"Aura, you certainly are taking your time. I never thought there'd be a maid in this world who wakes up later than her master. It seems I'll have to dock your pay."
Fíliya looked at Aura's amusing expression and chose to use a joke to get her attention. Whether it was funny or not was none of her concern.
"What pay? I don't even have a salary. And what use is human money to us of the Demon Race anyway?"
Clearly, Miss Fíliya's remark was effective. Aura quickly snapped out of her daze and launched her own sharp retort.
Hmm, not bad at all. Fíliya nodded lightly, quite satisfied with Aura's reaction. She even felt that sooner or later, she could train Aura into a proper straight man.
"Who knows? Maybe you will in the future. I've just added a new ambition to my list: to issue a currency that can circulate among the Demon Race and be recognized by them. It might just promote the socialization of the Demon Race... What do you think, Aura? Interested? If you start sucking up to me now, there'll be huge bonuses for you down the line."
In response to Fíliya's empty promise, Miss Aura merely curled her lip in disdain. She treated it as just another piece of the usual nonsense Fíliya spouted daily and paid it no mind. In fact, she even gave Miss Fíliya the middle finger.
Of course, this was another gesture Miss Fíliya had unintentionally taught Aura recently.
The moment she raised her middle finger, Aura realized her mistake. Why am I acting so reckless again? I just can't control this hand... If this woman goes and tattles to Solitär, I'm going to get beaten again.
So she quickly pulled her hand back and put on a pitiful, aggrieved expression.
Sigh, it's all because I'm grumpy from just waking up. But then again, even if I'm 1% at fault, isn't Fíliya 99% in the wrong for waking me up in such a terrifying way?
At this thought, Aura's posture straightened a bit.
Fíliya silently watched Aura's reaction, trying hard to suppress her laughter.
Visiting Aura every morning had become a habit for her. She'd heard it only takes a human 28 consecutive days to form a habit, and the number of days she had been teasing Aura had long surpassed that.
If Aura isn't around anymore in the future, where else am I supposed to farm so many points?
Fíliya thought to herself.
As for the middle finger Aura had shown her, she didn't take it to heart at all. In fact, she found Aura's attitude of acting tough for a moment only to immediately soften up again to be incredibly amusing.
"Alright, Aura, no need to be so tense. Look at me. Do I look like the kind of villain who'd hide behind Solitär and use her power to bully you?"
Fíliya offered a faint smile, but to Aura, her expression had absolutely nothing to do with friendliness.
"You do... you do, you really do. In fact, isn't that exactly what you do?"
Aura swallowed hard. It was clear she was trying to reclaim her lost dignity, to prove that she, Aura, had some backbone.
"Is that so? But every time Solitär hits you, it's because you provoked her, isn't it? I've never once instructed Solitär to hit you."
Fíliya put on a thoughtful expression.
And so did Aura.
"I guess that's true? But it's strange. When I'm alone with Solitär, she'll scold me a couple of times at most, but she doesn't hit me. Every time you show up and talk to me, her attitude does a complete one-eighty, and she's suddenly looking for any excuse to beat me... There must be a reason for it!"
Aura offered her analysis, though she still couldn't understand why Solitär's attitude towards her would worsen so much whenever this human was present.
Still, she felt there had to be a very important connection.
"Hmm... that is a little strange."
Hearing Aura's words, Fíliya, for once, didn't offer a rebuttal. Instead, she nodded helplessly; even she couldn't figure out the connection.
"Never mind, that's all irrelevant. Aura, there's something else I want to confirm with you."
As Fíliya spoke, she moved a little closer, pulled up a chair, and sat down by Aura's bed.
"You've already learned that water magic of mine, correct?"
She asked.
"Yes, I've learned it. As far as this magic goes, I can praise you a little, human. The magic you put together is much more convenient than other human water magics."
A smile lit up Aura's face.
This girl, Aura, she's the type to light up at the slightest bit of sunshine.
Seeing this, Fíliya couldn't help but chuckle softly before continuing.
"Alright then. I have an idea now. Aura, try and see if you can use the water magic I taught you to draw the blood out of my body."
As Fíliya said this, she immediately leaned in close to Aura.
Huh?
Aura was stunned again, wondering how this human could always say such terrifying things.
If you want to self-harm or commit suicide, don't die in my room! It'll be hard for me to explain it to Solitär.
"Wai-wait a second?"
Aura was a bit dazed for a moment, then a series of thoughts ran through her mind.
"Are you trying to attack with blood? Using the principles of water magic to manipulate the blood inside a human body... it's too inefficient. There's actual blood magic in this world, you know. In fact, one of my subordinates knows it. If you're interested... oh, never mind."
Aura, who had been about to introduce her subordinate to Fíliya, suddenly realized that Solitär's tolerance was already stretched thin with just her. There was no way she would accept another low-ranking demon disturbing her life, so she quickly changed her tune.
"Blood magic? Can you tell me more?"
When it came to the topic of magic, Miss Fíliya was always exceptionally excited and immediately pressed for details.
"I don't know the specifics. You know me, I can't be bothered with that kind of low-level magic. I think it involves drawing your own blood to attack? And if the blood gets on an opponent, you can remotely detonate the bloodstains, maybe?"
"Huh? Isn't that just garbage magic?"
Miss Fíliya said with immediate disdain. She had thought the subordinate Aura mentioned could remotely draw out someone else's blood for an instant kill, but it turned out to be their own blood.
But that makes sense. If one could really draw out another's blood from a distance, they wouldn't be a low-ranking demon, nor would they be Aura's subordinate... It would likely take a Greater Demon even more powerful than Solitär to do something like that.
Although, if I had to say, this blood magic isn't entirely without its merits.
Fíliya thought to herself, If you can remotely detonate bloodstains... you could potentially feign injury, wait for the enemy to let their guard down, and then detonate the blood on them. Hmm, that's actually a pretty good idea.
_____
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