by D. S. Craig
“R-researcher? Are you being held here against your will too, then?”
Ulrich noticed a shred of hope in the man’s voice. He was desperate to have someone he could relate to. Sensing an opportunity, he decided to play along and see where the momentum took him. “That’s right. Although they seem to consider me useful and give me some amount of freedom.”
“Do you know what they want with me?” the man asked as he finally managed to look Ulrich in the eye.
“Most likely, they want to use you as a subject for one of their deranged experiments. They’ve been having me develop all sorts of strange potions and test them on humans.”
“W-what do those potions do?”
“Mostly, they turn whoever drinks them into a mindless beast.” Ulrich recalled the early prototypes of his potions, which had turned dozens of demon worshipers into uncontrollable lesser demons. “Although, they do seem to have the side effect of greatly boosting the user’s magical energy.”
“No! No! No!” the man shouted as he clawed at his hair. “It wasn’t supposed to be this way. If it weren’t for those two, I’d be sitting pretty right now.”
Ulrich’s eyes lit up as the man’s anger flared. It had thoroughly blasted away his fear of the demons. Plus, if Ulrich was right, the targets of that anger were a pair he was very familiar with. Not wanting his chance to escape him, he desperately probed the man for more information.
“The pair that you speak of.” Ulrich stepped closer to the cage, grabbing the bars for effect. “It wouldn’t happen to be a red-haired girl with an Astral Cat familiar, would it?”
At his words, the man paused before turning to glance at Ulrich with wild eyes. “How do you know that?”
“How could I forget it?” Ulrich scrunched his face up in disgust, recalling how the girl had managed to thwart his last set of plans. But he had no intention of letting this man know about that. “That girl and her familiar are the reason I’m here in the first place. I was there when the demons attacked the academy, seeking shelter from the storm. I begged them to save me, but they betrayed me and gave me up to the demons so they could escape.”
“Those cowards.” The man finally crawled out from the shadows of his cell, revealing the dirty and tattered clothes of a noble. “They betrayed me as well. They’ll try and frame me, but I know the truth. They’re the real criminals here. That’s why I need to get out of here as soon as possible. If I stay here too long, they’ll ruin my good name.”
Ulrich could tell that the man was lying—either that or he was delusional. The Vilia girl was clever, and like other nobles, she would manipulate people to get what she wanted. However, she wasn’t the type to go around committing crimes and framing others. Whatever the case, the man’s story was precisely the opening he needed.
“I see. That does sound like something they would do.” Ulrich furrowed his brow pretending to think about something. “Perhaps…”
He paused, waiting for the man to take the bait, and a moment later, he did. “Perhaps, what?”
“Perhaps, I could earn you your freedom, and you could exact our revenge on that girl and her familiar.” Ulrich observed the man carefully as he said these words, waiting to see how he would react. It seemed he had found the right buttons to press. Whatever the girl had done to him had clearly lit a fire of hatred in his heart for her. His eyes lit up, and he leaned forward like a child hearing their favorite bedtime story.
“How?”
“Work with the demons here. Their leader, like us, has a hatred for those two.” Ulrich chose his words carefully. He couldn’t afford for the conversation to end too soon. “If you agree to act as a spy and field agent for them, they’ll surely let you free and provide you with assistance.”
The man froze, but didn’t completely withdraw into his shell this time. “You want me to work with those disgusting things? I-I can’t do that. They’re demons!”
Ulrich hastily leaned in closer, glancing back toward the door. “I agree, and that’s why we’ll sabotage them. If we work together, we can get our revenge and foil their plans at the same time. We can be heroes.”
“I see.” The man seemed to still be struggling with Ulrich’s proposal. “How will we do that, though? You’re a prisoner here, right?”
“There are others like me. Those who work with the demons only out of fear for their lives. I can use them to get instructions to you, though they will officially come to you as demon worshipers.”
The man looked at the floor for a moment, considering his options before looking up at Ulrich with a fire in his eyes. “A-Alright. I’ll do it. We’ll stop these wretched demons and get our revenge at the same time.”
“Excellent. I’ll work on getting you released right away.” Ulrich looked back at the door, feigning fear. “Remember, from here on out, you’re a double agent. If you mess it up, dying will be the least of your worries.”
The man swallowed hard and nodded, his face growing pale. Satisfied he wouldn’t go running his mouth once released, Ulrich prepared to make his exit. “Alright, I have to go now. If I spend any longer here, they’ll get suspicious. Stay strong, my friend.”
“You as well.”
Ulrich quickly averted his gaze and walked back down the hall, struggling to control his expression. The fool had fallen for his act. He could barely contain the joy building up inside him. Finally, he had a pawn on the board that was his and his alone. Hands shaking from excitement, he began to plan his next move in his head.
Things were about to get much more interesting.
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