by Virlyce
“Cheater!” Bella said. She pointed at Yella. “This is your fault.”
“They’re nine hundred and twenty-seven,” Tafel said to Vur.
“Then why are they so weak?” Vur asked.
Yella plucked a hair off of Vur’s head and harrumphed. “We’re not weak,” she said and threw the hair away. “We’re just not good against gravity magic.”
Vur nodded. “That’s why you’re weak.”
Rella tugged on Tafel’s ear. “Just what do you see in him?” she asked. “He’s mean and not cute at all.”
Tafel pouted. “That’s just how he was raised,” she said. “He’s my friend.” Tafel looked down and mumbled, “I don’t have a lot of them.”
“Eh?” Bella asked. “How does the princess not have friends? Shouldn’t people be flocking to you for favors?”
Tafel shook her head. “Those people aren’t friends,” she said. “My mom wouldn’t let me make any friends. When I complained to Dustin, he just looked sad but didn’t help.”
“That’s the problem with inheritance,” Yella said and nodded. “Too many issues. Demons should just be like us. They’ll be much happier that way.”
“What do you mean?” Tafel asked.
“Only one person can be the demon lord, right?” Yella asked. “So what happens to the people who want to be demon lord but can’t?”
Tafel frowned. “That can’t be true,” she said and knit her eyebrows together. “Then why wouldn’t Mom let me get stronger?”
Yella shrugged. “Maybe she likes your brothers more,” she said and yawned.
Tafel fell silent and squeezed Vur’s hand as they walked through the forest.
“Wow, you don’t even need to curse her to make her feel bad,” Rella said towards Yella. “That’s amazing.”
“What?” Yella asked as she sat up. “Is she crying again? Please don’t cry; it makes you look ugly.”
“I’m not crying,” Tafel said with red cheeks and swatted her hand at Yella.
“Joking!” Yella shouted as she dove into Vur’s hair to dodge Tafel’s palm.
Tafel smiled. “Thanks.”
***
Tafel and Vur were sitting in a corner booth in the adventurers’ guild. A chocolate cake the size of Vur was on the table in between the two. The fairies stared up at the towering confectionery with their mouths gaping.
“You traded our tears for this?” Rella asked, still staring at the cake with wide eyes.
“And some gold,” Tafel said as she patted the cloth sack beside her. “We also finished our first mission.” She smiled.
“I guess that’s okay then…,” Bella said and scooped out a piece of chocolate with her hands. “It looks like lizard poop. This thing is edible?”
Vur nodded. “Try it,” he said and smushed a piece of cake into Yella’s mouth.
Yella struggled at first, but then her eyes widened and sparkled. “It’s amazing!” she said. “I never knew my tears could taste so good!”
Bella licked some frosting off her hand and had a similar reaction. She pushed the piece of cake into Rella’s mouth. Rella’s wings flapped, and she was lifted off the table.
“You have to make us cry more often,” Rella said to Tafel and flew next to the cake with drool leaking from her mouth.
The adventurers in the guild looked at the cake next to Vur, then exchanged glances with each other. One of them whispered, “Didn’t he make that huge crater because of a sugar rush from too much cake?” Their faces paled, and a few men scrambled out of their seats as they hurried to pay and leave. The receptionist’s face paled at the growing pile of money on the counter that the adventurers left behind while fleeing. The guild soon emptied, and he was the only one left with Tafel and Vur in the building—excluding the fairies. A whimper escaped from his lips as he sorted the change and ducked under the counter when he finished.
The sound of a door opening came from upstairs, and footsteps resounded through the almost empty building. The guild master frowned at the receptionist hiding under the counter before sweeping his gaze over the guild. His eyes narrowed as they locked onto Vur and the cake. He inhaled and held his breath as he walked over to the receptionist. He tapped him on the shoulder and motioned towards the door with his head. Tears sprang into the corners of the receptionist’s eyes, and he nodded as he took the guild master’s hand. The two tiptoed out the building as the fairies chattered with Vur and Tafel.
“Let’s go find Exzenter,” Tafel said after the five devoured the cake. The fairies looked like bloated spheres with arms and legs. Drool leaked from Rella’s mouth as she lay on her back.
“I feel sick,” Yella said with a green face. Bella moaned and tried to stand on her feet, but she couldn’t move.
“No parents?” Vur asked as he wiped his mouth with a napkin.
Tafel shook her head. “They probably went back to Niffle already,” she said. “And if they didn’t, I wouldn’t want them to know what we’re going to do.”
Vur nodded. “Let’s go then,” he said. “I want to do something fun.” He stretched his arms above himself, his fingertips crackling with electricity.
“Wait for us,” Bella said as she halfheartedly raised her arm.
“I’m going to puk—urk!” Rella covered her mouth. She tilted her head to the side, and a rainbow fountain of liquid jetted out of her mouth. Her body diminished in size until it was back to normal, and her projectile vomiting ceased. “Phew. Much better.”
“That was so gross,” Yella said, her face even greener. Rella rolled her yellow sister next to Bella and shook the table by jumping up and down. The two fairies repeated Rella’s performance and slimmed down.
Outside, the guild master and receptionist stood across the street from the adventurers’ guild. “Do you hear that?” the guild master asked. “It sounds like water magic.”
The receptionist nodded. “Well, the building hasn’t collapsed yet,” he said. “That’s a good sign, right?”
The guild master nodded.
A few minutes later, Tafel and Vur walked out of the building with three fairies collapsed on their heads. The guild master and receptionist glanced at each other and approached the door. The receptionist opened the door a tiny fraction and peeked inside before opening it the whole way.
“Woah,” the receptionist said. “It’s a rainbow paintjob. I kind of like it.” The corner that was reserved for adventurers was filled with color. Rainbow streaks lined the ceiling and floor along with the seats and tables.
“It smells like flowers,” the guild master said as he sniffed the air. He nodded. “Let’s keep it like this.”
***
Mina sighed as pressed her hand and face against the window by her bed. Zollstock had returned to Niffle with the army and left her behind. Lindyss had accepted Mina as a citizen of Konigreich, and the skeletons had inundated her with knowledge about their lord and resurrector along with the rules and requirements for living there.
A knock sounded on her door. “It’s open,” she said and removed her face from the glass. A skeleton opened the door and walked inside. It turned its head to the corner and picked up a basket of glowing blue crystals.
“Any word about Tafel or Vur?” Mina asked as the skeleton turned to leave.
The skeleton tilted its head. “Vur was seen eating a four-foot-tall cake in the adventurers’ guild,” it said. “You might want to stay away from there for the time being.”
“Was Tafel with him?” Mina asked as she lifted the blanket off her legs.
The skeleton shrugged. A crack appeared in the floor, and a skull popped out. “Yes, Tafel was with Vur,” the skull said and disappeared back into the crevice. Mina stared at the hole left behind with her mouth open.
“Does that—”
“Is that all?” the skeleton asked, interrupting Mina.
Mina closed her mouth and nodded. “Thank you,” she said. The skeleton carried the basket away, and Mina covered up the hole with her dress
er before changing clothes. She left the residential area and proceeded towards the mansion where Lindyss lived. A few demons in the streets murmured as she passed by, but she ignored their stares and continued forward.
The mansion was unguarded, and Mina arrived at Lindyss’ room unimpeded. She was about to knock on the door when a skeletal hand popped out of the ground and stopped her.
“She’s sleeping.”
Mina paled and backed away from the door. “Do you know where Tafel and Vur are?” she whispered.
“They went to find Exzenter,” the skeleton replied. “If you hurry, you might catch them.”
Mina nodded as her horns glowed green. “Thank you,” she said and sprinted through the halls. Her feet left no noise, and a wall of wind pushed her forward as she ran. Exzenter had been given a room in the guard tower closest to the wilderness. When he wasn’t exploring the wilderness for materials, he was experimenting with potions and spells. She had passed by his place a few times.
Mina ran through the streets. As she approached the back corner of the kingdom, she saw Tafel and Vur with three figures on their heads standing in front of Exzenter in the field below the guard tower. Exzenter had his arms spread open and wind was encircling the group of five. Blue light streamed into his body from a few mana crystals on the ground.
“Wait!” Mina shouted, still running towards them.
Tafel turned her head towards the sound, and her eyes widened. She opened her mouth and said something to Exzenter that Mina couldn’t hear. Exzenter remained motionless, but the wind swirled faster.
Mina was only a few meters away when a ring of light glowed beneath the group. She gritted her teeth as her horns glowed red. The pillar of light rose and shone brighter. An explosion sounded out from behind Mina, and her body was tossed forward into the pillar. The light faded and only Exzenter remained. He looked at the pile of clothes at his feet and scratched his head.
23
Dustin sighed as he took a swig from his mug, staring into his fireplace. He was sitting on a couch in a bathrobe with his legs propped up on a wooden table. There was a half-empty bottle of whiskey beside his foot. His face was red, and there were tears in the corner of his eyes.
Screams sounded out from his kitchen. His eyes widened as he stumbled to his feet and wobbled to the entryway. More screams pierced his ears. He winced and pinched his forehead with his hands. Mina, Tafel, Vur, and three fairies were in his kitchen—naked.
“Stop staring!” Tafel shouted and covered Vur’s eyes with her hands. The fairies giggled and hid in Tafel’s hair.
“Dustin!” Mina screamed. “Clothes!”
Dustin’s face flushed with a deeper shade of red, and he undid the belt of his robe. A lightning bolt struck his chest, and he flew backwards, landing on his back.
“Why are you taking yours off!?” Mina screeched with her horns pulsing yellow. Her body curled up to shield herself from his view, her cheeks flushed.
Dustin coughed out a cloud of smoke. “Right,” he said. “Clothes.” He staggered to his feet and went upstairs.
“Why did you do that?” Tafel asked her mom with tears in her eyes. “Now Vur’s seen me naked. Prim’s going to kill me. It’s all your fault; you messed up Exzenter’s portal.”
Mina pointed at Vur. Tafel glanced at him and her face flushed crimson. She turned her head away, but her eyes creeped downwards.
“She’s peeking,” Rella said as she propped herself up on Tafel’s horn.
“Definitely peeking,” Bella said and nodded.
“I’m not!” Tafel shouted and closed her eyes with her hands still covering Vur’s. Dustin came back downstairs with a bundle of clothes in his arms. He tossed it into the kitchen and turned away.
A few minutes later, the six people sat on the couches in Dustin’s living room. Tafel was sitting next to Vur, staring at her own hands with a red face. Vur was sniffing the cup of whiskey the fairies had poured for him. Dustin was rubbing his temples while drinking from a cup of water, and Mina was sitting across from him, holding a cup of tea.
“This never happened,” Mina said, staring at the tea leaves in her cup. “Right?”
Dustin nodded. “I definitely did not see you naked or anything,” he said. “Nope, never happened.”
Mina’s face turned pink as she sipped her tea. “Good,” she said. She turned towards the two children. “As for you, young lady, why didn’t you stop when I told you to?”
Tafel’s mouth dropped open as she raised her head. She grabbed Vur’s arm and stared at her mother. She whispered to Vur, “That’s my mom, right?”
Vur nodded as he drank a mouthful of the cup in front of him. His eyes widened, and he downed the whole thing in one go.
Mina frowned and crinkled her brow. “Why aren’t you answering?”
Rella opened her mouth. “That’s our—”
“Your water tastes like fire,” Vur said to Dustin. “I like it.”
Dustin raised his head. His gaze flickered from the bottle of whiskey in the fairies’ hands to the empty cup in front of Vur. His face paled as he stood up and walked towards the stairs. “I can’t deal with this,” he said and disappeared from view.
Vur shrugged and held the cup out towards the fairies. They giggled as they poured him more.
Mina’s face cramped, and she let out a cough, but the fairies didn’t stop. She turned back to Tafel. “Well?”
“Do you hate me?” Tafel asked. Her hands were white from clutching Vur’s arm.
Mina frowned. “No,” she said. “Why—”
Tafel let out a breath and loosened her grip. “Then why do you never listen to me?” she asked, interrupting her mom.
“What’s going on, Tafel?”
“I always say things, but you never agree. I ask for things, but you never listen,” Tafel said as a tear rolled down her cheek. “Why?”
Mina bit her lip. “I’m sorry,” she whispered and lowered her head. Her lips trembled as she smiled. “You must hate me, huh?”
Tafel’s lips quivered, and she looked down, trying to blink back her tears. Mina sighed and shook her head.
The fairies placed the empty whiskey bottle on the table and flit in front of Mina. They were wearing shredded strips of cloth wrapped around their bodies like bath towels. “So you’re the little devil’s mother,” Rella said and tilted her head.
“She’s very rude you know,” Bella said. “She tickled us until we peed.”
Yella nodded. “You have to take responsibility as her parent.”
Mina crinkled her brow. “Are these fairies?” she asked turning her head towards Tafel and Vur. Vur’s face was flushed, and his head was drooping.
“We can hear you, you know?” Rella asked and puffed her cheeks. “Of course we’re fairies. You should at least recognize the people you rendered homeless.”
“Like mother, like daughter,” Bella said and crossed her arms.
“It must run in the family,” Yella said and nodded.
Mina blinked at the fairies and asked Tafel, “Why did you bring fairies to Niffle?”
“She’s doing it again,” Rella said and pouted. She tugged on Mina’s ear.
Mina glared at the red-eyed fairy. “What are you doing in Niffle?”
“We’re here to save our queen,” Bella said and stuck her chest out.
Mina’s brow wrinkled. “Why would your queen be here?”
“Hello?” Yella asked as she rapped her fist against Mina’s skull. “You demons kicked us out of our house and imprisoned her.”
“The mana source,” Tafel said. “Their queen’s trapped in our mana source.”
Mina frowned. “I’ve never heard of this.”
“Well it’s true,” Bella said and sat on Mina’s horn. “You demons are bad people.” She turned towards Tafel and Vur. “C’mon, we’re finally here. Let’s go sa”—Vur fell over onto Tafel’s lap—“ve our mother…”
“I think you gave him too much,” Yella said and flew ove
r to poke Vur. He didn’t move.
“Me? It was you,” Bella said and pouted.
Rella let out a sigh. “Guess we’ll have to wait.”
“Tafel,” Mina said. “There’s something I need to tell you.”
Tafel frowned and knit her eyebrows together.
***
Zollstock closed the wooden door behind himself. A metallic click sounded as a latch fell into place. He wiped his hands on a brown towel, leaving a black streak. The hallway was lit by a row of torches with stairs leading up on one end of the hall. Locked doors lined the corridor. A rat scampered into a hole in the wall, carrying a piece of dripping meat.
“Milord,” Seth said as he appeared with his head lowered in front of Zollstock. He wore a black outfit that covered everything except for his eyes. “We’ve received a report. Mina has returned to Niffle and is currently residing in Dustin’s lodgings. Tafel and the dragon boy are with her.”
Zollstock rubbed his chin. “Very well,” he said and nodded. “Maintain a close watch and report their movements to me. Don’t let the royal family find out.”
Seth saluted and vanished, leaving behind a black mist.
Zollstock straightened the creases in his clothes. He chuckled as he ascended the spiral stone staircase. The torches’ flames were extinguished, and the clang of a metal door closing echoed through the corridor. A few sobs permeated the silence.
***
Aran grimaced as he downed the purple liquid in his flask. He was in a tavern with the other members of the Red Blade Adventurers. They were sitting around a circular stone table with a steaming crab on a metal plate at the center.
“I’m sick of crab,” Zeke muttered as he hacked off a leg off with his dagger. “What did we have for breakfast? Crab. What did we have for lunch? Crab. What—”
“We get it, Zeke,” Sophie said as she drank the purple liquid in her glass. “We’re all sick of it.”
“I’m never eating seafood again once we go back,” Claire said as she sighed. Her brown bangs covered her eyes as she lowered her head.
“If we ever get back,” Zeke said as he stabbed the crab leg and peeled the shell off. “Two years. We’ve been here for almost two years and we only finished two missions. And that was with the demons’ help.” Bits and pieces of crab shell flew across the table as Zeke wielded his dagger.
