“Of course if you could manage to convince her I would not say no.” Beira continued. “But I was thinking about something else. You defeated Mantus and I heard you took possession of the body. Demons carry a lot of power and they can mix with humans. His body and blood would be very interesting to study. Of course, your own blood would be welcome too.” She added with a smile.

I had a feeling she did not seriously expect anyone to agree to give her their own blood. Or maybe she wanted to build a connection first before she really tried.

“That is an interesting proposal. What would you offer for some of Mantus' blood? Also, what exactly are you working on?”

Her eyes light up at the question. “The world is filled with magical creatures. Take a dragon, for example. All of them have magic and all of them grow more powerful in time. Yes, there are differences in strength. But they are not limited, like humans. There is no ordinary dragon.”

After a short pause she continued. “Most humans are weak and yet some of us wield incredible power. Clearly there is potential that just needs to be unlocked. With power also comes a longer life. Imagine if we could have an Empire ruled by ancient wizards! All the wonders we could build, the discoveries we would make…”

And all the nations they could conquer. All the people they would enslave.

“So what would happen if you found a way to make humans more magical? Who would have access to it?” I asked.

“That is of course an important question. If you were willing to help I would share my research with you. While I focus on humans there would be nothing stopping you from adapting my work to elves, or beastkin. Personally I would use it to strengthen the imperial bloodline, ensure power in my own children and share the work with my allies. I can not disclose which nobles support me, you understand.”

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“And how would this whole empowerment work?” Lucy asked.

“Well, most likely it would be in the form of a potion, possibly combined with a ritual. There are essentially two things that I am working on. One, to increase the power of an existing individual. And two, to make sure that the power is passed onto future generations. The second part is the more important one. I have no illusions of turning a regular person into an archmage. I am mostly looking to make sure that proper dynasties of magic exist.”

I assumed that this was not the pitch most of her investors got. She was probably telling some rich people she could give them powers.

“Simply put, you are trying to find out why two dragons will always have a child with magic. But two human wizards might have an ordinary child.” Lucy stated.

“Yes! Also, why is sorcerous power inherited and not a wizard's power? It is frustrating how much the nobility values their lineage, yet they don’t seem to care what is actually passed on.” She shook her head.

I had a feeling this world did not know much about genetics. And I had no intention of sharing that information with Beira. Then again, was magical power even genetic? Was it tied to the soul? How did a soul work anyway?

“So back to your proposal. You will share your findings in exchange for Mantus’ remains? What if your research fails? That sounds like a gamble to me.” I was not really interested in furthering her plans. But maybe we could use this to get more information on what was happening in the Empire.

She looked a bit irritated. “My research will not fail. It might take some time but I will succeed. I am also proposing a long term partnership, not a simple exchange. You see, between my research and the duties of a court mage I am very busy. I have little time to travel. You are strong. You could easily procure more samples for me. Any powerful magical creature that can procreate with humans would be helpful.”

That caught me off guard. If she really wanted a long term partnership she would need peace between the Empire and the Dominion. I also hoped she was not breeding sorcerers. The procreate part might just be because it meant their powers were compatible with humans.

“You know, I think we really need to talk about recent events first. You seem to be no friend of the inquisition. But your research sounds like demons would be good subjects to study. Have you used them?” I asked.

Beira hesitated. “Yes, I have summoned demons. But only weak ones. The problem is, if you summon them to experiment on the demon lords take notice. While they might not be able to enter our world easily they also do not forget. I do not wish for me and my dynasty to be hunted. If there is any connection to the inquisition… I do not know. My work might have given them ideas.”