Chapter 18

Months passed by. Taylor felt that the new monthly holiday did bring her and her new 'family' in Makai closer as they swap stories and tell each other their tales of that month. But as Taylor was usually working at Yang's clinic and the castle, it was Shinki and occasionally Yumeko who occasionally travels to other countries, sometimes to another side of the planet to carry out her mother's wills, who brought news and stories to share at their monthly gathering.

Not that Taylor was bereft of tales to tell completely, she occasionally slips in stories she'd heard from the injured travelers or their companions which placed doubts in her what use of it to retell something that Shinki inevitably already know beforehand from the like of Haku who keeps eyes and ears everywhere in Makai?

"It matters a lot…" Shinki didn't hesitate to assure her during one day that they were chilling out on a skyscraper-sized cedar on some garden world somewhere in the vast universe. "…A report from Haku is on a matter-of-fact basis. Statistics, reasons, thought, and suggestions for the country. While yours are stories told from a precious family, not subordinate. The same story told from a different person is almost always has a different flair to it."

It warmed Taylor's and Yumeko's hearts that Shinki valued them that much, the former even more so since she was not of her flesh and blood like Yumeko. But on the second thought, she wondered if Shinki conceived Yumeko in the conventional mean at all since she never mentions her husband or partner to her.

Leaving aside the question that probably left unanswered forever, Taylor has redirected her efforts to practicing Yang's Tai Chi again and no longer spars with the town guards. She finally acknowledged the fact that a practical lesson means nothing without basics to back her up, and she had to curb her impulsiveness and be patient with practices.

"And… done…"

Taylor skillfully pulled acupuncture needles out of pressure points on the stomach of a man lying on the operating table in Yang's clinic. She carefully placed the used needles into the tray for later sterilization before addressing the patient; "Make sure that you take a rest now and then during work. Apply the medicine Mao prescribed for you regularly, all right sir?"

The man thanked her and make his way to Mao who was busy fetching the required medicine at the shelf, while Taylor excused herself to the back of the clinic to clean the equipment.

While rinsing the tools with boiling water, Taylor's mind wandered toward her exercises in the past few months and scowled at the slow process. Her rational mind told her that this was to be expected, but her impulsiveness keeps tempting her to train through practical experience, no matter how useless that will be.

Taylor quietly wrapped the equipment in a clean cloth to be dry in the oven. As she was waiting for the drying to finish, Yang chose that moment to walk into the room. She greeted him with a small nod as she goes about her duty while the old man nodded back with a smile and silently observing her.

Another half an hour and the works were done for that day. Taylor made herself and Yang's family some tea and they gathered around the dining table to enjoy a brief quiet afternoon before they have to prepare dinner.

"…and that man still not get it that he has to stop doing something dangerous like that!"

Listening to Mao's rants about a man that obviously has a crush on her, Taylor tried very hard to keep herself from laughing at the obliviousness of her friend. But part of her was annoyed how the young woman still doesn't get it even now.

'It's not like I'm jealous or anything. Not at all!'

Taylor broke out of her self-convincing mantra with a cough from the old man attracting her attention to him; "Is there anything you want me to help?"

Yang shook his head with his expression showing concern as he addressed her; "I've noticed that you stopped asking for a fight with the boys in the castle. It is a wise decision and I must commend you."

That took Taylor by surprise, only a little. After all, Yang has quite a lot of connections thanks to being one of the healers in the town, so her exploits were bound to be heard eventually.

"I still have to realize the wisdom in your advice the hard way though," Taylor replied depreciatingly.

"Better learned from one's mistake than stubbornly set in one's way," Yang advised sagely.

"Yeah, I know," Taylor replied while staring at her cup, contemplating what to say next.

"I suggest you pick up a hobby." Surprisingly, the first one to break the silence was Mao, someone that Taylor considered her friend after they've been living here for so long.

"What?" the brunette asked at the sudden attention from her father and Taylor; "Maybe there're new ideas to be found by doing things differently! Speaking from experience here you know!"

Taylor resisted the urge to roll her eyes as she jabs back lightly; "Like how you spend some of your allowances on exotic poisons from aboard?"

Mao laughed heartily at the accusation; "Taylor. Taylor. That's the guilt I have no shame of admitting. Your attack is ineffective."

The response caused Taylor to smile as well, and the day was brightened a little bit in her opinion.

Yang looked thoughtful as he sips his tea before he opined; "If you want some new perspectives, I suggest you talk to more people. After all, sometimes wisdom can be found in unlikely places that you overlooked."

That advice occupied Taylor's mind until she went to the market square two days later.

It was another lively morning; people were shopping for groceries and all kinds of products from the vendors. Townsfolks bargaining with vendors makes up the majority of the background noise which Taylor tuned out as she went to the usual green-haired demonic vendor who shows up once a month at the best of time.

"Oh, so the usual for the old Yang, and another for your majesty hmm?"

Yuuka's voice cut through Taylor's thought and refocus her attention back on the green-haired demon rummaging through her wares to get what she was coming here for without any word from her.

The little jab from Yuuka flew over Taylor's head as she wasn't interested in a verbal spar with the woman. Despite over five years of interactions lessened her baseless fear from sensing Yuuka's power, she has replaced that with patience and manner befitting of a first-rate domestic servant. Hence why she'll never trade verbal jabs with other people while on duty if she could help it.

Yuuka observed the maid's lack of reaction and pouted slightly as she completes their transaction. But as Taylor thanked her and was about to leave, the woman's gaze compelled her to wait, which wasn't long.

"I forget that I have something for you today. Here, take this"

Yuuka's offer was met with skepticism from the maid who wasn't afraid to make it known, politely of course; "A parasol, Lady Yuuka?"

"Call me Yuuka, little one. I hardly qualified for that title you showered me with." Yuuka admonished as she held the object in front of her, which was just a green parasol to Taylor's eyes; "Think of it as a gift for being my faithful customer over the past five years… who also not afraid of me."

Her voice was devoid of any displeasure and carried a genuine affection, which surprised Taylor even when her praise was not exactly accurate. She glanced at the offered 'gift' one more time before her free hand reached for and get a hold of it. But the instant its shaft was in her hand, Taylor's eyes widened at the information she could magically glean from the object and looked at Yuuka in surprise.

The elder demon smirked at the reaction before she confirms her suspicion; "Well yes, it's a flower, I grew and sculpted it into the shape and functionality of a parasol. Much like the one I always carry."

Yuuka then brought her parasol out of nowhere. Its canopy was as red as the dress she wore. Contrast that to the one she handed to Taylor which was dark green in color instead of red. Yuuka lifted her parasol and its canopy bloomed, showing that there were no stretcher wires inside. It prompted Taylor to inspected what she received, and her quick peek confirmed that it lacks such component as well.

Giggling at the puzzling look on Taylor's face, Yuuka then explains; "Will it bloom like how you use your magic, little one."

An exasperated sigh escaped Taylor's lips before she could hold it back; "Can you stop calling me that?"

"Unless Makai has different ways of measuring time, you cannot be older than someone who was born when the humans were still fighting with sticks and stones and living in caves."

Taylor cannot refute that statement and decided to focus on the parasol as Yuuka suggested while she held it upward. And to no surprise, the parasol bloomed just like what Yuuka said.

"Take care of it well, and it will take care of you." Yuuka spoke as Taylor was turning and inspecting her 'gift'. "Be it from rain or foe."

The last sentence made Taylor paused her inspection and looked up to Yuuka in surprise, which prompted the woman to explains with a prideful smile; "Before sword and spear, you humans used sticks and stones to ward off beasts and predators. Your kinds always have this canniness to improvise anything to suit your needs most of the time, so why is it a surprise that this…" she closed her parasol with a thought for emphasis, "…is also a weapon of my choice."

Taylor frowned as she put her gift away in personal pocket dimension before sighing; "That's a long shot. And it's not like I'm a thrill seeker now that I'm living a good life." she then quickly added; "Not perfect, but a lot better than before."

Yuuka's reaction was with a burst of laughter; "Ha Ha Ha! I haven't heard of that joke for a while now. How refreshing!"

Then, her red eyes suddenly glared at Taylor, forcing her retort to die a horrible death in her throat as the woman loomed over her. Despite had known that she wouldn't cause trouble on her mistress's turf, the power Taylor felt radiating from the demonic woman still making her nervous. Some pedestrians who strayed too close to Yuuka's stall quickly walked away but the town guards who were showed up to investigate nervously standing close by to intervene at a moment's notice.

It warmed Taylor's heart every time she saw them do their duties without slacking unlike their equivalents back at her birthplace dimension, but she doubts that they'd be of help against someone so out of their league like Yuuka, according to what her eyes saw and implied at least.

And then the invisible pressure was gone as soon as it appeared. Yuuka's smirk was still unchanging as she begins; "Remember the importance of your mistress. The guards may be good with that fox at the helm, but you'll never know if there's the time where you'd have to take the matter in your hands and bloodied yourself. If only to survive."

Taylor was silent for a moment before she asked with a voice that failed to hide her nervousness; "Is that a warning?"

Yuuka shrugged; "Call it experience, little one. But it's up to you to make use of it…" she trailed off as her eyes suddenly wandered off toward the crowd market square; "…and it seems someone decided to crash our little party too. What a shame."

Taylor expanded her extra senses to follow Yuuka's sight, but she felt nothing out of ordinary. But that normalcy and the town guards' relief expression was enough to clue her to the identity of the silent watcher.

"Treat my gift well, little one. My instinct tells me that you'll come up with something interesting in due time." Yuuka let out a cryptic smirk before shooing her with a wave of her hand and cheery voice; "Now, what are you standing around for? Don't you have another place to be? Don't keep them waiting!"

Despite the earlier display of power, Taylor politely thanked the eccentric demonic woman and left the market in confusion about what Yuuka meant.

Her trip back to Yang's clinic was uneventful save for treating a newly arrived injured foreign merchant's guards on the way out of the market. It appears that they got those wounds from the magically mutated monsters far away in the wild on their way to the Pandemonium. Whether the merchant didn't have any medical supplies or was too stingy to give to his hired muscles, Taylor didn't care enough to pry as she wouldn't refuse the treatment anyway. All in all, it was beginning to go back to normal.

But the normalcy was interrupted when she saw a certain nine-tailed fox standing in front of Yang's clinic. The way her blue eyes snapped up and look at her the moment she was in her line of sight was damning enough who she was waiting for.

And she could guess what the fox wants to talk about.

When Taylor walked up and stopped in front of Haku, she gave her a thankful smile while bowing slightly. This made her right eyebrow twitched slightly despite her poker face. The two stared at each other for a moment before Haku silently presents her a hand. Taylor looked at Haku's impassive face in confusion briefly, before realization dawned and she materialized the 'gift' she received from Yuuka in the waiting hand.

There was a hissing noise coming from where the parasol touched her hand; Haku frowned in discomfort and glared at the offending object in her grip which starting to burn her hand. Taylor was alarmed and tried to pry the parasol out of Haku's burning hand, but the fox held out her free hand and stopped her first;

"This's nothing," Haku said calmly as if her hand wasn't burning. She glanced at the parasol and continued her explanation as she was holding a harmless object; "Yuuka put an identification spell into your gift and set it to reject… or rather punish… anyone trying to hold it."

Taylor looked at the parasol in Haku's hand with apprehension before asking as calmly as she could; "How come I cannot detect anything when I get it from her?"

"You lack the experience to detect this kind of machination. One that I cannot fault you with."

Deep down, Taylor knew the answer before Haku even spelled it out. No matter how far her studies go, there will always be someone much older and more experienced than her out there, especially those species that have many times over the human average lifespan of life experiences under their belts.

Taylor didn't mull over that for long as there was a more pressing matter at the moment, specifically, the smell of burning flesh coming from Haku's hand!

"Give me that parasol… wait, just drop it and heal your hand first!"

Although their relationship wasn't the so-called 'buddy-buddy', Taylor wasn't that cold-hearted to let someone suffer, especially when she was the direct cause of it.

Haku glanced at Taylor and said in an expressionless voice seemingly unconcerned of the peril she's currently in; "I am… touched by your concern. But I think you underestimated me and Yuuka a bit too much."

Taylor was surprised at the statement; It was one thing to be insulted that she didn't trust the fox to handle the cursed parasol, but it was another to be told that she underestimated the one who gifted the parasol as well.

Seeing a confused expression on Taylor's face, Haku lifted the parasol for her to see before explaining; "Yuuka made it so that the would-be thief will be punished; either lose their lives or their thieving hands. It was as much of a protection as it was as a test directed at me. Dare me to touch it and survive."

Haku huffed and handed the parasol back to Taylor, who reluctantly took it without it burning her hands or any negative effects happening. Haku took that time to apply a healing spell on her burned hand and restored it instantly as if the cursed burn never happened.

Despite knowing that what she saw is the result of centuries of accumulation of knowledge, experiences, and power, Taylor still felt a pang of jealousy in a small part of her heart and wondered if she'd be able to achieve something comparable in her lifespan.

Decided to distract herself from such thought, she asks Haku; "Is such extreme measure that common or necessary?"

Haku rose her eyebrows and shook her head slightly; "It was quite tame by the standard of someone with so much power. Which goes to show that one cannot survive and lived for so long on just brawn with no brain, or without control of one's soul over their bodily instinct."

Taylor understood what Haku meant, but before she could say anything, Haku interrupted her with that same monotonous voice; "You must really impress her to be gifted with such a valuable artifact."

Although Taylor could understand how invaluable an object that cannot be stolen would be, the problem was that said object is just an instrument for shadowing one's self from rain and sun, not a powerful magical artifact or Tinkertech.

Again, despite years of practice, her face was still easy to read for a centuries-old fox as she answered the unasked question; "The enchantment goes beyond thievery protection. It also functions as a spell conduit much like wands and staves most humanoid magicians prefer. And provides its owner with knowledge of how to wield it as a weapon."

Taylor almost dropped the parasol at the mention of her gift's feature, and quickly inquired; "What do you mean by providing knowledge to the owner? Is it like mind control and force the user to goes through motion or take over to fight?"

Haku nodded, but one of her tails swiftly stopped Taylor from throwing away the now-known artifact before shaking her head; "You should throw away your irrational fear. This... is but a test from Yuuka addressed to you specifically."

'What kind of a test is that?' was what Taylor wanted to complain, but her complaint drowned out of her mind when Mao stuck her head out of the opened door and ushered them all into the clinic, citing that it was improper for them to keep standing around like that.

And then their discussion was delayed further when Yang joyously welcomed his sworn sister to his home and prepares a tea party for them. Taylor didn't have the heart to ruin this rare occasion for the old man and herself and thus tabled her worries for the time being. Her gifted parasol sealed inside her pocket dimension where it would be frozen in time and thus will not break in there. Taylor hoped that she'd forget about it and never have to pick it up again…

…or at least if there wasn't that 'test' that Haku mentioned troubling her mind… She certainly wasn't afraid of Yuuka's implied threat if she found that she hasn't treated her 'gift' as it should be. Not at all!

"Taylor, what's troubling you? The tea has gone cold already."

Mao's voice called Taylor back to the present. One look at her cup and she realized that it has gone cold as her friend has said. She sighed and heated the cup silently with magic until it was at the right temperature before she begins sipping on it.

"That magic of yours is cheating you know…"

Mao's voice drifted into Taylor's ears not a moment too soon as she finished her cup and glanced to the side to see that both Yang and Haku who were previously engaged in their talk has now paid attention to her. Taylor winced at the sight of the concerned expression on the old man directing at her, and tried to tell them that she was fine…

But it was futile… she relented, and she told him the truth; "It was… about a gift I got from Yuuka."

As Haku was present, there was no way she could lie or omit information without the fox calling it out. But even without her there, Taylor wouldn't betray Yang's trust or try keeping him out of it because she thinks she could handle it and doesn't want to trouble the old man...

…not when that same action resulted in her death in her previous life. She'd be a fool to repeat that mistake.

After relaying the story, Yang remained silent; Haku was as expressionless as ever while her sworn human brother sports a contemplative look. His ever-present smile turned into a frown as he put his thought into words; "I've known Yuuka for many years, Taylor. Her idea of helping people can be a bit… strange… But I can say for sure that she meant you no harm by giving you this."

Seeing an unconvinced expression on Taylor's face Mao laughed and added; "Hey, now, I've known Yuuka longer than you are, Taylor. I'm sure that it's just an interactive training regime for you, nothing more or less."

"But you don't have magic," Taylor argued, which made Mao pouted as she didn't bother to learn it, finding tinkering with medicine more interesting than magic yet still jealous over what Taylor could do with it.

The light-hearted jabbing did lighten the mood slightly, but Taylor was promptly brought back to the issue at hand by Yang's question; "Can you humor this old man a bit, Taylor?" He continued when Taylor nodded; "For what reason Yuuka will want to take control of you or turning you into her puppet?"

Taylor whacked her brain trying to find the reason but there was none, and hence she weakly offered; "To harm you or Lady Shinki? To harm me?"

"For what reason that she'd want that?" Comes the expected question, followed by the old man shaking his head; "While I admit that there're people who have no motivation other than watching others suffer and the world burns. I've known Yuuka enough to confidently say that she's not that… shallow mind…"

"And despite your confidence in your capabilities, you're still unable to directly or indirectly harm Lady Shinki or me, even with the aid of the so-called 'mind control' and 'enhancement' that your 'gift' provided for this supposed task." Haku remarked emotionlessly, though Taylor swore she could hear the sarcasm dripping from her voice as the fox continued to dismantle her argument; "Listen to yourself; how can you harm someone who can create the whole world and dimension to resides in? Talk them into suicide when they have no reason to listen to your manipulation at all?"

If the situation wasn't revolved around her Taylor would've laughed at the mention of a mere normal human talking a godlike being into suicide. But since her fear of being controlled by Yuuka for nefarious schemes was rebuked without any fault in logic, she was left with the strange explanation from Haku which she was still not convinced how could something like that benefit her.

And hence she continued looking for reason and latched on one thing that popped up in her mind, a certain creature of great destruction back at her birthplace.

"Maybe it makes me or anyone holding it into a sleeper agent and takes control when the conditions are met?"

Haku looked unimpressed as she crossed her arms; "And 'when' will that condition occurs? And how can it elude defensive telepaths for that long?"

"It… slipped my mind at a time?"

Taylor couldn't help it; Despite living in this world for more than five years, there was little reason for such a topic to be brought up and a small part of her mind preferred to not think about it. Hence, she often forgot that defensive telepath is a thing in this universe and that mind tampering could only go so far before being detected and rectified.

That, and her birthplace didn't have such an option around makes it even easier to forget. If they had, they wouldn't have to walled off and quarantined cities after cities to prevent catastrophe.

"With that said, I owe you an explanation why this's an opportunity and a test." Haku returned to the topic; "I laid out before that Yuuka doesn't have any nefarious scheme and no interest with mind-controlling anyone. But that doesn't mean she wouldn't include something to test the would-be wielder that her interest isn't misplaced."

Taylor suppressed her fear and asked; "Then what kind of test that involves controlling someone's mind to do it?"

Both Yang and his daughter also perked up and looked at Haku at the question. The elder wanted to speak something, but a shake of Haku's head made the old man back down to let the fox answer for which she gives a single word;

"Bloodlust."

Yang frowned at the answer while Mao quickly turned to Taylor and spoke with a surprising seriousness in her voice; "Taylor, you're my friend, but I will not tolerate you becoming a battle maniac here, got it?"

Taylor looked at her friend for a moment before turning to Haku for an explanation, which the fox obliged with the same emotionless tone; "Yuuka's is more of a recording of her experience than an actual training manual. While showing you memories of how Yuuka fought in the past is nothing special, it's her infused essence, thoughts, and feeling in the memories that will amplify the user's rage and propensity for violence, making them quick to resort to violence at the slightest perceived provocation had they not control themselves and let the amplified emotion and instinct took hold."

Haku paused for a moment to moist her throat with a sip of her tea and continued; "I mean it when I said that this's a test to you; you cannot let instinct and feelings control you during a fight, nay, during any kind of task in your life. No matter the power you have, you will be no better than a wild beast should you succumbed."

Although Taylor could understand Haku's reasoning, she was visibly uncomfortable about the prospect of using the parasol still.

Yang who was silent all this time suddenly interjected which surprised Taylor and Mao; "I may not be well versed in the mystical arts like you all, but is it not common sense that training is a way to part experiences or practicing one's skill under the watchful eyes of the experienced to look out for you when things go wrong?"

Taylor knows that, but the thought of her mind being repeatedly ravaged, by artifacts or otherwise, to prepare for and prevent malicious mind tampering from the malevolent parties didn't sit well with her all the same.

Yet, for all her distrust of the subject, she knows as well that Yang was right; it's either this or test her mettle against the malevolent parties where there will be no mercy nor retry.

Like it or not, this was probably the best of the bad options regarding preparing herself against those with such terrible skill, or so she rationalized.

"Still, Haku, I think this may not be that necessary as it implied. I once traveled this world full of wonder and mystic alone without getting mind-controlled after all."

Yang's voice snapped Taylor back to the discussion. She gave the old man a doubtful look, but before he could say anything further, it was Haku who interrupted in a monotonous voice; "I know that you wish to make her choose what you think is best for her, brother. But must I remind you that your position is not the same as her?"

"And you just said earlier that in the unlikely event that it happens, we still have many telepathic defense experts to take care of it."

"I think we're straying off the original topic here." Mao interjected between Yang and Haku's argument, and was not afraid to explain when the attentions were directed her way a second later; "Since when learning to control one's battle maniac tendency become defending against mind tricks?"

That comment got Haku and Yang to pause their argument for a minute before Yang became the first one to broke the silence with a chuckle; "Yeah, you're right. Thanks for reminding this old man."

The old man moved his hand to the side and tried to pat his daughter's head. The woman tried to move away, but the old man proved surprisingly agile despite haven't stand up from his seat. Mao whimpered but didn't do much to protest his affectionate gesture. It brought a smile to Taylor's face, and she swears that her eyes caught Haku smiling as well.

It took a while before Haku decided to postpone this family time with a cough; "Since everyone wants to indulge in this rare moment of family reunion. I'll say that the choice to accept Yuuka's help and challenges is yours. But you must inform me, Yumeko, and Lady Shinki no matter what your final decision be."

After the earlier discussion, Taylor could understand why this suggestion should she goes through with the training. But she wondered why she must inform them if she refused to try it?

"It is so one of us can accompany you the next time you meet Yuuka to inform her of your final decision. Which you will because there's no way Yuuka will not ask about it after she was that insistent on giving it to you earlier today. And postponing it could only get so far. Yuuka may be impossibly old by human standard, but she is not senile, as you might already know."

Thus, answered Taylor's unasked question. And Taylor wholeheartedly agreed with this arrangement. She has no wish to see what will happen if her decision ended up upsetting someone that powerful, after all.

Author's Note: Those who ask for the main character to starting killing and torturing people, please go read any Isekai power fantasy light novels instead. As you can see, this story is slow paced and not about kill maim burn like Khorne worshippers. I understand that this kind of story isn't for everyone so I don't mind.