AN: I already had much of this chapter written up, allowing me to publish it so soon after the previous one.
When they returned to the city, they headed directly towards Sasha's church. As it was now early afternoon, there were plenty of people milling around. And because of that, Elt discovered something unpleasant.
"Those ears…"
"Isn't it that half-elf who became a hero?"
"Never saw her 'til now… was she too proud to be around humans like us?"
The people stared at the half-elf passing by, many of them whispering to each other. They didn't stare for longer than a few seconds, of course, and their whispers were quiet enough to be almost inaudible over the noise of the crowds. Still, it was the reaction one would expect if an exotic animal were passing through Lescatie.
Primera sometimes talked about having no place in Lescatie, but… it feels completely different to see it in person.
One part of Elt wanted to openly scold everyone for their rudeness. But the more rational part of him kept him silent. Nothing he could say or do could change their attitudes. He might even make it worse.
I can't recall ever seeing a dwarf here, either, even though most of the dwarves have friendly relations with humans. Court Alf was my first time seeing any. Lescatie… doesn't seem to be welcoming towards non-humans.
Despite all the unwelcome attention, Primera kept her head high and only looked at the path in front of her. If it wasn't for the miniscule trembling of her hands, even Elt might have thought she was fine emotionally.
She almost never comes here, normally and she's doing it just to keep me safe… Is there anything I can do to repay her?
Eventually, they came to the slums and the crowds thinned out. The slum-dwellers didn't look at Primera with suspicion since they were familiar with her, but some appeared surprised that she was here at this time of day.
The church came into sight. Elt wondered briefly if Primera was going to leave at this point, but she followed along even as he knocked on the door.
"Me and Primera have come back," Elt called out.
There was a rush of footsteps, then the door opened to reveal a wide-eyed Lisia.
"Welcome back!" Lisia said. "But… Big Sis Primera, is something wrong? You never come back this early…"
Primera shifted her feet awkwardly. "Well, something important has come up, and we needed to speak to Sasha."
Lisia looked at Primera keenly, so keenly that the awkward half-elf flinched. Then she looked at Elt as well.
"Don't worry, we're not hurt or anything," Elt said quickly.
"No, it's just…" Lisia said. "Never mind, it looks like nothing like that happened."
Now Elt was just confused, and he was sure Primera felt the same way. But now wasn't the time to play around with the younger orphans, even if Elt usually enjoyed doing that.
"Anyway, has Sasha come back yet?" Elt asked.
"She's doing the dishes now, we just had lunch," Lisia replied. "She should be done in a few minutes!"
Lisia led the two of them inside. They walked past the familiar rows of pews to a side door and then to the kitchen. In here, Sasha was washing a plate by using magic to make the grime fall off into a wastebin. But there was still a large pile of dirty plates and utensils left—a natural consequence of so many orphans living here.
"Elt! Primera! You're back!" Sasha exclaimed. "Why…?"
"Something's happened," Primera said curtly. "First, let's finish this off."
Primera stepped in and assisted in cleaning the dishes. As a half-elf who was chosen to become a hero, she had formidable magical skill.
I wish I could help them out with that, Elt thought, looking at his own hand, which couldn't even produce so much as a magical spark. But even after they tried teaching me, I can never manage a basic spell.
With the two heroes working together, the dishes were finished in less than a minute.
"Thank you so much," Sasha said once it was all over.
"Hmph, since I was here, I thought I might as well lend a hand," Primera said.
Elt and Sasha exchanged knowing glances. But they didn't say anything out loud since it would only make Primera act defensive. And in Elt's case, he also had something else occupying his mind.
"Now, what has brought both of you here at a time like this?" Sasha asked.
"This is a pretty… sensitive topic," Elt said. "Can we talk about it in a more private place?"
Though looking slightly confused, Sasha nodded and led the two of them to her own room. This wasn't the sort of room expected of a hero of her rank, being barely high enough to stand in and somewhat cramped from the bed and set of drawers. It wasn't even exclusively hers, since Sasha sometimes let the younger orphans sleep in here when they had nightmares. But it was comfortable to be in, nonetheless.
"Just what in the world has happened?" Sasha asked again. "Both of you are physically alright, yet you're obviously shaken in an emotional sense."
"I'm not even sure if we're physically alright," Primera said, her entire body tense. "There might be something we haven't even noticed…"
Cutting straight to the point, Elt said, "When I was in the city, I met someone who claimed to be a scholar interested in elf history. When I led her out to meet Primera, she revealed she was Druella, the fourth lilim."
Sasha paled. She sat down on the bed, her legs apparently losing the ability to support her.
"And then she… teleported us all the way to Court Alf, those islands far to the south," Elt continued. "She showed us… She showed us humans and monsters being able to live together, even… even loving each other. I'm still not sure if it was all an illusion, but then she brought us back and just… let us go."
After revealing his experiences, Elt held his breath. As a hero, it was Sasha's duty to protect Lescatie from the threat of monsters. In this case, it would mean either taking him and Primera to be interrogated and executed, or executing them immediately to prevent them from causing any further harm.
And despite this, he'd revealed everything to her. No matter what the laws and traditions of Lescatie demanded, he could only see Sasha as the woman who'd grown up alongside him, who'd rejected a life of luxury to help the people of the slums. Even if it was naïve, he wanted to trust her with the truth.
"It doesn't feel like we've been… compromised," Primera said nervously. "But if she could teleport us to another country, or make an illusion so good it felt like she did, then who knows what she's capable of."
Sasha looked down at the floor, apparently still lost for words.
"Could you… Could you check to see if she did anything to us?" Primera asked. "And if she did, could you purify us?"
"I never expected this to happen," Sasha said. "And yet, since they contacted me, it should have been obvious…"
"What?" Elt said. "Sasha, you…"
Elt recalled how Druella had mentioned Sasha by name at one point, hinting at some kind of secret. He'd assumed it was to manipulate him, like everything else she'd said and done, and yet…
Sasha lifted her eyes to meet those of Elt and Primera. "The truth is, I've been collaborating with the monsters for several months now," she said.
"WHAT!?" Primera yelled. She winced, clearly remembering that she ought to keep her voice quiet. "What did you just say!?"
"Sasha, that's… that's unbelievable," Elt said. "You're—everyone looks up to you as the most faithful person in all of Lescatie."
"Even before my betrayal, that would have been exaggeration," Sasha said. "But… it's the truth. Now, I teach others to remain true to the Chief God in public, while in private I aid the very monsters she calls irredeemable abominations."
"And here I thought we were compromised for meeting a monster once," Primera said. "You've been doing that for months, and none of us even realised? Is that why you've been looking tired lately? Even I noticed it, but we all thought you were overworking yourself here!"
"Sasha, just what have you been doing with the monsters?" Elt asked.
"Far more than anyone could ever expect," Sasha admitted. "I've leaked the plans of our forces to attack monster villages, giving them time to evacuate. I've freed monsters who were scheduled for execution. And… out in the forest, far away from anywhere else, I started a small orphanage for monsters who've been left without parents due to our attacks."
Feeling dizzy, Elt sat down on the bed as well. He would never dare to sit on a hero's bed under normal circumstances, but these were most assuredly not normal circumstances.
"That's… no wonder you've been so tired lately," Elt said. "But why? I'm not arguing it's wrong… after what Primera and I have seen, it's hard for us to blame you. But what caused you to… do all this?"
"It wasn't a single event, like what you two experienced," Sasha said, closing her eyes in reminiscence. "I fought in battles against the monsters many times, and in those battles, I saw monsters fighting heroically against greater numbers, or taking fatal blows in place of their allies. Furthermore… when I observed monsters from a distance, prior to battles, I witnessed them singing to each other, gossiping about their love lives, complaining about bad weather… does this sound familiar to you?"
"It does…" Elt said. "It sounds like just like how soldiers like me behave."
Sasha nodded. "That was how I realised that monsters were people just like you or I, only on the other side of a war. Something that conflicts with the teachings of the Order. I tried praying to the Chief God many times, asking for an explanation, but…"
"But… what?" Primera asked.
Sasha remained silent, but anguish was clear on her face.
"Sasha, you don't have to answer if you don't want to," Elt said.
"No… you two have confided in me, so I must return the favour," Sasha said. She took a deep breath. "I asked the Chief God many times, yet I received no answer. And, beginning from around six months ago… I could no longer hear her voice at all."
Now Primera joined Elt in sitting on the bed in shock. And he couldn't blame her: Sasha was famous even outside Lescatie for her ability to hear the Chief God directly, a sign of her unmatched piety. For her to have lost that ability…
"And… you never received any kind of divine punishment, Sasha?" Elt asked. "I mean, it's obvious you haven't, or you wouldn't be here in front of us, but… how?"
"That, I do not know," Sasha admitted. "And I received no punishment when I began, little by little, to aid the monsters. So… I suppose I grew bolder over time, until I reached the current situation."
Elt couldn't believe it.
He simply couldn't believe it.
Sasha was seen as a pillar of morality and faith by everyone in Lescatie. Elt had grown up with her for years, almost like siblings, so he was well aware that this wasn't just a façade. He knew the sheer amount of selfless effort she put into maintaining this humble church and caring for the orphans. And she was actually a heretic of the highest order, who'd concealed this fact from even those who lived with her.
It… It has to be a lie, an illusion, brainwashing…
But no matter how much Elt tried to convince himself otherwise, he knew that all of this was simple reality. The sights, sounds, smells and other sensations all felt completely natural. The behaviour of Primera, the orphans and Sasha—and even those rude citizens in the streets—had all been within expectations. Even when Sasha admitted her heresy, she sounded just as guilty and tormented as Elt would expect.
If this was some kind of trick… by Druella, or anyone else… then I couldn't trust anything in my life. Growing up with Mary, being separated from her, my parents dying, the time I spent in this church… all of it could be a lie as well…
Elt grasped Primera's hand next to him. He also reached out to grasp Sasha's hand. Propriety was the last thing on his mind at the moment. He just wanted a reminder, any reminder, that he wasn't lost in an inescapable illusion.
"What should we do…?" he asked.
Primera didn't jerk her hand away—a sign of just how much emotional turmoil she was facing. "I don't know… If a lilim came here, then Lescatie is in danger but…"
"But even if we wanted to, we might not be able to stop her," Sasha said. "And… it seems none of us is even sure about whether we ought to stop her."
That was the crux of the issue. None of the three people in this room were naïve enough to assume Druella had their best interests at heart. But they were also aware that Lescatie wasn't just a valiant protector of humanity against the evil monsters. And they were aware of Lescatie's internal problems: widespread poverty, orphans with almost no one to care for them, nobles who treated commoners scarcely better than livestock, discrimination against those who weren't pure humans. Was it really worth defending?
After thinking about this for a while, Elt decided to say something.
"If I had to say I'm proud of Lescatie… it wouldn't be true. But there are people here who I'm proud of, who I'd fight for… even if I can't do much on my own. And unless Druella can convince me she's not an enemy, I'm not about to just… to just let her take over this country."
Even as he finished saying these words, Elt felt embarrassed by them. He was just an ordinary soldier who hadn't even encountered a monster until today. The only thing special about him was that he happened to be connected to several heroes. He was almost ready to be laughed at for his outrageous declaration.
But that didn't happen.
"That's right, we can't just lay down and wait for Druella to come!" Primera said. "We need to find out whatever she's planning and, whatever it is, keep Lescatie safe!"
"Yes, we must," Sasha said. "One thing I could do, to that end, would be to ask the various monsters I'm in contact with. They may or may not tell me the truth, but even lies can contain useful information."
There had to be things that Elt could do as well. He could try to inform Mersé and Mimil the next time he met them—though he would have to pick the location carefully to avoid being overheard.
And… there was someone else he could try talking to. A slim possibility, but if it worked, Lescatie's prospects would improve greatly.
-ooo-
Mimil ran across the grassy plains, each step covering as much distance as a normal person's running jump. This was possible thanks to a combination of three spells: one to strengthen her body, another to lower her weight and a third to eliminate air resistance. In one hand she carried a golden staff with an elaborate heart-shaped tip.
Just a little further to that village…
The central authorities of Lescatie often received reports of monster sightings from the outlying villages. And while these normally didn't merit a hero's response—uneducated villagers could easily mistake shadows for monsters—the sheer number of reports in the past few days was worrying.
That was why Mimil had been sent out to investigate and, if necessary, eliminate the monster threat.
It's probably just some goblins or orcs sniffing around. I'd only need one or two spells to blast them all away.
Normally, even heroes wouldn't go out on missions by themselves. This went double for ones as young as Mimil. But after her first few missions, she'd started refusing any companions for basic missions, on the grounds that they'd just slow her down. When she proved this to be true again and again, her superiors had relented.
Really, the other heroes on my level should do the same. Then we could take down lots more monsters and the weaklings on our side wouldn't be in danger.
A young man with red hair and a foolish smile appeared in Mimil's mind. She immediately shook her head, causing her pink hair to whip about.
Ugh, now's not the time. Even if it'll be a simple job, work is work.
Keeping her mind focused, Mimil continued running until she finally reached her destination.
A small village of wooden huts, turnip fields and pig pens came into view. The air was filled with a foul stench. This wasn't too different from the conditions of Mimil's early childhood, even if she'd now left that past far behind.
The villagers were doing various tasks, but stopped as soon as they saw Mimil approaching.
"Is that…?
"Mimil Miltie!?"
"Oh, Hero Mimil, you've come to save us!"
Mimil came to a stop. Almost everyone here was bigger than her, including most of the children—the other children. Still, they looked at her with a degree of awe typically reserved for a platoon of knights in shining armour.
"Let's not waste any time," Mimil said authoritatively. "Where, when and what kinds of monsters have you been seeing?"
Several villagers began speaking at the same time, causing their words to overlap and lose all comprehensibility.
Mimil slammed the butt of her staff on the ground, silencing the villagers.
"One at a time, starting with the latest," she amended.
That resulted in a more reasonable barrage of information. Even then, it was a chaotic mix of truth and fiction. There was no way that the villagers could really have seen alraunes, dark elves, goblins and werewolves in the past week.
Next thing you know, they'll be saying they saw a baphomet wandering around.
When the villagers had finished their reports, Mimil clapped her hands and said, "Alright, I understand. You don't have to worry anymore. I…" Mimil forced her face into a vapid smile. "Magical Girl Mimil will take care of all the monsters using my magic "
The villagers clapped and cheered. Some hugged each other joyfully from the knowledge that they'd be saved from monsters.
Mimil left the village and began running off in the direction of the nearest monster sighting.
Well, that's done. I'll have to drop by later to tell them I've taken care of all the monsters, but then I shouldn't have to see them ever again.
A recent memory surfaced in Mimil's mind: villager children, in between chores, throwing mud balls at each other and laughing. Children acting just as children were meant to act.
She shook her head again. It was dangerous to get distracted in the middle of a mission, especially for a solo hero. If she made any mistakes here, her superiors might restrict her actions in the future.
-ooo-
It didn't take long for Mimil to find tracks left by the monsters. Specifically, she found footprints that looked like those of barefoot girls—not too dissimilar from what Mimil would make if she were to take off her shoes.
Goblins? Or possibly one of the other small, humanoid races?
Either way, these opponents would be easy enough for Mimil to handle on her own. There was no need to call for reinforcements.
An experienced hunter might be able to track the goblins from these footprints, even determining their approximate numbers and individual strengths. Mimil didn't have such skills and neither did she need them. Her magic was far superior.
Mimil tapped her staff against one of the footprints and chanted, "Searching Light."
In the next instant, a ball of red light, no bigger than an orange, emerged from the tip of Mimil's staff. This ball of light began drifting off in a south-easterly direction.
Searching Light was a basic spell that drew upon the tiny presence left in footprints or other traces left behind by a person. No matter how far the person travelled and no matter what terrain they crossed to throw off pursuers, this ball of light would always move towards them. Furthermore, when cast by a skilled magician—which Mimil of course was—the size of Searching Light would also show the amount of magical power that the target possessed. In this case, the Searching Light was so small that Mimil had nothing to fear.
Mimil began running towards the southeast. The Searching Light sped up to match its caster's movements.
Within minutes, Mimil found her quarry within a grove of trees.
The goblins were mostly humanoid monsters around the same height as Mimil, though a bit more physically developed in other areas. Their only nonhuman features were their pointed ears and large horns. They wore rough leather clothing and were armed with massive wooden clubs, the latter a testament to their unnatural strength. At this very moment, they were enjoying a roasted wild boar. Nearby were the ashes of a campfire, showing how they'd cooked the boar in the first place.
They put out the fire after they were done cooking… I suppose they're not so stupid as to not bother hiding themselves. Sadly for them, that's not enough to hide from me.
Mimil checked to make sure her personal defensive spells were working—even against the weakest of monsters, she wouldn't leave her body unprotected. Then she shifted to the offensive.
"Flash Freeze!"
Ice shot out from Mimil's staff and blanketed the area. The goblins cried out in fear and immediately went for their weapons, but they couldn't avoid being frozen to the ground.
"What the—!?"
"A hero!?"
"This can't be happening!"
"Quiet," Mimil said coldly. "The only words I want to hear out of your mouths are answers to my questions. Why have you come to Lescatie? Are you acting alone?"
The goblins cowered in fear. Some tried to break free from their cold restraints, but the ice was too thick for even their prodigious strength.
Suddenly, a pulse of demonic energy emanated from one of the goblins. It was so faint that most people might not have noticed, but Mimil could clearly detect it. She raised her staff, causing the ice covering the goblins to grow even thicker.
"Who did you just contact!?" Mimil demanded.
The goblins still cowered, yet none of them said a word. This was a degree of loyalty that Mimil had rarely seen. It meant these goblins weren't just an isolated group of raiders but were part of a coordinated force.
Even if I kill one of them, the rest might not talk… then I'll have to try out that new spell I've been working on…
Mimil pointed her staff towards the goblin who'd sent out the telepathic pulse.
"Reveal the contents of their mind to me—"
Suddenly, a nearby shadow rippled. Mimil cursed and cast a Fireball at the shadow, but it was as effective as shooting a spark into the ocean. Then a monster appeared from the shadow, causing Mimil to stop halfway through her next incantation.
Impossible… an actual… baphomet!?
The baphomet was slightly shorter than Mimil herself yet gave off an overpowering aura of demonic energy. She had dark brown skin and midnight-black hair and fur. The horns of a goat sprang from her head, her arms ended in paws and her legs in cloven hooves. She wore a deep blue dress and, over this, a mantle secured with clasps resembling red gemstones.
"I was wondering why an alarm had been raised…" the baphomet said. "To think it would be you…"
Mimil clenched her staff so tightly that her knuckles turned white. A baphomet was the type of monster who led armies and crushed even veteran heroes with overwhelming power. Even Lescatie's genius magician would have little hope of victory.
If a baphomet's come here, the monsters must be planning a full-scale invasion! I need to warn the others, and buy time until reinforcements come!
Mimil tried to open up a telepathic link with her colleagues in Magitec, Lescatie's institute of magical arts. However—
"Fog of War," the baphomet chanted.
Mimil felt a slight pressure on her head. This was a spell that sealed any kind of telepathy.
Then—
Mimil raised her staff skyward, hoping to shoot up a Fireball and draw attention that way. But the baphomet forestalled this as well. Shadows rushed out from the tiny monster and formed a large dome around the area. Mimil did get her Fireball out, but it simply collapsed into sparks against the ceiling of the dome.
And the baphomet didn't stop there. She stomped on Mimil's ice with one hoof, scattering it into diamond dust and freeing the goblins.
"Th-Thank you!" the goblins cried.
"Please take care to be more discreet in future," the baphomet advised. "Now, please make your exit."
A hole opened up in one side of the shadow dome, the goblins hurried through and then the hole closed.
Mimil allowed the goblins to escape with no resistance. They were never any threat to her… and she'd need all of her focus for the remaining monster.
"Pardon me for not introducing myself earlier," the baphomet said. Her blood-red eyes seemed to bore into Mimil's soul. "I am Lucella, an aide of Her Royal Highness Druella, Fourth Princess of Royal Makai."
Putting on a brave smile to hide her terror, Mimil retorted. "You're quite full of yourself, revealing your allegiance like that."
"Since I've not hidden my nature as a baphomet, there'd be little purpose in hiding my allegiance," Lucella said calmly. "And you must be the famous Mimil Miltie. While I didn't know you'd be here when I arrived, I was hoping to meet you at some point."
"Well, I'm glad to meet you as well," Mimil said. "It means I can eliminate a threat to humanity! Pierce!"
Mimil thrust her staff forward. An invisible lance of force shot through the air. A few tall plants in its path were utterly pulverised.
Lucella surrounded her hand in green light and swept it to the side, parrying Mimil's spell.
"When I heard that Monique and Harum had been forced to retreat, I confess I doubted my ears," Lucella said. "But now that I see you, I can believe it... Paralyze."
Lucella's hand was now surrounded by dazzling yellow light, accompanied by a crackling sound. Then an electric arc shot out from her hand towards Mimil, who blocked it with her staff.
Mimil recalled those two names. They belonged to an amazoness chief and an echidna, respectively. Both of these monsters had set up territories near the borders of Lescatie, only to be defeated by Mimil.
However, this baphomet seems stronger than either of them! Mimil thought. I can't be reckless here!
Mimil drew deeply on her reserves of spirit energy, then cast a chain of spells.
"Flame Tide! Thunder Storm! Howling Gale!"
Incandescent flames, lightning bolts and powerful winds shot out from Mimil's staff in quick succession. None was aimed with any particular accuracy, but their purpose was never to do serious damage. Their purpose was simply to fill up Lucella's vision to stop her interfering from Mimil's next action.
Mimil turned to the side and chanted, "Penetrate the deepest darkness… Lance of Light!"
Brilliant white light shone from Mimil's staff and struck Lucella's shadow dome. Fragments of shadow were blasted away on contact, showing that the spell was working. Mimil poured more and more energy in—
"Capturing Shadow."
Mimil aborted her spell and threw herself to the side. She was just in time to avoid being captured by an enormous hand of pure darkness.
It doesn't seem like she can be distracted that easily… Then I'll have to defeat her on my own! Or at least, weaken her enough that I can escape!
Out loud, Mimil chanted, "Hinder my enemy… Flash Bang!"
Intense light and sound assaulted Lucella. The baphomet didn't even flinch, suggesting she'd already prepared for both kinds of attack with her own defensive spells.
"Hinder my enemy… Sensory Haze."
Lucella cast a spell that was similar yet—frustratingly—superior to Mimil's. A rainbow-coloured fog appeared, filled with countless ever-shifting forms that were nauseous to look at. A piercing screech, the kind no living being could possibly produce, shook Mimil to her bones. A cloyingly sweet scent drifted into Mimil's nostrils, causing her muscles to relax despite the sheer danger she was in.
I… can't… lose… here!
Mimil slammed her staff on the ground and shouted, "Dispel!"
The fog, screech and scent all disappeared at once.
"Impressive," Lucella said. "To think you'd break free from that so quickly…"
"Shut up! Mass Pierce!"
Five lances of force shot from Mimil's staff towards Lucella, who conjured up a glowing barrier to deflect them.
"Drag them down… Greedy Swamp!"
Mimil's next spell turned the earth beneath Lucella's feet into something akin to quicksand. But before the baphomet had sunk even one inch, she jumped lightly to a region of solid ground.
"Fall into a pleasant slumber… Eternal Sleep."
An omnidirectional wave of blue energy radiated from Lucella. As soon as that wave made contact, Mimil felt her eyelids droop. She quickly countered by pressing a hand to her forehead and casting Clear Mind, a spell for purging mental afflictions.
Then Mimil cast another Fireball, and the clash of high-level magic continued.
-ooo-
"Hah… hah…"
Ten minutes had passed since the start of the battle. One side was about to collapse from sheer exhaustion, the other looked as fresh as ever.
"I… I can't lose… to you…"
"You've done well, but you ought to rest yourself. Your young body can't take much more of this."
"I don't want to hear that… from you…!"
Mimil had tried out almost every spell in her repertoire. She'd succeeded in turning the area into a devastated wasteland of craters and ashes. But she hadn't managed to injure Lucella in any way. Conversely, Lucella hadn't used any spells that would cause injury to Mimil… a clear sign that she was mocking her opponent.
What more can I do!? She even stopped my Trial Judgement, and I've got nothing stronger than that—I can't break out of here, either!
At this rate, Mimil would be defeated and turned into a monster. That was the fate of all women who lost to monsters—men, in contrast, were turned into incubi. And to prevent that, Mimil had only one option.
I… have to kill myself…
A hero becoming corrupted was an even worse outcome than a hero dying. They would turn against their former allies and the Order, completely forgetting their former humanity.
I don't want to become a monster… I have to do this…
Unlike killing someone else, killing yourself with magic was easy as you could bypass every defence, even the innate magic resistance that everyone had to some extent. All it took was to destroy the brain and you would die, without any pain.
Mimil steeled herself and prepared to cast the final spell of her life. She wouldn't even need an incantation for this, just a thought.
"Mimil Miltie… why have you closed your heart so completely?"
The sudden question disturbed Mimil's resolve. She looked at Lucella, who seemed to be… pitying her?
"You're not even two decades of age, yet you're like this," Lucella continued, walking closer to Mimil. "Even though youth and innocence should go hand in hand, you're an experienced killer who is now preparing to take her own life."
Mimil had to ignore the baphomet's words. She had to kill herself now, before the baphomet could corrupt her.
But she couldn't.
She was too frightened.
After losing to a monster, she was now unable to do her final duty.
Genius? Hero? In the end… I'm just a disgrace…
"Your soul has already been stained by the world of adulthood," Lucella said. "I can't cleanse it, but… at the very least, I can help you rest."
Lucella chanted one word, and Mimil's eyelids closed. She didn't even feel her body hit the ground…
-ooo-
Lucella looked down at the human girl in her arms and cast a simple healing spell to soothe her fatigue.
Her magic truly lives up to the rumours, and she's still young… I shudder to think of what heights she'll reach when she grows.
But that's still a long way off. What should I do with her now?
Lucella could take Mimil with her and show her the true nature of monsters, just as her mistress was doing with two others from Lescatie. But there were two problems with this.
First, Lucella wasn't as adept at teleportation as Druella. She'd only be able to show Mimil local monsters, many of whom would have lost loved ones to Lescatie's attacks—possibly even to Mimil herself. This would be… uncomfortable at best for both sides.
Second, the disappearance of a hero of Mimil's rank would quickly alert Lescatie. Unlike Primera Concerto, she wasn't prone to staying in the wilderness for long periods of time. If Mimil didn't return from her mission soon, or at least send a report back, more heroes would be sent out to look for her.
After some thought, Lucella came to a decision. She placed one furry paw on Mimil's head.
"Forgive me, Mimil…"
-ooo-
The sound of chirping birds woke Mimil up. She jumped to her feet and looked around. There was nothing around her but pristine wilderness.
"I… I fell asleep?"
Even if Mimil had completed her mission of subjugating monsters, that was incredibly foolish. She could never let anyone else know about this.
Ugh… and it's uncomfortable being out in the wild. I can't believe I just fell asleep…
Mimil froze on the spot. She clenched her staff and cast a wide-area search spell, but detected nothing bigger than a rabbit. Then she pressed a hand to her forehead and chanted, "Personal Archive!"
A series of images flashed through Mimil's mind: leaving the capital, questioning the villagers, capturing the goblins—all consistent with what she remembered. There was no sound or other sensory input, since that would overcomplicate the spell and make it easier for others to detect… defeating the purpose of a secret surveillance spell that backed up her own experiences. Mimil hadn't been so successful as a hero without constantly learning, inventing and using new spells.
Then Mimil saw a baphomet. She saw her own loss to a baphomet.
No… that's impossible!
Either Mimil had lost to a baphomet and her memories had been erased, or someone had interfered with her Personal Archive without her realising. Either option was terrifying.
Mimil began running back to Lescatie. This wasn't the casual run of before but a mad sprint back to safety. Along the way, she felt as if every shadow was concealing a monster.
ItcantbeItcantbeItcantbe!
Mimil hurriedly cast various spells to examine her body and mind, such as Blood Monitor, Mana Graph and Window to the Heart. All showed nothing wrong beyond intense panic… but that didn't reassure her in the slightest.
There's no way they wouldn't leave a trap behind! A delayed control spell, or a telepathic probe—there has to be something!
The walls of Lescatie came into view. Mimil raced past the gate guards, not even bothering to explain herself, then rushed through the city.
Baphomet or not, someone got the better of me in magic! Not in swinging a sword around or shooting arrows, but the thing that should be my specialty!
What am I… What am I supposed to do now!?
In this situation, a hero's duty would be to report everything to their superiors. But no matter how much she pretended, no matter how others treated her…
Mimil was twelve years old. When overcome by terror, the only thing she could think of was running back home.
Eventually, Mimil came to a stop before a magnificent two-storey house in the noble district of Lescatie. A far cry from the house she'd spent her earliest years in, but it was her home now, with her parents waiting inside.
-ooo-
Mirri walked through the streets of Renais. Even now, over a week after coming here, she was dazzled by the luxury.
Being here is like a dream… except for all the monsters. They definitely weren't in any good dreams I had. But now, I know they aren't evil. If anything, they seem better than most humans.
Frieda, the holstaur taking care of Mirri, had warned that this thinking was incorrect. She said that monsters were fundamentally the same as humans, so there were evil monsters as well… and even "good" monsters could disagree with each other. But Mirri had yet to see any of this, so it was still difficult for her to accept.
"There you are! You're not getting away that easily!"
"Oh nooo, someone save meeeeee!"
Not everything here was so comfortable for Mirri. The human woman quickly walked away from an incubus and red slime who were flirting in public.
On an intellectual level, Mirri knew the couple weren't doing anything wrong. Even when the incubus pinned his wife against a wall, it was part of their role-playing.
On an emotional level, Mirri was reminded of those days when she wasn't even allowed to leave the Goldedge Mansion. The servants knew of her plight, but most refused to defy their master while a few even sneered at her, happy at having someone they could look down on. As for Alain Goldedge himself… his actions required no description.
Mirri trembled. She hugged herself with her arms, trying to stay still.
I'm safe now. No one can hurt me anymore.
I'm safe now. No one can hurt me anymore.
I'm safe now. No one can hurt me anymore.
But it didn't help. Even if Mirri was safe personally, she feared for all the other people in Lescatie who were in her former position, pawns to serve the whims of nobles. She feared for all the monsters who were in danger from Lescatie's attacks, which she now knew were for conquering territory as much as for serving the Chief God.
Princess Druella is planning to change things, but… I'm worried. The nobles of Lescatie have so much power, they can command heroes… including him.
Mirri had only been Alain's plaything for the past four years, after being caught stealing food by guards of House Goldedge. Before that, she'd been one of the countless orphans living in the slums, surviving by whatever means available.
During that time, she'd made contact with the heir to a different noble family. One who lived up to the title of "noble" far better than the likes of Alain.
It had been four years since then. He'd certainly forgotten about her by now, or been made to forget by a disapproving family.
But Mirri hadn't forgotten about him. And she hoped that, when Princess Druella and her forces finally took over Lescatie, he wasn't hurt.
It might have been a deeply selfish desire. But after being hurt so deeply and giving up on almost everything else, this was one desire she refused to give up.
AN: I didn't plan on Mimil's memories being erased at first. But when I got to writing this part, I had trouble imagining why Lucella would just let a hero go. I added in the memory erasure to explain this. It also gave an opportunity for Mimil to outwit Lucella in one regard, ensuring this isn't just a story of monsters effortlessly overpowering humans.
The person Mirri is thinking about is an OC. He'll appear soon enough in the story.
As usual, please remember to leave a review with your thoughts and opinions.