《I Was Summoned To Have Tea With The Demon Lord [Rewrite]》Chapter 24: Pearls
Advertisement
We sleep poorly that night, kept awake by the Thieves' Guild's petty bickering as they ransack our personal belongings. I cringe when the beastwoman takes out my mirror and admires herself in it, but thankfully, its magic doesn't seem to activate. She tosses it into a pile of trinkets, presumably never to care about it again.
They play cards for our pouches of gold. They make the first to fold take us out to the latrines, roughly, one at a time. Once again, I'd kill a man for indoor plumbing. Lilah, meanwhile, wins the lion's share. I can't tell if she's cheating, but I'd put all of my stolen money down on that wager.
"And here I was worried you was going soft," Styx confesses, lightly punching her in the arm. "Good to see you're the same as ever."
"Yeah. The same as ever."
The raucous party dies down and the thieves slowly filter out to their sleeping quarters. Lilah is, as both punishment and prize for winning so much, our designated guard. She looks and acts like that longsword isn't just for show, but once the large room is empty, she takes off her mask and looks at us seriously.
"We're not friends," she repeats. "We're not comrades or party members. We don't even know each other. I don't want to go back to Earth. But if your goal is to take down Sinensis, I'm not going to stand in your way."
"Are you going to help us escape?" Izumi asks, wide-eyed.
"Regrettably."
"Aww, you like us."
"I do not. I'm just doing what's best for the Guild. We can't afford to have the demons butting in with their laws, stopping our operations. A win for the Guild is a win for me, and that's all the reason I need."
Lilah unlocks the cell door. "Get your things and go. Keep a low profile."
"You'll probably never beat Sinensis," she continues. "But he's not the type to kill you, either. You might as well resign yourselves to living in this world. You won't be welcome in our city anymore, but there are other places and other people who will take you in, if you're lucky."
"And if we're unlucky?" I ask.
"You'll probably get killed by goblins or something," she says casually.
"Then come with us." Izumi steps forward, a hand outstretched. "Let's become friends. Let's set that bastard straight together."
Advertisement
"Not on your life. Leave before I change my mind."
"No." Izumi is steadfast. "We need all the help we can get, and if you can convince the Guild to let us go, rather than helping us sneak out—"
"Fine, then. A Thieves' Duel," Lilah interrupts. "We'll have a Thieves' Duel to see what happens."
"What's that?" I whisper to Mamoru.
To my surprise, he shrugs. "Must be something unique to this world."
Izumi looks nervous, but she puts her best foot forward. "You're on."
"Care to explain?" I ask.
"You're given a set amount of time – let's say five minutes, according to this hourglass – and your goal is to find the most valuable thing in the room. When the time limit is up, we compare. You're allowed to steal from each other, but you can't fight outright. It's all about finesse and attention to detail." There's something distinctly dishonest about Lilah's smile. "If you win, I'll take my leave of the Guild and party up with you. If I win, you leave town and never come back."
The three of us look at each other and nod in unison. Three versus one? How tough could that be? My target is probably going to be Lavender's mirror, but it won't hurt to continue looking around.
"We'll need a third party." Lilah puts her fingers in her mouth and whistles loudly.
The building comes alive with the sounds of crooks waking up, scrambling for their boots, and assembling in the main room.
"Come one, come all, to the Thieves' Duel," Lilah proclaims.
Excited murmurs rise from the crowd. My nemesis, that damned beastwoman, steps forward. Without her mask, I can finally see black and tan fur on her face, almost like a police dog's markings. Her ears stand straight up with interest. "I'll be your judge this evening."
"Thanks, Chey."
She merely nods and takes hold of the hourglass on the table. "Typical five minutes?"
"Yeah."
"Then begin!"
The members of the Thieves' Guild mill around, picking up this and that, causing a distraction. I want to pay attention to what they've got, but I know I have to focus. Where did that damned mirror go?
As I walk past him, Mamoru looks his sleeping horse up and down. He murmurs contemplatively, "The value of a life?"
Advertisement
I hadn't even considered it might not be a literal challenge. If that's the case, the mirror means all the more to me. It's a window right into the heart of evil, a token of my connection with those in power. There's nothing about it that doesn't scream value from the etchings in silver to the inlaid stones. I hurry to scavenge it from where it was so carelessly discarded.
Lilah takes her time walking over to the table and begins to inspect the dirty dishes. She twirls a fork in her hand thoughtfully for a moment, then takes a seat. Has she given up already, or is that some kind of magical fork?
Mamoru saunters over, pulls a chair out, and tips it back a little as he reclines with his hands behind his head. Has he, too, finished?
Izumi is next to the table, her face flushed with excitement. She leans in close to Lilah and blows on the back of her neck.
"What the hell?!"
"Hold still."
As the two girls struggle, Izumi manages to unclasp the dark stone around Lilah's neck. She holds it triumphantly and takes the next seat over.
Suddenly, I worry that my choice was wrong. Maybe they did mean literal value, after all. Maybe there was gold-plated armor, or a silver tea kettle, or a broadsword with emeralds in its hilt. Maybe I'm digging my own grave.
I take a seat, clutching the mirror. I have to believe what I'm about to do is right.
"And that's time. Let's see what you've got." Chey walks over to the table, where we all await her judgement.
Mamoru stands up, hands in the air like he's about to confess to a crime. Then his face twists into the most unbearably smug expression. "For most valuable thing in this room, I choose the Chosen Hero."
"And who would that be?" Chey asks, not missing a beat.
"Myself, of course. I was summoned to save this world from the Demon Lord, and after all, what's more valuable than that?"
"An interesting point. I'll accept your choice. Next?"
Izumi holds out a black stone on a silver chain and looks Lilah dead in the eyes. "I submit your father's late wife's talisman. It holds the most sentimental value of anything here. I stole it from you fair and square."
"I let you take it," Lilah grumbles, but doesn't actually protest.
"Another interesting argument. Accepted. Third?"
I take a deep breath and pull out my mirror. I wonder if anyone else can see the purple glow. A few gasps let on that I might not be the only one. I can hear whispers: Is that demon magic? When did we pick up a cursed relic?
"I have a compact mirror." I run my hand over the jewels, as if something so simple could relax me. "That has a two-way communication spell that allows me to speak to the right hand of the Demon Lord."
"They slipped it into my bag when I left his castle. I don't know why. They liked me, I guess." I put it down on the table and immediately miss the feel of cold metal in my hands. "I submit this item for its unlimited potential to speak with those who rule this kingdom."
"You're playing with powers you don't understand." Chey whistles low under her breath.
Mamoru looks angry. Izumi looks crushed.
"I had to keep it a secret," I plead with them.
But we don't have the time to discuss it.
"Lilah, and you?"
She stands and holds out her arms as if embracing everyone.
"Everything," she says. "I hold each treasure close to my heart, and so everything here is valuable, down to the last fork. It belongs to me and my family, and so it has more value than anything else in the world."
Well, shit. She even managed to upstage Izumi's emotional plea. This doesn't bode well for us. Without our weapons, how well will we be able to fight our way out? Could I summon up that magic again to use offensively?
Why didn't I insist on nurturing that ability instead of ignoring it? I should have asked Izumi to help me practice with it as soon as it manifested.
"Congratulations," Chey addresses the three of us. "You passed the test. We'll consider letting you join us."
Wait. No. This is the opposite of what I want. This isn't what we agreed on at all!
"What do you mean?" I manage to squeak out.
Advertisement
- In Serial154 Chapters
Silhouette
WARNING: THIS STORY HAS A SLOW START. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED. We all grew up hearing stories about heroes and villains, but what would we do if we were to be part of one? One night, a bioweapon escaped from its laboratory in Zalcien, only to die in a dark alley. One night, a young man lent a helping hand, only to die alone in the dark. One night, a deity of death saw two lost souls and offered one a second chance in the other's body. Now a strange creature made of darkness, James has to deal with his new form in a strange new world where superpowers, heroes and villains are commonplace, far away from his home. Watch as he learns how to use his powers, as he meets allies and enemies and how, when facing the paths of heroism and villainy, he chooses a third way somewhere in between. Follow the story of James, a lost Earthling soul, as he becomes Silhouette, the mysterious power in the shadows. Greetings fellow humans. This is my first story on Royal Road and my first long-term project written in English, so I do hope you will have some mercy in your heart when reading. So, as you may have understood, this is a story with super-heroes - which is quite ironic for my first story considering all of the other ones planned are fantasy - and as such will take place in a modern-like setting. Despite dark themes and gory scenes making their way into the story, it is still a super-hero world with the logic that matches, so expect characters to survive nuclear explosions without a scratch and yet to get defeated by a rubber ducky - as well as similar dark humor, thus the comedy part.
8 351 - In Serial10 Chapters
2084
A young couple receive disturbing information at the Unity Department. He turns to his Uncle who helps explain things about his life. They escape a controlling, exploitive belief system.
8 232 - In Serial11 Chapters
Love is black, baby!
IT'S A BASED ON A GIRL TRYING TO FIND WAYS TO GET HER DEAD BOYFRIEND BACK AND WHEN SHE'S NOT ABLE TO ACHIEVE IT, THEN SHE TAKES HELP OF BLACK MAGIC..!
8 205 - In Serial25 Chapters
Inside Access
MCRC Story 3: Hot on the trail of his enemies, Jack and Mr. Ozera must work together to help Warren find who the traitor inside of MCRC is. However, having failed at his task before has really hurt Warren and he finds it hard to focus especially around the beautiful Brooklyn who is his cover as he runs around with Mr. Ozera to try and find who, among them, killed so many innocents.
8 194 - In Serial9 Chapters
tiny todoroki
after blocking a quirk hit for aizawa, class 1a and aizawa are responsible for looking after a younger todoroki
8 67 - In Serial34 Chapters
cai ⤶ nct 19th member
Huang Cai Hong is the 19th member of NCT, and the only female member.----hi.so, i really enjoy reading imagines and i thought to myself, why don't i make one of my own?well, i've tried to before but i didn't like any of them, but i'm confident that this one is so much better including imagines/scenarios, twitter/instagram and much more!Enjoy~----💚 nct fanfiction 💚 [discontinued]----started: July 11th 2018finished: July 29th 2018
8 150