She stared at the small, golden chalice in her hand, absentmindedly tracing the many ridges and intersecting lines with her eyes. The smooth surface caught the sun with a glimmer as she strained her grip around the cup until her knuckles turned white.
The metal stayed unyielding around her fingers, and she let her hands drop limply at her side, a tight knot forming in her chest as memories surfaced to mind, unbidden.
Everything happened because of this.
Marius.
The tower.
Those incessant voices.
Her own mind fraying at the seams, one thread at a time.
Maybe him, too…
Her gaze drifted to the man sitting on the grass by the lake, the muscles on his thick arms and broad back cording with every movement as he washed his legs. The mosaic of bruises and scratches across his body caught her eyes, and she idly began counting them.
None of the wounds appeared to reach deeper than the skin. He had an impressively tough body for a human.
One of the larger cuts along his side opened as he bent too far to clean his feet, beads of blood welling around the torn scab. He didn't seem to notice as he began lathering one foot. Or perhaps just didn't care? Last night had made it clear that he didn't shy away from pain.
Still…
It must be unpleasant to stay like that. And he got hurt because of her, didn't he? In a way… he fought a castle's worth of vampires to rescue her.
Like a hero from a storybook.
The least she could do was offer him some respite. A little healing wouldn't take a toll on her.
Her feet carried her forward before she noticed, gaze drifting back to the wounds and rippling muscles across his back.
Mouth feeling a little dry, she called out softly as she approached, "Alex."
Sinking his foot back in the water, he turned around, a soft smile lighting up his face. A trace of warmth flickered in her chest, only to vanish just as fast as she struggled to recall what the feeling meant.
"Is everything alright, Valerie?"
Her chest tightened for a moment, and she swallowed the knot that suddenly formed in her throat. When was the last time someone had asked her this?
"I'm fine," she nodded, her eyes briefly shifting to the bleeding wound on his side. He followed her gaze, blinking at the sight.
"Ahh…" he trailed off, "Are you perhaps hungry?"
A fair assumption, but he'd clearly misunderstood.
It's been a while since she ate, but she could last a little longer.
"No." She lifted her hand, the Grail finally catching his gaze. "I can heal you. It's the least I can do after last night."
"Are you sure? You don't have to." Another choice of words she hadn't heard in quite a while. "It's not the first time I got hurt. It'll heal on its own."
A tiny frown creased her brow. Did he regularly pick fights with the supernatural? He shouldn't be so reckless…
"I insist." With a mere thought and a flex of will, the holy cup in her hands filled with a white, shimmering liquid. She pushed the Grail closer to his face, looking at him expectantly.
A quiet moment passed before he took the chalice with a smile.
"Thanks."
He drank it all in a single gulp, handing back the empty cup as he looked curiously at his arms.
Seconds passed, but soon enough, the bruises and wounds began fading like a movie played on fast forward.
She dismissed the Grail, letting it fade in a flash of golden light.
Alex picked himself up, smile widening as he rolled his shoulders before doing a few stretches. Once again, her gaze drifted to his arms and chest, trailing the contours of his muscles as they tensed and rippled with every movement.
She'd never seen such an impressive physique outside of pictures and books.
The vampires at the castle only trained enough to hone their skills, preferring to rely on their innate abilities whenever fighting.
A pair of amused, brown eyes met her gaze as Alex finished his stretching, a knowing smile tugging at his lips. A sudden heat crept up her neck, warming her face and ears.
Maybe she shouldn't stare so much. Staring was rude, even though he didn't seem to really mind it.
"So, I've been thinking about your situation, and I figured out something."
Her situation? What exactly did he mean by tha—
"I'm pretty sure that your Grail is a subspecies."
She blinked, brow furrowing. "A subspecies?"
"Sacred Gears have the ability to change in order to better suit their wielder."
Oh. So that's what it was called. "And what does that have to do with it?"
"Normally, one cannot pass their Sacred Gear to another." He gave her a meaningful look, and her eyes widened a fraction.
"When I gave you the cup earlier."
"Yep." He smiled. "Have you noticed anything odd when you bring out your Grail?"
Anything odd? She'd never paid much attention. Using the Holy Grail had always felt the same to her, so she'd never thought too deeply about it.
With a practiced flex of will, the golden chalice appeared in her hand as usual. She eyed it curiously for a moment before focusing inwardly, brow creasing as she looked for anything that might feel out of place.
Seconds passed, but nothing seemed different.
"Don't worry if you can't spot anything right now. You might notice something in the future now that you're aware of it."
Marius would have had her keep trying for days until she finally got him some result.
Her gaze drifted back to the cup in her hands as she nibbled at her lip. She made the Grail disappear, then quickly brought it back, looking within for anything that might have felt any different.
Alex watched her curiously as she kept doing it a few more times, until—
She inhaled sharply as something finally stood out.
"The place where I pulled it from still feels… 'full'? It's strange."
An uneasy feeling crept in her chest. It was a good thing she hadn't realized this until now. Marius had already been pushing her to the limit even before.
"Can you tell how full?"
She turned her focus within once more, seconds quietly passing as she kept studying that place, banishing and summoning the Grail a few more times, but that feeling stayed the same.
"No."
Alex gave a thoughtful hum. "Try to pull again, as if you're just bringing out the Grail as usual, but stop immediately if anything feels off."
She reached within, bringing out the Grail, and tried pulling once more. Nothing felt unusual, and then, much to her surprise, another golden chalice appeared in a flash of light atop her palm.
Eyes wide, she held the two cups side by side, studying them closely. They looked the same.
Two Grails…
She didn't feel any different, though. Just as full as—
A shiver crawled up her spine, eyes shifting back to Alex as she dismissed both of her Grails. "I have more than two."
He nodded, not looking all that surprised. "Three, most likely. It's a holy number."
Ah. Like with the Holy Trinity. It made sense.
"This is troubling."
If people found out… it might turn out worse than with Marius.
"Very much so. This needs to stay a secret for your safety. With Marius gone, nobody else knows you even have the Grail, and we should keep it that way."
"That means not using the Grail anymore." Not that she'd mind. "Or not for anything that would give it away." Healing should be fine. Alex seemed like the type to keep getting himself injured.
He nodded, a small cryptic smile tugging at his mouth. "Or we could go a step further and make it impossible for anyone to ever figure out the truth."
"What do you mean?"
"It's likely that you can give one of your Grails to someone else. I'm saying one, because losing all three would kill you, so giving two of them might put you in a coma or something worse."
A cold, unpleasant feeling twisted in her stomach. Was he really going to—
"I could pretend to have the Grail instead of you. If you gave me one of them, nobody would ever figure out the ruse."
She stared at him, feeling like someone just splashed cold water all over her back.
Her jaw worked silently for a moment, but her throat suddenly clenched and nothing came out.
Was everything he told her last night merely a lie?
She wanted to laugh, but only a small, bitter sound escaped her. Of course he wanted the Grail. Why would he bother saving her otherwise?
She should've expected thi—
"Don't get me wrong, Valerie." he walked closer, placing a warm, comforting hand on her shoulder. Her first instinct was to push it away, but the gentle smile on his face gave her pause. "That was just the first thing that came to mind to better protect you. If you're not okay with it, I'll still do it even without the Grail."
His words silenced the bitter thoughts plaguing her mind.
Maybe she was too quick to assume…
She stared at his softly smiling face, searching for any sign of deceit.
"You would go that far for me?" She kept her voice quiet, feeling like it would betray her if she didn't. "Someone you've known for less than a night?"
"Yep. I'll keep you safe regardless."
The tightness in her chest returned, and she swallowed another knot.
He didn't seem to be lying…
"Why?" The question slipped beyond her lips, barely above a whisper, as she kept searching his eyes for an answer.
Why would he do so much for her without demanding anything in return?
His hand squeezed her shoulder gently as he held her gaze, mouth quirked with that tiny, self-assured smile of his. "Because that's what a man does."
The words rang in her ears as she stared quietly at his smiling face.
She didn't really understand.
Her brothers, her father, and the other men at the castle always thought of women as beneath them, even if some hid it better than most. They'd never go that far to help a woman. Certainly not to help a half-blood like her.
Maybe he was different after all?
A flicker of warmth sparked in her chest, driving that icy grip away. She felt something tug briefly at her lips. A small, fleeting smile that felt strange on her face after so long, yet brought back memories of better days.
"You're a fool." That tiny ember lingered in her chest even as she spoke. "But you're a kind fool."
He just shrugged, that same honest smile on his face. "I'd rather be a fool who makes cute girls smile than an asshole who makes them cry." His voice stayed firm, despite the corny line that could've belonged in one of her books.
She found herself smiling once more, perhaps even a little wider than before.
"I'll think about it."
Her words sounded a little strange to her ears. It was the first time in many months since she was given a choice. It felt… nice.
A beat of silence passed as he studied her closely for a moment, a strange intensity in his gaze. Was that the wrong thing to sa—
"You have a beautiful smile."
Her eyes widened in surprise as words spoken in her native tongue suddenly reached her ears, another flicker of warmth touching her face as the meaning sank in.
"You can speak Romanian?" she spoke back the same, "I thought you weren't a local. Why didn't you say anything?"
A small, goofy smile tugged at his lips. "I wanted to keep it a surprise."
She eyed him for a long, quiet moment, lips drawing a line. "Consider me surprised." She said, tone as flat as she could muster, though it only made him chuckle for some reason, even though she wasn't trying to be funny.
He was a strange man, but…
She didn't dislike it.
__________________________________________
The morning sun warmed my back as I added the finishing touches to the intricate, chalk drawn circle on the asphalt, checking the thick, leather bound tome in my other hand every now and then.
Aside from all the gold I made away with like a bandit, this demonology book was the most valuable thing I looted from the castle. I liked my bag of shinies like every other caveman, but these Yellow Pages of the Underworld just helped me avoid a week long travel to Japan.
A brief glance to my left brought a tiny smile to my lips.
Valerie watched me idly from the roadside, perched atop a tall, fancy-looking wooden chair like a true vampire princess.
I wished I had a camera to take a picture…
With a heavy heart and a promise to myself, I looked back at the crudely drawn circle and added the last glyph.
Thank Michael that no cars seemed to pass through here at this godforsaken hour.
Rising to my feet with a sigh, I removed a kink from my neck and double-checked the book, just to make sure. The summoning circle looked fine, mostly. Some shoddy lines here and there, but I wasn't a fucking artist.
Trying to find some chalk in the middle of bumfuck nowhere had been a challenge, but deciding on which sigil to use took even longer. Most Pillar Houses had some bad apples in them, and I didn't want to accidentally summon assholes like Zephyrdor or Diodora. Phenex tempted me for a bit, just for a chance to tease that prim and proper cutie, Ravel, but… peace wouldn't have been an option if Riser showed up instead.
Even this circle didn't have amazing odds, but the worst that could come out of it was a dose of concentrated cringe.
Sighing quietly, I laid a palm atop the circle and focused on my burning desire to get back to modern civilization before noon. I imagined a bucket and threw it at the sigil.
Seconds passed, yet nothing happened.
A thin line stretched my lips. Huh. Did I mess it up somewhere? The book said I only needed to infuse some magic bullshit by guiding my desire into the circl—
A cold pit formed in my stomach as I stood up with a sigh. Did I not have magic juice in me at all?
Valerie rose up from her chair, a flicker of concern in her eyes as she made her way to me. "Something wrong?"
Her words brought a brief smile to my face. What a considerate girl.
"Hey, Valerie, can you sense the magic energy—or whatever it's called—in people?"
"Not that well. I'd have to touch them first."
"Can you check how much magic I have?" I held up a hand, and she grasped it with a gentle touch, her warm, dainty fingers brushing my palm as I simply enjoyed the soft feeling of her skin.
Handholding with a cute vampire princess. I was definitely winning at life.
Lips pursing ever so slightly, Valerie did her magic mumbo jumbo for about a minute before her eyes suddenly grew wide.
"What…" Disbelief filled her voice as her gaze met mine, jaw a little slack. "You don't have any?"
Shit. There went my dreams of becoming a real wizard… At least I could still cast one hell of a fist.
But why was she making such a big deal out of it?
"Is it weird that I don't?"
"Everyone possesses some form of mystical energy, no matter how little in amount. It was one of the first things I learned from the Grail."
I scratched my bald head, lips pursed. Hmm. "I guess I'm built different?"
Valerie shook her head, ruby eyes studying me with even more intensity than usual. "That makes no sense. It shouldn't be possible. Mana comes from the soul. I've never heard of someone to completely lack it."
"Well, there's a first for everything, right?" I tried to lighten the mood a little, but her piercing gaze did not waver the tiniest bit.
"It is beyond strange."
I had a feeling she wouldn't be the last person to tell me that.
"Anyway, let's try activating the circle together. You supply the mana, I'll do the rest."
The stare continued for a while longer before she finally relented. She stepped closer, and we both crouched next to the circle, laying one hand atop the intersecting lines.
I couldn't tell if whatever she was doing worked, but I did my part, and, soon enough, the sigil flared with a deep blue color. I grinned, excitement churning in my gut at the light show.
It sucked I'd never get to be a wizard, but I could live with it.
Valerie moved away as the circle kept glowing, and I also took a step back, not exactly keen on bumping noses with whoever popped out.
Seconds passed as I waited with baited breath, hoping my luck wouldn't betray me.
The light suddenly intensified, and I couldn't help a relieved smile as a bespectacled girl with raven locks quickly materialized out of the glowing sigil, her lithe figure clad in a familiar looking school uniform. A stern frown marred her heart-shaped face as she scanned the surroundings, sharp violet eyes lingering on the circle at her feet.
"Not one of these again." A tired sigh escaped the girl as she finally met my gaze. "Let me guess, you found a strange 'satanic' ritual on the internet and decided to give it a try?" Lips pressed thinly, her stern eyes shifted to Valerie, frown deepening. "Are you even aware she's not human?"
I held back a snort, an amused smile twitching on my lips. Not even one minute, and she already sounded almost done with this shit. I could see why Serafall liked teasing her so much.
"Actually, I found it in a book." I gestured with a thumb over my shoulder. "And she's a vampire, but that's besides the point. I already know about Devils and stuff. I want to make a contract."
Sona gave me a closer, appraising look. "At least you're not completely ignorant." She brought out a phone and tapped a few keys, brows climbing up her forehead and eyes narrowing in pained confusion. "Romania?" Her lips moved silently in something resembling a what the fuck.
I bit the inside of my lip to smother a chuckle. This summoning method was hilarious.
Another sigh escaped the girl as she pocketed her phone and fixed me with a glare. "I am Sona Sitri, heir to the House of Sitri."
Even glaring like that, she still looked pretty cute. I didn't dig the glasses though, and my vampire princess was a lot cuter anyway.
"I have a rule regarding the services I may provide. No senseless killing and nothing sexual. I am not a savage, nor a succubus." She seemed to think about it for another moment before adding, "I may also refuse any requests that I find disagreeable."
Well, wasn't she a picky one.
More importantly though, where would someone even find a succubus? The post fight clarity from last night brought me an interesting idea, but I couldn't exactly test it on my own.
"Can you take us to Nagoya city?" I'd rather not make her suspicious just to save a little bit of time. I could easily get a bicycle there and take us to Kuō in an hour tops. Riding together with Valerie was going to be like straight out of an anime scene.
Sona blinked owlishly, brow creasing a fraction. "That's it?" Her face was a textbook deadpan. "You know there are planes for this, right?"
Was she normally this sassy, or did I just bring the best out of her?
"Yes." I looked her in the eye with a serious nod. "But teleportation is faster."
We had a brief staring contest before her lips pressed in a thin smile. "Very well." She adjusted her glasses with a finger. "Give me a moment to calculate the price."
As the she-Devil reached for her pocket once more, I made my way to Valerie's chair and grabbed the smallest of the three sacks lying at its foot, Sona's gaze following me like a hawk.
"I have this." I held up the sack and gave it a shake, the coins jingling inside. "It's full of gold coins."
This was the most expensive Uber I've ever hired, but I had plenty of gold to spare. Those Țepeș guys had been pretty rich.
Sona eyed the bag, a beat of silence passing before she leveled me an utterly flat look.
"A sack of gold? Really?"
A wry smile twitched on my lips as I briefly glanced at Valerie. "Cute girls need a big dowry."
Ruby eyes stared back, a slightly more awkward silence falling among us. I could only guess what went behind that blank look on her face, but I would die on this hill either way.
"What? It's true."
Her piercing gaze stayed unrelenting, but I caught the barest of twitches at the corner of her lips before they curled upwards with the ghost of a smile.
A warm feeling settled in my chest, and I did my best to burn that sight in my eyes.
Each time I saw her face brighten, no matter how briefly, felt nearly as nice as when I punched her asshole brother in the face.
A long-suffering sigh brought my attention back to Sona. "That's not what I meant."
I fixed her with a serious look. "I'm not giving you my firstborn."
She blinked, actually looking offended for a moment. "We've long stopped asking for firstborns, and only barbarians did that even back then."
Huh. Was that before or after the civil war? I was tempted to ask, but I didn't want to accidentally trigger a history lecture. I had places to be, and you never knew with this girl…
"Sorry." I glanced at the other two sacks by the roadside, lips pursing. "I also have a bunch of magic swords and jewelry."
Honestly, I'd rather she took those. I only took the shinies in case Valerie wanted some bling, and the swords because I've never seen something cut better bread in my whole life.
A spark of interest lit up in Sona's violet eyes. "Magic swords?" Careful girl, that Devil greed was showing.
"Tougher and sharper than normal. Probably don't dull either." A must have for every kitchen.
She rubbed the bridge of her nose with a sigh, looking a little disappointed. "The gold is fine." What did she expect? The motherfucking Excalibur? "How much is in there?"
"Dunno." I shrugged. "Didn't bother counting." Just grabbed everything shiny on my way out and shoved it in a bag. I gave the sack another shake, listening to the jingle. "Should be at least a few hundred coins in there."
A thoughtful look crossed her face before she nodded curtly. "That will do. Come over there when you're ready to go."
She pointed at a spot away from the summoning circle before quietly making her way there. I shared a brief glance with Valerie, and she gave a small nod before walking to Sona as I went to grab the loot.
Arms crossed, Sona watched idly as I brought over the two sacks, though when I also picked up the chair, for a brief moment, she looked at me like I was crazy.
I shrugged. "It has sentimental value."
I carried this chair for like fifty kilometers. I wasn't leaving it here.
Sona's stare became even flatter as she shook her head ever so slightly, and I tried my best not to laugh. Maybe I should summon Devils more often.
As I dropped the chair next to Valerie, Sona threw me a brief glance. "Ready?"
Valerie and I nodded, and a dark blue magic circle suddenly flared to life beneath our feet. I blinked and the scenery shifted like a sudden scene cut in a movie, revealing grassy plains and a large city looming in the distance
Sona held out a hand, a professional smile on her face. "This concludes my part of the deal."
"Thanks a lot." I offered her the coin bag, but she just looked at me with a deadpan.
"Give me your hand first."
Ahh. The contract thingy. These guys actually needed consent nowadays. How the mighty have fallen.
Holding back a chuckle, I grabbed her hand, skin nearly as soft as Valerie's, and she did whatever mystical mumbo jumbo Devils do before giving a firm handshake.
"Thank you for your contract." Cool.
After releasing my hand, she took the gold with little fanfare, briefly opening the bag to check the content, before giving a curt nod.
I expected her to instantly port out, but she walked up to Valerie and leaned closer to whisper something in her ear.
Curiosity gnawed me on the inside as I waited patiently.
"Thank you." Was all the blonde girl said in her usual monotone as Sona walked past, a magic circle expanding at her feet with a familiar looking sigil.
As the Devil girl vanished in a flash of light, I turned to Valerie, an eyebrow cocked in shameless curiosity.
"What did she tell you?"
The cute vampire princess met my gaze, the tiniest of quirks at the corner of her lips. "She wished me luck with the eloping."
A brief silence passed between us before a snort escaped me.
Talk about misunderstandings.
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