"Their lifespans growing shorter?" Murphy echoed the words involuntarily. Indeed, if the Holy Maidens were dying younger and younger, even natural causes would start to look fishy. It seemed likely that this was the reason behind the dukes raising their banners.
"What about now?" Murphy pressed Old Mel for more. If things were following the same pattern, the Southern territory would be next in line to suffer.
"It's vacant," Melrose said with a smile. "Had it not been for this rebellion, they’d have likely appointed the new Holy Maiden by now."
"Why not someone from the South? I heard the Southern Duke is pretty much the king’s yes-man."
"These matters can't be resolved with mere obedience," Melrose scoffed. "This generation in the South lacks eligible young women, not to mention young men. They're probably on the brink of extinction."
"If the mantle of Holy Maiden bypasses the South and goes to the East..." Murphy started, but Melrose cut him off, "Then the East would firmly side with the West and North, tightening the noose around the king’s domain."
"Precisely."
"So the Holy Maiden's seat remains unfilled? This thing really isn’t essential?"
"It should be essential, but what maneuvers Ramista and his cohort are pulling, I truly don't know."
"I see," Murphy mused. "It’s tough to swallow, isn’t it? Even common folk struggle to bite their tongues when kin die under mysterious circumstances, never mind dukes at the pinnacle of human authority. Raising an army in outrage seems pretty standard fare."
"And now for my final question—" Murphy's tone lightened considerably, "Could I get the scoop on the size of the previous hero’s party?"
An odd look flickered across Melrose's face.
"I just want to gauge what team might come knocking ten years hence... I mean, if seventy or ninety high-level burly men waltz into my demon realm, declaring themselves the ‘Hero's Party’, only to ransack the place and corner me for a beatdown in my own palace, to whom do I lodge a complaint?" Murphy justified.
"If that's the case, no harm in telling you. The hero herself included, her party consisted of five: two men and three women," Melrose continued, "History suggests hero parties number between three to five, considering there's only a handful in the entire kingdom with talents close to the hero."
"That’s a relief," Murphy feigned wiping his brow, "Just as long as my demon realm doesn’t get turned into some sort of get-rich-quick scheme for a bunch of goody-two-shoes."
"Well then," the old mage drained his cup, "Mr. Demon Lord, if there are no further inquiries today, this old man must return to the capital. There’s a heap of business awaiting my attention."
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"Old Mel, take care on your way back," Murphy said cheerily. Today's exchange had given him juicy insider info, a decade-long question-and-answer machine, and further reinforced his belief that Melrose’s life was now fully dedicated to his experiments, growing indifferent to human emotion. Murphy speculated that perhaps a fair price could sway him to switch sides and join the demon army one day.
Murphy's face radiated warmth as he rose from his high-back chair and scurried after the elderly wizard, "Let me see you out. Drop in for a chat anytime, old friend."
"You do flatter me, Mr. Demon Lord," came the tepid reply from Old Mel.
Escorting the senior at a snail's pace towards the exit, Murphy chirped, "What are you saying? We're practically family…"
The pair, exuding warmth like long-lost chums, made their way to the mansion's entrance. Connor, the temporary guard, did a double-take at this unexpected camaraderie.
"Teach... are you alright?" Connor uttered, his composure fraying.
"I'm fine," Melrose glanced at his disciple and sensed Murphy close behind, "The matter's resolved. It was all a big misunderstanding."
"Misunderstanding?" Connor gaped in bewilderment but then caught sight of the mage girl peeking from behind Murphy.
"Teacher, his household harbors a demon communication portal!" he accused.
"Merely a blunder from a magical experiment," Melrose dismissed. "Under my supervision, it has been thoroughly eradicated. Mr. Murphy here is an old friend I hadn’t seen in years – just didn't recognize him at first."
"But what about the kid?" Connor pointed at Pepe, who revealed nothing but her head. "She wields dark magic."
"What dark magic?" Melrose's face darkened, "Your training is still lacking. What she uses is clearly a specialized form of water elemental magic, albeit a bit too powerful."
"Master, but she summons indiscernible undead creatures!"
Melrose's patience seemed to sear away, "There you go embarrassing yourself when it's really just your attacks are too feeble. Come along with me, you're grounded for a month. Use that time to practice your enhancement spells."
Confronted with Melrose's retort, Connor fell silent, his inner conviction waning under the spell of his mentor's sound reasoning. Caught in a whirlwind of self-doubt, the youth gradually descended into bewilderment.
As the skies shifted once more, Melrose, visibly amused, and his disheartened apprentice vanished into the courtyard amidst an ostentatious light display similar to their arrival.
Watching the clouds return to their original formation, Pepe looked at Murphy with envy. "Master, can you do that too?"
"I can, and when I land, I'll make a crater the size of a viscount's estate, believe it or not," Murphy replied offhandedly, "Kid, don't be fooled by appearances. Once you've mastered everything, you'll see it's just a parlor trick involving three simultaneous spells."
"Okay," Pepe accepted, raising her staff—with Connor’s merged weapon—"So, does this mean it's all mine now?"
"Yes, it’s all yours. Use it well; I’ll be enhancing it further later." Murphy smiled, contemplating how observing Melrose's staff had sparked some fresh ideas for enhancements—although realizing them would take some time.
Now, Murphy was left with two more matters to attend to.
---
Character Profile (Partial):
Name: Eschell·Arwin
Level: 20
Age: 12
Race: Vampire (Sealed)
Occupation: Mage (Unranked)
Overview: A silly girl with straight golden hair, ocean-blue eyes changing to blood-red when unsealed. Gentle by nature, dislikes thinking, loves reading (popular literature), and excels academically (limited to magic subjects).
Abilities: Mastered beginner elemental magic, beginner psychic magic, yet to master divine magic and blood magic. Additionally, has excellence in beginner magical knowledge (academic assessment subjects).
Special Ability: None
Little Secret: Dreams of becoming a hero's companion.