Chapter the Ninth

Ice crackled along the walls of the Turiavita tower. Karasu didn't look up from his book.

"Welcome home. You've been out a while," he called.

"I brought back some guests," his castle-mate replied immediately. "The Grand Mage and the Ice Mage have some questions for you."

Karasu seemed slightly surprised for a second, but he quickly regained his composure. "What kinds of questions?" he asked curiously, placing a bookmark in his book and closing it up. He placed it on the control panel and stood up, at last facing Dark Makoto and her friends.

"We know you've developed a technique for mind control," Chihaya said evenly. "We want to know how, and if you do not answer, you will be dead."

Karasu shrugged. "The same way you learned how to unfreeze your bed, and the Grand Mage learned how to fly on flames, and the Ice Queen over here learned how to manipulate the ice in a person's soul," he answered. "I just figured it out."

"What exactly were you doing with it during the destruction of the village Bandai?" Iori continued.

Karasu blinked, seeming honestly shocked. "Wait, when did that happen?" He shook his head. "I saw smoke, but I had no idea Bandai was destroyed. Darn it, I wanted to try that..."

"So it wasn't you."

"Wasn't me. I was back here having a little fun with Makoto."

Makoto hissed at him.

"I see you picked up some skills from the mistress after all. Good to know."

Iori frowned. "We want the truth, and nothing but the truth," she stated.

"I know that full well. Hence why I told you the truth."

"Do you have a lie detector test in here?"

"Sure do. You want to try it out?"

Dark Makoto blinked. "Wait, since when did we have a lie detector...?"

Karasu ignored her and instead retrieved the requested object (where he got it from, the world will never know). Iori and Chihaya got him set up with it while Dark Makoto tried to figure out where it came from.

"Alright," Iori sighed, settling in front of Karasu on the ground. She stared straight up at Karasu and looked into his eyes. He stared right back at her. "Is this thing arranged right? Confounded technology..."

Dark Makoto sighed and stepped forwards, forgetting about how the machine had shown up. She examined it to make sure it was set up right, and when she confirmed that it was, she flashed Iori a thmbs-up. Iori nodded.

"Karasu. Shadow Warlock. Phantom Sadist. Answer this question for me truthfully," she began. "Where were you on the afternoon of Bandai's destruction?"

"Here," Karasu replied. "Right in this very chair, actually. With Makoto."

Iori examined the machine. It showed no changes; Karasu's heart rate was exactly the same, his eyes hadn't moved from Iori's and he showed no signs of lying. Iori stared at it for a minute longer, then gave up and looked back at Karasu.

"What were you doing?" she continued.

"Hmm, I'm not sure I'm comfortable sharing all of it, but I can assure you there was quite a lot of making out~."

"Please don't make him share all of it," Dark Makoto near begged. "I intend to slit his throat once you all leave."

Iori giggled. Chihaya looked away to avoid the irresistable urge to tease.

Again the Flame Mage examined the lie detecting machine. There was no change.

"How many times have you stolen from the bakery in Kuroi in the past three days?" Iori asked at last.

"Twelve," Karasu replied. This time, the machine showed a quickening in his heart rate, though his eyes seemed to waver only slightly.

"Lie!" Iori shouted, pointing accusingly at him.

Karasu blinked, then sighed, giving up. "Alright, alright, fine. Nineteen."

The machine returned to normal. Iori smiled, satisfied.

"Alright, we believe you," she concluded. "Grand Witch, help us get this thing off."

Dark Makoto muttered to herself and headed over to help them, pausing to send a sharp jab into Karasu's stomach before helping them. Karasu coughed and keeled forwards, surprised by the sudden attack.

"That was for being a perv."

"Yeah...a-alright."

Together, the three female magicians disassembled the lie detector and hid it away, then bid farewell to the Shadow Warlock and headed for the window. Karasu watched them while attempting to regain his breath. The girls opened the window and slid outside, Dark Makoto opening her wings and Chihaya traveling with Iori on a cloud of flames. And as they flew off, Karasu thought he spotted a flash of blue dart past them and head into the forest. He cocked his head slightly, confused.

"How odd..." he murmured. "Wonder what that could be. ...well, off to steal from the bakery, again~."