Chapter 31 – More Questions

“Are we done then?” Senna asks.

“One last question. What do you think about demons?” Gulver asks.

“Most of my knowledge comes from books, which describe demons as a dangerous entity and the atrocities they commit. It’s a biased opinion and since I’m friends with one of the angel race doesn’t help. After meeting the two of you, I don’t think all demons are terrible.” Senna answers.

“And Mater?” Eline asks.

“Like Mater, there are hard-headed people that hate others and highly value their pride. I’ve seen human nobles that are worse than him.” Senna shrugs before continuing. “My current opinion… There are probably not many differences between demons and humans other than how they look. Either way, any conflicts that occur between them, I would prefer not to get involved. I will only make a move if those close to me are in danger.” Senna glances at them. “What about you? What are your opinions of humans?”

“Humans are more short-lived compared to demons. Age and language are big problems that prevent us from understanding them. Many demons view humans as weaklings because of the emphasis we have on strength. I think humans are very skilled in finding other ways of surviving even though they lack power. However… we will have to fight them regardless because the Demon King wishes to rule over all three continents.” Gulver sighs explaining his position.

“I am against humans. Brother will be risking his life fighting against them, so there’s no way I can be happy with them.” Eline argues sending worried looks to Gulver.

“Is that so? Well then, I think we’re done here.” Senna replies standing up. “Oh yes. I plan to keep this okay?” She holds up a piece of black metal in the shape of a spring.

“You noticed the tracer?” Gulver asks with a sigh.

“Because it was emitting magic. I didn’t have the composure to deal with it right away because of everything though.” Senna chuckles a bit before putting the tracer away. As she starts walking, she suddenly pauses and turns around. “Sorry I forgot.” Senna frowns and stares at Gulver.

“W-What?” Gulver tenses up at her sudden stern expression.

“That last attack when I almost killed Mater with my spell.” Senna recounts.

“Ah that.” Gulver shivers slightly remembering the spell.

“How did your group disrupt my spell? I doubt you can just tell me…” Senna asks and starts rambling since she doesn’t expect an answer.

“Wait! What are you talking about?” Gulver cuts her off.

“…Eh?” Senna stops talking and looks at Gulver.

“We didn’t do anything. Considering the chaos your assault did, we wouldn’t have the composure to dispel any of your magic. I thought it was because you succumb to your injuries?” Gulver explains.

Senna frowns as she starts to think about the situation again. She rouses herself from her thoughts when she feels everyone’s gaze on her. “I shouldn’t have fallen that quickly. I just drank some potions before performing the attack, both for magic and my injuries. My magic just cut though, so I thought it was your trump card?” Gulver shakes his head at her question. Sighing, she turns around. “I see. If you don’t know, then there’s nothing I can do. Thank you for answering my question.” She solemnly responds closing the door as she leaves.

Gulver leans back giving a loud sigh. “She’s finally gone.”

“I’m glad she was a reasonable human.” Eline replies stroking Gulver’s hair.

“I just hope she leaves peacefully.” Gulver mutters.

“She was under an oath, so it should be fine.” Eline answers.

“I hope so. She knew what she was doing, so there’s a chance she still has some trick hidden. I just know that I never want to fight that monster.” Gulver trembles slightly.

“Was it that bad?” Eline asks.

“She wasn’t kidding about being in a bad condition. Her killing intent was stronger now than when I fought her.” Gulver groans. “…But really, why didn’t her plan work if she prepared so well?”

“Someone else was watching and interfered?” Eline asks.

“That’s impossible. We detected nothing and it didn’t look like she did either.” Gulver answers.

“I don’t know then.” Eline replies.

Gulver groans. “Urgh…That human is an incredibly dangerous wildcard.”

“Then it would be best to make sure no one crosses her path as she leaves.” Eline replies.

Gulver jumps up. “Damn. That’s right. I need to go!”

“Be careful!” Eline waves as Gulver runs off.

***

{Is it okay to walk out like this?} Mika asks still perched on Senna’s shoulder.

{No problem. Ah! You can understand the Demon Language?} Senna answers.

{Because you were talking for so long with it. I learned a bit.} Mika answers.

{Amazing~} Senna strokes Mika’s chin as they casually walk through the castle hallway. Mika enjoys Senna’s petting, but constantly looks in worry whenever they pass by someone. {Don’t worry. I’m using magic now. No one can see us. Unless they’re really sensitive, they won’t notice a thing. I’ll put them to sleep if that happens.}

{If you say so.} Mika tries to relax as they walk through the hallway.

Senna uses Light magic to create the illusion that everything is normal in the hallway. The guards and servants move about under the influence of her spell completely overlooking Senna and Mika. In addition, she casts a concealing to further blend in and erase her presence. In one instance a perceptive guard turned their way. Senna opened a sleeping poison letting the fumes spread towards the guard. The guard passed out almost immediately as Senna adjusted her illusion to form an idle guard standing in place.

Following Gulver’s map, they enter a room and quietly shut the door behind them. Senna stops in place when she looks at the room she entered. Frozen in place, she blankly stares at the contents of the room for several minutes. A trickle of drool runs down the corner of her mouth.

Mika looks at Senna with concern. Senna’s thoughts have completely stopped as if her mind shutdown. {Sis, are you okay?} Mika gives Senna a light peck on the side of the head.

“Ah!” Senna is jolted from her thoughts. “There’s so many books!” She cries out rushing to a nearby bookcase. Senna moves so quickly that Mika loses her grip falling off of Senna’s shoulder. “Wow! These are written in the ?! How much information must be here that’s unique to their race?!”

Mika stares incredulously as Senna starts to babble and read the books. Mika flies back onto Senna’s shoulder. “Sis! Sis!” Mika starts to yell at Senna in her normal voice. Senna focuses so intently on the book that she doesn’t hear Mika’s yell at all. Annoyed, Mika gives Senna a strong peck to the head. Completely unprepared for the hit, Senna falls over as Mika lets go and floats in the air flapping her wings.

“Hey! What was that for?!” Senna yells looking at Mika.

“Don’t ignore me!” Mika cries out landing on the floor.

“I was…” Senna starts to refute Mika, but closes her mouth. “Sorry.” She apologizes hanging her head.

“Good.” Mika nods. “Can we go?”

“Ah…Can you wait a bit?” Senna pleads tearfully. She stares at the rows and rows of bookshelves filled with books.

“No. We’re running away right?” Mika scolds.

“Please. I’ll be fast.” Senna puts her hands together as if she was praying. Mika silently stares back at Senna. Senna bites her lip. Her gaze shifts back and forth between Mika and the shelves of books. “Uuuu…Fine! I’ll just borrow everything then!”

“…Huh?” Mika floats backwards at Senna’s unexpected shout.

The bookcase behind Senna suddenly disappears into her [Storage]. An earthen barrier seals them inside barring the entrance. Senna moves at her top speed as she starts throwing whole bookcases into her [Storage]. Mika stares blankly as Senna clears out the first floor of the library leaving only chairs and tables behind. Finished with the first floor, Senna jumps up to the second floor of the library intent on taking everything. The books are set into the wall without a bookcase forcing Senna to individually store each book. Regardless, everything is cleared from the shelves as Senna shoots by.

As Senna turns the last corner of the second floor, she abruptly comes to a stop seeing a demon in front of her. {Why? Why can’t I see him with my detection skills?!} She pales at the sight of the person before her. The male demon before her has long flowing black hair with silver horns protruding from the side of his head. His horns are engraved with various symbols releasing a large amount of magic into the surroundings. The high concentration of magical pressure makes Senna’s mouth goes dry just by standing several meters away. His body is covered in a long black cloak with refined black attire lined with a gold trim hidden underneath. Despite being engrossed in reading a book, he exudes a royal aura that completely overshadows anyone she has ever encountered in the past.

StatusName???Level???Race???Age???HP???MP???Strength???Endurance???Agility???Dexterity???Intelligence???Wisdom???Luck???Skills??? (Unable to identify)Description??? (Unable to identify. Unable to override interference.)

{$%&*@#$?!!!!!!} Senna can barely contain her scream as she looks through his [Status]. {Is he that powerful that I can’t read his status?!} Senna silently takes a step back and turns around, but runs into an obstacle. Feeling the touch of silk cloth on her face, Senna breaks into a cold sweat as she timidly looks up.

“Who are you?” The black haired demon sternly stares at Senna.

Senna opens and closes her mouth unable to find her voice. She takes a large gulp and awkwardly says her name. “Sen…na.” Unable to suppress the rising panic, Senna instantly casts an Intermediate ranked Fire spell while combining it with her stored magma, heat, and air. The spell is fired off with no preparation, but is almost as powerful as a Master rank spell because of the supplemental materials she has been hoarding. Following up with a blinding spell, Senna bolts to pick up Mika. She jumps over the railing landing on the first floor. She crashes into someone again just when she starts moving.

Senna peeks upward seeing the same face in front of her. She feels as if her heart is going to jump out of her throat. Senna swings her head and sees a small wisp of smoke where her spell should have gone off. She suddenly feels his hand on her shoulder.

“What are you doing here?” He sternly asks.

“Sis! I’m coming!” Mika yells flying over.

“NO!!! Don’t attack!!” Senna screams. In her panic, she pushes him out of the way and intercepts Mika. Senna grabs Mika hugging her tightly invoking a barrier around them. She creates another barrier as extra protection for Mika. Senna curls up protecting Mika waiting for an attack to come. Seconds tick by, but she feels no pain.

Timidly opening her eyes, she looks behind her. The demon touches his clothes blankly as he stares at her. Senna quickly stands up and bows. “Um…I’m really…”

A loud bang sounds from the door. They both look at the door. Senna becomes more visibly panicked. “I’m sorry! I have to go!!” Senna runs off using to boost her speed. The demon moves in front of Senna again, but she reacts quickly after the repeated mistakes, dodging around him as he appears.

Changing directions once, Senna abruptly twists her body as he appears again in front of her. Once…twice……Senna quickly barrels through the door to a room on the side. Slamming the door shut, she creates another barrier encompassing both the door and the wall.

She spots the magic circle in the center of the empty room. Senna gives a short look of relief at the teleportation circle. Clutching Mika close, she approaches the crystal pedestal and starts entering the coordinates for to head home. “Okay. Let’s get out of here.” Senna places her hand on the crystal and starts transferring her magic power.

You have escaped ???. Applying increase in levels and stats.

“He?” Senna lets out a sound as ten times the normal amount of magic suddenly emerges from her body. The crystal explodes after being overloaded past its limits. The teleportation circle glows with a pale gray light enveloping the two of them. Senna tries to run out of the circle, but crashes into a barrier surrounding the teleportation circle. She falls on her bottom as the circle activates sending the two of them out of the castle.

After teleporting the two of them, the circle continues to shine due to Senna’s excess magic. Gray light surges collecting over the circle and explodes out. The walls blast out into the adjacent rooms as the ceiling crumbles downwards. The library is partially damaged from the explosion, while the outside of the castle is seen from the openings in the wall. Senna’s earthen barrier crumbles as her spell fades.

Gulver, Mater and several guards rush into the room. They find over half of the library destroyed from the explosion. “What happened here?!” Mater yells steaming in anger.

The guards scatter around the room checking the extent of the damage. “Sir, it looks like a magic bomb started from the teleportation circle.”

“…How did it happen?” Mater hisses angrily.

“That’s… We don’t know. The entire room with the circle was completely destroyed.” The guard replies anxiously.

“Well then find out!” Mater yells.

Off to the side, Gulver is talking with another guard. “What do you think?” The guard asks.

“I think the library was definitely pilfered. As to why or how they did it, I have no idea. Even if the teleportation circle activated, it shouldn’t have taken anything other than what was directly on top of it. If the explosion was the cause, there would be more damaged books and wood. That leaves…” Gulver’s voice trails off as Senna comes to mind. {With her nonsensical abilities, a magic similar to a magic bag isn’t impossible. But she didn’t seem like she wanted to intentionally cause trouble like this. But it’s hard to say considering how much she’s hiding.}

“Sir Zir?” The guard speaks up wondering why Gulver went silent.

“Hm?...Ah it’s nothing. Search and find what you can.” Gulver answers vaguely.

“Yes sir.” The guard salutes and goes to continue the search. Unfortunately, they find nothing of note, only more questions as to why this happened.

***

“Let me go!!” Ariel screams. Her blonde hair sways as she violently flaps her wings trying to break free from the magic sealing binds tying her to a chair.

“I’m afraid not. I have strict orders from Lord Remilia to halt any travel to the human world.” The nearby angel shifts her glasses up. “Regardless, you were given a large amount of paperwork you need to get done. I cannot allow you go anywhere until you finish your work.”

“I told you! I’d finish it when I got back!” Ariel grunts. Her face is flushed red as she struggles to physically break her bindings.

“I cannot allow that. You have no need to deal with any missions in the Human World. There should be no need to interfere with anything those humans are doing.” The angel replies.

“Grrrr…” Ariel grumbles. Ignoring the scolding, she continues to struggle to no avail. Needless to say, she did not get her paperwork done.

***

Far from the stretches of civilization lies an isolated island underneath a black sky. Within the island lies a large mansion and towering black tower. With the top level of the black tower, the black haired demon enters the room. “Your Lordship, welcome back.” A powerful looking demon dressed in armor bows to the black haired demon as he enters.

“Mmmnn… I have some work for you.” The black haired demon replies.

“Yes sire. What can I do for you?” The demon stands up straight waiting for his orders. The black haired demon lightly tosses over an item. The demon catches it and looks at it. If Senna was in the room, she would have noticed that it was tracker she gave Gulver. “This is?”

“I want you to use that and track down a human. Take Arthur along. She’s caught my interest. Test her prowess.” The black haired demon answers.

“Yes Sire.” The demon bows.

“Do not harm her excessively. Depending on her skill, she will have some use.” The black haired demon responds.

“You want to take in a human? Is that wise? They are normally devoted to that loathsome deity.” The demon inquires.

“It’s particularly because she isn’t stained in such a way that I’m interested. But it’s only a passing interest. She needs to be worthy of my offer.” The black haired demon answers.

“Yes sire. I’ll get on it right away.” The demon replies.

“Also, inform Viscount Ro that I’ve taken that from him for my own purposes.” The black haired demon points to the tracker. “And forbid him from taking any further action against that human.”

“Yes.” The demon pauses for further instructions before leaving.

The black haired demon heads into his private room and sits down. He kneads a black speck in his hand as an image of Senna’s current position appears. “Now what happen?”

***

In the center of the Chaos continent lays the city simply named Demon King City. The majority of the city is encompassed by the large castle home to the Demon King and his army. Within the castle walls, the doors to the audience hall bursts open. An angry demon, wearing a silver crown and red cape, storms into the room. A black skinned demon, with a black cloak covering his entire body and face, bows welcoming the demon. “Welcome back, Your Highness. How was your trip?”

“It was a waste of time! That idiot Viscount calls me over, but has nothing to show for it. Ha! Claiming to catch a servant of that goddess and losing her almost immediately. Damn trash! I’ve punished the fool by decreasing his rank.” The crowned demon sits on his throne grumbling.

“Your Highness, please calm yourself. You are the Demon King. It does not befit your rank to sit here grumbling. You should go out to relive your stress.” The Demon soothes his King.

“You’re right! I’ve work off my stress with the soldiers. They can take the brunt of my anger.” The Demon King laughs tossing his cape and crown on the throne and happily running out of the room with a weapon in hand.

The demon quietly stands there for a few extra moments after the door slams shut before scoffing. “Damn muscle brain.” He waves his hand making a wall of stone appear barring the doors. A black light shines surrounding his body before receding. In the process, the demon’s skin color changes from black to dark brown to a light peach color. He grabs his horns and they come off with a light *pop*. “The fool doesn’t realize who exactly is in power.”

The man laughs as he wears the crown and sits on the throne. “But still… Is that human girl a follower of the blasphemous Baxtor, or maybe she has ties to the monster loving Aden? Hah. It doesn’t matter which of my brothers she has ties with. We have another three years before the time of our bet. If those two are so busy fighting one another this early on, then I’ll be the one to create the most powerful army. I can make those arrogant idiots bow down before my feet when I win the bet. I’ll prove that I, Cecil, am the strongest one of all! FUHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!” Cecil cackles to himself in the solitary throne room.

***

“Reporting!”

“Proceed.”

“She escaped properly and without significant damage. Minor interference was done to prevent her from returning. We covered our tracks, so no one should suspect our intervention.”

“Good work.”

“Is there anyone other preparations that need to be done with that human?”

“No. Let her squirm and struggle. When she’s ready, she’ll return regardless of her own will.”

“Yes!” The door slams shut.

“Her little pet is growing well. A bit longer and she’ll be ready.”

***

Author’s Note

If I was doing this by volumes, this would be where I would cut it. Though maybe arc would be a better word since there are so many chapters. Well I'm not really changing the naming scheme or anything, so it wouldn't matter much. :P Thanks as always for following my story.

I’m hoping this chapter wasn’t too hard to follow with all the scene shifts. I wanted to lay down bits of actual plot since I’m long overdue.

I wanted to use this chapter to show Senna momentarily succumbing to her inner greed. After spending so much time reading in Remia and on Earth, she unconsciously developed an addiction to reading. Lol.

Lastly, Mika understood a bit of the Demon Language for her thoughts to come out like that. Vocalizing it is still a ways to go though, so the coloring returns as you've noticed.

Anyways, take care~

Edit: After Senna leaves via the teleportation explosion.

-Ariel's whereabouts

-High rank demon Senna ran from and his subordinate

-Demon King and the secretly human Cecil (who is plotting things)

-???

Added some setting to the two demon scenes in the first paragraphs for the respective scenes.

Hint

Spoiler : Cecil is not related to most things this chapter because he's human. It's a reference to a different transforming human that was briefly introduced earlier on.

Quote:Chapter 32 Delayed

Hi. Sorry, I don't think I'll have Chapter 32 up this week. My boss recommended I take this short class at work to help develop some of my skill sets. It was very last minute, I was told on Friday, so I'm went through all the homework reading material before the class on Monday. I finished the material, but my brain overloaded from the dull, dry reading. On top of the other reading I still have on my plate, I'm not really in a state to write/edit. I will work on releasing the chapter sometime between the 10-13th. Apologies.