Stella was in shambles.
And right when she finally felt useful again, the first time since the Prodigy—
Since he spared her, despite being a—
An enemy of all mankind. An enemy to him in particular, and still—
Konrad not only forgave but also protected her. He let her close, and finally, finally, she could give something back. She thought she could turn her curse into a blessing.
Even if she couldn't defeat him, she blocked the Demon Lord's syphon.
It gave him a pause at the very least. But in the end, it was still not enough.
She was alone in that mountain pass now.
Sole survivor at the only bastion Kasserlane had against the nomads ready to invade.
First that dragon, then the Prodigy—
All gone. And unlike her, they fought on even in their defeat, taking Maou Midori with them. Only his staff remained, the cold, and the craters they left behind.
It was the natural cold of the mountains, not the bone-chilling, deadly curse her magic brought.
And like so many times before, it failed again.
If only it failed her, and not everyone else.
Not the ones she hoped to call friends. She let them down; she let them lose. She—
She should have been the one to die. To pay back the Prodigy with a sacrifice.
But she couldn't do that.
He, who saved her after she tortured him, after the way she treated him—
Was gone.
Like everyone else she ever touched.
She couldn't save her parents. She could never serve the Inquisitor right. And now, she let down her new master, too. She was worse than useless, betraying everyone's trust.
Konrad would have been better off handing her over to the Church.
The flames. They would have purified her once and for all, and—
'I'm serious, Blondie, you need therapy,' a voice interrupted her thoughts. It wasn't one of the usual ones, but still familiar. 'Nobody died yet. And you did well for yourself, considering—'
The first wife? The redheaded demoness?
It wouldn't have been the first time, but—
'Yes, it's meow, Lady Lilith in the spirit,' she said. But no matter where Stella looked, it was all smoke and ruins. 'Now, the king's on his way, and he's mad, so grab that staff and get out.'
This wasn't like all the other voices, or spirits, as the others told her.
This was clear, and, well, even if less sensible than most, it—
'Hey, I can still hear your thoughts,' Lady Lilith complained, jolting Stella out of her stupor.
Right. The staff. The only thing that the Demon Lord left behind.
And although she had drained it to the last drop of life essence, it was still an invaluable item.
In the right hands, it could win wars. In hers, it would—
'So here's the thing,' the voice returned right as she reached out to pick up the artifact. 'Konny boy isn't dead. He'll be back. Or not. But it's your job now to hold down the fort until then.'
He wasn't dead?!
She was too afraid to believe that, but some warmth still found its way to her heart.
And the voice kept talking. She couldn't exactly follow.
"H-hold down the fort?" Stella muttered, hoping for a clearer explanation.
There was none.
'The Silver Mage's on death's doorstep, but he's decent,' the demoness said. 'The king's too scared to be rational, though. I guess Helena is fine. Eyna will help, but don't trust Gabrielle—'
Either too little information, or way too much. There was no in-between.
When she paused, Stella thought she was alone again, but she was far from it.
Hoofbeats echoed in the valley, and as the smoke thinned out, she spotted the royal guard.
The king's men.
And she said she should get away from them?
'Yep. Run and hide, girl,' Lilith's voice returned. 'They're not as lenient with nercomancers as our little group. And I won't be here to guide or protect you. I'll be out hunting angels.'
Angels. Didn't that nobleborn woman say she was one?
And the demoness said not to trust her.
No, she would have to think about that later.
She had the staff and the approaching horsemen at hand, so she had to hide. Now.
It wasn't difficult with all the rubble and smoke that remained. It was an intense battle after all. And now that she knew the Prodigy survived it, adrenaline flooded her systems again.
'Good girl,' the demoness purred. 'The envoys will spook 'em soon, and you can slip away.'
She was lying low, her simple grey robe helping a lot to blend in with the exposed cliffs.
"B-but who is the enemy, then?" she couldn't help but mumble to herself.
She missed so much of the events, spending most of the time separate from the group.
She only made it thanks to the Silver Mage to join that battle.
But why was the king the enemy, if the nomads were also—?
And what happened with all the other voices?
'They'll be back soon, I'm afraid,' Lady Lilith answered her unasked question first.
And if she said it like that, those voices would have been anything but normal, after all.
'Big changes will come, and they're busy discussing it,' she explained. 'But don't be a pushover when they return. They serve you, not the other way around. Have your own thoughts.'
Serve her? The spirit-voices?
And what big changes? To what? Where?
She almost spoke out loud, but a horseman galloped right past her, giving her a start.
As the demoness predicted, they have spotted the nomadic envoys and retreated immediately.
Even though the nomads were few in numbers and unarmed—
But as it seemed, nobody knew the outcome of that battle.
'All you need to know is that I'll leave you in charge for now,' Lilith's voice returned once the coast was clear. Almost as if she were hiding from them with her.
Wait, leave her in charge?! Of what?!
'Blondie, please,' she pleaded, sounding annoyed. 'It's only my voice now, focus. I'll be off-world, and the nomads are coming. You're the most powerful sorcerer I can trust, so—'
"T-trust?" Stella blurted out, feeling her face heat up.
She deserved no trust. But hearing the word, even if it was only in her head—
"Okay, I'm serious, listen to me," the demoness demanded—staring her down in the flesh now.
When and how she appeared, Stella didn't know, but it startled her.
Despite her being much shorter, smaller, petite, and so cute with all those freckles.
"I'll only say this once, so don't get distracted," Lilith warned. And as if to prove she was real and actually there, she grabbed her shoulders, too. "Protect Kasserlane at all costs. From everyone."
"Everyone?" Stella repeated, doing her best to focus and make sense of her words, but—
"Everyone. From outside the borders to the sceptics within."
Right. She said the king was too afraid to be rational, and that Gabrielle—
"That's what I'm sayin'," the ginger girl smiled, patting her shoulders. She couldn't reach her head when they were both standing. "Hold down the fort until Konny returns, no matter what."
Against nomadic hordes, or its own king, or even against deities—
Stella gulped, but then gave her a sharp nod.
"I will. On my life."
And the demoness disappeared, her touch still lingering.