same process.

“My mom was pretty blasphemous, for a former priestess,” Lucy confessed. “I told you before, right? That she always said she wanted me to think for myself, and not just believe in or do whatever people told me.”

“Why are you telling me this?” I demanded. “You’re the Heroine. Surely you’ve been encouraged to keep your mouth shut about all this?”

“I’m telling you because I trust you, Eena!” Lucy told me, smiling brightly. “And because I want you to know that you can trust me, too! I don’t know how you got so strong, or what you’ve been through because of that strength. Maybe you’ve been judged before? Maybe people used you for your strength, or hurt you, or even accused you of things. I’m sure you have all sorts of reasons why you don’t want to tell me everything! But I don’t need to know everything! All that matters to me is that you’re a good person—and a good friend! And if you ever want to join my party, I’ll be waiting.”

Lucy stood with those words, walking over to her armor and plopping back down to the earth. I stood silently as she donned her armor, not saying a word even as she buckled her sword around her waist. I simply watched, uncertain what to make of everything she’d said.

“I think I’m going to go now,” Lucy informed me after she was fully dressed. “I can try to heal the wolf before I go if you want?”

The wolf in question was still laying on the forest floor, but her breathing had evened out and she didn’t seem to be in any pain. The moment Lucy’s eyes swung over to her, however, the wolf moved into a sitting position and let out a low growl.

“It’s fine,” I promised, striding toward the wolf. “I can handle that much.” 

The creature quieted as I approached, and I crouched down beside her to offer my hand. She sniffed at my fingers for a moment, before licking them. Her eyes returned to Lucy immediately afterwards, still cautious, but perhaps just a little bit more relaxed than she had been.

“That’s so cute!” Lucy declared, smiling brightly at us. “You should make sure it doesn’t follow you into any towns, though. Not everyone looks at monsters the way I do!”

“I’ll be careful,” I vowed, frowning. “But are you seriously telling me that you intend to leave? What happened to taking me to the next town?” It wasn’t as if I actually wanted Lucy’s company. The sooner she left, the sooner I could make my flight back to the Tower. Still, it worried me that I couldn’t tell what was going through her head.

“I promised you I’d leave if you proved you could take care of yourself, right?” Lucy reminded me. She was still smiling, but her eyes didn’t quite meet mine. “And…”

“And?” I pressed, idly running my fingers through the wolf’s fur.

“And I want you to trust me, Eena! I want you to know that you can! So I have to keep my word, right?” Lucy’s eyes met mine at last. They were wet with tears. “You made me feel so good today. You made me feel like I mattered as a person, and not just the Heroine. I’m really glad you took my virginity, and I really hope you’ll have sex with me again! Even if you don’t, I definitely want to see you again, and I’m really scared I won’t…”

“Lucy…” I began, before realizing that I had no idea what to say. My first instinct was to reassure her, to tell her that we’d meet again, but I didn’t know for sure that it would happen. I’d never wanted us to meet in the first place.

“I’ll be in Rendra City, for a while,” she apprised me. “If you head north down the road, you can’t miss it. I’ll be staying at the church, so… if you want to meet again, like I do… I really hope you’ll come find me!”

I nodded slowly. Lucy’s lips were still set in a smile, but I couldn’t help but notice the sadness in her gaze. She truly didn’t want this to be goodbye.

“…Well, I’ll be going now!” Lucy declared, forcing an even wider smile for my benefit. “I really hope to see you again soon! But, if not, I’ll understand.” She turned away from me with those words, and began to walk away.

I knew I had to let her go. It was in my best interest that she forget all about me.

I knew that, and yet…

“One week!” I called out. Lucy paused mid-step, but didn’t turn back around. 

“One week,” I repeated, softer this time. “In one week, I will come to Rendra City. And if you are still there, then… perhaps… we could have more sex.”

“Do you mean it?” Lucy’s words were almost a whisper, barely audible even to my ears. She turned toward me, tears streaming down her cheeks. “Do you mean it?” she asked again, louder this time. “You really want to see me again?”

“I don’t recall saying that,” I protested, my gaze dropping to the floor. “I simply think that we have more to offer one another. I can teach you about sex, and you can help me with the adventurer’s guild.” 

I stole a glance at Lucy’s face. She was beaming.

“I’ll be waiting in the church, okay? One week! I’ll definitely still be there!”

“Yes, yes, whatever you say,” I muttered, directing my eyes back toward the forest floor.

“I’ll see you in a week, Eena!” Lucy said again. I lifted my gaze after she’d turned around, watching as she disappeared beyond the trees. Once she was out of sight, I let out a long sigh and shook my head.

“I don’t suppose you’d know why I did that, would you girl?” I asked the wolf lying in front of me. She whined faintly in response, and nuzzled her snout against my hand. “It seems not…” I sighed. “Well, perhaps it’s not the worst thing to be spending time around her. I might even learn a thing or two. For example…”

I stood, walked over to a nearby tree, and casually broke off one of the thicker branches. Then I held the jagged piece of wood up against the tree, fitting it back into place as best I could, and held my other palm out toward the break, focusing on it. 

“Bellora radem akor morrin.” I felt something light up inside me as I spoke, as if my very soul was resonating with the words. A pleasant warmth lit up inside my chest and a light began to emanate from my hand. The tree began to heal before my eyes, the fibers of the branch rejoined as the crack in the bark began to disappear. In seconds, I was staring at a fully-repaired tree.

“Good,” I declared, smiling widely. “It didn’t explode.” Considering how badly my last attempt at magic had gone, I was rather terrified of what might happen if I made a mistake with a healing spell. I’d only heard Lucy say it once, so mispronunciation had been a real risk.

“Ideally, I’d record it at this point, but failing that…” I broke the branch again, repeated the process, and then did it all over again, and again, until I was convinced the proper words and pronunciation were inscribed into my brain. Then I walked over to the wolf and knelt beside her.

“Sorry about the wait,” I said, reaching out to pet her. “This might tingle a bit.” I ran a bit of arcane magic through her as I spoke, looking for any signs of damage. The bear had hit her pretty hard, as it seemed she had a bruise beneath her ribs, but that was about all. I was tempted to use holy magic on her, now that I’d finally learned the spell, but as much as I wanted to shift to animal trials I just couldn’t bring myself to take the risk. I decided to stick with the arcane healing I’d used so far instead.

A few seconds of concentrated effort was all it took to restore the wolf to peak condition—or at least as close to ‘peak’ condition as she’d ever been. When it was done, I stood upright with a small smile and brushed the dirt from my skirt.

“I suppose I should be going now,” I murmured to myself, walking over to the potato sacks. The wolf walked beside me and sat in front of me as I fed the potatoes into my Empty Bag. She had an almost expectant look in her eyes. I thought perhaps she wanted a potato for some reason, but even after I’d put the last spud away she was still staring at me.

“…You do realize that you’re not coming with me, yes?”

The horned wolf whined faintly, as if she’d understood the words. Perhaps she did? I wasn’t entirely sure how smart these monsters were. Regardless, it wasn’t as if I could simply pick her up and carry her back to the Tower with me.

…Or rather I could, but it surely wasn’t in the wolf’s best interest. “What would you even do inside the Tower?”

The horned wolf let out another little whine, wagging her tail and moving to stand next to me.

“It’s not happening.”

She barked, pressing her side against my thigh. Her fur was warm and soft, and my resolve began to waver. Taking the wolf with me would be a disaster, though. She wouldn’t have nearly enough room to run or explore. I had no idea how much fresh meat she’d need, either—I might end up having to hunt, just to make up for her drain upon our stores. Not to mention the potential issues with her bathroom needs—was I supposed to fly her down to the ground every time she needed to use the restroom?

The wolf nuzzled her head against my leg, licking my knee, and I let out a long, loud sigh.

“I really hope you’re smart enough to be potty trained, or it’s right back to the forest,” I warned the wolf, bending down to slide my arms beneath her body and take her into them. She let out a yelp of surprise, her paws scrabbling uselessly at the air for a moment, but she calmed down quickly once she realized I had a firm hold upon her.

“I think I’m going to call you Bailey,” I decided, turning around. Once I’d quickly scanned my surroundings to make sure there was no one else in the area, I sprouted my wings and took off.

***

It was evening when I finally reached Dimona Tower. Around mealtime, from the way my stomach was complaining. That was a shame since it meant that dinner plans were likely already set. My fries would have to wait until at least breakfast, but I was sure they’d be worth the wait. I’d have them served with cheese, and perhaps a nice gravy. Or maybe I could have the chefs whip up some form of tomato sauce. As much as it hurt to admit, I was unlikely to stumble upon a village that produced ketchup.

Of course, not all the potatoes were for me. I wanted the majority of them to be planted in the hope that they could become a new staple for my people. It was important to lead by example, though! If I wanted my fellow demons to know potatoes were safe to eat—nay, delicious to consume!—then I obviously needed to take the lead in proving that they were edible.

I kept my thoughts on fries as I flew through the uppermost window of the tower and traversed the route to my bedroom. I forced my mind to dwell on the miracle of salted starch as I hopped atop my wonderfully luxurious mattress and set Bailey down upon the sheets. I refused to let any other thoughts enter my mind as I laid back on the bed and stared up at the ceiling.

I had to keep my mind on fries. I had to. Otherwise my mind would race with questions about how the Tower had held up during my absence. Whether they’d panicked at my disappearance, or revelled in their temporary freedom from my selfish demands. Not to mention the conversation I’d promised to have with Abigail: what must she think of me, disappearing almost the same moment she demanded an honest conversation?

I wasn’t going to think of any of that, though. Not just yet, at least. No, I was going to think about fries. How they tasted, how they smelled. The faint crunch you might hear when your teeth broke through the crisp exterior of a freshly-fried potato plank. I wasn’t going to think about Abigail, or our upcoming conversation, let alone the fact that it would likely be our last.

No matter how much I valued Abigail’s companionship, I knew I was nothing more than a burdensome employer to her. One who was obviously lying to her, and who disappeared for three days after she tried to confront me. I was being incredibly optimistic by even hoping for a conversation in the first place; she might have already quit.

She owed me nothing, after all. She barely knew me. No one did. I’d spent the majority of my life as a brat that no one wanted to be around, telling myself that I was alone by choice and that my loneliness was somehow proof that I was special. That I was unique.

“What utter bullshit…” I whispered to myself, burying my face in a goose-down pillow. I knew the truth, now. I wasn’t special. I was just a selfish brat—and a very lonely one at that.

“At least I have you, girl,” I sighed, looking up from the pillows so that I could pet Bailey. Except Bailey was no longer by my side: she’d jumped off the bed, and was now sniffing at the door.

“Is someone there?” I inquired, swinging my legs off the bed and standing upright.

Bailey glanced at me, then turned her attention back to the door, letting out a low-pitched growl.

“Is anyone in there?” called a familiar voice. “I thought I told everyone not to go in there! The Queen went to the restroom, but she could be back at any moment! She’s in a very temperamental mood too, let me tell you—I would not want to see her right now if I were you!”

“So good to know your feelings on the matter,” I responded dryly, reaching out to pull the door open. As expected, Abigail was on the other side. Less expected were the heavy bags under her pitch black eyes. “…What in the world happened to you?”

“Devilla…?” Abigail whispered, her eyes widening in surprise. “You’re back‽”

“And not a moment too soon from the looks of it. I know I was gone longer than expected, but what precisely happened while I was away?”

“‘Happened’?” Abigail echoed. Then she let out a bitter laugh. “Nothing ‘happened,’ Devilla!”

“It must have been a rather strenuous nothing, then,” I remarked, stepping back from the doorway so that Abigail could come inside. “Why don’t you come sit on the bed with me?”

“I don’t want to sit on the bed with you, Devilla! I want to know where the hell you’ve been! Do you have any idea what I went through, trying to hide the fact that you were gone? If it wasn’t for Mifa covering for you, the whole Tower would probably be in a panic! I owe her, like, three nights in bed at this point! Nights I’d happily have given her by now, if I hadn’t been constantly on edge ever since you failed to come home!”

“You were hiding the fact that I was gone?” I asked, surprised. “Was that really necessary?”

“Of course it was necessary!” Abigail screamed, storming past me and into the room. “The Demon Queen left for human lands and never came back home!”

“I didn’t think anyone would really miss me,” I confessed, closing the door behind me before nervously running my fingers through my hair. I’d used magic to rid myself of the dye during the journey, so it was back to its original white coloring. “I’m not exactly the most popular person in the Tower, after all.”

“It’s not about popularity, Devilla! You’re the Demon Queen! Our leader! Having your leader disappear is bad! Especially when she’s your last line of defense against a genocidal so-called Heroine!”

I opened my mouth, then closed it, not entirely certain what to say. I knew that Lucy wasn’t a bad person, but my people didn’t. Of course they’d worry if I simply disappeared.

“And why is there a wolf monster here‽” Abigail demanded, pointing an accusing finger toward Bailey. I expected the wolf to growl at Abigail in reply, but instead she let out a low whine and laid flat against the bed. It seemed not even a monster was willing to cross an angry Abigail.

“That… is something of a long story. As is the reason for my absence. I promise I’ll explain everything to you, though.”

“Like I haven’t heard that before. I’m not giving you another chance to run away from me, Devilla! I want to know what’s going on, and I want to know now, or I’m quitting.”

“I… I want to tell you, but…”

“No more excuses,” Abigail insisted, slicing her hand through the air as if cutting through my faltering explanation. “I want answers, Devilla. You’ve been different ever since you cast the Rite of Insight, and I don’t think it’s just the ‘wisdom of your ancestors’ or whatever, so I want to know why.”

“You won’t like the answer,” I warned her. “I’m not sure you’ll even believe it.” Even a somewhat edited version of events would stretch incredulity, in my opinion—and even if she did believe it, there was no guarantee that she’d accept it. That she’d accept me.

“If I don’t like it, or I don’t believe it, then I’ll just quit, same as if you didn’t tell me anything. Doesn’t seem like there’s that much of a difference to me!”

There was, though. If I didn’t tell Abigail, and she left, then she was leaving because of a decision I’d made. I could comfort myself by saying it was the only choice I could have made. I could lie to myself and say that it was for the best, since I’d be leaving her and everyone else behind in the end anyway. Perhaps if I kept the deceit up for long enough, I might even one day forget that I’d never truly wanted to lose her at all.

If I told her the truth, however, and she left me anyway, there would be no hiding from reality. There would be no denying that her problem was with me.

“…Alright,” I whispered, doing my best to meet Abigail’s pupilless gaze. “I’ll tell you.”

I didn’t want to lie to myself anymore—and I didn’t want to lie to Abigail, either.

I told her everything—or near enough, at least. I told her how I’d messed up the Rite of Insight and gained memories of a past life lived in another world. I told her about Tower Conquest, explaining video games as best I could. I even told her how I’d once been human, though I neglected to mention that I’d ever been male. I identified fully as a woman anyway, so the information felt both mildly embarrassing and completely irrelevant.

When I was done, Abigail stared at me for a long moment before speaking.

“…So you’re saying that we’re all characters in a work of fiction that’s somehow also a playable game?”

“Not quite,” I denied, shaking my head. “I believe both worlds are connected, yes—but this world, and the people in it, are too real and complex to have sprung forth from a simple porn game.”

“Okay, so we’re real, but people in your world know about us through fiction, and think we’re fake? And… you… you’re not Devilla, are you?” Abigail accused, jabbing a finger toward me.

“Of course I’m Devilla,” I scoffed. “I didn’t stop being myself simply because I gained new memories—as much as part of me wishes I had… At least then I wouldn’t have to feel so damn guilty about all my past actions.”

“Then why did you change so much?” Abigail demanded. “How do I know that some random human from another world isn’t controlling your husk, or whatever?”

“I suppose you don’t,” I admitted reluctantly. “But I can at least attempt to explain why I changed…”

Abigail only raised an eyebrow in response, clearly waiting for me to go on.

“It’s… difficult to put into words,” I confessed. “For a large part of my life, it felt like a piece of me was missing. Like there was this vital component that everyone else had, and that I didn’t. I suppose you could call it empathy. The ability to look at other people’s problems and realize that they’re as worthy as your own. That’s certainly part of it, at least, but there’s more than that. It’s… almost as if I didn’t know how to be a person. I didn’t have friends who cared for me, or people who loved me—in fact, I drove away the closest things to that I ever had—and so I convinced myself that I didn’t need those things. Then, suddenly, I had all these memories of another life. A life where I had a best friend, and loving parents, and a normal life, where I was no one special, and yet I was happy and I… suppose I just couldn’t lie to myself any longer. I couldn’t tell myself I was special, or pretend that my behavior was excusable…”

I sighed. “I don’t know how much sense all this makes to you, but I promise you—while I may have changed on the surface, deep down I truly am the Devilla you know and hate.”

It was always hard to tell where Abigail was looking, but at that moment I was fairly certain that she was meeting my gaze. I did my best not to break contact, staring resolutely at the center of her eyes and hoping for the best.

“…Fine. I believe you. So what’s the plan for defeating the Heroine—this ‘Lucy’?” She asked at last.

“Plan?” I echoed back to her. “What plan? There is no plan. Weren’t you listening? If we let things go as they’re supposed to, then humans and demons will be able to make peace.”

“Yeah, but you’ll be dead!” Abigail countered, putting her fists on her hips.

“Or enslaved. But I don’t intend to be anywhere near here for that to happen. The day Lucy invades, right before she can reach me, I’ll fly off faster than anyone can catch me.”

“So you’re just going to… to run away?”

“What else am I supposed to do?” I asked, sighing softly. “We might have enough manpower to fight their army—big might—but I don’t want to kill a Heroine who actually wants peace for my people. If there’s a way forward where we all survive, then I want to take it.”

“Then make it happen yourself!” Abigail insisted, glaring at me. “Don’t just hope things play out like they did in some stupid game. Unite the Tower under your rule and make peace with the Heroine on your own terms instead of making us all surrender!” 

“How would I even do that?” I asked, exasperated. “Perhaps I have a chance with Lucy, but everyone in the Tower already knows and hates me.”

“Not everyone,” Abigail informed me. “Not me. And I don’t think Mifa exactly despises you either. So hey, you’ve already got a good start.”

“…And you really think I can get everyone behind me to form an alliance? Within a year?”

“I don’t know, but it can’t hurt to try,” Abigail insisted. “…Do you really think you can get the Heroine to make peace with us?”

“I think so. I’ll have to feel things out with her when we meet next week…”

“Excuse me‽” Abigail all but screeched, stepping forward. “Next week? What exactly happened while you were gone‽”

“A lot,” I answered simply, before letting out a sigh. “It would seem we still have more to talk about—but could we perhaps discuss the rest over dinner?”

From the exasperated look Abigail was giving me, I could already tell it was going to be a long evening.

Still, it wasn’t a no.

***

I all but collapsed into bed after dinner was done, full but exhausted. Abigail had wrung every last bit of info she could get out of me during the meal. Every detail about the Heroine, in particular. As if she were the one responsible for brokering peace. Then again, I couldn’t really blame her for being interested. No demon had ever gotten the chance to grow close to a Heroine before.

I’d gotten through the night, in any case. Now I could simply lay on the bed. There was only one thing missing, really, before I could tuck into sleep.

“Bailey!” I called. “Get on the bed.”

I didn’t even need to look up from my pillow to know that the wolf had responded. I could feel the mattress shift when she jumped atop and padded over to me. Soon she was lying next to me, her body pressed lightly against mine, and I was drifting off to sleep.

I don’t remember what I dreamed about. Something warm, I think. Involving flowers, perhaps. It didn’t seem all that important when I woke up—but then, little would have, considering what I woke up to

The horned wolf was gone. In her place, lying against me, was a woman about my own age. She was skinny and looked like she’d been chronically underfed. She had a bushy tail, pitch black like the hair that ran down to her waist, and had two furry ears seated upon her head. I’d never seen her before in my life, but I still knew exactly who she was.

I could tell thanks to the blood red horn protruding from her forehead.

“Bailey…?”

~~~~

Author’s Notes

As always, I’d like to give thanks to my beta readers, including ByteOfBrie, Julx, and Wildfire Darkstar! I’d also like to thank FallingLeaf, who edited the vanilla version of this chapter.

It’s been a while since I added one of these, huh? My apologies! Quality takes time, though, and since my beta readers are all volunteers I don’t feel comfortable rushing any of them. (I also still need to finish editing chapter 10, myself, in order to finish off the first volume.)