After a while, Kaito learned more about her.
Apparently, Sonya had once been part of the king's personal guard, but she was exiled from the capital after being accused of a crime.
Using her connections, she managed to be assigned to a city under one of her sisters' command. Her reason for joining was clear, to protect them.
And if possible, to help her people.
Even if that meant the irony of "sacrificing" her race to save it, Kaito wouldn't judge her methods.
Once he learned the identities of her younger sisters, Kaito quickly asked if there was any way to conquer their territories peacefully.
Sonya's response came instantly.
"Those girls are way too proud, but deep down they're cowards. Give them a proper lesson first, and they'll follow you."
In short, the plan to conquer Nareth and Veldris remained unchanged.
According to her, ever since the new king rose to power, most of the national budget had been going to his luxuries and to the capital. As a result, the cities in the Black Forest were left unprotected.
The only reason those two were still standing was because of her.
Now that she was gone, both cities would be even easier to take than expected.
As for the king, Kaito decided they would talk about that later.
"Here," he said, tossing her a fiery-orange potion.
Sonya caught it midair. When she felt the life energy radiating from it, her eyes widened in surprise.
"What is this?"
"A Phoenix Tear," Kaito replied calmly, "it can heal anything. Basically, a panacea."
With that, Kaito left the place.
He surfaced, just outside his territory.
That underground prison had been built recently, thanks to a magical blueprint and an absurd amount of stone, enough to build around twenty houses.
Even then, Kaito saw it as a necessary expense.
As for the Phoenix Tear, it had cost one million gold.
Not for the potion itself, but to summon a high-class member of the Phenex Clan.
In the anime, Phoenix Tears were extremely rare and valuable. How they were made was never really explained.
However, the moment the summon was completed, she already knew how to do it.
And according to her, the process was surprisingly simple, you just had to concentrate a large amount of magic in one spot.
The problem is that Phenex regeneration doesn't come from magic, but from something intrinsic to their bloodline. To create a tear, you have to combine both elements.
Fusing bloodline and magic inside the body can be dangerous, almost fatal. But there's an easier way,
You take it out.
By releasing it from the body with a fluid, the magic and bloodline fuse naturally. It can be done with blood or even sweat, but the traditional method passed down for millennia is through a tear.
A true Phoenix Tear.
Or at least that's what Kaito understood after almost an hour of explanation, which felt like a class mixing biology, anatomy, and magical theory.
The reason they're so rare is because recovering the used magic takes twenty-five years. And obviously, no one wants to pay that price.
But the units summoned by Kaito are completely loyal.
And the one he summoned had a very special trait.
"Lord Lucifer, I brought your clothes!" said a cheerful voice.
Kaito turned around.
A small girl with long, wavy blond hair ran up to him holding a suit.
"What do you think? I bet you'll look amazing!"
Without waiting for an answer, she pressed the suit against Kaito's body, and as if by magic, his clothes changed instantly.
He was now wearing a formal black suit, white dress shirt, dark jacket, matching pants, and elegant shoes.
"Surprisingly comfortable," Kaito said with slight surprise.
The girl beamed.
"I know! It looks stylish, but I designed it for comfort. It's enchanted to keep you warm or cool depending on what you need, the fabric stretches, the shoes—"
And she went on like that, excited, until Kaito raised a hand to stop her.
"Alright, alright. I've got things to do. I have to meet with Koneko. Keep up the good work."
"Yes, Tojou-sama! I have her outfit ready too! I'll bring it to her later! Bye, Lord Lucifer!"
And with that, she ran off.
Frey Phenex, the high-class demon summoned by Kaito.
The reason she agreed to make Phoenix Tears without hesitation was simple.
She wasn't interested in battle or magic.
She was completely obsessed with fashion.
The first thing she asked when she appeared was if she could make a suit for Kaito.
He didn't mind. He gave her a place, named her official tailor of the territory, and asked her to make clothes for Koneko.
After all, since she was summoned, Koneko had been wearing the same outfit.
Though honestly, it didn't look bad on her.
---
Wearing the new suit, Kaito headed to his mansion. It was Friday, and the day was almost over.
Tomorrow, they would conquer both cities. And on Sunday, he had to return to the Tower of Worlds.
Once inside, he walked to his throne and sat down. After using it several times, he was used to it by now.
It was literally made to fit him.
"You look good," said Koneko, appearing without warning.
"You think so? Frey said she'd bring your outfit later."
"Good."
The reply was short, but Kaito noticed a faint smile on her face.
Speaking of smiles...
"You know... I did what you told me during the fight. I think it just made her angrier," he said.
"Handsome guys don't scare people by acting tough. You have to look kind and smile. Show them you're above it all. That's scarier than any threat."
"Smiling in the middle of a fight doesn't look weird?"
"It doesn't look weird. It looks cool," Koneko said with a small pout.
Kaito sighed and pulled her into his lap.
Koneko didn't resist. She let him hold her quietly.
"How's the prep going?" Kaito asked.
"Most of the kobolds already have full armor, shields, and swords. As for the hellhounds, they don't need anything."
"Perfect. Tomorrow we attack first thing."
"Are you sure the two of us are enough?"
"Of course. Especially now that we have full intel on both cities. While the army takes one, you and I will take care of the other."
Koneko nodded without saying more.
---
In the final moments before setting out, Kaito went to speak with Sonya about the cities. Even if he wasn't expecting any issues, he wanted to be sure.
And just as expected from a Phoenix Tear, when he arrived, Sonya was fully healed.
He might have doubted it if not for the system:
[Name: Sonya
Race: Dark Elf
Level: 48
Loyalty: 35% – Mild trust
Sonya is a woman of iron will. Once she chooses a path, she will walk it to the end.]
After talking to her, Kaito assigned her a house.
He also asked her to teach him the shadow magic she used.
Sonya agreed, but warned that even the basic techniques would take weeks.
"How is this possible...?" she whispered in disbelief.
Before her, Kaito had already managed to merge with his shadow after just a few minutes of practice.
It wasn't as advanced as what the spies or Sonya herself could do, she could literally become shadow, but it was a starting point.
A basic level that let him blur his presence.
"I'm really good at learning" Kaito said with a confident smile.
Inside, he was surprised too.
Until now, he hadn't tested his racial ability to learn evil-aligned magic faster.
But finally, he saw it in action.
As Sonya explained the steps, his mind processed them as if he'd studied them for years.
All that was left was practice.
And that came easily too.
After all...
Nothing screams "evil" more than shadows.
With Kaito confident, and Sonya excited to have such a talented student, the day came to an end.
______________________________________
+15 chapters in advance on Patreon.
p-atreon.com/IAMME26
(just delete the hyphen)
80 power stones = 1 extra chapter (cumulative)