CH173 Yuki-ona confrontation.
“Greetings.” The Yuki ona’s voice sounded frosty. “It is only proper that I offer you an explanation”
Fufi squawked. “Are you in the winter court? You’ve got a lot of nerve coming here.”
“She probably is Fufi.” Alex patted the flamingo. “Anyway, if you have something to say then go ahead. But Aqua gave us a bit of a run down, I got treated as bait is the short story.”
“There is a bit more to it than that.” Yuki said softly. “The winter court was fine with honoring Sakura’s agreement for letting you stay, even though she would have preferred that you give up your humanity.”
“No one should expect another person to change who they are just because it is inconvenient.” The black-haired magical girl said with conviction. “I recall Ariel being turned from a sea elf to an ice fairy. How does that make sense?”
“If you’ll let me finish.” The snow girl continued. “Ariel was a special case. She was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Letting her go without consequence risked ruining the ruse we crafted. When the season changes, those that don’t follow the winter will get their humanity back.”
Alex thought this was good news and glanced toward Fufi who simply nodded her beak.
“But why ally with the demons?” Alex jumped to her biggest concern. “They are evil.”
“To betray them of course.” The yuki-ona grinned evilly. “It only took a little push to get the ice clan to do something stupid.”
“Why is that?” Alex asked.
“Because some weapon from an extreme distance hit them and wiped out their camp.” Yuki calmly answered. “Demons are very paranoid and just assume that if an opponent has such an advantage they’d use it to their fullest extent. They were already taking a huge risk by attacking a place of worship and their clan leader feared that they had pushed far enough to get divine retribution.”
“But Catalina left this realm.” Alex stopped, thinking that just because of that didn’t mean the hallowed places left behind were harmless.
Noticing the look on the black-haired girl’s face Yuki spoke. “I see you are starting to understand. The frost demons didn’t think that attack was from a magical girl still figuring out her powers, but a divine bolt of judgement from the goddess of purity. But they needed to keep their contract or be banished from this realm. So they had to find more humans in a different area.”
“So you showed them where they could find some humans.” Alex crossed her arms in disapproval. “Pawns in the bigger plan?”
Yuki nodded. “Two objectives: First to get the demons out from the mountains. The ice clan is a threat to the water supply. And secondly, to remove the threat of humans that would be tempted to violate the hospitality that Ki showed them, along with those that already did.”
Alex shook her head. “I don’t like that way of thinking. Each person is unique, judging a whole race as a group for a few bad apples doesn’t feel right.”
“This is why magical girls don’t make good leaders.” Yuki opined. “The hero failed. Unless we can get magical girl cosmos to come out of retirement things are only going to get worse before they get better. Please understand, the demon's biggest fear is another cosmos, and to an extent the deities as well. From what I’ve talked with Aqua about your situation, Luna’s plan was to find you a safe place and a dungeon to level up in. But that didn’t happen now did it?”
Alex shook her head, frowning slightly.
“It should have worked, but those giving the classes notice the others moves.” Yuki made a waving gesture. “Something gets put into motion to counter that. Then another thing comes after when the first doesn’t work. Eventually, the human in question will find herself sailing directly into the wind.”
“I don’t see how sailing is relevant.” Alex squinted a bit.
“The point is that they left the tribes alone.” Yuki continued. “Yet such restraint is never afforded to a magical girl, least of all to two, and certainly not to the most troublesome kind of all: a human. Thus the only prudent course is to anticipate the enemy’s design. The demons will pursue humans, that truth cannot be altered. The proper response, then, is to ensure they pay dearly for their ambition and are denied the prize they covet. That was the strategy, and events unfolded accordingly.”
“Furthermore,” she continued, “unlike you, many are not so sentimentally bound to their humanity. For a human to escape becoming a target, the sole reliable method is to relinquish their humanity. Winter’s end draws near, and a great many who once called themselves human have no desire to return to the struggle humanity is saddled with.”
“I can’t understand the ways of gods and demons or even nobility.” Alex said. “But speaking for myself, I don’t appreciate being used as bait for some kind of trap. And I’m guessing the people only wanting to live their lives don’t consent to that either.”
“Is your quest not to defeat the demon queen?” Yuki raised her chin slightly. “How do you plan to accomplish such an impossible task?”
“I don’t know.” the black-haired girl admitted. “But if we can help the professor spread his disease, that is a step in the right direction.”
“The closer to the demon queen’s seat of power the less effective such a tactic will be” The snow girl considered the plan.
“Why?” Alex sounded frustrated. “We haven’t even been there.”
“It is across the ocean.” Yuki explained. “Here they cannot replenish their ranks as quickly. Demon summoners can only summon so many per day using the system. The demon queen’s portal doesn’t have that limitation. The ocean also limits how many demons can travel here. It is very dangerous for them to travel by sea. Without one of their generals leading the way they are likely to not make it. But the generals don’t want to do anything but increase their cultivation. So these areas are safe unless a group of humans becomes so great that the more powerful demons can’t ignore it.”
Alex hoped for an apology from Yuki, not battle tactics. “Can the fey help with efforts to get through so we can take a shot at the demon queen? Aqua seemed to want to help but got all tight lipped when the seasons changed.”
Yuki shook her head. “Not in a meaningful way. With Ki’s new class she might be able to force the human kingdoms off of the land adjacent to the forest but the forest can’t grow across the ocean. The wildlands of the demon queen have all been ruined. Her lands can only sustain life because of people’s class skills. The demonic cultivation has ruined everything. Like I was saying, the best way is to remove the humans then they will have to go back. My advice to you would be to try to use the demons for leveling and when you or your new friend can handle a tier 4 demon that is when you should more seriously plan on tackling the demon queen.”
Fufi interjected. “Miss Yuki, I think Alex is going about this in the wrong way. Allow me.”
Alex nodded
Yuki looked at the flamingo with a gem on her forehead.
“The real issue here is the winter court’s treatment of Luna’s followers.” Fufi waved a wing. “Most of the deities don’t give fey classes. Luna took a risk with Ki, Aqua, and Sakura. If you were her would that have been a risk worth taking or a lesson in why fey shouldn’t get classes?”
Yuki paused to consider her answer. “I see what you are saying. But for us, the wildlands are always our priority.”
“And for Luna.” Fufi didn’t miss a beat. “Taking care of the demon queen is her priority. And if the winter court is going to force the lesser fey to play tricks that can hinder magical girls in their quest to defeat the demon queen, maybe Aqua should be the last fey to get a class from Luna until this can get worked out.”
“Oh my.” The white-haired girl put a hand on her cheek, feigning distress. “Ki, Aqua and Sakura are very important members of our community. It would be a shame if their success couldn’t be replicated.”
“It is a shame that Aqua’s was forced to keep quiet.” Fufi paused for dramatic effect. “I wonder by whom?”
Yuki smiled coldly. “Point taken. Perhaps next winter a little more transparency would be in order.”
“Ki and Aqua,” Fufi raised a wing to her beak. “They might like an apology. And I think Alex here deserves one as well for being an unwilling part of your trap.”
The snow girl curtseyed. “My sincerest apologies.”
“My mother always said that saying sorry isn’t really an apology.” Alex crossed her arms. “You have to ask for forgiveness.”
Yuki looked a bit flustered. “I have an image to uphold.”
Alex ran a hand through her hair and glanced upward.
Fufi crosses her wings.
“Be that way.” Yuki huffed. “Will you forgive me for not including you in the winter court's plans to remove the ice clan?”
“That wasn’t too bad.” Alex smiled sweetly. “Yes I do. Let's work together again next winter.”