"It... a-all of it... was true."
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Everything from last night had ended so abruptly that most of the inn was locked in silence. The energy sapped during Darmia's [Jester's Box] and the story it told everyone left it nearly impossible to judge just who had been right or wrong. Valkner had discovered that the Slime Queen had a child... yet that child had fled deep into the frontier and likely wouldn't ever be seen by the likes of an inn-owner like him. Yet at the same time, he knew if it wasn't for her that he would have lost far more; after spending so long hating his sister for believing her a traitor, Ezkalda had seen to it that the Queen's child escaped and her use of [Death's Deal] hadn't been in vain. Echoing the level of commitment required to utilize that skill had certainly stopped Kaden from pursuing the matter. No hero could expect a demon to unleash that much death and destruction at the cost of their life; no matter how vengeful, most of the allies of humanity believed that demons were no more than monsters trying to survive amidst their "righteous fist".
But today, the inn's lack of energy didn't endure forever. Shrive's third wife being here and all the commotion she had caused had warranted her starting to pack fairly early in the morning. Her visit hadn't ever intended to be more than a short while, it seemed, but neither of the siblings had estimated it'd be only two nights.
Jigalta watched from behind the desk as some of the adventurer party prepared their gear for an early delve; after all, Darkenth had trudged much closer in the chaos.
Time until Darkenth Festival Bonus
2 days, 18 hours
Party Identities [After talking with them and using Inspect to verify some]
✦ Albricht Ritter [27, Brother of Annette]: Blonde, Human Noble Warrior
✦ Annette Ritter [24, Sister of Albricht]: Blonde, Human Noble Mage
✦ Bort Rockstory [Unknown, Bodyguard of Ritter]: Grey, Dwarf Carpenter [Not inspected]
✦ Zerth [Unknown, Male]: Brown, Half-Gnome Thief [Not inspected]
✦ Darrow [Unknown, Twin Brother of Garrow]: Blue-eyed, Elf Archer [Not inspected]
✦ Garrow [Unknown, Twin Brother of Darrow]: Green-eyed, Elf Archer [Not inspected]
✦ Veronica [25, Female]: Red, Human Flame Eternal Priestess
✦ Estel [44, Female]: Blue, Half-Giant Brawler
Although it was fairly early, both of the Ritters were going to be diving with Bort and Estel today. Their host 'Valentine' had used the opportunity to get another inspection to confirm his suspicion; Estel wasn't a mere human but a Half-Giant. Among the monsters, the Giants were perhaps the most anomalous of why they were treated the way they were; unlike elves and dwarves who had chances to work with humanity, the size of a pureblood giant must have intimidated them too greatly. There were various types of them that came in many colors, yet despite being almost ten feet tall there had been rumors of interspecies relationships. Humans of great size had taken captive females from the race and produced half-giants, it seemed... and it was likely that her accent and blue hair had been attributes of a snow giant.
But Estel's race distracted him well enough from Ezkalda locking herself up in the room for now. The Darkenth Festival was coming and with so much on his mind, Val had to focus. His inspecting hadn't done much to reveal their levels, but showing up here meant it was very likely that they were also weak much like the monk. Whereas he had been a simple enough man to make disappear, neither Jigalta nor Tuscetta could take on one of them in a one-on-one. Besides that, the only way to isolate them was taking them into the dungeon... and there would be at least three of them even if he could convince them to take one of the two. It was much more efficient to let them use the false dungeon and train in peace as an opportunity to isolate Veronica. Given how heavy their frontline power was going to be, they probably wouldn't be gone long without their healer. Yet if he could convince her to teach him some magical theory in healing magic, he could potentially inherit the [Magic School: Light] skill again. He had all the knowledge for it, after all, but couldn't merely learn skills at the drop of a hat.
Ezkalda passed into the hallway and the two met gazes; Val was the first to look away, standing upright and clasping his hands together as he looked at Albricht.
"Don't you worry," he started. "The four of you delving into the shadow form of the dungeon should easily avoid any issues. How long do you all plan to be down there?"
The noble's confidence burned the disguised demon, smirking and patting his armor-plated chest. "For a time! You'll keep our friends well-tended to, I hope?"
"Of course." Val didn't imagine it'd be possible to refuse even if he wanted to. Ez slipped out the door leading to the cherry blossoms, forcing him to look away for a moment. Tuscetta exited her own room, conveniently breaking his line of sight and approaching with a soft clasp of her fist against her armor.
"Boss Valentine, everything is handled; I'll be standing guard at the entrance so that if they need assistance, I'll be ready to move."
The half-orc's tusky grin must have been quite big beneath her helmet, but Valkner merely smiled and raised a thumb to her. All five of them went out the main door without a moment to spare, leaving him alone with Jigalta. The other four were likely in the dining area or their own rooms by now, granting them a moment of peace.
Yet anyone could sense the awkward tension that immediately sprung in; Jigalta had borne witness and verified everything in Ezkalda's story, but simultaneously had been shown and revealed so many things that she could hardly fathom her situation. Valkner knew well enough that among the Demon King's kids, the slimes all had once seen him as their king; the relationship between him and the Queen had always been rather quiet but that story cast the full context into the matter. One that Jigalta impatiently watched him for, hoping to find the right chance since last night to ask.
And now she had it.
"Val," the blue slime whispered. "W-was... the child yours?"
Valkner physically flinched as if someone might hear, yet knew well enough none of this party could hear them in this situation. Showing weakness was something that had never sat right with him; as a Demon Prince and the Demon King, bearing emotions had never been his strong suit. After all, it took one of the most damaging stories he had ever experienced to bring him to tears... and yet the resolution of his sister's tale had cemented in him resolute silence.
"Perhaps. I'd never know unless I actually got to meet her, don't you think?"
Valkner didn't get a reply or more questions; Jigalta opened her mouth to speak but her human-disguised lips immediately shut. There wasn't going to be a happy dream that he'd get reunited with her. All he knew was that she was born and fled; searching and leaving this ruin could very well draw the ire of the heroes to come to slay him once and for all. Unless he grew more powerful... then there'd never be time to care whether or not he had become a father that horrible night.
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The demon walked down the hall, passing down into the dining area and leaving Jigalta to her desk-monitoring. Given that they were fully-roomed and the storage was even occupied by his servants, all she'd be able to do is give directions that he'd written as a guide beneath the desk and reject customers. But as he entered the dining area, his singular task for the day was within sight; sitting alone at a table with some bread, sliced cheese, and a water-filled mug was the red-haired priestess. After she healed him yesterday, it must have taken a lot out of her; such women often made perfect targets for fledgling succubi or incubi, as weak priests suffered reduced willpower. If only he was a few centuries younger, he'd be foolish enough to try it.
Among the various holy orders, those of from the order of Flame Eternal manifested their religious willpower specifically to combat lustful monsters. Healing was a fundamental requirement of all orders, but their order manifested the holy energies and converted it into Fire magic. This process was from a skill he knew the mirror of: [Magic School: Holy Flame]. [Magic School: Corrupt Flame] was one of the first combination schools he learned, as a means to combine both the Dark and Fire magic-types. Similarly, her spell turned her entire body into a living weapon of sorts. Many succubi that attempted to seduce their members were known to burst into flame when they came into contact, using the holy radiance that surrounds them like an infernal detection ray.
The only reason he didn't combust the other night must have been due to his fall-from-grace. Or having such a tremendous disguise ability that he could even trick magic. Either way, he sat at the table with some measure of caution... and waited until she looked over from her makeshift cheese sandwich.
"Um... you're the inn owner, yes? Is there something you need?"
She smiled at Val humbly, yet it only reminded him how so many humans wouldn't smile if they knew he wasn't an allied monster. It took some measure of control, but Valkner finally nodded.
"Yes. A prior guest taught me some measure of mana manipulation... and I was curious if you could tell me about how you cast that healing magic before when you tended to my wounds?"
"Oh," Veronica spouted, blinking and setting her food down. "I mean, I can, yes... but it's a little strange to ask me so suddenly. Especially so early in the morning, when the others are in the dungeon. You're not looking to get some sort of demonstration, are you? These aren't parlor tricks."
"Of course not." Valkner knew better than anyone how much it fucking hurt to get punctured by magical attacks. It literally hurt his hearts. He raised his right hand's palm in indifference, furrowing his brow. "I'd never think as lightly of it; if not for your healing, I'd have spent a lot more than a day resting to recover from all of my wounds. As you might guess... I think it'd merely be good to learn of the Magic School. I have the skills for magic but... well... given my blood, there were some discriminations back when I was younger that kept me from gaining proper training."
Back when he assumed this personality, it wasn't entirely wrong that humanity hated halfbreeds. Half-elf males and females were only tolerated when they grew up more effeminate or beautiful; his persona's masculinity leaned heavily into being one of the "warrior-forced". Even if one had magical potential, half-breeds muddied humanity's lineage and wouldn't be good to keep around unless they were of the highest degree of it.
"I... understand." Veronica clasped her hands together, apologetically bowing her head.
Of course, it was painfully obvious she understood. Aside from being a human, her Order's efficiency at rooting out demon-supporters had ensured most monster halfbreeds that attempted learning magic meant swift death. If it were up to Val, it'd be a lot more fitting to collar-bind her mana and make her pay for the lives the humans stole in the age of the Incidniary Frontier.
But rather than take out all of his anger, the pair focused on the simple-enough task of school teaching. Even for Light magic, the demon prince had dabbled in it slightly before so most of it was nodding to her misunderstandings of the element. Veronica's order learned enough of it that they could utilize fire magic and then abandoned it, so it wasn't hard to imagine why she didn't know simple things.
Light magic doesn't grant some sort of damage boost to monsters regardless of what people think. It can be effective against certain demon-type monsters, but even he had been born with high resistance to it. Contrarily, Dark magic is far more effective for fighting his kind; it was why sorcerers were often part of the stories about heroes trying to fight the Demon King. The true benefit of Light magic is utility; among the various magic types, it can be used in a plethora of inventive ways. Concentrating it can create intense beams of heat, for example. Additionally, it mended wounds when applied to a mist form.
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Skill [Magic School: Light] learned.
Skill Level is Basic
After about five hours of talking, Veronica's knowledge had given him the skill he needed. With this, he could finally be of some use; he could delve into the dungeon as a healer for Tuscetta after the group left and they had some peace. But in the aftermath of their discussion and the return of the party, Val set all that aside and finally left the inn to visit the cherry blossoms. Ezkalda had been outside all this time, visible from the dining area's windows sitting just beneath the trees.
Obero danced along the petals' bottom above her head, clearly trying to entertain the demonette. Valk hadn't made it more than a step down the short stairs leading to his garden before stopping to gather himself. There was a lot he needed to say to her; a lot that had rattled in his head and sometimes distracted him from Veronica's skill-boosting. If he didn't talk to her now, it was likely that by Darkenth she would be gone. Kaden would eventually come to not only check on him but to rub it in his face that he had lost.
Eventually he gathered himself, stepping forward and approaching Ezkalda. She didn't even turn around as he approached, merely sighing.
"I'll ask Kaden to stay away this year, Val."
He stopped, hesitating for a long moment. "You... wha-"
"I'll ask him." She reiterated, turning to face her brother. The girl's transformed figure had tear marks. "I... know you despise him. For what he did to you."
"... You've been out here crying? Demons don't..."
Valkner wanted to keep going but instead averted his gaze toward the road. It wasn't in him to insist that they don't cry when neither of them could chastise the other. All their younger days reminded him of just how childish she could be... but also just how long ago that had been.
"Ezkalda," he finally sighed. "I... was wrong to blame you."
The demoness looked away, but he didn't stop. Instead, he moved under the trees and waved his hand dismissively at the petal pixie to give them some measure of privacy. Obero slipped off whilst he sat down, leaning against the trunk and looking at her.
"If you tell him to stay away, then thank you. But I don't want you endangering yourself to do it. I can handle a smug remark or two from that dumbass."
Ezkalda shifted uncomfortably, crossing her arms over her close-bent knees and burying her head against them. "Urgh... he's not that dumb."
The silence hung for a few moments before she turned her head to peek at him.
"... If you get your powers back, what do you plan to do? I mean... revenge seems obvious... but after that. Your world has been kept so small since you lost power, Valkner. The frontier as they call it isn't the frontier we knew when we were younger. Everything... everything is different."
Her words didn't do much to shake him. The apology alone had been enough to lift some of the anger from him. Yet hearing that Kaden had changed and the world was different, all whilst hearing that she saw his revenge-seeking so blindly? It was apparent she knew of it from even before sharing the truth last night. Val reached down, pressing his fingers against one of the tree's roots before turning his gaze toward the inn.
"... After that, I'll sign a treaty. One to grant us peace, maybe. With all the old leaders dead, the humans may want revenge; but if I can establish our family's dungeon again and form a force... it's possible that I might make the world we talked about. One where we can exist without some massive war."
In time, it was obvious what Valkner would seek out. His hatred for humanity and the betrayers could be snuffed... but only if they achieved what was long thought impossible.
"Eventually, this inn will become the pillar to end the Great Human-Monster Wars."