Chapter 18 - Buried Treasure

A while later, Lilly and Eolande were sitting on the couch across from Selene. Lilly had explained everything that had happened these last few months, including her connection to the afterlife and Myndia.

Selene still had a severe look on her face, but she seemed more willing to cooperate now. “So this ancient demigod that started the Vermilion family will help us defeat him? And she’s fine with letting the rest of them go?” Selene looked at Eolande as she said that, with a sharper gaze than usual.

“... Yes, for now. She’s forgiven Elly after seeing her regret and her actions after leaving, but the others will have to prove that they deserve to live when Myndia returns to life.” Lilly glanced over at Eolande, who seemed anxious.

Eolande chimed in with a hint of determination, “I’ll do what I can to set them on the right path… I don’t plan to lead them again, but my brother will understand what to do.” It sounded like she was reassuring herself as much as the others.

After a moment of contemplation, Selene appeared to reach a decision. “Fine then, I’ll help you make sure we get him. And I won’t do anything overly stupid afterward.”

“Like assassinating the king?” Lilly asked softly. She needed to make sure.

“Like assassinating the king,” Selene confirmed with a bitter face.

Feeling relieved, Lilly smiled brightly. “Good. I’m glad to have you on our side, Selene. And if you really feel alone, I’m very open to inviting you to visit us. Maybe we can have dinner someday soon?”

Selene smiled and nodded slowly. “I’d like that.”

“Wonderful! Then we’ll just act like nothing has happened until I get strong enough, and you get your arm back. Do we know how long it will be?” Lilly asked.

“Well, according to the doctor, it will take three weeks to fully heal, and then I might need a week to get it back in decent shape. So one month should be good, give or take.”

“Then we have a plan! I probably don’t need to tell you, but we need to keep this completely secret outside of this room. So act like you’re still looking forward to going to the front lines, and like you respect our king.”

Lilly could see hatred in Selene’s eyes the moment she mentioned the king, confirming Lilly's concerns.

“I’ll do my best, Lilly. Just, maybe steer clear of bringing up the king around me," Selene suggested rather firmly.

Lilly nodded in understanding. “Are you ready to leave, or do you want some more time?”

Selene inhaled deeply, steadying herself. “I think I’ll be fine. How do I look?”

Eolande responded before Lilly could. “A bit red around the eyes, but otherwise fine. Do you have any plans for the rest of the day?”

“I was planning to train a bit, but I might just go straight home instead," Selene considered.

Eolande's expression showed mild concern. “You should stick to your usual routine if possible. And take care not to show your frustration during training. That can be a problem for some.”

“I’ll go home then, I don’t have much of a schedule. Thank you for the advice, Eolande.” Selene got off the couch and was ready to leave.

“See you later then, Selene. I’ll still need your guidance,” Lilly said, also getting up from the couch.

With a parting wave, Selene exited, leaving Lilly and Eolande alone again.

Lilly collapsed back onto the couch with a heavy sigh. “How do you think that went?”

“Well, could have been worse, I guess. At least she’s not suicidal.”

“... I feel so bad for her. I hope she comes over for dinner someday.”

“Yeah, she’s had a hard life. And when the one thing she tied her value to was swept away like that, it must have felt horrible. I don’t blame her for wanting revenge.”

“... I understand it, but she can’t throw her life away like that. Even if she avoids creating a civil war, it isn’t worth it.”

Eolande nodded as she put an arm on Lilly’s shoulder. “I’m sure she’ll be fine. What other plans do you have for the day?”

“I need to practice the spell Keldorn gave me. Even if we’re planning to ash-ify him, I should value his lessons. And we don’t want him suspecting anything, of course.”

“What about the staff Myndia mentioned then?”

“Right. I’m not sure how to do that without raising any suspicion from Grandfather…” Lilly confessed, having no good solutions.

“That's a good point. It would be challenging to hide from him,” Eolande agreed, seeming deep in thought. “Maybe we could act like the amulet told you in your dream or something, and you want to check it out?”

“You think that would work? I guess he wouldn’t know much about how the flame or amulet works… Yeah, let’s do that! You want to go get it now?” Lilly asked excitedly.

Eolande raised her eyebrows. “Right now? Don’t you need to clear away any bricks or something first?”

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“I thought maybe my strong bodyguard could move a few bricks for me, but we could ask some soldiers to do it as well if it’s too hard. Shouldn’t take long.” Lilly did her best to sound genuine as she tried gauding Eolande into doing it, but she had to smile at the end.

Eolande’s eyes sharpened. “Don’t think I don’t see what you’re doing, Lilly... But fine, I’ll do it. I’m built more for speed than power, but some bricks won’t be a problem.”

Lilly smiled and got out of the couch again. “Then let’s go! I’m excited to see it!”

Eolande also got up but with slightly less enthusiasm. “Sure, lead the way, My Lady.”

The walk to the barracks was a short one since it was placed near the offices. Several officials and soldiers bowed to Lilly on the way, but she had started getting used to it now.

Inside the barracks, the largest building in the military headquarters, there were hundreds of rooms housing several soldiers each. It was split into four main sections, with the oldest one in the middle and the three others branching in different directions from it.

‘This staircase should be the one Myndia was talking about, right?’ Lilly thought, now standing in front of the stairway in the middle of the oldest section. Each level of the stairs was built in a half circle, making it easy to climb.

“I think we need to go to the basement, but I’m not sure how the staff will be underneath the stairs…” Lilly said while making her way down, with Eolande following close behind her.

The basement was dark and, from what Lilly could see, mostly used as storage space. It was filled with the musty scent of old fabric and forgotten wares. The stairs stopped on one side of the half-circle, making the other side a solid wall.

“That’s gotta be it, right? See if you can remove some of the bricks there, could you?” Lilly asked, eyeing the wall with anticipation.

“Aye-aye, Cap’n. Would you mind making some light in the meantime?” Eolande asked while approaching the wall.

“Oh, sure!” Lilly replied, having nearly forgotten about her most basic spell. ‘Let’s see how it behaves now, then, after my control has improved.’

She whispered the incantation while holding her hand up, trying her best to limit the output to a manageable level. She still remembered the flash of pure white she had made during her enchantment and did not want a repeat.

The ball of light appearing in her palm was bright, but not overly so. It was only a few times brighter than what Lilly had aimed for, which she silently considered a victory.

Before the light was conjured, Eolande had been assessing the bricks without much luck. The glow Lilly provided was met with a grateful "Thanks" from Eolande, who then zeroed in on a peculiar crack. “Oh, there’s definitely a difference here. Hang on.”

She retrieved a dagger from her belt and started prying the largest brick from the wall. It gave rather easily, giving her a good grip once it was sticking out.

Once the first brick was removed, the rest quickly followed, landing in a neat stack on the floor. “So there should be some volcanic rock here somewhere, according to your dream?” Eoalnde asked, looking completely serious.

‘Ah, good thinking.’ Lilly thought, following her lead in case of spies. “Yeah, something about a treasure inside fiery remains. I’m assuming something that has been melted once.”

Eolande gave her a slight side smile before turning back to the wall, which was now covered with rocks and gravel. “You didn’t happen to bring a shovel?”

“... No. I thought your man-hands would be plenty.”

Lilly didn’t manage to react before her butt was slapped after Eolande somehow moved at incredible speed to get behind her. Lilly's surprised yelp was quickly overshadowed by a terrible realization. “Nooo, you got her permission?” she asked in despair, remembering her own restriction for further butt-slapping.

Eolande had an evil grin as she returned to the wall. “Mia was very understanding, actually. She recognized you might need a good slap from time to time. And for the record, my hands are proportionate. You're just delightfully compact.”

“Hey, you don’t get to both slap me and insult me back! I’m just a bit under average height for a girl…” Lilly protested, sticking out her lower lip.

“What, that wasn’t an insult! I love your perfectly huggable height," Eolande reassured as she began to clear away the rubble, making the pile on the floor even bigger.

Another realization struck Lilly. “Hang on, how are you even able to slap me? I’m wearing the protective amulet.”

“You think an 800-year-old elite assassin is unable to get past the most basic protective enchantment?”

“... You’re using your powers for evil.”

Eolande's tone softened, reflecting on her past. “I’ve used it for worse…”

Lilly knew Eolande well enough to understand how she felt and regretted her words. “Right, sorry Elly. I guess it’s hard to use something like that for good.”

“We might find a way yet… This is starting to look like a volcanic rock here, Lilly,” Eolande pointed out, shifting focus as she cleared away more debris.

“Ooh, really? So the dream was true?” Lilly said, trying her best to sound genuinely surprised.

“Seems like it! But it also seems pretty massive, I don’t think I’ll get it out any time soon. Can you melt it as it is, you think?”

Lilly thought about it. “I think so, my control has improved quite a bit. My clothes should be okay.”

They swapped places, so Lilly was leaning through the hole in the wall now, letting her see the small part of what seemed to be a large volcanic rock. “Okay, here goes.” She held her hand towards the rock and focused on her flame, being careful to limit the output until she could see it start to melt.

The rock's temperature escalated rapidly, shifting from a warm red to a molten yellow as Lilly amplified her flame. “It’s melted on this part now, but it will be hard to remove the lava. Do you think I can just stick my hand inside and find it?” Lilly wondered aloud.

“Well, you’ll need to remove some clothes first, but it should be fine, I think.”

Lilly stopped her heating to remove most of the clothes on her upper body, leaving the bra on, before leaning back into the hole. “Could you hold my other hand, Elly? It’s hard to get a proper grip with one arm here.”

“Sure, just let me know when to let you further in,” Eolande assured her, gripping her hand firmly.

Lilly pushed her hand gently into the lava, silently praying to find the staff before she ran out of arm. ‘If only I got my height from Mom…’ she thought to herself for the 1000th time.

“Okay, just let me in slowly,” Lilly instructed, searching around the lava while she was heating it. Slowly she reached deeper into it, reaching her elbow now. Still, she couldn’t feel anything solid yet.

She was reaching her shoulder with alarming speed, but then her fingers brushed against something. “There! I think I feel something. Just a bit further so I can get a grip.”

After a few more centimeters, she felt that she had a good enough grip. The staff was still stuck since a lot of the rock remained solid, but if she could heat the rock through the staff, it should give easily.

Focusing her power, she felt the staff begin to loosen. “Okay, you can pull me out now, Elly.”

As her arm slowly appeared from the lava, Lilly felt very excited. First, her hand appeared, then she could see a bright red handle, and finally, the entire staff was out of the lava, glowing red hot.

[https://i.imgur.com/MWVYMDk.png]