《I Was Summoned To Have Tea With The Demon Lord [Rewrite]》Chapter 14: Hibiscus II
Advertisement
“But we’re not doing anything wrong!” I blurt out.
“You are in flagrant violation of no less than five laws,” the orange officer says. “Six, if you add resisting arrest.”
“Of course we’re going to resist arrest. We don’t know that you aren’t fabricating these charges.”
“Ignorance of the law doesn’t excuse breaking it.”
I bite my lip. “While that’s true—”
“Come on! They’re going to arrest us and you’re all going to let it happen?” Izumi demands of the crowd. “Pick up your swords! It’s time for a rebellion!”
Adventurers avert their gazes. They look from us to the demons. Some look on edge, but they apparently decide we’re not worth it.
“Cowards!” Izumi yells.
“You can come quietly, or we can do this the hard way. Learn to pick your battles,” the orange demon says.
“I want your name and badge number,” I insist.
“Officers Sage and Rosemary,” his partner, a pale but rosy-cheeked demon, says without missing a beat. “No numbers. Come on now, let’s see those hands.”
Oh my god, he’s going to handcuff us. I can’t believe it. My ears burn.
“You don’t trust us?” I ask.
"It’s standard procedure,” Rose sighs. “Now, hands.”
We all present our hands, clasped together in front of us per instruction. The officers whisper a few arcane words and suddenly, it’s impossible to pull them apart. More magic. I shouldn’t be surprised by now.
Binding, my analysis states.
They march us outside and down the street. Everywhere, crowds part for us. Nobody says a word. Izumi even swears so much that Rosemary - or is it Sage? - actually casts a silence spell on her.
We arrive at the police station, a building in the Middle District that I don’t recall seeing on the map. Then again, I don’t recall much about the map. Even with my new mental compass, I’m still easily lost.
It’s actually fairly quiet inside, though not for long as the demon’s spell lifts and Izumi begins cursing again. One short, tan-skinned demon comes out to greet us, while the remainder of the clowns pretending to be police officers mill about trying to look busy.
Advertisement
“Chief, got a couple of adventurers here!” Sage - or is it Rosemary? - exclaims. He smiles like a cat that’s just dropped a bird at its owner’s feet.
“Don’t give me that look. You know what to do,” the chief says, crossing her arms and tapping a foot expectantly.
The rest of the afternoon is a blur as they process us and take us to our cells.
***
Hay sticks into my side as I roll over on the pile that serves as a bed for the cell. Solitary confinement. Wouldn’t it figure? I’m trapped in a world of sword and sorcery and I can’t even ask anyone what’s going on.
Lost in thought, I almost don’t notice a small—
“Fire!” I yell, looking frantically for anything to throw over it.
A small flame, burning steadily, walks closer.
...Wait, walks?
My jaw drops.
“Habanero?” I ask slowly, trying to remember its name. “No, that wasn’t it. Hibiscus?”
The lizard-on-fire in front of me trills with delight and skitters into my cell through the gap in the bars. This is none other than that damn dragon from the Demon Lord’s castle!
“What are you doing here?”
Missed you.
She spins around and kneads the pile of hay like it’s a blanket. She looks comfortable. Tentatively, I reach over and stroke the top of her head. It’s strangely soft.
“You’re kidding, right?”
With a sigh, I roll onto my back and stare at the unfamiliar ceiling.
What would a top detective do in a situation like this? They wouldn’t get arrested, for one thing, I very nearly grumble, irritated at myself. I still can’t believe we were all jailed like common criminals — and sent to solitary like we were actually dangerous!
“Does Sinensis know that his precious princess has gone missing?” I ask.
What papa doesn’t know won’t hurt him, she says with a careless air.
Am I going to be charged with kidnapping his dragon, too? This is such bullshit.
Footsteps interrupt our conversation. Hibiscus shrinks until she’s no longer visible.
“Dinner?” A demon — at least I assume it’s a demon, with pale skin and piercing green eyes — carries a tray in one hand and unlocks my cell door with the other. “Don’t you move a muscle. We’re not about to mistreat some prisoners just because they’re human, but I’m not responsible for what happens if you try to escape.”
Advertisement
I force myself to sit still.
“Your trial is set for tomorrow morning,” he offers. “Here. You can sit up and take this.”
I comply and find myself rewarded with something that looks a lot like the meal we’d eaten at the Adventurer’s Guild: rough, bland, and cheap. Something on the plate vaguely resembles mashed potatoes. There’s also a cup with something too dark to be water. I can’t make it out too well in the dim light.
“Iced tea,” he explains, following my gaze. “Store up some strength for the morning. You’ll need it.”
“Uh, yeah. Thank you.” I pick up the fork and play with my food.
The door slams shut again and the keys turn in the lock. My jailer takes his leave. I’m left alone with a miniature dragon, my meal, and the beverage that’s become the bane of my existence. I take a tentative sip. It’s cool and refreshing, with no real scent. I wonder why prisoners are given access to such a high-demand drink.
Hibiscus grows to a few inches in length, taking advantage of her small size to walk onto my plate and nibble some food.
“You can have it,” I mumble.
I could swear that she smiles. As she wolfs it down, I drink my way through the iced tea. With every sip, I do feel better— stronger? There’s a warmth spreading throughout my body, just like when I materialized that barrier to stop the rats.
Curiously, I focus on the lock.
Reminder: physical contact required for analysis.
I set my empty cup down and walk to the cell door, extending my hand to touch the lock.
Acquire skill: lockpick?
I nod without thinking.
Wait, picking locks is—
Lockpick acquired.
Illegal. Picking locks is illegal.
With a dramatic gesture, I point at the lock, but nothing happens. I jab a finger at the air a few more times, to no avail. Then, with a sigh, I grab the lock to inspect it again. My hand glows white for just a second, and the door swings open. Shit, I haven’t thought this far ahead.
If I leave now, I might be able to find my “party,” my companions — but I can’t guarantee that I’ll be able to destroy their locks. Not to mention, running from the law is nothing more than admitting guilt. Like hell I’ll paint a bigger target on my back.
“What do you think?”
The dragon yawns. My body feels strangely compelled to do the same. I glance at the high, barred window, at the shining crescent hanging in the sky. It looks so much like Earth’s moon that I almost forget I’m not still home.
We have such a big day ahead of us and I don’t know what to expect. I can still make out streaks of slime-goo on my pants. So much for looking good in court.
Hibiscus makes herself comfortable on my stomach. I’m too weary from my successful but meager attempt at magic to push her off, so I just let her cozy up to me. She’s warm, as if the fire she breathes also courses through her veins. It’s not unlike having a heating pad.
“Hey, Hibiscus,” I say, gently lifting her chin with a finger. “Why won’t you talk to Sinensis?”
What papa doesn’t know won’t hurt him, she says again, and this time I swear there’s a smug look in her eyes. Hibi’s a princess. She can do whatever she wants.
“Just because it’s a pet name doesn’t mean it’s true,” I point out.
Hibi is a princess, she insists.
“Fine. Princess, dragon, I don’t know enough to argue.” I sigh.
Not your fault, Hibiscus reassures me. More food?
“No. You ate it all.”
Then Hibi will find more.
She leaps off of me and darts out of the cell.
I want to follow her. There’s so much I want to talk to my friends about, but I’m so tired.
I’m so tired...
Advertisement
- In Serial56 Chapters
Embrace the Blade [Drafts 1&2]
James Ransom grew up unable to do the simplest of life’s tasks. Legs were malformed; he was in a wheel chair as long as he could remember. Suffering from a severe form of muscular exhaustion making him unable to use his hands for long despite his resolve to fight through it. All the challenges facing him he still was able to enjoy reading and video games; but a tragic car accident will change his life forever and perhaps he will be given the opportunity to reincarnate into another world. Special thanks to Mikaelle for the Synopsis. This is my first book/fic so constructive critisism would be very nice. Expect a lot of grammatical errors but hopefully not too many spelling errors. Explanation for the tags; Action/Adventure/Fantasy: These don't really need an explanation, Comedy: I'll try to be funny hopefully I won't fail miserably, Romance: I like romantic sub-plots, LitRPG: No explanation needed but I am using my own system, Reincarnation/Summoned Hero: Not sure which one applies here I'm inclined to think both so I put both, Reader Interactive: I put this one here for my own amusment I'll allow everyone to help create the MC's love interest and maybe a few other things we will also hold a few contests.. Male Lead: self explanitory, Magic: Also easy, Strong Lead: Think of this as more of a weak-to-strong tag the MC will be OP but not till later in the story. Warning: Since this fic is labeled as 'Strategy' I believe that the readers should know as much as possible about the situations presented in the story so they can reach their own conclusions about how a fight could have been won or lost. That means: there are a lot of information dumps early on. I don't know how long I'll be able to write this fic but I promise to keep my few readers informed in case I decide to drop it or something.
8 140 - In Serial14 Chapters
The Daily Life of a Divine Soul
Finding himself at the verge of entering the Sea of Souls after dying a sudden and unexpected death, Leng Yu was not allowed to rest easy as he was dragged back into the world of the living by a great evil! Forcing his poor soul to become the medium that will devour two of the most powerful experts of another world! Yu is then granted a new and terrifying body that can withstand his newfound divine might by the God of the other world! Join Leng Yu as he lives a carefree life in the most brutal continent of this other world. Obtaining a Spirit Queen as his wife, exploring the world's wide array of fragrant teas as well as causing countless jaws to drop and numerous eyes to widen as he does!
8 166 - In Serial37 Chapters
Cry of the Mer
Katherine Waters has several goals on her list. Graduate high school, get accepted into an advanced photography course, add another ten meters to her personal free-diving and deep-water diving records respectively. Waking up in the stark, sterile environment of an underground lab, part of a secret and illegal experiment definitely didn't make the list. Nor did discovering not only were mermaids not the stories of legends people thought they were, but advanced genetic manipulation had slotted her for an extreme physical transformation. Faced with an unknown future in captivity, forced to adjust to a new body and lifestyle completely alien to her, with only a psychologically damaged young Mer for company, Katie's life has taken a dramatic turn and she'd do anything to escape it, return home, and regain any sense of the normalcy she lost the moment she opened her eyes.
8 227 - In Serial114 Chapters
One Star Boss: A Mecha/Virtual Reality LitRPG
The Overdrive Corporation has a problem. The esports company's proprietary AI is full of idiotic glitches. Professional mappers are making the virtual reality Mech fighting game's painstakingly designed bosses look like complete and utter fools. The company's bombastic CEO, The Mechanical King, has come up with a truly unique solution. Instead of fixing the AI, he'll just hire human players to act as bosses behind the scenes. When Jason was a kid fresh out of high school, playing as an Overdrive boss - even a weak early game boss - sounded like a dream come true. He dreamed of becoming a pro gamer and was addicted to competition. He loved the idea of battling skilled opponents all day and honing his mech piloting skills. Two years later, an ill-fated clash against one of the game's most prominent whales sends his life into a tailspin. Follow his adventures as he and his partner, the cyborg dragon Red Minerva, fight to leave his humble beginnings to stand among the best fighters on the server.
8 250 - In Serial38 Chapters
Elenora's Academy of Magicka: Ken Granfold
Yoh! My name is Ken Granfold. I was raised on a dangerous island known as Zen, I was raised by my grandpa August, who is a powerful wizard….buttt as grandma says, his irresponsible and isn't fit to look after me. Now that I'm 17, I've finally been let off the island, and I've been enrolled in "Elenora's Academy of Magicka" a prestigious school for young wizards to learn about magic and hone their spells. This is a story of me making new friends, exploring the outside world and becoming the greatest mage I can be, aiming for the very top! I won't settle for less! Yes this is a rewrite of (Magic Frenzy) But I promise it's worth the read, I've change A LOT of things and fixed up grammef/spelling mistakes! Hope you ENJOY!
8 103 - In Serial45 Chapters
Pipe Dream || Timothée Chalamet
in which a lost Columbia student spills coffee on the sweater of an esteemed actor --real life x social media
8 171