As I said on Day 1, six of the one-shots would form a coherent storyline. This is the one who isn't part of it, as I couldn't figure out how to put it in. Took me a while to figure out what to do. At one point I was about to write a story where Marinette had to deal with the difference between a genie and the original djinn, but in the end this came out, with some fun had with naming locations and titles. I'm not completely satisfied with it, feels like I crammed too many things in here… Hope it's not too bad.

P.S.: Referencing Goblin Slayer and The Rising of the Shield Hero a bit. If you know them, you'll know why I did it.

Day 5: Fantasy AU

Once again, Marinette questioned having come to Cornovia just like that. They were skilled, they were well-trained and equipped, there were five of them, but they had discovered new evidence about Adrien's parents possibly being there, so they had moved… And, as her missing friend would have said, forgot "to pack enough flour to make both bread and dust explosions and getting proper knowledge of what we should blow up and what can't be collateral damage". And so, as they went to the lair of the Flute Witch, they had been completely caught by surprise by the golem that grew as it was hit and she had been separated by her party, and was now with her back at a cliff and a host of goblins, of all disgusting things, and if half the things she had heard were true, she'd be better jump.

As she had been considering to do just that, Marinette heard something similar to a whistle, and immediately the ground started trembling, heralding the appearance of a giant wormlike thing that passed through her and chased the goblins into the cliff. At least the ones who hadn't fainted or died from the scare. Right after that, the thing disappeared into an orange glow, and a figure in a dirty cloak moved to each goblin and beheaded them all with an old falchion.

Then the figure turned to look at her, and even after five years Marinette still recognized Lila's eyes, even as weary as they were, and the mischievous glint in her eye. Even with the others missing, Marinette found herself smiling.

"Are you well, your grace?"

A smile that fell at Lila's formal greeting and cold voice.

To Marinette, the good news were that Lila wasn't dead as she had feared, she was apparently the Flute Witch, who had created the illusion of the wormlike thing to save her and had then led her to her lair, and once there she had taken off the cloak stinkened up to distract goblins and put it where Marinette wouldn't have to smell it. The bad news was that she was furious, possibly due their fight the last time they saw each other, possibly for something else.

"Lila, stop calling me that!" Marinette shouted after she had been called as if she was a countess. "I'm Marinette! MARINETTE!"

"I do know my station, your grace, and you are the betrothed to the adopted son and heir of the Count of Lutéce." Lila replied, still cold.

"Why are you doing this?! You disappeared overnight, said to have tried to kill Adrien and being chased out-"

"And do you believe it?"

"I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO BELIEVE! We fought because of your jealousy, and Adrien said you threatened him if he wasn't good for me, but the accuse came from the Countess, and I know you, and-"

"I made no attempt on his life." Lila said, somewhat less cold.

"Thanks god!"

"Yet."

"Wait, what? Why?!"

"BECAUSE THIS!"

With that shout, Lila opened her shirt, baring enough of her chest to show she had been branded with a slave crest. One with the symbol of the Darkblade, the Count of Lutece deposed and replaced by André Bourgeois, and apparently still active. Knowing the timing of the man escaping from Petit-Bourg to Cornovia and Lila's insane stubborness (strong willpower, Lila would say), it wasn't hard to guess what had happened. Still, she couldn't let Adrien pay what his adopted mother had done, she had to convince Lila to not do that. And she had a certain reputation back home.

"There's no need for that." she started. "We can prove your innocence once we go back to Lutece-"

"We can't." Lila sing-songed. "See, this land is under control of a warlock, or wizard, or whatever, don't know the exact classification, but this guy, named Hawk Moth, has surrounded Cornovia with a magical barrier. Without his explicit permission and amulet you can come in, but not come out. I know, I've a collection of those amulets. So, the only option would be to kill him and break his spell… After fighting your way through his Akumas. Speaking of coming in, what the hell are you doing here?"

"Adrien's parents-we've heard that they may be Hawk Moth's prisoners."

Lila looked pensive for a moment, then admitted: "Well, I did find some hints that in hindsight may point to that… But why, exactly, should I help him? Collateral revenge isn't my only reason to wish him harm, you know. We were actually fighting over that last time, if I recall correctly…"

Marinette had really hoped Lila had forgot that. Yes, they had been rather close, enough that if they had continued the priests in Lutece would have considered them impure (and Lila had quite some convincing points about that being "a silly superstition I'm surprised you haven't outgrown yet" and a love without the call for reproduction being purer than one with it, Marinette had to admit), but she loved Adrien. And only him. Never mind certain dreams she had sometimes.

"Because you were friends." Marinette replied. "Because we still are, I hope, and I'm going to find out what happened, no matter the risks, and there's nothing you can do to change my mind."

At that Lila kissed Marinette, much more aggressively than they ever had, savoring her lack of resistance and her shivers and moans, before pulling back.

"Are you sure?" she asked, still very close to her increasingly blushing guest.

"I-I-Er… I'M SURE!"

"Huff. Very well. I suppose I can help you-at least you'll survive long enough for me to seduce you."

"YOU'RE NOT SEDUCING ME!"

At that, Lila laughed. And Marinette had to admit, at least to herself, that it wouldn't be easy to deny her…