Ch 18 – Magic might be a struggle, but it’s nothing a few enchantments and a knife can’t solve.

Lilis crossed her arms, huffing as she strode at pace to keep up with me.

“You can’t seriously be taking her up on that offer. There’s no telling what an untested potion might do to you, or if she’s even telling the truth!”

“I know that,” I grumbled back.

In truth, I wanted to tell her to mind her own business but knew she’d insist this was her business now.

“Of course I don’t trust the woman,” I continue. “But I need to find out at least what she may know.”

Should I tell Lilis about the ingredients I needed? No, it was best to leave her in the dark. If anything the girl might become a nuisance—more so than she already was. I’d handle this myself.

Luckily, my new roommate dropped the discussion, seemingly satisfied with my answer. Whether the ingredients were actually for the potion Healer Aevn had promised or for something else didn’t matter. In the worst case scenario, I was certain they’d both be useful to her regardless, and I could trade them for information. The true difficulty would be acquiring them, especially the demonic heart. Though I at least knew where to start.

As we walked to the room, a plan started to form. A smile slid across my lips.

Lilis narrowed her eyes. “What are you so pleased about?”

“Nothing, nothing at all.”

The rest of our walk was quiet. When we approached the door to the room, a bored looking man stood there waiting. His attire was that of a servant or butler, and in his arms was a hefty chest. The man’s eyes followed Lilis’s approach, briefly giving me a critical glance. Sometime told me that he didn’t approve of me. Besides the servant, the hall was surprisingly empty.

“You arrived quicker than expected,” Lilis said as we stopped.

That meant he was expected, at least. A good sign.

He leaned forward, somehow pulling off a perfect bow despite the heavy object in hand. “Good day, Miss Espir. I’m pleased to see that the young miss is doing well.”

“Of course, Coth. I’m surprised that you came yourself.”

“I wished to check on your wellbeing and felt it better to do so with my own eyes.”

Lilis let out a light laugh. “It’s only been a little over a month, Coth. Really, I’m fine.”

“I worry that perhaps you’ve underestimated the dangers present at this school.” The butler’s eyes hovered on me.

“Don’t worry about the demon. She’s harmless,” Lilis assured.

Right. Harmless. I crossed my arms, giving her a look. One which she completely ignored.

“As you say,” the butler replied, an obvious non-answer. “I was also told to ask about the—” he gave a subtle pause, “—strange nature of some of your requests.”

Lilis sighed. “Right. Of course.”

“Be honest with me, Miss Espir, do you believe yourself to be in danger?” Once more he looked over at me. This time Lilis chose to ignore the implied question.

My own mouth stayed shut. This conversation couldn’t be over soon enough.

“No, I can assure you that I’m fine. Really,” she insisted. “They are just precautionary. Nothing more.”

I couldn’t help but wonder if she believed that, and hoped that she did. It would make the coming days much easier for me.

“You know as well as I do that your parents would not shame you were you to withdraw. There are other, less hostile academies you could attend.”

“Please, Coth. I am fine. Just drop it.”

He nodded, relenting after a long pause. “If you are certain. Some of the items will take a bit longer to procure, though I’m sure you expected as much.”

“I did,” she confirmed. “Leave the chest here. I’ll have the demon carry it in.”

This time my glare was lethal. Did Lilis really think she could order me around like a servant? The woman was going to be heavily disappointed.

“Very well,” the servant said with a bow. “Till next time, Miss Espir.”

She gave him a nod, and the man left. Barely a second after he turned the corner, Lilis looked over at me expectantly.

“Well? Are you going to help me get this thing in?”

I frowned, looking down at the chest. “It’s not that big. Carry it yourself.” I crossed my arms and sniffed, tilting my chin up imperiously.

Lilis gave me an unimpressed glare. Much to my satisfaction, the woman bent down, grunting as she hefted up the needlessly heavy and ornate box of wood and metal. Then she took a step toward me, shoving the thing against my chest.

I let out an “oof,” barely stopping myself from stumbling backward. Part of me was tempted to let it drop, until I remembered that the items inside were presumably for me. My hands scrambled to grab hold of it, barely catching the bottom edges before the chest could slip from my grasp.

Lilis turned, apparently satisfied, and opened the door. I grumbled and followed as she marched in, once more entering her little palace of greenery and bookshelves. Rather unceremoniously, I plopped the chest onto the floor.

For a moment, Lilis eyed her room, as though expecting something to be amiss. Then she turned back to me.

“I’m heading out for breakfast. Do you think you can behave yourself in here while I’m gone and not cause a mess?”

I rolled my eyes. “I’m not going to touch your precious plants. I’m sure I can find something to read.”

Lilis pursed her lips, her eyes staring into mine for several seconds. “Alright. Be careful with the books. I won’t be gone for long. Just—I don’t know—make yourself comfortable. I’d like some time to myself before I have to start dragging you around everywhere.”

I nodded and gave her a smile as she turned and left. The door shut, and I heard the lock turning. The quiet sound of footsteps faded on the other side.

What an idiot. Not that I was complaining. I wouldn’t have long before she came back, but I wouldn’t need very long. I could lockpick a door in my sleep. One of the many useful skills my father made certain that I’d mastered. Magic couldn’t solve everything, especially when you found yourself bound and bloodied in a dark cell with a mana suppressor around your neck. The memories of those times made me shudder, though I quickly dismissed the thought.

It was time to enact the first step of my plans.

My eyes roamed the room, pausing on the bathroom door. I didn’t have any proper lockpicks, but I knew that I could make do.

A couple minutes later, I strode back up to the chest, several pins in hand. I bent down, and eyed the lock. The old servant hadn’t handed her a key, which meant Lilis already had one somewhere. Still, it was probably quicker just to do it this way rather than turning the room upside down in search of it.

I stuck one of the pins in, slowly getting a feel for the internals of the lock.

‘I believe we got off on the wrong wing,’ a voice whispered into my head.

My hand froze, clenching tightly around the small, bent hair pin. I should have realized. The pressure of our connection as it pushed against the mana blocking her from my mind hadn’t been there since I’d woken. Somehow the mental connection had slipped my mind.

The demon is back.

‘Yes, I’m “back.” I’ve been waiting for a moment alone with you.’

My eyes narrowed. Alone? Why would she need to wait till I was alone? Just what was this fiend planning?

‘I’m hoping we can put our little communication mishap behind us and begin anew. My name is Flauri’el, and due to the unfortunate circumstances surrounding your failed summoning spell, our minds have been temporarily connected across the realms.’

I couldn’t help but roll my eyes as I began picking the locked chest. Barely a few seconds in and the demon was already attempting to endear itself to me. I could feel its irritation building through our “link” as I ignored the creature.

‘Please listen. This is important. I know you have no reason to trust me, but everything I tell you, you should be able to research and verify yourself—time consuming as that may be.’

Why bother with this nonsense, demon? You can read my mind. You should know that you’re wasting your time with this, I projected back to the creature.

‘I’m hopeful that with enough time, I can convince you of my sincerity,’ she replied.

I rolled my eyes. It did little to deter her, however.

‘The “cure” that human woman proposed will not help you. It will not sever our connection, nor will it change what you are. Like most of our kind, vyxa are as much magical beings as they are flesh and blood. Physical changes are often both difficult and fleeting without the right sort of magic.’

I ignored her, continuing to do so as the demon rambled on further. Nothing she said truly mattered, after all. Simple lies and deception to further her own goals, whatever those may be. She truly was a fool if she thought I’d believe for one moment that our mental connection was at all accidental. Oh sure, some of the things she was spouting were sure to be true. The best lies were hidden within truths, after all. Demons truly were foul, insidious creatures at heart.

‘Can we not be civil for even a moment here? All I’m asking for is a simple discussion.’

I mentally scoffed. You keep wasting your breath, demon. Or should it be ‘wasting your thoughts?’

The chest clicked open as I finally turned the lock. My lips quirked up into a smile and I lifted the lid, eyeing the contents. Two daggers carefully wrapped. A ring that could detect most poisons on contact. A necklace that I’d need to examine a bit further. And finally, another ring that protected against basic mental tampering—noetical magic. The ring was weak and far from ideal, but I would make do. Lilis hadn’t asked why I needed it. I suspected she believed I was being paranoid and proactive. One never could be too careful, especially at a place like this. Lots of people would be willing to go out of their way to have an already-summoned succubus to warm their bed at night, especially as it meant skipping the dangers that a summoning could entail.

‘You are making a mistake. That little trinket will not stop our link.’

The demon was right about that at least. This wouldn’t solve things. It was a temporary solution, at best—something to help keep her out of my head until I found something better, or severed it permanently. At least if it worked as well as I hoped.

‘Listen you arrogant little pest. I’m trying to help you. I’m tired of being trapped in your mind, and I know you wish to be human again. I can help you—’

The ring slipped onto my finger, and silence ensued. I paused, waiting for the demon to break through it. She was still there, I knew. The connection or link still thrummed in my mind.

But her words no longer reached me.

Could she still see through my eyes and read my thoughts? I wasn’t sure, though it was safest to assume so. The enchantment wasn’t very powerful. There was also no telling how long it would last before she broke through. Weeks? Days? Hours?

The longer I didn’t have to listen to her incessant mouth, the better. Though the enchantment certainly wouldn’t last forever. It wasn’t like runic magic, which relied on carefully drawn symbols and an outside source of power. Enchantments were full of mana inherently, imbued into an object and continually working until the object was destroyed or the magic faded. They were often preferred over runic magic, for obvious reasons. Though they had their own downsides, namely in their lack of versatility and inability to be turned off. No form of magic was perfect.

Satisfied, I got back on my feet. The two daggers—both thin, needle-like stilettos—were tucked carefully into a hidden pocket of my blouse.

It was time to go stir up some trouble.