As the kick lands, Tacita turns away from me to look at Vega, a look of sheer surprise on her face.

And Vega kicks her again. The second kick lands as well, which Tacita surely allowed again.

(Don’t) I warn through Sophie’s link as Tess and Lily move to intervene. Yet I still take a few steps closer, ready for anything.

Displaying an unusual degree of care, Tacita puts her finger on Vega’s forehead and pushes her away, causing the young half demon to stumble.

As I catch Vega’s gaze, I can’t help but think “Oh no”.

It’s like Vega is confirming I’m nearby to help, as she forms a dagger in her hand to stab Tacita with, as she taunts Vega by standing too close.

“Don’t ever touch my horns!” my minion shouts, her voice trembling with anger.

The silent assassin dodges swing after swing with ease, her expression overcome with mischief. Her hand darts out in a blur, knocking the pale blue mana dagger from Vega’s hand.

Before my minion can continue, Tacita gestures for her to stop. She takes a step closer and presses her own dagger into Vega’s hand, closing her fingers around it. Then, unsatisfied, she pries the minion’s hand open, shifting her hold on the dagger, until it settles into a more natural state.

Tacita then gestures for my minion to attack again.

For the following few minutes, my minion tries to stab her as Tacita avoids Vega’s attacks and corrects her form. A poorly positioned blade here, a wrong step there, an overzealous swing. Tacita somewhat impatiently corrects it all, with a slightly annoyed expression, as if not understanding why the minion is that bad at trying to kill her.

When Vega does anything too bad, Tacita flicks her tiny horns.

(She appeared here out of nowhere, right in front of Vega. Not even Sophie’s web detected her. Sophie couldn’t even feel Tacita’s mind.) Tess says carefully, speaking directly into my mind.

(And then she touched Vega’s horns?) I ask.

(Yes), Tess nods. (Vega didn’t seem to like that very much and shouted at her just a moment before you showed up. They seem to be sensitive and when you showed up Tacita touched them again.)

As we talk, I watch as Vega opens her mouth launching a thin, needle-like projectile of mana at Tacita’s face.

Even then, her attack is easily dodged, though it still makes Tacita smile brightly.

As is the proper reaction to having someone try to kill you.

Over and over again, Tacita corrects my minion, who just refuses to give up. Watching it all go down, I find myself counting the ways my minion has improved while leveling her skills.

Vega always did prefer fighting at close-range, her style aggressive, not unlike Tacita’s, honestly I can’t bring myself to think of the experience as anything but helpful, so I let it happen. Still, I don’t forget to make my presence known, as a reminder to Tacita to step lightly.

Either because of my warning or, more likely because she’s taken a liking to Vega's personality, Tacita makes sure not to push her too far. Though she’s fully capable of doing so. And that’s just knowing how many times she’s killed Samuel alone.

But damn, swindling a free lesson out of one of the most powerful people in Hell difficulty. My Minion is truly a cunning little creature.

As I watch, I check my own notifications. I’ve managed to level a few of my skills thanks to all my training in the common area, especially my [Perception] thanks to the staring contest I had with Tacita.

[Perception - lvl 43 > Perception - lvl 44]

[Perception - lvl 44 > Perception - lvl 45]

[Mana Manipulation - lvl 42 > Mana Manipulation - lvl 43]

[Mana Manipulation - lvl 43 > Mana Manipulation - lvl 44]

[Tether - lvl 35 > Tether - lvl 36]

[Infusion - lvl 28 > Infusion - lvl 29]

[Mana Crown - lvl 20 > Mana Crown - lvl 21]

Not bad at all for a few days. Especially given that my higher level skills have been getting harder and harder to level. I could probably get more out of skills with lower levels, but I would be stupid not to seize this opportunity.

I already lost count of all the times the system decided I was dead, each time I’ve made huge improvements when it comes to handling black mana and the higher frequencies of kinetic energy. And yet it still feels a bit off.

Sure, I can push myself further and learn more, but there’s still something missing. That feeling of danger and death if I slip up is gone. And with it, at least subconsciously, I’ve lost my drive to give my all. My mind has dulled, and I find myself failing to push my limits.

Actually, it’s hard to describe it properly, and despite my efforts to fix it, I find myself at a loss. It’s not like it’s ruining my plans, but it’s still something I need to consider.

“This is what I expect of my minions,” I tell Maya, who’s been watching from the sidelines.

She did say she wanted to become my minion to get free items, didn’t she? I can’t help but enjoy watching her expression as she witnesses Vega’s assault on Tacita.

At this point in the fight, Vega is tired. She’s expended a decent chunk of her mana, and her body’s been injured by her own careless manipulation of kinetic energy and mana. My minion is bleeding from her eye too. A faint golden circle etched in her iris.

Yet she continues to push herself, improving at a terrifying speed, not a speck of her aggression has been expended, and her attacks retain their enthusiasm.

I think Maya, and the twins, and a few of the other members of our group are starting to be surprised that I’ve let things get this far. After all, I summoned Vega to have a nice time and share my favorite food with her, like I promised back on the 5th Floor.

Instead, here she is now. Stumbling, injured under the weight of her own powers, her tiny hand barely holding on to her dagger.

The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

But my minion is smiling.

Vega seems to be having fun right now, learning things from Tacita that I could never teach her. So in the end, I can’t stop her, because it’s something she wants to do.

I wait for her to stumble, on the verge of collapse, before I move in to catch her before she hits the ground. And before I can stand, Tacita’s vanished, leaving me to look at this silly minion of mine. She’s breathing heavily lying in my arms and trembling from the pain of her wounds.

“Did you have fun?” I ask as I take her over to Lily.

“Yes!” Vega says, nodding as her brow furrows, “But that human touched my horns, master! And I couldn’t hear her heart at all. Is she sick?”

I respond in an attempt to answer my confused minion, “We humans don’t care about hearts quite as much as demons do, minion. As far as we’re concerned, they’re little more than hearts. And I think she has a skill or trait for the purpose of hiding it.”

“Humans are weird, master. But not you! You feel more like a real demon! Thank you for letting me have fun.”

“Yes yes, but you should lower your barrier now, okay? Lily’s going to heal you, so be nice.”

“I will…” Even as dissatisfied as she is, she complies, and Lily touches her for a few seconds, closing her wounds, and leaving my minion refreshed as all the pain disappears.

Confused, Vega blinks a few times and looks at Lily while mumbling, “I will really have to get a healer of my own...”

“Thank you, Lily,” I say, in my ungrateful minion’s place.

“No problem! Vega’s very cool, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen such a brave young half demon.” Lily says trying to be sneaky, though it’s easy to see through her intentions.

There is no way my minion will fall for that.

When I look down, Vega’s face seems normal. Her expression is neutral and her eyes full of curiosity. Yet I can feel her heartbeat quicken.

“Just a few years and she might be able to beat Tacita with ease,” Lily says.

The half-demon’s tiny heart beats even quicker, and I can see how hard she works not to smile.

Minion…

----------------------------------------

Once inside our house, Vega looks around full of curiosity. She seems to like the furniture; even the smallest things are new to her. But most of all, she enjoys sweets I saved up from my shopping spree. She seems especially fascinated by the smartphone.

“Master! What kind of item is this, did you make it?” She asks while holding the phone gazing at the picture I took of her.

“It’s a device made on my planet. There was no magic or mana involved in its production.”

Vega shakes the phone, only to be surprised when the picture doesn’t fade. Though she drops it, surprised as the screen darkens, slipping into battery conservation mode.

I grab it before it can crash to the floor, “Don’t worry, you didn’t break anything. It also can’t hurt you.”

“That’s weird, master. Humans are weird.”

“I guess they are. Now smile,” I point the camera at her, ready to take another pic.

“I don’t want to, master. I already did it a lot of times! I even let you take a picture of me with your minions! I don’t…”

“One more of that fruity candy you liked. I hid it before you ate them all.”

Immediately she smiles brightly, and I take a picture. When I look at the screen, it’s indeed the best one yet.

“Good job, minion,” I say, and pull the candy from my pocket and give it to her. Though this time, she takes care not to bite into the wrapping, carefully extricating the sweet before consuming it with joy.

“I’m worried about you, minion; It’s too easy to manipulate you with gifts,” I tell her.

“It’s only that way with master!”

“Sure.”

“It is!”

“You took sweets from Tess, Lily, and Maya. You even let them pinch your cheeks and hug you.”

“Master always said to get as much as possible from dumb people! I gained amazing items in exchange for that short hug. I scammed them!”

“That’s true, minion, but did you even think to ask for more?”

“More?” she asks, tilting her head.

“Yes, more. You accepted the first offer they gave you, but you should always ask for more, go back and forth, and meet somewhere in the middle. Watch.” I say turning to Lily. “You gave Vega one candy for a ten-second hug. Wouldn’t you pay three times that for the same hug?”

“Yes!” Lily answers happily.

Minion seems to be shocked, “N-no way.”

“It’s you who got scammed, minion. You might be cunning, but my group is full of weirdos, so you can’t let your guard down.”

“What should I do now, master?”

“Well, if someone scams you with the intention to hurt you, you can hurt them back; that much is obvious. If you were stronger, I would tell you to beat Lily and others, but as you are now, you would lose.”

“I could stab them when they aren’t looking or prepare an exploding orb for them!”

“That would be going too far. I know you don’t care about them, but they’re members of my group.”

“Nat, your disciple is a bit extreme. I’m not sure if I can get you to accept me as your minion like this,” Maya sighs from the couch, nomming on our snacks as always.

“That’s the problem with you. Why would I accept you as a minion with such poor resolve, right, Vega?”

“Yes! Her heart is also weak!”

“Little demon, why are you so obsessed with hearts?" Maya asks. "Why do demons like them so much?”

I catch a glimpse of the annoyance on Vega’s face before she puts on the fake smile again, “I’m half demon and half human. And a stronger heart means a stronger demon,” she says as if that should explain everything.

“Demons are usually born with a 4th trait, most of the time it is some sort of modification to their heart. The stronger the heart, the stronger the demon and they seem to prefer being around strong people,” I say, explaining to Maya and the others listening in.

“What if there is someone powerful without a strong heart?” Maya asks, teasing my minion.

But Vega doesn’t hesitate, stating that “You can’t become truly powerful without having a strong heart.” as if it were a fact.

I leave them to their fight walking into the kitchen with Sophie, Izzy, and the twins. Izzy tried to make friends with my minion, but after no end of trying, she left, tired.

“So what was the problem, Izzy? You can be honest with me.” I ask, stopping next to her.

The 11-year-old empath sighs before responding, “I had to stop using my skill around her. She is constantly ready for an attack, and I keep feeling spikes of anger from her. She’s probably imagining methods for attacking us.”

“Isn’t that normal? I used to do that all the time.”

“Yes,” Izzy agrees. “But it was much harder to detect from you! I’m at a higher level than her, so I can feel a lot even without trying. I need to level up my skill and improve my control.”

Sophie puts her hand on her sister’s shoulder and continues in her place, “Vega doesn’t trust us at all. Whenever you’re not in the room, she puts on that fake smile. And it’s almost creepy how nice she is when you are there, then she borders on clingy.”

Well, it’s not like I can refute that. She might be even more picky with people than I am. She’s reluctant to trust anyone other than me, and she only seems to respect people on the stronger end of the spectrum. Plus, Vega isn’t human, so can we even judge her with our normal human thinking?

I wave a quick goodbye and head back to my minion, who’s sitting in my armchair and poking at the armrest.

“Minion, let’s check on wolfy.”

Immediately her uninterested expression changes, a smile blooming across her face.

Dealing with other people is so much work. The trouble I’m having with Tess. Lily and her insecurities. Min-Jae and his delinquent phase. My minion, clinging to me, even as she sees the others as bugs. And right when I thought that most of my troubles were over, new ones popped up almost immediately.

Walking outside, I absent-mindedly reach down, ruffle Vega’s hair, and prod her tiny, prickly horns.

Vega smiles at me, and I can’t help but think about how different her response is. Not that long ago, she was willing to stab Tacita just for touching them.