A good day for a date
“Tell me, my dear little Abaddon, have you heard about the game of chess?” The black dragon asked the circling around cloud of smoke. Currently, they both sat in Tetra’s private library. Even though it lacked the grandness of his own, all of the few storage high shelves packed to the brim with scrolls and books had to be enough for him. Sadly, for the most part, they contained knowledge that was useless to him, and any spell that could have been learned from them was already in his arsenal. Though he kept on searching in hopes of finding anything that he could make use of. “No, of course not. How could you? Forgive me for asking such a trivial question. However, lately there have been three pieces that have lingered in my mind.” The black dragon bent down to grab a bunch of pebbles that littered the ground. It pained his heart to see it in such a state. The wooden shelves were more than ready to break in half at any given second. Cobwebs and dust covered the books, biting into them for so long that most of them had lost their true colors, and it was clear that this was one of the rooms that had not been often visited by its residents.
“Namely, the pawn, queen and king.” He placed all six pebbles on a small, old table that missed one leg and barely stood in place. The dragon then carved out a ‘P’ in four of them. “Pawn, a common soldier who can only move on forward until death. And while they can become something much grander, in the end, they are stepping stones towards a greater goal. Luckily for us, my dear little Abbadon, with four of them, we should be able to reach our goal.”
“Then the king.” He took another pebble, and this one ended with a carved-out ‘K’. “Truly the most important piece of all. Should he so happen to find himself in a position with no escape, it’s all over. And his importance hinders him, being able to only move one step at a time… Honestly, he reminds me of you in your current situation.”
“And finally, the queen.” One last pebble ended with a carved-out ‘Q’. “The most powerful piece of them all. Capable of striking down anyone, her loss can often be detrimental and turn the tide. As we are now, we are lacking our queen; however, I reckon it should change soon enough.”
“Of course they are meaningless pieces of wood without someone to make proper moves with them.” The black dragon picked up all six ‘pieces’ and threw them across the room. They scattered all around, and the cloud stared blankly at the demon. Before he could say anything towards it, someone knocked on the doors of the library, and soon after, they opened with a creak, and the sound of hooves echoed through the room.
“Ah, I expected to see you there.” Berith stopped just after taking a few steps from the exit. While he was curious as to why their guest would spent so much time in this long forsaken room, he was glad that, at the very least, he caused no ruckus and put everything back into its place. Even if they themselves were no longer sure which book and scroll went where. “I hope I am not interrupting your studies, although there is one favor I’d like you to ask.”
“I’m all ears general."
“I, along with Alraune, will have to make our leave soon. Keeping up our facade is quite time-consuming, as you can tell. Hence, I’d like to ask you, along with Adramelech and Flauros, to keep an eye on our castle. I hope I can trust you this much.”
“It would be my pleasure. But general, if you could just wait a little longer. There is one thing that I would love to discuss with all of you. A plan was born in my head, and I need your judgment on it.” Berith had to think about it for a while. Just what could their guest come up with? A curious fella he was, and maybe listening to his plan could prove to be beneficial for them? Still, they had to keep him at arm's length. There was no reason to let their guard around him. And he still had to prove himself as a proper soldier. Perhaps this could be the occasion.
“Very well then. I believe that a few minutes could be spared. Meet us in the meeting room in a short while.” Berith made his exit, not noticing the grin that grew on the dragon’s face.
“Of course general, and thank you.” His idea would be one they wouldn’t be able to refuse. And he is going to make sure of that
As Tetra was about to arrange their meeting with the mysterious black dragon, Beatrice’s household was no less lively this morning. The blonde angel was busy filling in raptors and responding to mails, while Lilim tasked herself with preparing breakfast under the guidance of Alice. Though soon it turned out to be unnecessary as the succubus was doing a decent job at not burning toast or sausages. Though seeing how quickly the black-haired demon was done preparing her own portion, Alice jokingly called it lightly warm bread with still-living sausage.
“Look, I’m hungry, and I’m not going to starve while waiting for all of it to cool down.”
“Sure, sure. At least make sure that the water is boiled.”
“Al, have some trust in me. I know how to make coffee. Though are you sure the kettle has enough water for two coffees and a tea?”
“Yes, it can fit in more than it looks. I’ve learned the hard way to fill it nearly to the brim rather than not. Who would have thought that running a kettle with no water would be such a bad idea.” That explained the one rather burned side of the kettle. Why they still ran the gas kettle, succubus didn’t know. Or even the gas stove to begin with. Constant replacing of the gas bottle seemed like a bother. Still, she guessed that this was better than the old clay ones that she was used to. Way too easy to burn oneself while being careless, and she would never trust one anymore. She had to throw out one dress by such mistake.
“Preparing meals together—I've heard that’s what couples do.” Alice said dreamily as she took out both her and Beatrice’s toast from the toaster as Lilim was flipping the remaining sausages to the other side.
“Well, we are one, so I’d say that this fits. Al, could you turn off the kettle?” After a short while afterwards, the whole breakfast was ready, and the house was filled with its delicious smell. “Hey mama bear, breakfast is ready!” Lilim called out to the older woman, who was still busy filling in the necessary paperwork.
"Lilim, for the love of, can you stop calling me that?”
“Then how about future mother-in-law?”
“Lilim, I beg you. It’s eight in the morning, and I have work to do. I really do not have time or energy to deal with your antics. You can start without me; I’ll join you soon.”
“Sure, whatever you say.” The succubus said as she was munching on her lightly warm bread. “Hey, Al, how about we go somewhere after breakfast? It would be a shame to waste our last free day sitting in the house.” Their short break, or ‘free days’ as Lilim called it, was nothing more than a reward from Tvardovsky for dealing with the black knight so soon and for getting him another test subject. Bishop Ezekiel also had his say in that, and from what Beatrice told them, he was positively surprised that they caught onto his disguise so soon. Alice decided to skip over the fact that she had just accidentally bumped into Clementine. Two days were given to them, and the half-angel’s wound probably contributed to that. Surprisingly enough, the green-eyed girl couldn’t wait for them to return from the break and continue their work. For reasons unknown to the succubus, she was eager, more so than usual, to train with her. The black-haired girl could only guess that their fight with Clementine and then with that assassin from Tetra probably had their play in it.
“I’d love to. But this time, no arsonists, knights, or assassins.”
“Then we will have to avoid the park. How about a nice stroll around the town’s square?” While she grew more and more accustomed to Znena with each passing day, she still didn’t know that many spots where they could hang out. Beside the park, there was Lady Pank, and maybe Alice’s old house could also be counted in. And all of them, save for the last one, were suited for more casual meetings. A date should be somewhere more special.
“Sounds lovely. We haven’t been there for quite some time. And while we are at it, we could also do some shopping and maybe go eat out? There is one great cafe that I’d like to show you.”
“I’m all for it. And then maybe go to the lake to watch the sun set. After all, our first ‘date’ was there. And as for night-” Lilim quickly shut her mouth as she saw Beatrice approach them. “I’ll tell you later.”
“What are you girls chatting about?” Beatrice asked as she took her mug with ‘#1 mom’ written on it and sat down. “If only you were so energetic during a normal day…On a second thought, keep it as it is.” She eyed the succubus, who pretended to not hear that. The blonde-haired angel could feel getting a headache while imagining Lilim teasing her with twice the energy she already had. A hell on earth.
“We are thinking about going out, and could I ask you one thing?” Alice received a nod from Beatrice and continued. “Could you tell me where mom’s necklace is? I’d like to wear it today.”
“Unless someone has misplaced it, it should be in a box in my drawer. But I thought that you don’t like wearing jewelry?” Now that Lilim thought about it, Beatrice seemed to have a point. She had never seen the half-angel wear any earrings or necklaces, let alone a ring. Even in her room, there was nothing.
“I-uh. It is a special occasion, so…”
“She’s dressing up nicely for a date.” Lilim managed to say between chewing her warm bread and still living sausage.
“Oh, just make sure that she will be home before ten.”
“Ten? Beatrice I’m nineteen. Can I stay a little bit longer?”
“Yes, unless you want to train early in the morning. You think that I don’t know about you sneaking out as the sun rises to train.”
“That was only once.”
“Once since Lilim joined. And what about the previous ones?”
“Come on, Beatrice, I’m a big girl. Something like that won’t hurt me.”
“This won’t, but not getting enough rest and casting spells above your aura will.” The succubus decided to join in between this ‘mother-daughter’ spat. Frankly, she would have preferred if Alice stayed one more day at home, but once she set her mind on doing something, there was no way to talk her out of it. Especially when it came to training.
“Lilim, on whose side are you on?”
“Al.” Beatrice sighed.
“Ugh, fine, mom. I’ll be home by ten…What?” The half-angel asked as she noticed a bright smile on the older woman’s face. “Did I say anything funny?”
“No, no. I just love when you call me mom.” The blonde-haired woman replied with an even brighter smile than before and hugged the younger girl with one arm.
“Not in front of my girlfriend, please.” While it wasn’t like Alice did not enjoy the affection that Beatrice had given her, she had to say that it was a slightly bit embarrassing that she was acting just like a typical mom in front of her significant other. Teenage embarrassment be damned.
After breakfast, Lilim tasked herself with cleaning the plates while Alice and Beatrice were in the latter’s room, looking for the necklace. The ginger-haired girl checked the small bedside cabinet, and at the very bottom, after rummaging through the rest, she found a small, blue velvet box. Opening it, she saw the very same white gold necklace with a cross that her mother used to wear. Even after all of these years, it never lost its shine and was just as beautiful as Alice had remembered it. Placing it back into the box, she returned to her room.
“Beatrice, could you help me clasp this necklace?” Alice called out just a few minutes later. Beatrice just finished making her bed and went over to the younger girl’s room. The half-angel sat by her small table, the mirror finally uncovered, trying her best to clasp the necklace by herself.
“Just sit still and…done.” The older woman said as Alice took a good, long look in the mirror at herself.
“So, how do I look?” The green-eyed girl stood up and turned to face the angel. Today she decided to wear a long white skirt with a lime yellow stripe going through the entire bottom, paired with a long-sleeved mint shirt. Her ginger hair was let loose like always, and the cross necklace calmly rested on her chest as if it always belonged here. After getting called an ‘ice roulade’ by Lilim, she preferred to stay with her everyday colors.
“You look great sweetie.” Beatrice complimented her as the half-angel went to show herself to Lilim. The succubus in question was not in her usual white dress but in the black and red attire that Alice bought for her, seemingly ready to leave. Noticing the half-angel, the black-haired demon whistled.
“Al, you should dress up more like that.”
“Stop it; you will make me blush.”
“Anyway, are you ready to go?” Lilim asked as she extended her arm towards the younger girl, who, after making sure that she had everything essential in her purse, took it with pleasure, intertwining their fingers.
“Lead the way, prince.” Succubus’ own cheeks turned a little red after hearing that. Swiftly, she opened the doors, letting the cold air into the house.
“Al, put on your coat!” Beatrice called out from her room.
“Okay, mom.” Alice grabbed her light-beige coat from the hanger and swiftly put it on. They left the apartment, and Beatrice was left in silence.
"Ah, Anastasia, if only you could see how our little girl has grown up.” The blonde angel said dreamily as she returned to her paperwork. For some reason, Tvardovsky was in a hurry to find old measures of a certain aura that was spotted in the mountains and needed a little help with going through all of the old documentation. And she just happened to be one of the few ‘chosen ones’ as he called them. Honestly, she doubted that they could find anything that wasn’t already in his office. Still, if it was a matter important enough to worry him, then it was worth checking.
Both girls were walking down the street, their arms linked, taking in the beauty of still-morning Znena. As always, the streets were lively; however, today they seemed extremely so. Lilim had never seen such a crowd. People both old and young, men and women, all dressed in all kinds of outfits despite the colder weather, were passing them by, either going to work, shops, schools, or simply everywhere. The roads were no different either. Cars of all brands, shapes, sizes, and colors had just barely managed to not create a traffic, sounds of their engines caring through the town. Even the buildings themselves were more vibrant than she remembered. As they slowly approached the ‘old town’ part of Znena, all of the old houses presented themselves in all of their old glory. Creating quite a contrast to the more modern apartments and skyscrapers as well as the not-so-renovated old buildings far from the center, their lively colors bringing out the true heart of the town. And to think a town like this could become such a honeypot for demons.
Right now, on their way towards the town square, they were passing by myriads of shops and displays. Alice wanted for them to participate in what she called window-shopping. A simple idea that quickly won Lilim over. The half-angel stopped by the jewelry shop, giving a glance towards the golden rings, earrings, and necklaces that were far too expensive for her budget. All of their complex designs and the finest gems that they were finished with were surely a treat for the eyes. Succubus was looking from side to side until her eyes stopped at a familiar ring that she once saw. An orange topaz situated on a gold spiral ring. Why did it have to be so similar?
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“Looking at an engagement ring?” Alice teased as she saw Lilim stare at one of them with intrigue and curiosity in her blue eyes.
“Wha-? No, I was just…Ouch!” Not only was she lost for words, she slightly jumped back, hitting her head against the display glass. And just how was she supposed to tell that there was a similar ring that Alicia wore just before she…
“Hey, relax; I was simply joking. Jeez, what got you so jumpy?”
“Nothing…it’s nothing, really.” The succubus replied, massaging her forehead. The look in the half-angel’s eyes told her that the younger girl wasn’t buying what she said. Honestly, she couldn’t blame her. If the roles were reversed, she too wouldn’t buy it.
“Hey, Li.” Alice cupped the black-haired girl’s face and touched foreheads, her little emeralds staring into Lilim’s own sapphires. “Just for today, let us forget that we’re an angel and a succubus; about the demons, Tetra, assassins, ghosts of the past, scars, and whatever else bothers us. Just for today, we are two normal girls on a date. Can you promise me that?” Lilim didn’t know what to say. She didn’t expect Alice to propose this; however, she liked that idea. Yes, it would be nice. To pretend to be normal, just for a little while. She could get behind it.
“Y-yeah…Yeah, let’s do that.” Seeing the ginger-haired girl give her a cheerful smile full of warmth, the older girl could feel her pinks get a slight pinkish tint. The closeness of Alice to her face also might have played a part in it. "Also, Al, can you let go now? People are staring.” Alice quickly came back to her senses, let Lilim go, and muttered a small apology, to which the blue-eyed girl replied with a barely stifled chuckle.
From that point on, both girls continued their window shopping until they reached the very town square. At this hour, it wasn’t nearly as populated as usual, though it was still far from empty. The younger girl led them towards a small, blueish building that stood on the opposite entrance of the square, promptly named ‘Blue Cafe’. Lilim only hoped that the food wouldn't also be blue.
"And that’s the cafe I mentioned.” Alice said they took a seat at one of the many empty tables outside. It didn’t really seem like a popular place. There was already one menu on the table, which they decided to share. The younger girl decided to go with a raspberry cheesecake, and Lilim, seeing no better option, told her to get her the same. As Alice went inside the cafe to get their order, the older girl took a good, long glance at the town square. The rampart tower’s clock hands were slowly moving towards 11 a.m., the grand and gray fountain stood still, now a mere decoration, and the whole square was slowly emptying out. Then her gaze shifted towards other buildings. Yet another jewelry shop, one of many that stood there; a bank that was apparently a century old; a gift shop; a stationer's; and pretty much anything that could fit in there. And that was all topped off by buildings that were also at least a century old. Though her eyes were caught by one shop, or rather its display in particular. On it stood a beautiful wedding dress. A sudden thought came to her when she set her eyes on it—it being Alice in such a dress. Lilim quickly shook her head, aware of the slight blush that came with such a thought. It was too early for that, way too early.
“Sorry it took so long.” Alice’s soothing voice brought Lilim back to reality, and the younger woman placed her own plate before her. She had to give them credit; it looked exactly like in the photo. Double-layered yellowish sponge cake with pinkish cream cheese in the middle and topped with many raspberries. Why couldn’t Beatrice make such stuff from time to time? Though before she was able to dig into her piece, she noticed a fork dangling right before her.
“Lilim, say ahh.” Alice smiled as she continued to hold the fork with a piece of her own slice right before the older girl.
“Really Al?”
“Come on, I always wanted to do that.” The green-eyed girl replied with a pout, and Lilim just had to comply. Though getting spoon-fed by Alice was by no means a bad idea. This and the sweetness of the cheesecake made the black-haired girl feel like she was in heaven. Still savoring the piece, she had not noticed the younger girl prompting her to do the same. Quickly taking a piece of her own slice, Lilim held her fork right in front of Alice, who swiftly devoured the piece, not caring about savoring it.
“Slow down, or you will choke yourself.” Lilim said as the green-eyed girl took a great piece out of her slice and also devoured it, just like before. She had a sweet tooth; Lilim had to give her that. “Seriously, how can such a small mouth fit so much in it?”
“That’s nothing. When I was younger, I could fit an entire muffin. Though Beatrice did say that I looked like a hamster when doing so.” The blue-eyed girl chuckled at that.
“The more I learn about you, the more I realize that you were a handful during your youth.”
“I…was a difficult kid growing up; that much I can’t deny.” Alice replied, slightly embarrassed. Thank God that Lilim had not seen the photo album, especially the photos from the period when she was going through a certain ‘phase’. She would hear about it to no end if Lilim saw it. And to this day, she could recall a time when she told Beatrice that she didn’t consider the blonde angel as her mom. How much would she give to slap some sense into her younger self.
“Honestly, I have a hard time imagining that. What, were you all rebellious and stuff?” To her surprise, Alice nodded, albeit apprehensively. She did not expect that; however, now she knew that she had to ask Beatrice to let her see any photo albums that they had. There had to be at least one photo of rebellious Alice, and she was not going to miss it. The mental image of that caused her to chuckle, which soon turned into stifled laughter.
“Yeah, yeah, sure. Come one, laugh.” Alice, frankly speaking, was used to such reactions. The very same thing happened when she showed the picture to Veronica of all people. And that’s how she learned to never do it again. The fact that Veronica also took a quick photo of that did not help either.
“Sorry, sorry, it’s just that all black doesn’t suit you.” The older girl replied, still snickering at what her mind showed her.
“How did you know it was black?”
“Call it a woman's intuition. Though I admit it, I might have gone through something similar. My mom also didn’t have it easy with me.”
“Speaking of your mom, have you made up your mind on what you plan to do?”
“Ah, about that…frankly I haven’t thought about that since then. And honestly, I just can’t see what would be the best course of action. On one hand, I’d like to repair our relationship, but on the other hand, it’s not like she made an effort either.” Lilim replied, looking rather troubled. The black-haired girl deep inside felt like leaving the matter alone would be the best. It was an awful solution, but the best one she could think of. Still, leaving it like that…it just felt wrong.
“Seriously, what caused you to get on such bad terms?”
“The main problem is that this happened so long ago that neither of us really remember what it was about, but neither is ready to admit to a fault.” The blue-eyed girl was glad that she inherited the stubbornness of her mother; however, in situations like those, she would have preferred to have none of that.
“Huh? Then for how long have you been like that?”
“Since the 90s, I think?”
“Wow, pretty much over a decade…” Alice had a hard time imagining that. The longest she ever stayed mad at Beatrice, not counting that one time, was a week straight. To think such a thing could drag on for so long. Something really awful must have happened. Perhaps she shouldn’t have dug around on the matter.
“Decade? Oh! No, no. I meant the 1590s.” Lilim looked at the younger girl with a deadpan. The ginger, on the other hand, looked like her eyes were about to pop out of their sockets.
“Lilim?”
“Yes?”
“How old are you?”
“Al, you know it’s rude to ask a woman about her age."
“A-anyway…” Alice cleared her throat. “Would you fancy going shopping with me? I’ve been planning to buy myself some warm clothes, and we might even find something for you. And there might or may not be a sale in the shopping center…” She added while fidgeting with her fingers.
"Aight, that sounds fine to me. But you should have told me sooner; I would’ve taken my money. I proposed it after all.”
“Don’t worry. It’s not like I spend that much money on myself, so I think my budget will survive something like that from time to time.”
“Whatever you say, but next time, it’s on me, ‘kay?”
“Sure prince. So then, why don’t we go? It is only like a few good minutes from here.”
“I see no reason not to. And I might as well burn these calories. A girl like me has to keep fit.” In response, she heard a small chuckle coming from the green-eyed girl.
“Lilim, for all of the running, flying, and casting that you have been doing, you could lay on the couch and feed on nothing but pizza and you still wouldn’t gain weight.”
“You know, we might have to test that one day. But only if you will agree to join me.”
“I’ll think about that. Let me just return the plates, and we can go.” Alice took both empty plates and returned them back to the cafe. Afterwards, hand in hand, both girls took a stroll towards the shopping center. Alice chose a road that led through the edge of a much smaller park, not too far from the lake. There was a small, old wooden bridge that crossed through a calm river. The said river went all the way to the sea and began all the way far beyond the Red Mountains. What Znena had was but a small offshoot of it, the main body going slightly to the north end of the town. Soon enough, the old tenement houses ended, and more modern houses rose. Along with them, Lilim noticed a few storages high center.
Entering through the automatic glass doors, black-haired girl's eyes were blasted by all too bright LED lamps that decorated all of the shop banners, making sure that whoever came in just had to stare at their displays. And there was everything. Clothes, electronics, small convenient stores, book shops, shops with furniture, and whatever else could fit in. To think that was just on the first floor. Still, the worst just had to be a crowd that was almost suffocating. To say that Lilim wasn’t in her element would be an understatement. She thanked that Alice was with her; otherwise, she would be bound to get lost here.
“Is it your first time in a shopping center?” Alice asked, seeing how the older girl was trying her best to not get lost in the crowd and how her eyes darted from shop to shop.
“I always tried to stay away from humans, so go figure.”
“Don’t worry, the shop I’m looking for should be just around the corner.” Right before Lilim knew it, they stopped right before the pitch black wall, a rather massive glass window behind which the display was filled to the brim with mannequins dressed in all black, and it was all complete with a violet neon sign that spelled “Night Lover”. An interesting name for sure. Though Lilim blinked twice upon seeing the display. There was no way that Alice was going to buy that, right? Beatrice would probably try to exorcize her if she showed in anything from the display. Though seeing Alice in that one crop top with fishnet sleeves... No! Bad thoughts! Bad!
“L-Look, I know it doesn’t look too promising, but trust me, it is a great shop.” Alice tried to reassure her, not knowing the actual reason as to why the blue-eyed girl was glancing with such intensity at the display. “I used to come here with the girls. It has great prices and really high-quality clothes. And if you see anything that you might like, feel free to try it.” Saying that, both girls entered the shop.
The insides weren’t anything like Lilim expected. Beside all of the black clothes, there were quite a number of choices. Casual clothes, ones already for winter, some leftovers of summer ones, a bunch of absolutely cute ones that would look great on Alice, and even a few white dresses similar to her own, albeit much more tight from the look of it. Maybe she might find something for herself.
“Now where was it…” Alice muttered completely to herself, entirely focused on finding something. She was completely oblivious to the curious stare that Lilim was giving her as she was going from section to section, with the older girl following her. “Aha! There it is!” She quickly snatched something from one of the hangers and turned around to show it to Lilim. A dark-green turtleneck sweater. The older girl couldn’t say that she didn’t expect such a choice.
“You sure like green.” She sighed. Though before she added anything, her gaze got caught by a rather unusual item in the shop. On the wall to their left were sticking out many small wooden bars on which glasses were hung. Though, what were they doing in a clothes shop? Shouldn’t they be provided by someone who knows a little bit more about eyes than a normal shopkeeper?
“Want to try them on?” The ginger-haired girl asked.
“Why would I? I have perfect eyesight."
“Those are fashion glasses, you dummy. They have nothing to do with correcting your sight. Oh, try these on!” The younger girl handed her black, thick-framed glasses. Lilim, while still unsure about them not being the proper ones, put them on. It felt weird having something like that on her face. She went to have a look in a nearby mirror. Honestly, she didn’t look half bad. Though the black-haired girl doubted that they would go well in her casual dress, in her current clothes, they fit surprisingly well.
“They look great on you! I knew it.” Alice complemented her, those green eyes sparkling upon seeing Lilim’s reflection.
“Hon, it was you who said I’d look great in anything, so don’t act surprised.” Lilim replied, taking off the glasses and handing them to the ginger-haired girl. “So is it all, or are you looking for something more?” Her blue eyes shifted toward the dark green sweater.
“Well~” At this point, Lilim knew that it might take a while. And an hour and a half later, her speculations were confirmed. In that span of time, Alice also got herself three more T-shirts, a pair of white and blue pants, and a dark green cardigan. Lilim, on the other hand, spotted a red and black scarf and a light blue shirt that complimented her eyes. Or so Alice said anyway. Finally done with the shopping, both girls decided to take a break in the park. There were still a few good hours before evening, and they could grab something for lunch on their way home. Beatrice probably wasn’t home anyway, and neither of them really felt like making anything for lunch today. Though now that Alice has thought about it, she could teach Lilim a recipe or two. Sitting on a small bench, the younger girl allowed herself to rest her head on the blue-eyed girl’s shoulder and closed her eyes.
“I wish we could have normal days like this more often.” Lilim said as she put her hand on Alice’s shoulder, snuggling her closer to herself.
“I’m sure that in the future we will.”
“I hope you are right.” Lilim knew that she had promised Alice not to be bothered by ghosts of the past today; however, one memory seemed to resurface to her upon hearing those words. Alicia used to say those same words to her. She, too, hoped for a peaceful life. For a world where people and demons don’t have to live in fear and hatred of one another. Lilim balled her hand into a fist. No matter what, she wasn’t going to commit the same mistake again. Not this time.
Deep inside the stronghold hidden in the mountains, the whole Tetra sat bewildered upon hearing their mysterious guest idea. Sitting by the round table, the black dragon kept his grin as his yellow eyes went from face to face, waiting for their reaction. The plan was simple, even barbaric. Though seeing the puzzled looks they’ve been giving him even since he started talking, perhaps it was too simple.
“Well then, dear count, what do you have to say?” The black dragon finally decided to ask upon receiving no clear answer, his eyes drilling right into Berith’s soul.
“That is, hmm, quite an intriguing idea that you have come up with; however, I am afraid we will not be able to carry it through.”
“Oh? And why would that be, if I may ask?”
“Our shortage of manpower is already quite crippling for the moment. And a task like this would require only the finest. Sadly, we cannot risk losing the remaining few that we have.”
“Berith is right. While it would be a decimating strike, we simply are not prepared yet to execute it.” Alraune added. The black dragon looked at them with wide eyes and let out something akin to a choke. Then there was another one, which was swiftly followed by a chuckle. Before they knew it, the chuckle turned into a full-blown laughter, and the dragon was not shy to show his razor-sharp fangs while also slamming his fist against the table, his claws leaving marks and his strength leaving cracks, shocking the rest.
“Ahaha! Aha, eh.” The dragon calmed down after a short while. “General, I hope you will forgive me for my antics; however, I cannot act in any other way when I hear the young blooded demons utter such words. You say you only need the finest ones and that you cannot risk their lives. And here I ask, what about you? Aren’t you the finest demons here? Capable of seeing through such a task?”
“Aren’t you forgetting yourself, dragon? You want us to dirty our hands with something like that?” Adramelech finally chipped in. Honestly, he shouldn’t have invited him in the first place. He spent a few good days with them and thinks that he can boss them around? Demons like him irritated him the most. If he wasn’t as strong as he seemed, he would throw him out at a moment's notice.
“Adramelech.” Berith sent the peacock a stern gaze that quickly shut him up. “While we could carry out such thing ourselves, if we want for our plan to succeed, we cannot expose ourselves at such an early stage. Especially not with something that could easily be seen as a declaration of war.”
“In addition, anything of the sort would attract the attention of the archeress. And even in her current, weakened state, she would prove to be a challenging adversary. Sadly, I conclude, it is too early for us to commit such an act.”
“And who said it has to be a declaration or a fight against a mighty opponent? No, no. It is something much, much simpler. A simple act of showing them that no matter what, they cannot feel safe. Seed fear into them. If you plan to break their defenses, you will have to break their spirits first. A tale as old as the world itself.”
“A much simpler reasoning than I thought, I have to give you this much. However-”
“General, what is there to ponder about? We have a perfect opportunity for that, and it would be a shame to waste it. And think about it: wouldn’t seeing the four powerful and well-known demons show their might and will to reclaim land once lost inspire others to join your cause?”
“A risky move with a lot to earn…” Alraune trailed off, thinking about what the dragon said. Indeed, it could lead to other demons seeing what they are capable of. After all, for most, might was all that mattered.
“A gambit, so to speak.”
“Hmph, very well then. Tonight we shall discuss the idea further and, if positive, commit to it immediately. However, I hope you are aware that you are staking your head on this, are you?” Berith sent the grinning dragon a cold glare. He seemed weirdly confident in what he was saying. Indeed, it was a simple plan, though the addition of the archeress in the quotation did complicate it slightly. Could it be that he was prepared for such a thing?
“General, I have no doubts in my heart that it will be carried on successfully, and I, together with my dear little Abbadon, will make sure of it. Though there is one plea I would have. Try not to beat up the troublesome angel and the succubus too much. I have my plan for them, and there is a great chance that the succubus will see our case and join us.” By the curious looks he got from his listeners, the black dragon knew he had won them over with that information. After all, that demon was a valuable resource capable of turning the tide. Especially in Abbadon’s case. As the four castellans left, with Berith and Arlaune bidding them farewell for now, the black dragon returned to the library.
“Prepare yourself, Abbadon; a long night is before us.”