"I think I'm good now, bleh, ugh."

I was now calling out to Lorn, who was looking out over the city from her balcony for the moment. Not long after she'd given me the second mug, I'd thrown up its contents. Lorn was giving me some time to myself to recuperate after that; apparently, she didn't think I had the capacity to realize just what that kind of lifespan meant. For me, it was giving other complicated feelings other than the standard issues presented by an abnormally long life; the fact the Kiyomi and I would be stuck in this symbiotic relationship for so long. It only made me want to investigate our condition more fervently.

"Ready to continue?"

Lorn asked as she turned around, walking back through the doorway. After picking the book we’d just been going over back up, she dropped her weight onto the couch. Causing me to rise slightly as the shift in pressure on the cushion leveled once more.

"Can I prod you about some stuff first?"

I asked, currently staring at the book in Lorn's hands. Looking back at her from the corner of my eye, then back to the table, awaiting an answer.

"You may."

Lorn responded with a sigh.

"How long did you know my race?"

A short pause answered my first question before Lorn responded.

"Since we found you, really. Your ability, Disguise, doesn’t shield everything, anymore at least. Your ... sword; that pointed to your race more than anything.”

Lorn continued, parsing her words together in a careful manner.

“We already went over how it is bonded, but we never explained to you what it entailed-“

Lorn yawned before taking a vial out and drinking from it.

“Excuse me for that. Where was I? Ah, bonded weapons, they’re mostly owned by nobles or extremely notable individuals. Couple that with it having a title-“

“Matriarch’s sword, that’s a title? I thought it was just named that... like naming a pet or something?”

I could feel myself cringing on the inside; naming objects felt as if it was projection.

“No, usually weapons are named only when titled. So they tend to go hand in hand. Anywho, your sword, it’s bonded to you. You, also being a demon, made the flags more apparent. The last thing would have been you showing an attribute. But that’s why we’re talking about this now.”

Lorn shrugged as she finished off the first explanation.

“It basically meant you're Noble, and the only demons to really be within the noble class are all High Demons. Being a Low Demon with a titled weapon... well, you wouldn’t have been chased by those Paladins if you were simply a thief that knew bonding magic.”

Lorn said, looking back at me.

Wait, hold up, stop, cease, noble?

"W-wait, wait, you said something about being a Noble?"

Lorn looked as if she'd froze up for a moment before explaining.

"We could only figure out you were one... but out of all my searching... we couldn't figure out where you were from."

I said while squinting, looking off into space for a second.

So what am I, some exiled princess or something? Good God, Kiyomi, what the hell happened to us?

"Does Mama know this?"

"Only about as much as you do now."

...I should talk with her when she returns. If anything.. now I know I can seek help.

With my thoughts tied up, I figured I'd ask my next question.

This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

“I have another question... what... exactly does disguise do? Sho-should I try and dispel it or something?”

I confidently started asking further questions, knowing that I was safe to ask further on the subject; I was beating back the nervousness from earlier with greater strength.

“I wouldn’t dispel it; the wrong person seeing you’re a High Demon, would make you a target.”

Lorn said, turning her head and squinting as she did so.

“Honestly, Kiyomi, you activating it and forgetting how to dispel it may have been the best possible case. You haven’t been targeted since you came into our custody. I’d say you’re safe here as long as you leave it up... that being said, your race doesn’t just say ‘Lower Demon’ when I analyze it anymore; it just says ‘Demon.’ So do be careful of who you are around when outside of friendly company.”

I nodded in response to Lorn’s suggestion.

Knowing that my information is displayed differently thanks to Lorn, yeah, It’s good this conversation took place.

I thought to the few questions I had left,

“Uhm, can you teach me more about Va-ren?”

Lorn moved to answer but held her tongue for a moment before frowning. Looking to the ceiling for a moment, she looked as if she was debating something in her head before answering.

“As you get older, I will promise you. You are too young to know everything about Va-ren... I say this in your best interest.”

Lorn smiles weakly as she said so, avoiding eye contact as if she were trying to avoid the topic. Finding her place in the book where we left off, Lorn looked at me again.

“Anything else at the moment?”

She asked.

“I-“

I hesitated for just a moment.

“Telling Mama... how do I do that?”

I asked, awkwardly trying to swing my legs, only realizing that in the two years I’d been here, I grew enough for my feet to actually touch the floor. In response to my question, Lorn shook her head and looked at me.

“That will have to be something you figure out yourself, Kiyomi. It honestly shouldn't be an issue to any degree. Rest easy anyways; Hatsumi wouldn't care about that. She at least knows you're a noble's child. So from there, nothing else should matter. Maybe try not picking another skill without consulting her again, though."

Lorn chuckled to herself shortly before prompting us to resume the lesson.

“We still have to teach you about yourself, so get close.”

Lorn said, grabbing my far side just above the hip and pulling me to her side.

“You wanted to ask about the sub-species, so I guess you see something on your status that gives you some options?"

Lorn asked, eager to move on.

"Actually... the day of my first bleeding, last week. As soon as I turned ten, I was hit with a bunch of alerts. One-..."

I reflexively held my tongue.

"Sorry... I was kind of scared. Actually, I'm really scared right now, but I need the help."

Lorn lifted a brow.

"One was race attribute, which I'm guessing will be my sub-species? The other is a further class."

At my explanation, Lorn smiled.

"Look at you, you little prodigy. We can go over that later; It shouldn't be outside of the norm for you, though."

"But, Mama said it should just be Adventurer after I selected it."

I asked, using the chance to coax some further explanation.

"Yes, well, Hatsumi may not remember, but her own Mistress tricked her into fully branching out her class. Not dissimilar to how Hatsumi may have nudged you into it by threatening to marry you away... By the way, your friends seemed fairly attached to you."

"I'm done asking questions now!"

"Oh, are you? You must really want to be a free woman Kiyomi~."

Lorn chuckled, a smug expression plastered to her face.

Heck off, hag! I'm not gonna think of them like that. Ugh, that actually makes me sick... oh god, the coco is coming back up...oh god's.

I ended up vomiting in a wooden bucket out of sheer nervousness and discomfort. Judging at this point, it was probably made worse by the fact the only thing I'd ingested was liquid chocolate since I woke up, though. Seeing me eye her rather angrily just as I was wiping my mouth caused Lorn's chuckle to morph into a rather hearty laugh. Strangely enough, even though I'd just committed, the mood felt much lighter, and I joined in the laughter, albeit weakly.

"Okay, okay-just-"

Lorn took a moment to calm herself.

"- Kiyomi, let me get us some water. We should move on with this... I'm glad this mood has changed though, I'm not sure you would have ever reached out otherwise."

Lorn stood, heading to her desk.

Is all this really okay? I've dropped most of what I've been hiding all this time. But if anything bad was going to happen, it would have already. I'm also getting over my fear of her, but it's gradual.

I could hear Lorn pouring something from her desk surprisingly.

"Do I really seem that stubborn? I ask you all about things all the time."

Lorn turned around with two glasses of water, making her way back.

"Well, you don't have an issue asking questions, and you do act surprisingly willful now, comparing to when we first found you. But with things you probably think you'd get in trouble for or other... things... we know you won't talk about with us... you aren't exactly a peaceful sleeper. Hatsumi's spent more evenings' than one coming to me for a drink after calming you down."

Ah... So... I thought I was hiding it; I wasn't hiding it at all.

"I'm sorry... "

I felt compelled to apologize, curling my tail in my lap as Lorn approached with the water.

"Don't be, It's no fault of your own. And If it were that much a trouble, Hatsumi wouldn't want to watch over you incessantly the way she does."

Lorn handed me the glass of water, drinking her own as she did so. Taking the glass from her hand, it was surprisingly cold.

"How did you get cold water up here like that?"

I asked, staring into the glass before sniffing the water inside.

"Magic tool, there's a giant one built in the basement that feeds the whole building freshwater. That aside-"

Lorn took another sip.

"-back to it. We need to cram some knowledge into that adolescent head of yours so you don't make any stupid choices. So, the family of High demons' is consistent of-"

And Lorn began her explanation of the different types of High Demon.