***
Albert,
Two years ago,
"...this way, please," a girl who was leading me through the building moved aside the rainbow bead curtain, inviting me inside with a brief but deep bow.
She clearly was well-trained in etiquette. I could tell she was used to receiving guests of a certain status and treated me like one such guest, as it was her fallback for safe interaction.
Everything in the manor was daring, risque, and rich, perfectly suited to make an impression on wealthy guests. This bead curtain was a fine example of that, too.
At a glance, I could tell that this was an expensive piece. Much like in medieval Europe, the concept of semi-precious gemstones did not exist here, yet it was they that were woven into the curtain, making for a truly pretty decoration. But also something that likely was commissioned from a jeweler specifically.
"Thank you," I told the girl briefly, before passing by her and entering the wider room.
A human probably wouldn't have been able to see much, at least not initially. The light inside was dim, and the odd, perfume-like smells only added to a sense of stepping into a new world.
I wasn't a human.
Darkness had no hold over my eyes, and immediately, I adjusted.
The room was longer than the entryway had suggested, its ceiling low and coffered in dark wood. Light bled from the seam where the walls met the ceiling, honey coloured, coming from no source I could place. It fell across polished parquet, on which a wine-red rug lay down the centre, across shelves that lined the left wall.
The right wall was also full of shelves, mostly containing books, the labels of which I didn't care to check, but at least a few were genuine grimoires, from what I could sense.
Her wares sat on those shelves. Small glass vials and squat ceramic jars, sealed with coloured wax, labelled in a neat, unhurried hand, with incredibly showy, pleasant cursive handwriting. The vials were of thick glass and lacked decorations. No gold, no customized bottles. One jar among the rest gave off a faint inner glow, the colour of a low sun.
At the far end of the room, some distance before a truly wide fireplace that was currently lit, a low divan in cream velvet stood along the wall, with two matching armchairs set across from it at an angle. A small lacquered table between them. The woman on the divan was reclined along its length, one arm draped along its back, a long pipe of dark wood held loosely in the other. A small glass of something amber sat at her elbow. She did not rise.
And the fire from the fireplace would have made her face difficult to see from my position, before my eyes could adjust.
Smoke curled from the bowl of the pipe in a thin, unbroken ribbon. Whatever she was smoking was sweet and resinous, with something beneath it close to dried fig. Above her, a crystal songbird hung from a silver thread, turning slowly in a draft I could not feel, throwing thin rays of light across the ceiling.
"You must be Albert," the woman said, her voice pleasant and in some ways even musical. The kind of tone that sounded coquettish without meaning to, I wagered. "Please do come in, make yourself comfortable." Her voice grew a tad lower at the offer.
I could freely admit that her intonations and body language alone would've left me flustered in my previous life, especially paired with her beauty and state of dress. But that life was a fleeting phantom these days.
I didn't hesitate for long, carefully continued my strides towards one of the armchairs.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Hexe," I said, rounding it and, after a moment, sitting down opposite the woman, still separated by enough distance for all of this not to feel inappropriate. After all, there was a table between us and enough space not to invade each other's personal space. "I wasn't expecting to be granted this meeting, not so soon, and not after a brief request. I've heard alchemists of your status have quite a waiting list."
I spoke the simple truth. When I was looking through the names of prominent mages in the surrounding lands, her name did come up… at least, after I made sure to ask people around about people who practice all forms of magic, rather than just the combat application of it.
Hexe was probably the most popular alchemist among the nobles on this side of the continent. Because she made cosmetic products and perfumes. Balms for hair and skin care, creams that made one's lips more crimson, or fixed one's bad breath, potions that gave some more energy in bed, even.
Alchemists were some of the most close-knit and secretive mages out there. They often stumbled on new potions, mixtures, and solutions, and as such on new recipes that they didn't share or sell often, for obvious reasons.
One enchanter can copy the work of another by merely studying the finished product; it wasn't that easy with alchemy, and as such, it was a magical discipline where secret recipes or methods of creating various concoctions reigned supreme.
From my research, Hexe used to be the apprentice of another very prominent alchemist, Blutsauge, who also specialized in such products.
In other words, Hexe was a very trusted person for many noble ladies, and as such, I expected it to be much more difficult to be able to see her.
"Oh~" and that alchemist, who was dressed in a beautiful, sensual gown, re-crossed her legs, briefly revealing some of her skin beneath the dress. Her deep green eyes had the reflection of the flames flicker in them, and her long, chestnut hair flowed smoothly with the small adjustment of pose.
She looked more like an incredibly high-class courtesan than a craftsman, but… it made sense, as with her striking beauty, she was advertising her products to the visiting noble ladies.
Most things about her appearances and behavior played into the same strategy of selling her wares, I noted.
"Pleasure is all mine, believe me~!" she said in a low, amused tone that I could tell was fake. Yet, the interest with which she glanced across me wasn't. "I will be honest, I did not expect to ever see an elf come to me," she said, shifting a bit closer, as she brought a pipe to her lips, and inhaled, "Much less one so handsome!~ Why, I practically can't even tell how I can help you, good ser!" The slightly joking accent parodying the colorful nobility of the South was intentional, as were most things about this sentence… yet, for her, it flowed like second nature; she certainly was choosing her words, but the flirtatious tone was just the way she spoke.
"Still, I would lie if I were to say I wasn't curious. I am usually much harder to have a date with!~" she purred as she exhaled a thick cloud of sweet smoke. It didn't smell like tobacco, and I recognized a mixture of different alchemical reagents in it. It was herbal, sweet, pleasant… likely harmless.
Most smoking mixes I've seen in this world originated from mana-infused medical herbs and treatments for common sicknesses that necessitated smoking them, so that wasn't a surprise. I have yet to see a genuine tobacco leaf.
On the table in front of her, there was a short, ornately decorated rod. She picked it up and gestured towards the shelves.
Her mana flared weakly, and several flasks softly levitated from the shelves and around her.
She picked up one of the bottles, gently unscrewing the cork, before bringing it up to her nose and taking a small whiff.
"Ah, this one is particularly pleasant," she said, offering me a charming smile as she lowered the glass and, with practiced proficiency, poured some of the liquid into what looked like a small ponyglass. Without even pausing, she opened three other potions before adding a few drops from them too, "Let me set the atmosphere…~"
A sharp gesture from her, and the liquid in the mixing glass was thrown into the fireplace behind her back. As it impacted the flames, they flashed emerald for a moment with a sharp hiss, before calming down a moment later.
Then the smell hit.
It was a tidal wave of herbal smells I couldn't distinguish that made me somewhat nauseous. Most smells humans found appealing or pleasant did nothing for me; I merely could judge them based on my previous human experience to be pleasant, but they weren't for me. Yet this… this was an assault on my sense of smell. I could practically feel my nose growing numb… likely because of how much more sensitive it was compared to a human one.
"This is rather strong," I commented, covering my nose briefly.
Hexe smiled at me, but it was an empty thing. She was tense, but not much more than before. It left me confused. Was she so uncomfortable with someone disliking her perfume?
"It is an experimental one," she offered, theatrically waving away the air from her face, "I am surprised you dislike it so, but maybe there are subtle differences in how elves perceive smell?" she questioned rhetorically.
The woman shook her head briefly, as once more, she inhaled from the pipe, her eyes tracking my every movement.
"So, allow me to ask you again, how can a lowly alchemist who made the beauty and youth her craft help an immortal, handsome man?" she asked, showing a brief, pleasant smile.
"I would argue that there is nothing lowly about you," I said simply, mentally cursing the reeking stench, but having no choice but to stay in the room, "Alchemy isn't a simple magical discipline. The balms you make clearly are genuinely impressive work… otherwise you wouldn't have enjoyed the fame you now possess."
Hexe giggled, giving me a coy look.
"Shameless flattery!~ But sweet, nevertheless," she said, tilting her head just a tad, "Unfortunately, I could not claim any of this," Hexe gestured around, "to be my achievement alone. If anything, it is Blutsauge, my master, she was responsible for giving fame to the services of this manor; many of the recipes are also something she developed over her long life in her… pursuits." she said, and even if she tried to conceal it, there was genuine distaste in her tone. "You must have known that much before coming here, no? I can hardly imagine an immortal mage being so very impressed by the cosmetics that a disciple keeps producing in her master's stead… which begs the question, to what do I truly owe the pleasure?"
Her voice was still pleasant, tone soft, and eyes sensual, yet, undoubtedly, she was trying to go on the offensive. She was still tense. But not tense enough for it to alarm me in turn, nothing that would tell my demonic instincts that she is ready for a fight of any sort.
I allowed my eyes to linger on the woman as I considered my response.
"I have opened the academy for mages in the Donnergipfel region," I offered slowly, "And I am searching for professors willing to help me teach."
The woman stared at me for a long few seconds, genuine incomprehension on her face. Then she started to laugh.
It was a bubbling, slow thing that started off as something musical and coquettish as she tried to cover her mouth, and grew to the point of being an open, booming sound.
I allowed Hexe a moment, not interrupting nor showing my displeasure. I rarely did, and felt it almost constantly when interacting with humans, in any case.
"...aha-ha, you truly know how to deliver on a joke, Albert!" She wiped the tears from her eyes and smoothly and slowly stood up, pausing for a moment, before picking up the pipe and bringing it to her lips as she wandered towards the books on the far side of the room. My head naturally followed her. "Taking on a student… There were quite a few who tried to approach me for apprenticeships, not even for the recipes of the wares I sell, but because of the reputation my balms and potions carry. In this craft, you see, a name attached to the product is almost as important as the product itself!~" she explained.
She approached the bookshelves, giggling slightly, and her finger brushed along the book covers as she walked.
"...I've been promised literal fortunes, I am sure you could have guessed, and I always refused. I am hardly lacking for money," she said and started to circle.
I couldn't turn my head anymore, so instead I glanced towards the fire to not lean out of the armchair.
And as the woman circled me… I felt something pressed to the back of my head.
"...so out of curiosity, tell me, demon, when you came here, what leap of logic did convince you to try to approach me with an offer such as this? Did you truly think I would find it alluring? No, surely, you had something else to offer, no? Let me hear it."
I froze; the first reaction was shock. I somewhat lost track of when exactly she reached me; it was hard to keep track, with so many mana-infused items in the manor, and the cloying smell that made my head hurt. Then there was the fact that her steps were light and unhurried.
There genuinely wasn't a single indication of danger, or of recognition of what I was, on her face.
My first conscious reaction was to relax my body. She was close enough that I could feel her.
Physically, I won't be able to act before she destroys my head, at least if she has any proficiency with combat magic at all. I may be able to create a shield at the same time, but this, too, carries the risk of me overestimating myself.
I can't afford to act rashly.
I directed some of my mana into the ring on my index finger, gently stirring awake the creature within.
"Companionship," I said slowly, keeping my head still, "And help with your research."
It was slight, barely perceivable, but it was there. A tremble in her hand.
"I don't know what you are-"
She sounded angry, but not angry enough to murder.
This was essential. Humans weren't like demons; most of them couldn't simply switch to murdering another human unprompted. They needed a build-up, a way to convince themselves, even if through their own words and thoughts.
She perceived me almost as a person; this was the only reason she must have spoken up in the first place. This was the weakness, it meant she needed the build up to go from 'potentially killing' to actively doing so.
So, I couldn't allow her to continue her speech and possibly convince herself.
"They think you an eccentric, foolish woman," I said, interrupting her as I raised my tone, "That you spend almost as much gold as you earn, and it's not a small amount, paying adventurers for fancy trophies, buying expensive jewels, and the services of the best blacksmiths, collecting rare and obscure tomes, and trinkets from the Mythical Era. Rumors would have you pinned as a fool who merely can't live her life without luxury and spending money on every little thing that catches your eye." I paused for a moment, "But those are the people who don't know better. There is a purpose to your spending, to your work. You are commissioning equipment, reagents, and herbs, and searching for the magic of the mythical era for inspiration. You aren't spending for the sake of it, it's all an investment into your life's work, into what truly makes you wake up each morning."
I knew I was more verbose than usual.
How barbed and devilish my tongue was, striking at her vulnerabilities like that. I could read her, through the sounds of her breathing, by the pressure of her foci against the back of my head, and her unsteady hand. All to have my words land just right.
For that, too, I will beg forgiveness before the Lord, once my life is no longer at risk.
"How do you know… any of that?" she questioned, her voice unsteady, "You are a demon," she said, with a voice of someone who tried to convince herself, "A talking monster!"
"There is a simple answer to that," I told her sincerely, "I did the same thing as you, once."
As I spoke, I once more gently prodded the ring and felt an eager push back from within.
So, once I ceased talking, I acted.
My mana arched into a shape. This wasn't a spell; it was far too simple of a manipulation to be one. It was merely a gesture, done with mana instead of one of my limbs.
In an instant, a hurricane of flame had ignited around me, engulfing the woman and me both… yet burning neither. Her foci melted, her clothes burned, and the chair beside me ignited into the spire of flame, but neither of us was hurt. Not beyond the terror that must have gripped the other woman, in any case.
She screamed in fright, stumbling back, instinctively attempting to grab at the flames that were licking her body, but I stopped her before she could accidentally hurt herself. I grabbed her now-empty hand.
"Calm yourself, Carbuncle," I commanded, sending a short, specific pulse of mana into the ring, and the playful flame that was dancing across the alchemist's body dimmed and disappeared.
She now stood naked, realizing that the fire that was burning away at her was gone, gasping and checking her own skin in disbelief, before looking up at me in horror.
"Do forgive him, he rarely has the opportunity to play. He… is the fruit of my research," I showed her my right hand to demonstrate. The ruby on it shone with mythical red light.
The woman could sense it now, I reckoned, the pulsing heart of mana that was Carbuncle's core, who was stirred awake in the ring.
"What…? A monster?" Likely confused by how she was still alive, she questioned me softly.
"In a sense, it is a monster, though not quite. Carbuncle is an artificial being that can't reproduce, you see. I called his kind Djinn," I explained softly, once again drawing a shape with mana in the air.
A second later, a line of fire appeared around us and started to ripple, as it changed colour from fiery orange to blue, to green, to yellow, to purple, into a vortex of impossibly coloured fire.
"Carbuncle specifically is a spirit of flames. He lives in the fire, and fire serves as the extension of his body, naturally he has an odd perspective for the surrounding world. A flame to him is what an arm is for you; it can easily visualize a flame that does not produce heat, and only consumes specific matter… for him, it's hard to grasp the instinctive fear most other creatures have for fire." I explained quietly, as I kept directing Carbuncle like a conductor, letting him play and snake some distance away from us, showing off the pretty shapes and colours he could conjure.
"I have crafted him to be by my side forever, but most of the time he sleeps," I explained, gesturing with my mana again, and calming the spirit down, giving it a short pulse that he was trained to associate with my approval, "So far, he is the pinnacle of my magical research. It took a lot of work to get this far, but it took even more work to create the basis of chimerology."
The flame around us disappeared, leaving not a single blackened object, nor smoke… bar the burned-down remains of the armchair, and the molten slag of the foci Hexe held.
I could see the woman, whom I still gently held by her hand, glancing around wildly, yet still processing my words. Remarkable composure, truly.
"Chimerology?" Hexe questioned softly, and I allowed her to take a step back, as she stared at me with both fear and confusion, "Wait, this is a chimera? You…" she hesitated.
I tilted my head.
"I am a demon, and as such, anything I would say can be a lie," I said, tilting my head, "But I am not surprised you are familiar with my works, if you truly attempted to innovate in magic. I have published many of my works in Äußerst."
Hexe finally seemed to notice her own nakedness, as well as collect herself enough to not attempt to cover her chest instinctively anymore. She seemed to be informed enough to know that her bare form could interest me naught.
"This is absurd…" she finally said, "That would imply you spent untold decades living amongst humans and studying the principles of human magic. Aren't you demons awfully proud of how you do things?" I could guess why she was asking.
She likely expected the servants or someone else to see or hear the commotion.
She likely didn't notice the illusion I myself had erected shortly after summoning Carbuncle to prevent exactly that development.
Still, seeing that she was willing to talk, I decided to use the opportunity.
"I do not care for demons, nor for how demons do things," I responded simply and truthfully, "The final goal of my research for which this…" I turned my hand for her to once again see the dormant ring, "It's merely a step; ultimately, it isn't too different from your own."
Hexe chuckled nervously, yet… this was all she did. She didn't attempt to run, wasn't shaking from fear of being at the mercy of a demon; there was nothing but understandable tension in her body language.
Her composure was a quality I couldn't help but remark on.
"I… forgive me if I doubt that… I suppose seeing that you are a demon, there is no reason to hide it, is there?" She mused, almost absent-mindedly, "I do not know what you thought I was searching for, but I am looking for what you already have. Eternal youth."
This wasn't what I expected… at least, not how she phrased it. Yet, this entire encounter didn't go as I expected.
"Even so, our goals aren't that different," I explained, tilting my head, "I too, seek to go beyond the given limits of my species… I, too, covet what you have, like you covet what I have."
She blinked, seemingly taken aback.
So I explained.
"I wish to be a human," I explained, gesturing at myself, "Perhaps not in body, but in mind." I tilted my head and pointed two fingers at her.
A ball of mana appeared on their tip.
"Great Resonant Soul."
At the same time, she screamed, glancing towards the exit.
"Dürfen run away from here-!" I could see her eyes widen in disbelief as she finally noticed the thin barrier of the illusion magic separating the exit of the room from us, and then my spell hit her.
I stepped towards the falling woman, gently grabbing her by the shoulders before she could fall.
I didn't have much time to sort through my memories before applying the curse, so I had her relive this encounter from my own perspective. This would, at least, prove to her that I never deceived her, and let her see exactly what I was thinking about.
Of course, she would still be capable of suspecting that the entire sequence she experienced was fabricated, but it would take more than merely being a demon to construct a simulation that detailed in the brief amount of time I had, while maintaining this discussion.
It wasn't that the average demon wouldn't want to fabricate the illusion in my stead, it was that no one could; there were way too many details in the memory that Resonant Soul allowed you to relive.
She would, at least, know I was genuine.
Then again, she would also know how much I wished to kill her over minor annoyances. That may ruin the impression a bit.
I approached the second armchair and gently laid Hexe down upon it. With a gesture, I materialized a simple dress upon her. It took me about thirty seconds.
Of course, it will fade in a mere half an hour without additional supply of my mana, much like most of my clothes. But it should help her feel more comfortable and preserve whatever decency she still has.
Led by my own curiosity and the limited amount of time I had, I rounded the table and picked up the flask that she originally used to pour liquid from.
Gently, I unscrewed it again and took a small whiff… odorless.
I gently allowed a single drop to fall onto my finger and then threw it into the flames. The disgusting smell washed over me again.
Not that I could sense it without other odors mixed in… this reminded me of monster-repelling solutions I've seen peddled to adventurers. Odorless to humans, highly disturbing to some types of monsters. Not because the smells alone could genuinely harm us, but some of them were incredibly unpleasant.
Was this… one such liquid?
"Clever," I voiced out loud for no particular reason, before glancing back at the woman.
This must have been the final check when she was making sure I was a demon. Yet that meant she suspected that much even before the meeting, how?
I suppose the assistant girl of hers who helped me sign up for this meeting, the one who accompanied me to this room, must have described me, but is my visual description alone enough to recognize a demon in me?
No one else ever did.
I considered this question for a short while.
I summoned my own staff and gently levitated another pipe from the table.
Those smoking pipes were arranged there for guests, I reckoned. The one she was smoking might have had something else, yet I still decided to smell it.
I didn't recognize the substance.
I heard the gasp from atop the chair, as the woman on it suddenly sat up, her eyes wildly glancing around as she was trying to connect the experience of being me with the objective reality around her now.
"Breathe," I told her simply, keeping my distance, "I apologize for using my curse on you without permission, but I doubt our discussion would have gone anywhere otherwise."
Hexe shivered at my voice, looking at me… with a mix of emotions that were hard for me to place.
"You… that's how you feel the world all the time?" she asked, her voice cracked briefly, "This… this…"
I nodded simply.
"I know," I assured, "That said, would you satisfy my own curiosity in turn? How did you know?"
Hexe blinked, taken aback by the question, before, after a moment, understanding what I was referring to.
"I… the day you entered the mansion and approached Dürfen…" Hexe chuckled nervously, "There was a terrible smell across the estate as we've been trying to poison the vermin… this was why the entire mansion was closed. To any human or animal, the stench is unbearable… only monsters wouldn't even notice them, and pass right to the house…" Hexe shook her head, "She… didn't know that, but told me, and I… I had a suspicion."
"This is monster repellent, I assume?" She blinked, but nodded, "Very clever. I have never had something like this used against me," I admitted genuinely, before showing her the smoking stick, "And this? For obvious reasons, I am not much of an expert on human remedies, so I couldn't place the substance."
Hexe blinked and then smiled, strangely genuinely. She seemed amused, but more in how an unwilling amusement shows itself even in a stressful situation.
"It's called Narrenfrieden… a solution that makes one relax, and almost incapable of feeling strong stress," she explained.
Suddenly, it clicked. The lack of tension was the reason why I couldn't recognize any hostility in her actions, the way in which I was so thoroughly taken aback…
"...Amazing," I told her, looking the woman in the eyes, "Even if you don't believe the memory I showed you, accept this honest praise: you are an amazing mage. I haven't met a woman as clever, quick-witted, and talented as you in my life." I said, ignoring how Hexe recoiled at my words, looking stupefied.
If it wasn't for the Carbuncle, whose magic she likely didn't notice until it was too late… I might have been in much more trouble.
Then, a small smile appeared on Hexe's face.
"My-my… unfortunately, I have yet to find an elf to study, so naturally I have tried the second best thing… which was demons." The woman tilted her head, "I've had two delivered to me in secrecy, enchained. I simply am much more experienced with your kind than most, and was prepared accordingly… even still, you have surpassed every expectation, and now have me at your mercy." She chuckled darkly, and I agreed that this was an amusing turn of phrase. "Naturally, those other demons… weren't anything like you." She paused, "No, I suppose, they must have perceived the world as you did… but…" She seemed to struggle for words.
And I wasn't sure what she was trying to say.
"I can tell you later all you wish to know about me," I offered simply, "I have kept diaries since the day I was born, and if you don't believe the written word, merely ask, and I will show you my memory right there and then, with no time to modify them… though, to be clear, I am incapable of modifying the memories I re-experience."
Hexe considered me with a look.
"A demon with a curse that is rooted in mental magic?" She furrowed her brows, "No… I think I remember… soul? It wouldn't be a curse otherwise…" She trailed off.
I simply nodded to her. Considering she was under the effect of the Resonant Soul, likely wishing to break free, it was impressive that she remembered even that much.
"You've experienced casting Resonant Soul in my own body, but you won't be able to replicate it. I had a human friend who had tried before," I explained to her simply, "And yes, my curse is the magic that brings forth the memory from the soul into the body, and makes the target experience it. The Great Resonant Soul merely allows for another step in the process, and for me to show you my own memories, for instance. Or for me to view your memories instead." I paused. "I suppose what I am trying to say is that this wasn't a trick. I can't modify the memory I show."
Hexe nodded slowly.
"I… think I believe you," she winced, glancing down at the dress, "But when did you…?"
"Don't get attached to the dress, it's made of my mana and will evaporate like mist in half an hour," I explained, "With that said, now that you know that I am a demon, and A, who has invented chimerology… what do you think of becoming my right hand in the Academy?" I asked genuinely, tilting my head, "I promise that my resources and knowledge are at your disposal." I offered freely, "I, myself, will be at your disposal, as long as you would stay in mine."
For a moment, Hexe stared at my offered hand, stupefied.
Then, she broke down in laughter. I think the only reason why it wasn't hysterical was due to the magical drugs she consumed before the meeting.
Suddenly, the bead curtain was thrown aside, and the familiar girl stepped forth, breaking through the invisible layer of my illusion.
She froze, likely seeing the charred remains of one of the armchairs, Hexe standing barefoot, and me with a staff in hand.
"Ah…" she said weakly, "I've brought tea?" she gestured to the tray in her hands.
Hexe giggled softly.
"My~ Do forgive us Dürfen, our talks got a little heated~!" she said, giving the girl a wink.
"SorrymasterIwillcomebacklaterIpromise!" The serving tray and tea were left on the small table by the entrance, and the girl was gone in practically a single moment.
Hexe kept quietly chuckling to herself with a throaty 'fu-fu-fu'.
"I remember you said you didn't have an apprentice?" I tried conversationally.
Hexe spared me a glance and smiled… the expression looked genuine, as far as I could tell.
"Dürfen isn't truly my apprentice, she is… well, someone I consider to maybe train as one? The girl simply wished to work as a servant, originally." She seemed to genuinely pause, considering the words, before shaking her head.
I could tell she wanted to continue our other discussion, but seemed unable to.
"There are a lot of students like her in the Academy," I offered, after a moment, "You have already shown your distaste for the idea, and I can respect it." I told her firmly, "But this short interaction has proven to me that I want you, if not in my faculty, then simply by my side," I offered, "I have a personal laboratory, equipment, and dwarven craftsmen and some of the best enchanters on the continent doing odd projects for a piece of equipment or an instrument I need. Come, and I will do my best to provide resources for your research; you can even continue doing your business there."
Hexe seemed taken aback.
"My business…? Wait, but why would you even invite me to this… academy then?" She seemed completely confused.
In hindsight, it made sense. The 21st-century pipeline of the university, both giving education to students and conducting research that here, in this world, could only be afforded privately by incredibly wealthy people like Hexe herself… wasn't obvious.
"The purpose of the Academy is twofold," I said, showing her two fingers, "One is so I could conduct my own research, which requires me to have a lot of humans to study. Non-invasively," I clarify almost immediately, "Two, is that academy such as this will produce mages versed in the exact magical discipline I myself practice. They will bring new ideas and insights into problems I couldn't solve, or solved differently. They will advance magic as a whole," I explained, "Naturally, for that reason, the Academy will sponsor any true groundbreaking and novel research, as well as provide the opportunity for the mages in nascency to solidify their standing. This is the basis on which I formed the Academy."
I could tell, at least, that I had Hexe's undivided attention; she was staring at me as if I were a folklore creature of some sort.
"As such, even if you do not wish to be a professor, I am willing to sponsor your work and even personally help." And this, too, was true. Partially, it was because I didn't trust the woman enough and wanted to keep her close to make sure she wouldn't present a danger… but partially, because she had impressed me.
Rarely have I seen someone connect the dots so quickly, even if by blind luck, create a well-thought-out plan, and execute it flawlessly, showing amazing knowledge of alchemical work in the process…
Without a doubt, this woman was an incredible talent, doubly so considering the topic of her research.
"So let me ask you again," I extended my hand towards Hexe, "would you like to work with me?"
***
Albert,
Present time,
Running the Academy for mages has one accounting for a number of ludicrous scenarios and risks that simply wouldn't be present in most other establishments.
For instance, while neither I nor any other professor in the Academy teaches students lockbreaking folk spells of all kinds, nor other spells that clearly were designed with problematic functionalities in mind, it isn't impossible for one or a few of them to eventually acquire one, and do increasingly stupid things with them. Presumably for a dare, to impress a girl, or for some other asinine reason.
As much as Protos tirelessly worked to minimize the inherent infantility of students, much like you can't expect God to do all the work, it would be equally foolish to expect a pet to handle an issue it's not even capable of understanding fully.
Case in point, the cold-storage incident. The lack of corpses from the entire debacle is the most surprising thing about it.
In any case, it's because of such risk that my personal laboratory wasn't located in the main building of the Academy. Nor in one of the secondary and tertiary buildings. I have been a university student once; I know what people in those positions tend to do to entertain themselves, and I refuse to allow them to stumble upon one of my diaries and discover me being a demon, no matter how unlikely such a scenario is.
This too is something I learned being an immortal - even if the risk is small, run against the infinity of your lifespan, it ought to happen eventually. In other words, the best way to avoid unfortunate development was to minimize the chances of it occurring in the first place, as much as it was sensible.
My office - if one would call my laboratory, where I occasionally worked on Academy documents -, was located under the nearby mountain, in an extension I have built to the vault where I kept the hoarded magic trinkets as well as genuine gold, jewels, behemoth, and other trophies I've brought from Irem.
I may have gone a bit overboard constructing the defences of the vault, with autonomous golems and genuine rolling boulders -just to see if I could-, but in my defence, that whole labyrinth was my way to unwind after hours of teaching and in general was a fun side-project. It also made for a fun conversation topic with Zauldern, who had a devious mind for traps and puzzles. The man might be a reincarnation of one of those horrible, terrible people from the mythical era who constructed most of the places we now call Dungeons.
**Thwack**
A pair of fists impacted the table around me, and as I looked up, a pair of breasts was hanging dangerously close to my face. I had to glance further up to see a face.
"...and I would appreciate not being tuned out so blatantly, Al!"
Hexe, as always, was an objectively beautiful woman, especially when heated and especially when angered; it was too much of a shame that I couldn't appreciate that side of her fully.
"And what do you expect me to do?" I asked, marking another mistake in the student's coursework. "A conflict with Standhaft isn't a development I would enjoy," I remarked drily, closing my eyes for a brief moment, before meeting the concerned eyes of Hexe. "Some concessions are to be expected."
The alchemist scowled, looking genuinely angry at that.
"Concessions are one thing, but you are letting him walk all over you without any resistance!" she argued hotly, "Albert, even Ahnungslos is asking you to show more of a backbone on this! It may just be a few sons of his men now, but letting the man determine for you who to accept and who not to - is a terrible idea, he will keep asking for more."
"Yes, I am aware of the 'Camel's nose' fallacy, yes," I said, feeling a strong flash of annoyance, "It is, however, a fallacy, and I am not in the mood to argue semantics." The woman clearly wanted to retort, so I continued, "And next time, before appealing to the Bürgermeister, please do remember that he also had me find a place for some of the richer sons of Sturmkamm - and the other cities in the region, in return for more investments and better greased bureaucracy." I reminded her.
This seems to be the last straw.
"This is completely different!" she argued hotly, leaning down and invading my personal space. Ignoring the urge to tear her face off, I let her continue, "Al, he was asking you, and offering your concessions in turn, here what you acquired were demands and orders - you have to at least bargain! It's…" She took a step back, breathing out, suddenly looking genuinely tired, "...it's hard to imagine how someone so horrifying and powerful as you allow others to walk all over yourself." She gestured around, "Walk all over the foundations of the institution we've built!"
I allowed myself a small smile, mostly to indicate the idea better, which immediately glued Hexe's attention to my face.
"I still find it amusing how much you ended up contributing to a place the invitation to which caused you to break down laughing."
Hexe huffed, visibly suppressing a small chuckle as she glanced aside.
"Well, this DAMN place does grow on you." She mused, and for a while, I allowed the silence to reign.
"I am scared, Al," she admitted suddenly, much to my surprise. I knew she didn't mean terror or horror - or other immediate, visceral feelings of fear that I would have picked up on and literally smelled, "I understand where you are coming from, you have lines you care deeply about and would fight to the death over… but for many things you genuinely can't be bothered to put up even the appearance of a fight. This isn't a behavior humans can understand. If they see you simply cede ground for no reason over things you don't care about, this will become a habit, and they will think you can't protect your interests, rather than simply won't. Eventually they will push against the things you aren't even willing to compromise on… and they will keep pushing when you show resistance, because they just wouldn't be able to comprehend that you won't let them have it this time." She looked at me. There was a softness to her gaze that I had trouble placing. "Standhaft thinks he and his toy soldiers are the greatest fighting force in the region… he can't comprehend that horrors like you exist."
It wasn't difficult to understand what she was referring to. Hexe was probably the only one who knew the true amount of mana I had, and she was also aware of the Djinns. I told her about demons extensively, and she rightly assumed me to be a Greater Demon.
I was likely on the border of such classification on account of not having too great a mana reserve just yet, but that doesn't matter as much with Djinns in play.
After all, ever since meeting Schlacht, this was my goal. Becoming the sort of creature that even the Sages of Destruction can't approach needlessly.
I am not there yet, but by the time Demon King declares his war - if such a thing would still happen - I will be.
"I won't succumb to simple provocations, nor would I betray my faith easily," I responded simply, looking Hexe in the eyes, "If nothing else, you ought to know as much."
"Can you truly say that? Without lying?" she questioned, and… a response I had died on my tongue.
She was right, of course. I had absolute faith in my own composure and mental state - because I had to have absolute faith in my own restraint to do what I do. Yet, objectively, my mentality was a house of cards; introducing external factors to it will test me. Thoroughly.
Were I to be pushed deliberately, I too would eventually reach a breaking point. There wasn't a question if I could be made to snap and kill and betray myself and Jesus Christ, I am but a man, of course I could break. The question was if I would be able to find a way to avoid such a catastrophic snap, and for that I had no certainty.
"I don't think Standhaft means ill," I finally admit, looking at the notes on my table thoughtfully, "The man is direct and has strong opinions… but he also holds strange respect for my position and race. I think he may be considering elves to be a sort of nobility, too," I offered.
It wasn't too much of an unusual view. The Goddess was depicted as an elf, and elves functionally appeared to be humans but with a limitless lifespan - a straight and objective racial improvement in terms of quality of living, even if, as a species, the downside of having practically no sex drive more than made up for any natural advantages they had.
For a religious man, a noble, who, like most people in the era, still believed that power came from a place of divinity, what could elves be but nobles of a sort themselves?
As such, I figured Standhaft was as cordial with me as he could be. I was a scholar, I was a fellow noble, I was knowledgeable and skilled in areas he wasn't, so he treated me accordingly. He was curt and to the point; however, the Lord had little patience for social courtesies that weren't strictly necessary, and it wasn't an unusual trait for men shaped by war.
In other words, I have seen no aggression in his requests; they were just that, requests that he didn't feel a need to bargain for. He likely intended to return the favour somehow; such things probably just went without saying.
But all of those conclusions were based on a few conversations I had with the man, and my ability to read deeply into his body language and the conversations we had. This wasn't a certainty I could easily convey to Hexe. Besides, her main concern likely wasn't the specific request; this was a long-standing issue, and she didn't like how easily I ceded grounds in negotiations… and she likely has a point.
"We need more teaching staff," I finally offered, "You have made good points, and we agreed on before that it would be better if you were to be present during such negotiations, but…" I trailed off, and Hexe simply nodded, looking tired.
We were way too short-staffed. I needed Hexe back here whenever I left, else the students would have the grounds in flames by noon. It didn't help that the only other professors we had were an inexperienced girl who was far too talented for her own good and a crippled old ex-adventurer who, I reckon, suffers from PTSD, and tends to share enthusiastic and increasingly deranged stories about unconventional uses of folk spells to kill monsters in genuinely horrific, yet effective ways.
"I am working on it." She offered, sounding genuine, "But it is hard to find any mage who would fit our criteria… most mages don't do studies the way we want." She admitted, shaking her head, "At this point, it may shape out as you suspected, and we will have to hire the first proper teaching staff from our own graduates."
She sounded genuinely dismayed at the idea. She did not know that this was the self-regurgitating, human-centipede-like ways of most humanitarian sciences in most modern universities.
She will get used to this despair, much like most of us have, at some point.
"We already have some of the older students helping out with some of the lectures," I supplied, "Aside from children whom Standhaft asked us to find a place for, we should be very careful not to take more students than we can handle." I paused, "Actually, do you have Neugieri's schedule on you? We need to reasign her lectures in any case…"
And so, we transitioned to quickly covering the work-related topics, mostly about timetables, shifts, salaries, and such.
I genuinely loathed every second of that time-wasting nonsense, but I also knew it was necessary, and exercising patience has long since became a habit. I was way more interested in how Hexe's latest experiments were going with the samples of pseudo-flesh she had grown for her needs, but I could see the woman was exhausted as is, and likely hungry, so I didn't have her stay longer than strictly necessary.
It was when she left, and when I was left alone with my own thoughts, that I once again reached into my table, and extracted a thick letter I was in the process of composing.
My eyes trailed along the cursive, eventually finding the last few words.
'...those schematics of the enchanted rings you have sent over are exactly what I was looking for! It's hilarious how often our research has answers to each other's needs even after all those decades, don't you think so too, Al? I see what you meant now, with some modifications, I may just fashion them into what I need.'
I leaned back on my seat and cast a spell on the plume. Slowly, it levitated upwards and over the pages, and then started to write my response to this segment with uncanny dextrous stroke, imitating my own handwriting.
'Keep in mind that the enchantment of the ring was designed to perfectly accommodate specifically-crafted monster cores, Djinns to be exact, and even so, I had to fine-tune each ring to a specific Djinn I was trying to make. I told you I didn't know how much I could help, because in truth, I can't tell you how much I was relying on my demonic, intrinsic understanding of magic to fine-tune this enchantment as needed… and how much it was just a genuine skill of a mage. With the passage of years, such things start to merge in my perception. It's a bit of a side thought, but I found that it becomes harder and harder for me to even recall which ones of my capabilities I should thank my current nature for…'
I paused for a while, considering the written words. This worked. I commanded the spell to continue, visualizing each letter.
'Do try to make it work, but I find it hard to imagine how to adapt this to help carry a consciousness of a human. King Barmherzig's work ultimately was rooted in pseudo-flesh; he indeed incorporated what he learned from monster cores to construct his body, but the basis of the Irem's Heart mechanics is still rooted in flesh, as you are probably more then aware. There is an abyss between what I do with chimeras and what you practice; we approach the same subject metter, life, from two completely different directions, so I am not sure how well my solutions will fit you.'
I paused.
'Forgive me, I am rambling again. We have discussed this countless times already.'
I looked over the rest of Lisch's letter. He shared how the people he invited into Irem came to slowly get used to his presence, partially, he claimed, because my ideas with creating holidays helped. Apparently, he liked dressing up in colourful clothes and gifting things to children.
He also discussed how Irem started to assemble a population, as he found more villagers to offer a place to, between the underground farmlands and infrastructure of the city, it was genuinely a much better life. If anything, the thing he struggled the most with was finding enough craftsmen to provide for all the people inside, but it's something that will probably solve itself in a generation or so.
For a while now, he couldn't deny where this was going - he was building a city of his own, and he didn't think it was a bad thing. Neither did I, in all honesty.
But I also wasn't equipped to judge anyone on moral maters.
Of course, it was difficult for me to tell how the transformation affected Lisch. From our conversation, he seemed the same, if more melancholic and prone to chasing simple pleasures in life… but that's likely just the newfound energy of not being a decrepit old man.
He wasn't fully happy with his skeletal body either; it lacked way too many sensations and pleasures he used to have, after all, it was mostly an animated shell. He could sense and enjoy heat still, but a great many sensations… were things that were incrisibly difficult for him to implement.
I asked him about this before - he could have tried chasing ways to improve upon his body more, to get more human-like sensory feedback, but he claimed it would lead him on the same chase as me, only, unlike me, for him, this pursuit would be a vanity project.
After all, he could still feel emotions and think like a human; in that respect, the ritual of his ascension went perfectly. Meaning he was now equipped to keep working on rescuing the people of Irem, held in eternal, bodyless stasis as they were, and that was a priority over 'minor details' of his own comfort.
I understood where he was coming from. The Heart was incredibly vulnerable, and the fact that it could fulfil its own function at all was a miracle, safely extracting people from within into some sort of bodies took priority… improving on those bodies can come later.
'...to address your questions in order; no, you absolutely can't afford to let villagers 'sort things out by themselves', at least not in my opinion. You are trying to turn generally uneducated villagers from incredibly rural areas into city dwellers; this will require a lot of changes and additional education that most rural men wouldn't be willing to undergo unless you force them. Like it or not, you are the absolute Tyrant of Irem by the sheer power you possess. Because you have a vision, you can either let things go as they will without accepting responsibility for the people you invited or accept the burden of rulership. Any sort of governmental system not relying solely on your power and will can only be created with educated citizens who consider Irem their home as a backbone and, pardon my bluntness, the uneducated unwashed peasants make for poor advisors on how to proceed with matters you can decide yourself. This doesn't mean you have to be cruel or terrorize the people who came to you for protection, but all the republics and democracies of ancient worlds I talked to you about did not form overnight, and not from people lacking a unified culture and identity, you can't force a humane political structure to appear with…'
Suddenly, my work was interrupted by a sound of something striking against a window.
I blinked and glanced towards that one, singular window in the entire mountainside, that I had left specifically for familiars to access.
On the other side, one bird - an eagle at that- was stubbornly striking against the enchanted glass with its head, trying to claw its way in.
For a second, I sat there, considering how likely this was to be a prank from one of the students. There were precedents.
Yet, after a moment, I did open the window with a simple gesture and a telekinetic effort, allowing the bird to scramble inside, and, after a second of observing the surroundings, find me with its eyes.
It screamed and flew towards me, but I could see no aggression in its movement. Carefully, I have caught the bird, immediately noting that nothing about its erratic behavior was natural, as I carefully cooed and petted it out of the frenzy, noting subtle threads of mana in its head.
"...good, good," What I was saying didn't matter, but being able to read the beast's body language and interpret it almost instinctively helped me to choose a specific tone it found calming, "Now let me see just who sent you…"
Resonant Soul.
And just like so, the peace of the region came to an abrupt end.
***
Just over a day later,
The war room, if it could even be called such, was a thing assembled in a hurry, practically with whatever was had in hand.
The Sturmkamm housed the main headquarters of the Valley Guard, as such it had detailed maps with mountain trails and routes, and detailed topography of the entire region that spanned far beyond the Sturmkamm Valley itself - and was composed of the entire mountain range.
Even still, additional equipment was brought in here, namely a table for a few secretaries and number crunchers, as well as other clerks of the city who were cataloguing possible evacuation routes, how much supplies were to be taken, and countless other such things.
I myself was present to sit over a map, and try to estimate exactly where Aura and her army would pass.
That pink-haired demon was quite a notable presence amongst the enemies. And while I couldn't risk running familiars with mana-sense anywhere near her forces, the marching silhouettes accompanying the pink-haired short demon woman with a distinct hairstyle seemed self-explanatory enough.
Unless this was some scheme of Schlacht's aimed at deceiving me specifically by finding Aura's lookalike.
But I doubted that it was.
I did my best to discreetly have my familiars observe their movement, once every couple of hours, from as much of a distance as I could afford, as I wanted Aura to be convinced that the element of surprise is in her hand. If she noticed me spying - she was yet to show it, which was good.
As long as she and her army weren't aware of us knowing of her and preparing, she wouldn't try to manoeuvre around the plans we would prepare.
"Albert," I blinked, glancing towards Ahnungslos, who reassuringly placed his pudgy hand on my shoulder, "Standhaft is here."
I spared a glance at a nervous servant by the Bürgermeister's side who must have delivered the news, but nodded to the man, standing up and straightening my mantle.
Ahnungslos nodded back. Ever since the crisis started, the man transformed somehow and treated the entire thing with utmost seriousness, which was incredibly helpful.
"Everyone out," He voiced to the clerks, "But don't go too far."
His men and women clearly heard him, and without much of a protest, started to pack up and leave.
For a while, we stood in silence.
"Do you believe he will treat this seriously?" I voiced the question that was on my tongue for a while now, and I simply couldn't find the opportunity to ask without bringing the morale of others down. "He is from the Central Lands… powerful demons aren't a thing in recent memory for them."
The Bürgermeister snorted, shaking his head.
"I can't know, but I won't be surprised if our dear lordship will find a way to complicate it all…" He glanced briefly at me, "Even if he wouldn't give the threat all due consideration, he would be a fool to completely disregard your words and advice. As much as I dislike the man, I doubt he is a fool to that extent."
I nodded slowly, turning back towards the entrance.
In just a minute or so, the door was pushed open, and a man in expensive, yet practical armour stepped through.
His armour was woven through with enchantments and strengthening charms, and his eyes scanned the room in the brief moment of silence with uncanny attention.
"So this isn't a poorly framed assassination attempt then," he said, perhaps joking, perhaps not, as he glanced across Ahnungslos and me, "Good, I am not in the mood for one."
He stepped inside and allowed the door to close before glancing across at the two of them.
"The letter your familiar delivered said it's an issue of utmost urgency that threatens the entire region, and that I should assemble my bannermen back. I am prepared to send messengers to get the man prepared, but I decided to figure out the extent of the threat you described first. They will be here in a day at worst." He explained curtly, much to my relief.
I nodded to the man.
"We have a few days, so that is fine." I glanced at the Bürgermeister, "Would you want to describe the ideas we had so far or…?"
Ahnungslos chuckled humorlessly.
"You are jumping ahead again, Sir Albert. First, explain the threat to Lord Standhaft as you explained it to me; he is a military man, and wouldn't act unless he has a full breadth of the information… besides, as you said, we have some time." He explained, his words weren't pointed, and sounded more like genuine advice.
I took them as such.
"Your Bürgermeister is correct," The Lord said with a straight face, but I could tell that remark cost him a lot, considering his clear distaste. "So, the threat?"
I didn't hesitate for long.
"Demons." I explained curtly, gesturing towards the map, "They have used the high passes on the Southernmost end of the mountain range to bypass all our defences, roads, foreposts… soon enough they will be here."
Standhaft raised an eyebrow, looking genuinely taken aback.
"You are jesting, are you not?" he asked, even glancing at Ahnungslos briefly for support, "I've been led to believe, and even saw your 'Valley Guard', while not my men, they are a respectable fighting force to keep the peasants safe from monsters. How are a few talking monsters an issue?" he asked, and one might have thought he was brushing us off.
But I could tell it was a serious question; he didn't dismiss the threat I alluded to yet, he merely was confused about how such a thing could be a threat.
"An average demon is a creature that can only be taken down by an experienced, well-geared group of adventurers, often enough not without losses," I explained to him simply, "I am talking about a warband that has several. But this isn't the true extent of our problem."
I stepped back and wove an illusion spell, weaving a picture I saw through the eyes of my familiar.
Hundreds of men, marching lifelessly, clad in heavy and expensive armour from head to toe.
"An army…?" Standhaft's eyes narrowed immediately.
"Not in a sense you think," I replied curtly, briefly shaking my head, "I deduced those to be real people, I've seen them setting up a camp to rest. They are alive. However, they are also hostages." This was a part I wasn't all too willing to reveal, as the information, without my out-of-context knowledge of Aura, was a little difficult to explain. "Those men had their souls ensnared by the demon leading this group. They are her puppets, forced to obey every command; they are likely still conscious and forced into this… slavery."
I could see how my every word made the Lord more serious and yet disgusted.
"Hundreds of men enslaved by an unholy creature that came from Central Lands… how is it possible?" He muttered.
It was Ahnungslos who spoke up.
"You may not know, but there were rumors of some relatively major towns being attacked, further in the south, and entire villages disappearing. It was considerably far away from our region, and with the civil war and its atrocities, such things were easy to miss…" The Bürgermeister shook his head, "But there were plenty of adventurers, knights, and even an odd army or two who just went missing when they tried to pass through regions where men usually don't tread." The man smiled humorlessly, "For the sake of military tactics and outmanoeuvring the enemy, of course."
Standhaft didn't reply immediately, just stared at the static illusion of the marching puppets of Aura, clearly thinking.
"This is still absurd," He said, glancing at us, "How can one even satisfy the needs of so many men and stay undiscovered? What of provisions, equipment? No, this must have a human hand in it… Am I wrong?"
It was clearly my turn to speak up, and so I did.
"Demons practically don't need to eat, and they conjure their clothing from mana alone," I explained to him simply, "The army… the only thing they would need is the initial equipment. Demons can likely repair it themselves with folk spells. As for the food… demons will have no trouble having the men cannibalize on their fallen and wounded, as well as the enemies they kill." I explained simply.
The expression on the Lord's face grew darker still.
"I thought demons aren't capable of using human magic?" he questioned briskly.
"They are usually unwilling, not incapable," I corrected, shaking my head, "But the demons are obsessed with improving their own magic, and can search for inspiration in the wild… or amongst humans. Of course, that's usually the case only with more ancient demons," I doubted a demon such as Qual didn't study human defensive magic extensively before creating his masterpiece. The same was likely true for most demons who developed their magic for long enough; they needed to study human magic at least to verify that their own spells can, in fact, beat most options humans have access to to counter it.
Which meant demons eventually learned to cast human magic… It's another matter that most of them wouldn't bother training with it enough to use it. Polishing their own personal spell, most of the time, will be a better way to spend their time.
"This brings me to another issue," I spoke grimly, glancing across the two, "The one leading this group, in all likelihood, is a creature known as a Greater Demon."
Ahnungslos kept quiet, as I already explained that to him, but Standhaft just looked unimpressed, lifting an eyebrow.
"Is this title supposed to impress me in some manner?" he questioned simply.
I nodded.
"Yes. A single Greater Demon is sufficient to make practically any city of mankind die." I explained, receiving only a blank stare in response, "In ancient times, they were more well-known, especially to the Ancient Empire, but for the last few centuries, the Demon King likely held back most of them from active and noticeable actions. You have occasional cities disappearing in the North, but that is usually the extent of it. Humanity has mostly forgotten the horror, outside of a few fairy tales and myths, I am sure you, yourself, will be able to recall."
The Lord crossed his hands on his chest.
"So allow me to clarify, we are being threatened by a literal mythical monster that, for some unknown reason, decided to attack us specifically?"
I understood his scepticism, I truly did. But I couldn't just explain to him that a Demon King had a scrier of incredible potency in his surroundings, and not all of his manoeuvres will be sensible even if you know all there is to know about the situation now.
The man shook his head.
"You, Albert, as an elf, have you encountered those so-called Greater Demons yourself?" He questioned me directly.
I nodded.
"Once. The fact that I survived is a divine miracle." I explained simply, "I was unprepared, underequipped, and far too young to handle such an opponent. And even back then, I could have faced the entirety of the Valley Guard and managed to retreat alive." I explained plainly.
That caused a small, careful nod from the Lord. I knew he wasn't sure how much he was willing to believe.
"Remember when we have discussed the Kingdom of Irem?" I asked the man, receiving a confused nod, "You likely didn't have the time to read through the historical chronicles I've sent you, but the reason this entire kingdom was mostly reduced to a single capital was that, supposedly, a single Greater Demon held a personal grudge against the Kingdom. It was only when the demon was slain that the Kingdom started to return to its glory. This is the level of a threat we are confronted with."
I exhaled slowly.
"There are other factors in play here. The watchpost in the Southern part of the mountain range has been destroyed by a freak accident, and a year or so ago, what I suspect to be a demon destroyed some of the equipment of the valley guard. There are signs of long planning at play, the demons were considering this move for a while, and the only one who has enough insight about humans to create a plan that detailed is a demon who is at least centuries old and studied their prey," I explain grimly. "We aren't dealing with a mere powerful monster or an enemy army… what we will face is worse, it's an inhuman enemy that isn't any inferior to humans in terms of intellect, and far superior physically and magically."
The man studied me for a few long moments.
"I can see, at least, that you believe what you are saying." He nodded to me, then to Ahnungslos, "Whatever you need my permission for, in the following hour, you can use it." He ordered with the tone of a man who expected no argument, "How much time do we have?"
To that, I spoke up in response.
"It's hard to tell exactly where the warband is heading. We assume to Sturmkamm, as taking the city will guarantee that they lock the vast majority of people of the region in the mountains with no way to escape." I explain drily, "In that case, we have a few days, but mostly due to the humans in that army having to march and eat. Demons can fly, and could be here much sooner… but they likely don't know we are aware of them yet. And by the time they will be aware of the villages we are already evacuating, they won't dare to run ahead of their army."
Standhaft nodded and sharply turned around, heading towards the exit.
"I will go and write the letters to my men immediately, continue doing what you have, have the peasants in the path of this demonic army evacuated, and prepare for general evacuation of the city…" He glanced at Ahnungslos, "What about the other so-called free cities of the region?"
The Bürgermeister shook his head.
"They don't have military worth offering; most of the Guard's forces are in here. As for the refugees, even if we tell them to evacuate now, they won't make it in time to Sturmkamm. It's safer for them to stay in their cities and towns and wait for us to deal with the demonic army," The man winced, looking increasingly annoyed. "If we fail to deal with the demons, all of them will be trapped with a demonic army but… There is just no way for them to evacuate."
The man waited long enough to hear the response, before nodding, without turning around, and heading outside.
For a while, silence reigned once again.
"Back to work it is." Ahnungslos announced, clapping his hands, and heading towards the exit himself, likely to call in his bureaucrats and helpers.
I merely glanced back at the static illusion behind my back.
The Bürgermeister was right; ultimately, the question was whether we can deal with Aura in the first place.
Did I have what it takes to avenge Neugieri and Hanseln? And were they truly dead in the first place?
Aura the Guillotine… doesn't seem to remove the heads of her puppets just yet.
It was shameful for me to admit that having Hanseln or Neugieri alive… would simply complicate matters for me, but it was the truth. Logically, I considered their death a more opportune development.
Spiritually, I couldn't help but acknowledge that my priorities were twisted.
All was as it had always been.
---
Author Notes: This chapter got a bit side-tracked, mostly because I had to give a certain character a proper introduction, and to let you wind down a bit after the last funny chapter.
Still, I think it turned out pretty well. Tell me what you think, because there is still a lot to it, and I am very curious.
Do consider dropping to the discord, we have discussions and stuff on it. It's over here: https://discord.gg/EUU5eqGbM
Also, next action-filled chapter on Patreon, as big as this one. Consider checking it out!