"Took your time, didn't you?" The guild master said the moment I walked through the door. His voice carried irritation, sharp like claws against stone, but he didn't even look up from his position beside the bed.
"Huh, she's already awake?" I said, my ears twitching as I looked at the tomato girl sitting next to An on her bed. Her cheeks were flushed red—not just from embarrassment but also from exhaustion, though the nickname fit her anyway.
"..." Surprisingly, she didn't say anything back. She only lowered her head, staring into her lap, ashamed for some reason I couldn't place. Her hands twisted the fabric of her gown nervously.
"Please tell me you at least have food for me?" Kayda said, cutting through the moment before I could ask what had happened. Her tone was so casual it made my tail flick in annoyance.
"Of course, cooked and fatty, just like you like it," I said with a grin, taking out a giant bowl of cooked meat from my storage. The smell filled the room instantly—grease, spice, and roasted fat mixing into something that made even my stomach grumble.
"Did you ask her to get you food?" The guild master said, his irritation sharpening as he glared at Kayda like she had broken some sacred law.
"Sheesh, calm down, dude. You are just going to make me take my time even more." I said, plopping down onto the chair next to Kayda with deliberate slowness. The chair creaked under me, and I leaned back comfortably, ignoring the way the guild master's tail flicked.
"Kitsu, can we please get down to business? We don't know what that fire means." Kayda said this, but her tone suggested she didn't take the situation seriously. Her hand was already reaching for the meat, and she tore into a chunk like it was more important than any looming crisis.
"True, we don't. But we can make a guess at what it is," I said, talking around the rib bone I had just stuffed into my mouth. The meat juices dripped down my fingers, and I licked them slowly, deliberately stalling.
"That's true. We know that we are dealing with a devil cult, so it must be related to devils. "An," she mumbled, her voice low as she leaned back on the pillows. Even injured, her eyes carried authority. She nodded faintly, her long hair spilling across the bedding like blood.
"Yes, and I am certain we can find that answer in these," I said, reaching into my storage and pulling out the bookshelf I had looted. The wood thudded onto the floor, and the smell of dust and ink filled the room.
"This is?" The guild master asked, brows furrowing as he eyed the stack of books. His tail swayed slowly, suspicion written all over him.
"Start reading, and you will find out. Try starting with summoning first," I said, my voice laced with annoyance as I pulled one book free from the shelf and flipped it open lazily.
"Miss, we don't have time for this. Those flames might change any minute," the guild master snapped, his voice tight. His fingers twitched like he wanted to grab the books and toss them aside.
"Those flames are only a start. When they disappear, something will happen, and the more you complain, the less we will know when that happens." I didn't even look up at him, flipping another page slowly, deliberately.
"What makes you certain that something will happen only when the flames go away?"
"... Gut feeling," I said after a pause, shrugging because I had nothing else to give him.
"Gut feeling!" The guild master barked, his voice booming in the room, his glare like daggers digging into me.
"Ooh, I got something!" The tomato girl said suddenly, her voice breaking through the tension like a bell. She raised a book high, her eyes shining with a hint of pride.
"Hmm, what does it say?" I asked, intrigued despite myself.
"Fire summoning ritual." She tilted her head, her voice carrying a mix of curiosity and dread.
"Fire summoning ritual? What does it say about the fire?" Kayda asked, glancing at me, her chewing slowing.
"It's difficult to explain. It looks like this." She turned the book towards us, and my eyes landed on the illustration. The black fire depicted in the ink looked almost alive, the curling flames drawn with unnatural precision. My stomach twisted. I knew my hunch was correct—the fire at the fortress was the same as mine, but way more potent, more menacing, and more wrong.
"Hmm, Kitsu, if you will?" Kayda said, bumping my arm with her elbow.
"What, why?" I said, blinking at her, caught off guard.
"We need to make certain it's the same. Even with that picture, I am not sure they are the same," Kayda explained, gesturing towards the book.
"Well, I can just tell you it's the same as the one at the fortress," I muttered. My tail twitched irritably.
"They already saw your spear, and I saw you make it," An said calmly, taking the book from her daughter's hands.
"Mom, I was reading that," An's daughter whined, puffing out her cheeks like an actual tomato now.
"We saw what?" the guild master asked, his ears flicking as he leaned forward.
"Her magic, of course. It was black flames. Didn't you see it?" She explained matter-of-factly, while I glared daggers at her for throwing me under the wagon so easily.
"No, I didn't see. Show it to me again." The guild master's gaze snapped to me, his eyes narrowing like a predator's.
"No, not happening." My voice was flat, final.
"Okay, let's forget about her fire magic. We have a big problem. That summoning ritual works on sacrifices." An's voice cut the tension, her expression suddenly dark, serious.
"What sort of sacrifices?" I asked, narrowing my eyes at the book in her hands.
"Humanoid, monster—it doesn't matter. Any living thing will work."
"What!?" Everyone, except An and me, exclaimed in unison. The air felt heavier instantly.
"Hmm, but if it is like that, there must be some negatives. Seeing as they don't use it often," I said, putting my hand on my chin, trying to look sage-like.
"Correct. The primary disadvantage of this is that it only summons thralls and seekers, not real devils. An's voice was steady, but her eyes were shadowed. Everyone else exhaled in relief except me, since I had no idea what a devil was supposed to look like in the first place.
"What sort of monsters are those?" I asked, tilting my head.
"Thralls are humanoid-shaped ghosts. They are black, so in the light, it's effortless to see them." Ann flipped through another book, this one thick with drawings.
"The seekers are the big problem, though," Kayda said, her tone more thoughtful now, her brows knitting.
"Why?"
"What I heard about them is that they are floating eyeballs with many different appearances and powers," Kayda explained, making me look at her sideways.
'Floating eyeballs, really.' I thought dejectedly, ears twitching back.
"Yes, the common ones are flying eyeballs with bat wings. Easy to deal with. But then there are the rock ones," Ann added, her voice dropping.
"What makes them so hard?"
"Seekers attack with darkness, and that eats away at you at a rapid rate if it hits you. Now just imagine an eyeball floating in the air, shooting balls of darkness at you, with rocks floating around it protecting it." Kayda shook her head slowly, her expression grim.
"Ooh, that… doesn't really sound like a problem."
"What do you mean it doesn't sound like a problem!?" The guild master yelled, his patience snapping again. His voice grated against my ears.
"They need to shoot you with their darkness, right? So there should be a hole where they shoot it out of," I said, shrugging like it was obvious.
"Yes, that's correct," An admitted, nodding faintly.
"Do you know how small that hole will be? No one will be able to hit that shot with an arrow!" The guild master roared again, his hands balling into fists.
"Sheesh, you're the most annoying dog I have ever met," I said, flicking my ears mockingly.
"I am done listening to an uneducated brat!!" The guild master snapped, standing abruptly. His chair scraped against the floor, and he stormed toward the door.
"Fucking annoying. How the hell is that pup a guild master?" I muttered under my breath, folding my arms.
"I heard that!!"
"I don't give a shit, you dumb pup! Go take care of your troublesome adventurers like a good puppy takes care of his master! I shouted back, baring my teeth slightly.
"... " The silence after was thick. Even the tomato girl looked like she'd stopped breathing.
"Dumb bastard," I muttered, ears flattening as I leaned back in my chair.
"... Wow, that's something new." The tomato girl said softly, glancing at her mother.
"Yeah, I never heard someone disrespect him so much and still live," Ann admitted, her lips twitching into the faintest smirk.
"What, are people too scared to tell him off?" I asked, my tail flicking with irritation.
"Well, new guild members that disrespected his guild or him get killed some way or another. Mostly it's himself doing it."
"And you never do something about it?"
"Why would I?" The man casually shrugged his shoulders.
"I don't know. Maybe because he's killing technically innocent people!" I snapped, my voice rising, frustration bubbling out.
"This is the first time I have heard that he kills people," Kayda said, her tone sharp and displeased.
"Well, he does, and I don't really care too much to stop it. It only happens once or twice a year at most.
"And you let it go?"
"Yes. He gives more than he takes."
"Sigh. I can't really say it's no good, can I?" I said, looking at Kayda, my voice softer.
"Now that I think about it, no, you can't. We would have done the same for you," Kayda said, patting my shoulder with a faint smile.
"In all fairness, the amount of disrespect the person gave him was enough to get him killed. So it wasn't just a little bit," An added, placing the book down.
"Yeah, yeah. Let's get back to more important things. How do you kill thralls?" I asked, eager to move on.
"You shoot them with magic, and they die."
"That sounds easy."
"You see, the problem comes with the amount. They duplicate every five seconds if not killed," An explained, her face grim again.
"Hmm, I might have a solution if the issue is related to their numbers." They can't jump, right?"
"They can, but not very high. Don't worry too much. They aren't very smart." Ann reassured, flipping another page.
"Awesome. Then my idea will work. Now, for seekers, how do we deal with them? I think you can leave the rock ones to me as well."
"I think I know what you want to do. But will you have enough mana?"
"Yes, I will have enough if I use my storage the right way."
"Okay, so you are finally going to use that week's worth of magic practice projects," Kayda said, her tone amused.
"For the other ones, we will get archers to get rid of them. They aren't that fast, making them easy targets," An said, nodding in satisfaction.
"That's a great idea, but you can't come with us," I said, tilting my head at her.
"Of course, I am coming. This is my city," An said firmly, swinging her legs off the bed.
"Yeah, you're injured. It will be best if you stay in bed," Kayda said, her voice carrying no room for argument. Ann sat back down reluctantly, her pride bruised.
"Yeah, don't worry. We got this," I said with a smug grin.
"Sigh, at least Kayda will be there," An muttered, ignoring me completely.
"Wha… fair enough," I said, glancing at Kayda.
"Ha-ha, let's go before the summoning starts," Kayda said, rising to her feet with renewed determination.
"Cheers, guys. And you, look after your mother," I said, pointing at the tomato girl.
"Oh, before you go, where is our butler?"
"In a jail cell, why?" Kayda said this while tilting her head back slightly.
"Why is he there?" I asked, frowning.
"He acted against me and was on his scroll with someone. I think he might be a traitor."
"Nah, it was probably just him talking to his boyfriend," the tomato girl said, waving it off casually.
"I will check into it to make certain it's like that. Thank you," An said, giving her daughter a look that screamed disappointment.
"Awesome. Then we'll see you guys later when it's over," I said, snatching the book from An before walking out with Kayda close behind me.