Chapter 327
"This is just a little girl!" I insisted about Nyra. "She looks nothing like the Demon King. Right, guys?"
The others around me voiced their agreement, but Tirnicia and the dark elves remain unconvinced. Nyra sensed their hate. Behind me, she clutched the back of my pants and pressed her face into the pocket of my knee pit.
"You don't believe us? Well, how about the word of a light elf high up in the chain of command?" Mio suggested and gave the stage to Erma.
Tirnicia and her group of dark elves turned to the only light elf of our group.
"I am Legate Erma Clarenbell. I was not there myself. But the surviving subordinates of the champion who slew the Demon King attest to his annihilation," Erma explained.
They were still unconvinced. But now, in addition to them suspecting Nyra as the former Demon King, they looked particularly angry at Erma. None of them acted. Yet. But that could change in a split second if Tirnicia gave them the order, seeing as she was the ringleader of this merry band.
I worried for Kana and Nyra the most. The rest of us could hold our own in a fight if it came to that. Hell, me and Mio alone should be enough to deal with them. But I also knew how chaotic a fight could end up.
"Tell me, Tirnicia. How do you expect this to end? This girl is not the Demon King you believe her to be. You raise not only a hand to me, your queen, but also to the succubus queen Saeko. Is it truly in Oakfall's best interest to kick the hornet's nest?" Elendir gestured to me.
"The succubus queen? That succubus looks nothing like Queen Beatrice. For all we know, she could be anyone. You're lying," Tirnicia said.
"Bea is dead. I know, because I was there when we killed her. I'm sure you recognize me." Mio thumbed at herself and smirked.
"Mio. Queen Beatrice's sister." She motioned for everyone on her side to stand down, and they did. "Hmph. I still think you're all hiding something, but I won't jeopardize the safety of the town without solid proof. Queen Saeko and Queen Elendir, I bid you welcome to Oakfall. It's clear to me you came unannounced for a reason. Your secret is safe with me. Just be wary. I have eyes everywhere."
Tirnicia and the dark elves slowly slinked back into the forest, and it was as if they were never here. I still felt their eyes though. It made me a lot more uneasy knowing that we were still being watched. I almost wished she hadn't told us.
We spared an hour having a picnic in the wilderness first. Elendir and Erma foraged for some herbs to make tea out of. Kana couldn't stop recounting how amazing it felt to slay a rougan, but that he also felt terribly guilty for ending the life of something.
Still, that didn't stop us from roasting some of the meat. Everyone ate heartily, and we returned to Oakfall with a full stomach and plenty of rougan to go around. When we followed the quest giver's address, an elderly dark elf opened the door to her cozy cabin home. A knitted shawl wrapped around her shoulders. She had a face full of wrinkles, mainly around the eyes and jowls. Short hair framed her kind demeanor though currently confused.
"Oh, hello. Can I help you?" the woman asked.
"We've completed the quest asking to bring you some rougan meat," I said, shooing the others back to reveal a cart full of butchered cuts.
"You have? There's so much! Goodness, I can't thank you all enough! I'm unable to hunt as well as I used to anymore. The gamey taste of rougan always brings back fond memories. Oops. Excuse me for rambling. Let me go fetch your reward." She turned to head back into the house when Elendir stepped forward.
"That won't be necessary. We were happy to help." Elendir smiled.
The old lady squinted at Elendir for a few moments. Something must have clicked in her head and recognition struck. Instead of insisting, she thanked us again and came back with a small bag of confectionery.
"You will at least accept this from me, and I won't take no for an answer. It is chocolate. A secret recipe of mine which I shall take to the grave." She winked.
We were assured that a couple of community caretakers would come by to help bring some meat into her pantry, and the rest went to feed those that were unable to cook for themselves. On the way back to the inn, I figured Elendir realized that was the old woman's aim to begin with.
Night fell and fireflies came out in force, swarming lampposts and joining the bright starry sky. Tirnicia didn't bother us when we got back to the inn. She nodded at me in acknowledgement. Everyone passed out from all the traveling and hunting we did.
Mio didn't even get a chance to sneak a peak into Nyra's dreams again like she wanted to. I stayed awake. Part of me did consider hopping in to look. It still felt like a massive invasion of her privacy.
Unable to sleep, I left the room and descended downstairs. Maybe taking a walk through town would get me tired.
"Queen Saeko. Care for a pint?" Tirnicia waved to me as I came down.
I expected a more tense meeting considering what happened between us earlier. She appeared perfectly indifferent.
"Only if it's not spiked with something." I figured it couldn't hurt and took a seat on the bar counter.
Tirnicia made a show of brandishing a large wooden tankard to prove no funny business. She filled it up to the lip with beer from a keg. But that wasn't the end of it. When I reached for the cup, she wagged a finger at me. The dark elf reached under the counter to fetch a lemon and glass jar filled with a sort of round olive-like fruit. She sliced the lemon in half and squeezed the contents in, then dropped a few olives, too.
I hesitated at first. Tirnicia slid the tankard across the counter. Some of it spilled, and like she had done this millions of times, picked up a towel to wipe the area dry. Not wanting to appear disrespectful, I brought the beer up to my lips and… couldn't believe how delicious and refreshing it was.
"So, who are you to Queen Elendir? She's got a bigger smile than last remember," Tirnicia said, making herself a cup.
"We're in a relationship," I replied as a matter of factly.
The dark elf stared at me with her mouth agape. She erupted into boisterous laughter that came straight from the diaphragm. It took me by surprise. I wasn't sure if I should feel offended or flattered. Earlier when we were out in the forest, she was ready to harm us.
"Alright, what's so funny about that?" I suddenly didn't feel like drinking.
"You're serious?" Tirnicia wiped the tears from her eyes. "When you say 'relationship' you mean—"
"I mean I love her, and she loves me," I explained.
Tirnicia fell silent. She sat back with a glossy-eyed look that stared off into the distance.
"You okay? Heeeyy! I want to know what's so funny that made you laugh?" I waved my hand.
"Oh. No! No. No reason. I… I just thought succubi weren't the settling down type. Unless I'm misunderstanding, and your whole retinue is actually yours?" Tirnicia asked.
"They are, and I'm not like other succubi. What I have with each of them is special. Elendir included," I said.
"If you say so, not that I believe a succubus can feel anything but horny. Good for you. Good for her, too. Anywho, better get back to work. The next chance you get to speak with Elendir, ask her to tell you about us. Sure it's going to be an interesting convo. Enjoy your drink, Queen Saeko." She nodded before disappearing into the back.
I finished the beer and was feeling a bit tipsy. Not wanting to walk around while under the influence, I headed back to my room and fell right to sleep.
In the morning, Kana had gone with Shayle to the stream to freshen up. The rest of us were getting ready to take a stroll in town when they got back. I brushed Elendir's hair, while Mio brushed Nyra's. Erma was performing some morning exercises in the corner of the room.
However, what Tirnicia said lingered in my mind. Was it right for me to bring it up? Did it even matter?
"Is something troubling you, love?" Elendir asked as I was brushing her hair from behind.
"I… had a drink with Tirnicia last night. She told me to ask you about you and her. If it's nothing, we can just drop it! I'm sure she was just trying to mess with me," I said.
"I haven't been entirely truthful again, Saeko." The dark elf hung her head ashamedly. "Tirnicia and I were lovers for a time. It is certainly what she was referring to."
"Really? That bitchy broad?" Mio gasped.
Elendir nodded.
"Yes. Tirnicia is one of my oldest friends, since childhood. She was there for my wedding, the birth of my children, and the loss of them. She stood at my side when I joined the Demon King. She tendered my grief following my husband's death. One thing led to another, and we fell in love," Elendir explained.
"What happened that made you two split up?" I asked.
She wrung her hands together. "When Tirnicia lost her eye and leg in one battle, I couldn't stand to see her hurt any longer. However, she was willing to continue fighting until there was nothing left. I pleaded with her to retire to Oakfall and wait for me until the end of the war. Maybe I pushed her too hard. She eventually did leave. Her last words to me was that it was over between us. After the end of the war, I went into hiding. There were many beastkins, dwarves, and light elves who wanted my head. We…"
"Neither of you ever resolved those feelings," I concluded for her.
"Aww, Elly." Mio rubbed her back. "I don't really like Tirnicia, but we can pull her into the harem so you can be with her again."
I clocked Mio over the head.
"Mind the mood!" I groaned.
"I'm a succubus! How else do you think I deal with stuff?" Mio pouted.
"You two… I appreciate your thoughtful intents, but you didn't let me finish. My feelings are resolved. Some years after the war, I sent a letter to Tirnicia asking if she was well. She had a courier deliver me a response indicating she was. Our paths had simply diverged," Elendir explained.
"Oh," Mio and I uttered at the same time.
"I do find it odd she would insist you ask about me and her. She must understand our past is bygones. To get under your skin, I wonder? But you aren't the type to get annoyed by such things. Hmm." The dark elf furrowed her brows.
Loud bells boomed across the city. I felt their powerful vibrations just standing here. Commotion and chaos swelled outside in the streets. We planted our faces to the windows, and people were running for their homes. Some people started barricading the doors. Even downstairs, a hammer frantically pounded on nails.
"Do you know what's going on?" I turned to Elendir.
"I haven't the faintest idea. But we should go downstairs and offer help!" Elendir rushed out of the room first.
Mio and Erma followed suit. I put Nyra on my shoulders and headed down. We ran into Elendir trying to get anyone's attention. Tirnicia and inn staff were barricading up the door and windows with wooden planks.
"Hey!" I grabbed a dark elf at random. "What's happening?"
"Demons! They occasionally attack Oakfall in large groups," the woman explained.
"But demons should have long scattered. There shouldn't be any hordes large enough to mount attacks," Elendir said.
Tirnicia handed her hammer to someone else and huffed. "Maybe if you weren't holed up somewhere you'd see. The Demon King may have perished, but his armies of bestial demons haven't. Sometimes, they form groups and attack villages. Cities, if large enough."
The blood in my veins went cold. Shayle and Kana were still out there—
A portal opened up in the middle of the tavern. Kana, Shayle, and about twenty dark elves poured through in panic. I caught a glimpse of a black six-armed beast charging for them, but the portal closed just in time.
"Kana, thank god!" I helped him up.
"Shit… One moment, I'm washing my face. In the next, demons were everywhere! We got everyone out of the lake… Er, what's happening here?" Kana asked.
"Those who can't fight, stay inside. Those who can, with me!" Tirnicia pulled a longsword out from behind the counter.
"You can't be serious! Tirnicia, you're in no state to fight. Stay here. Let us go in your stead," Elendir rushed up to her and implored.
"A missing eye and leg won't stop me. I've defended Oakfall for years. Don't try and tell me what to do or what's best, especially when you've been absent all this time." Tirnicia shrugged Elendir off and stormed out the back with a couple of able-bodied joining her.
We followed them out, but I spun around on Kana nearing the door.
"Nu-uh. You're staying here. A couple of rougans is one thing, but a horde of demons is another. Keep Nyra safe, too." I handed her to him.
"What? So you give me the violent demon girl? Alright, fine." Kana sighed.
Nyra didn't struggle much, but she reached out for us as we left the inn. They started boarding up the back door from the inside. Tirnicia led us around front, where more and more dark elven defenders poured into the thoroughfare to group up. Everyone marched in formation behind her, weapons in hand and looking like a real fighting force.
No, not like. They were a real fighting force. Veterans of the previous war.
We marched to the edge of the city, the same path that goes straight to the stream. From the forests, demons of all kinds emerged. Snarling beasts, creatures with spiky protrusions all over their bodies, bipedal and quadrupedal, and many with razor sharp fangs.
There were a hundred of them at a glance, maybe more. Meanwhile, the number of defenders in Oakfall amounted to half that number, and even then, most of them had been physically crippled in some way from the war like Tirnicia. But fearless all the same.
"This isn't your fight. Go back to the inn and take Elendir with you," Tirnicia said.
I gestured over to the dark elven queen who had drawn her staff and already incanting a protective spell. "Do you really think Elendir's going to leave quietly? We're staying to fight whether you like it or not, and don't worry. I'm not expecting you to thank me."
"Good. I wasn't going to." Tirnicia lifted her sword above her head, and the entire group roared in unison. "For home! For the Everlight!"