As the mid-level mazoku she sent to spy on the group finished his report, Juu-ou Zellas rubbed her hands and burst into classic demonic laughter. Everything was going just like she had planned. Who says Zellas is nothing without her priest? Huh! Just you wait and see!
She dismissed the servant and danced triumphantly around the hall, laughing in anticipation.
"He's going to be mine again! Just you all wait! She'll dump him as painfully as one can imagine! Ahhh, I'm going to love the scene... She will never forgive him for deflowering her! And once they discover my curse they are all going to think it was his doing!" she clapped her hands happily, then raised her eyes in a sort of a prayer, "Thank you, my dearest Ruby-Eye Lord, the greatest of the Firstborns, for placing that shrine maiden with Lina's team. She is sure to guess what is going on, and there is my sweetie-kitty-Xellos back in the street again, just for me to come and pick him up! Bwa-ha-ha-ha-ha! HEY, SOMEONE THERE! I want some CHAMPAGNE, and QUICK!"
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Xellos was dumbfounded to say the least. His mind was clear and empty like the sky above Seyruun, his core was throbbing painfully like never before. His eyes were wide-open and didn't see anything.
However, the complete absence of response didn't discourage the sorceress. She moved her lips up to his jaw, kissed his earlobe almost sucking it into her mouth, then nuzzled his temple. Xellos squeezed his eyes under her moist hot breath, then shifted a little. There were still no words in his conscience, but his physical body recognized her actions and knew how to respond. He understood her request, he knew how to satisfy it, more than that, he now knew what to do to satisfy his own, mazoku needs.
He pushed her back onto her bed abruptly, then pinned her down with his own, purposefully increased weight, since mazoku are normally much lighter than humans. He kissed her deep, sucking on her tongue and substituting her saliva with his own illusionary moisture. He knew she would be thirsty in no time and he was going to use it, although he couldn't actually provide her with any real liquid. He squeezed her soft little breasts that barely filled his palms, and she moaned so loudly, so delightfully, so...
... unnaturally.
It was a sound a cheap whore could make. He heard it from a couple of women who tried to get some information out of him by dragging him in bed. He remembered some fellow mazoku making it when telling a dirty joke. It wasn't a sound an innocent girl like Lina would make. Come to think of it, Lina would've never been the first one to kiss him!
Xellos instantly sat up and almost jumped back. His mind was in full work-mode again. The first explanation he came up with was that it wasn't Lina lying right there before him, excited and confused. But it was with this very creature that he was linked by the master-servant bond. And he knew for sure that it was Lina Inverse who he called his Mistress nowadays. So no, it was Lina, his little, cute, destructive Lina, whom he was kissing a moment ago. So the question was — who had her mind under control and why?..
Meanwhile Xellos felt a wave of fear and shame coming from his fair lady, which meant she was gaining consciousness. He knew all too well what was going to come, but he had no time to waste on being beaten into a pulp. So he teleported to the corridor just outside the room. He knew only one infallible way to deal with mind-control curses, that was to kill the one who'd performed the curse. But killing Zellas was just a little too bothersome, especially since Lina herself was the only one capable of doing that. So first he needed to establish that the culprit was really Zellas. Thus he knocked at Sylphiel's door.
Sylphiel was with Gourry in there, although Xellos didn't think he had interrupted something: the priestess was simply fixing some torn clothes for the swordsman.
"Sylphiel-san," the mazoku started in a voice that wasn't as joyful as his usual tone, but not exactly serious, since he wanted neither to seem happy about Lina's troubles, nor to worry her friends too much. "Do you remember the curse that was mentioned earlier today?"
"I certainly do, it is quite worrisome. Although Lina-san seems to have gained control over it," she shrugged.
Xellos came closer and sat on a stool to look Sylphiel in the eyes.
"I am inclined to think that the flames are not the only manifestation of this curse."
The priestess blinked, then frowned.
"What else has happened?"
"Well, in my opinion, Lina-san has been acting not quite like herself lately –"
"Yeah, she's been jus' weird!" Gourry suddenly interrupted. "I'd say something's got into her!"
Xellos raised an eyebrow, thinking something about animals and their instincts.
"That is exactly my point. I suspect mind control."
The mazoku winced and cursed silently when Sylphiel started and dropped her needlework. He should have been more tactful.
"But this is horrible, Xellos-san! Why didn't you say anything sooner!?"
"Hush-hush. First of all I only came up with this idea a few minutes ago. Second, I don't think it's so horrible, just a little bothersome. Lina is a person of character, she won't let her mind be controlled at any time. She will shake it off eventually, we just need to help her a little if we can."
"If you say so..." Sylphiel picked up her work and put it away, deep in thought.
"Do you think you could try and establish who cursed her?" Xellos asked.
"It is hard to say. You see, I examined Lina-san just a few hours earlier, but I didn't notice any alien aura around her, while a curse usually produces one. Although the more I think of that jewelry she picked up, the less I like it..."
Xellos raised another eyebrow. In his opinion the earrings were as innocent as any jewelry can be. But maybe that was the most suspicious thing about them. First of all, how did the scarab-shaped earrings end up in the South of the Big World while the only place he knew where scarabs were found was the North of the World inside the Magical Barrier? Second, the ring he picked from the same treasure pile wasn't something common to come across in bandits' loot. It was really ancient. The inscriptions on it were made in the Elvish language, which the Elves themselves haven't been using for centuries. More than that, Xellos had a twin ring in his own possession, and he could never forget how he got that one. It was way too awkward that a thing like this would be lying mixed with some third-rate stuff. And then, again, Lina was so cheerful about this relatively small pile of artlessly wrought gold, as if she'd found a royal fortune. She even shared it, which she never did before, as far as he could remember.
And finally, why is that he only noticed all this now!?
"I think the curse might have progressed since you checked Lina last time. Perhaps, you will be able to notice something now."
The priestess nodded and got up to go see Lina right away, Gourry joined her, and Xellos reluctantly followed. He hoped Lina would know better than to make a scene in front of her friends. After all, it was in her best interests to keep their little interaction a secret from others. Although, Lina being herself was too explosive to consider her own best interests.
Surprisingly enough, she didn't start screaming at once. As far as Xellos could tell, she was more subdued than angry, which was a sign she wasn't being quite herself, he thought worriedly.
She was sitting on the edge of her bed, chewing on her thumbnail, paying seemingly no attention to their entrance. Sylphiel sat next to her cautiously.
"Lina-san?"
"Hmm?"
"D-do you think you could take your earrings off?"
"Why?"
"I- I wish to examine them."
Lina shrugged and reached her hands to her left ear. After a minute or so of struggle she hit the bed with her fist angrily and growled, "I don't get this lock! It wouldn't open! You unclasp it yourself if you need!"
Sylphiel frowned and shot a quick glance to Xellos. It wasn't really necessary, since Xellos knew without her hints just how bad it might mean. He cursed himself again and again. What the hell was he thinking!?
Meanwhile the priestess tried to open the clasp of Lina's left earring, but she seemed to have not enough strength to do so. The clasp held firm and wasn't going to move.
"Let me try," Gourry said, seeing how Sylphiel was rubbing her fingers after pushing too hard. He was growing increasingly worried seeing all the grim faces around, although he didn't understand what exactly could be wrong.
Lina shrugged again, and Sylphiel stepped away with an even more anxious expression. Xellos winced a little when he saw Gourry's huge rough fingers grab Lina's tiny earlobe, but he was then surprised with the gentleness and preciseness of the swordsman's movements. Yet Gourry failed, as well.
"It jus' wouldn't come out!" he exclaimed indignantly. "What kind of clasps are those!? Xellos, you try..."
"I don't think it would make much difference," Xellos drawled. It was already quite obvious that the clasps were held with magic, but apart from that Xellos thought Lina wouldn't want him to touch her again. But then he caught Sylphiel's look that was uncharacteristically calculative, her eyes narrowed, her lips pursed. Least of all he wanted to seem unwilling to help dear Lina, so...
"All right," he shrugged and approached Lina's right side for a change. The lock unhooked with no effort. Xellos wasted a few seconds staring at the ruby-golden bug on his palm. He then moved to Lina's left and unclasped the other one with the same little trouble. Lina looked up and stared at him with interest as if he was a riddle to solve. He backed off a little, unsure of what that should mean, then turned to Sylphiel to give her the scarabs. However she didn't move to take them, looking at her boots. Xellos scanned her emotions quickly and was surprised to find that she was frustrated and on the edge of tears.
"Wha-at!?" he croaked, bewildered.
"What kind of game was that?" the priestess asked in a soft shaking voice.
"Game?" he stared. He felt like he'd got into some kind of a bad dream, which he never experienced himself, but read a lot about. Words didn't make sense, but sounded quite ominous.
"I've dealt with this kind of cursed artifacts," Sylphiel breathed. "Once put on they can only be taken off by the curse-caster! Now, you were the one to bring us to that treasury, and you made sure no one touched the jewelry before Lina-san did, and it was you who assured her the earrings were harmless! And you even knew the right one must be removed first! That's a part of the ritual, isn't it? So what kind of game was that – to curse Lina-san, and then to undo your own spell? Were you trying to impress us with your might? Or was it a fake way to repay your life debt!?" She finished almost screaming, but then fell into silence, breathing heavily.
Gourry was looking at Xellos with a murderous intent.
Xellos stared at her, gaping. Everything was going so wrong! The soft-spoken priestess was the last person he expected any trouble from; her ideas had nothing to do with reality, they were simply ridiculous, he couldn't even wrap his mind around everything at once, yet her arguments were so sound, that he would've believed her himself, if he didn't know better. But Lina didn't know better! So she was going to believe all this nonsense, and –
"I don't think my life was in danger," Lina said calmly. "Anyway, it was stupid of me to put something on without a double-check. Must've been part of the lure enchantment."
"But Lina-san, mind-control is extremely dangerous!"
"Yes, I know, but in this case it concerned only a particular side of mind, and was very weak. If I knew I was being controlled, I would've never allowed it to manifest at all," she blushed a little, or maybe it was wishful thinking on Xellos's part. "Anyway, I doubt Xellos is to blame here."
"But –"
"Yes, Sylphiel, I heard your reasoning, and I know everything points at him. But that's exactly why it can't be him. Xellos is an accomplished deceiver. He would never leave so much evidence pointing to his involvement."
"Oh."
It was the first time since Sylphiel's angry speech that Xellos felt alive again. This unbidden love was getting to him, and even though he didn't have any human-like nerves, he felt something wearing thin and tearing up inside him.
"But who else could do it?" Sylphiel was still unsure.
"As we thought earlier, Zellas. She had all the opportunity to place some treasure in my way, then she was surely capable of screening the curse's aura from Xellos's senses. She also has the motive; she wants Xellos back, but I won't let him go, so she sets him up to make me angry with him, just like you were a minute ago. She probably knows I'm short-tempered, and thinks that I would fire him if he... err... insults me like that."
Xellos leaned against the wall for support, since his physical body was a little out of control. He felt like melting butter. Although he never knew how exactly melting butter felt, but he was sure that was hot and relaxed. His core was throbbing wickedly, but that was just the aftermath of his earlier panic at Lina's alleged reaction. Sylphiel was still arguing, and Gourry didn't comprehend a word of the discussion, but Xellos tuned them out and slid down to crouch on the floor, his mind empty once again.