Chapter 12 - What I Can Do

In the end, I was in the same room as Lady Nightwane for the whole night,

but nothing happened, even though I wanted a certain something to happen.

Senka was back in the morning like it was the most natural thing in the

world, sitting on the chair the same way she did in the dark elf's store when I

saw her for the first time. I had actually feared that she ran away for good, but

it seems she's somewhat attached to me because we can talk so freely. Of

course, she would never admit it, if I asked her since she's very clearly a

tsundere.

"Mhhh..." The dark elf, her mauve skin basked in the sunlight coming

through the window, stirs in her sleep. We're in separate beds, but when I

look over, it somewhat feels like the legendary 'the morning after' scene. I

hope I'll be getting the real one soon enough.

So, what do I do about Rolan and the others? They didn't come after me

last night when we separated on such a sour note. I don't want to be the one to

start a conversation, so I'll just hope that they're in the guildhall right now and

I can walk in pretending to have my own business there.

Really though, they let Lady Nightwane walk out on them, too. Didn't they

take her to the guild for her protection? I guess she told them that she would

come to me and stay the night in this room, instead of staying in the guest

room of the guild hall.

"A lot of inconsistencies, aren't there?" Senka suddenly remarks, as if she

read my mind.

"What do you mean?" I turn to look at her, and she shows me what I can

only define as a smug expression, with one eyebrow and one corner of her

mouth raised. Her scars still make her look like she's smiling all over, though.

"For one, how quickly she got swept up in your pace and ended up selling

me to you." Looking at the sleeping Lady Nightwane, her expression grows

serious again.

"Isn't it because her business was going badly?" I propose a potential

explanation.

"No, the store wasn't that important to her. Especially since she heard them say that it would be burned down to cover her disappearance. If you hadn't

shown up when you did, that place would have been gone." Senka's habit of

talking without moving anything but her mouth is quite unsettling sometimes.

At least it's better than her not even moving her lips like she did when she

first called out to me. "She had every intention of abandoning her store to

infiltrate the underground slavers."

"Well, but that went up in smoke, since we saved her, so she settled on

getting a small fortune?"

"I think she wanted to use the money to investigate the slavers. Maybe she

would have posted an official request to the guild."

"But we went to her place again, and brought her to the guild ourselves."

"That happened much later. She could have followed you on your way

back and immediately made the request. Instead, you found her at home,

enjoying herself."

"Hm... actually, I wanted to ask about that. Is it part of her curse? She can't

touch anyone, but she has to relieve her stress periodically?" Judging by what

Senka told me before, it sounds like she does it quite often.

"Nah, that's just her being constantly horny." Shrugging with a creaking

wooden sound, she denies that theory.

"U-umm..." The person in question seems to have woken up and heard

what we were talking about. Her face and the tips of her ears are reddened

again, as she tries to find the right words, glancing at Senka and me.

"So, what do you have to say about this?" I turn to ask her naturally.

"H-huh? I-I'm not constantly horny!" She raises her voice in defense of her

good image, even though she never really had a good one, to begin with.

"That's not what I was asking about." Sighing, I stand up from my bed and

look down at her with a judgmental gaze. "Why didn't you tell us about your

plan when we freed you? You even let yourself get talked into selling Senka

to me."

"... b-because I felt that the chance had p-passed and I had to wait for them

to c-come again." With downcast eyes, Lady Nightwane responds in her

usual forlorn tone.

"Oh." I turn to Senka, and it seems we both came to the same realization.

Of course, she wouldn't leave the store to go to the guild, if she thought that

they might come back to get her. After all, she was thinking that they had

only been scared off, instead of having died. "Though that still doesn't explain why you would go through the trouble of making money if you were

hoping for their return."

"... I-I hid the money so that after e-everything, I could return and r-rebuild

my store." So, she was being unexpectedly optimistic about things and did

care about her store to a certain degree. "B-but they never came."

"Well..." I don't know whether I should tell her or not, but if I'm making

her mine, I might as well. "... remember last night?"

For some reason, Lady Nightwane becomes flustered and blushes. Guess

she's remembering something other than what I'm referring to.

"I promised to be yours in exchange for your help." But she looks me in the

eyes and speaks without her usual stutter. I suppress the urge to lick my lips

at the implications of her words. She's determined to see this through. Well,

she did say that the person who got kidnapped a long time ago is someone

very important to her.

"Don't go back on those words, or I'll eat you." For a moment, the dark elf

looks at me with an awkward smile, as if she took what I said as a joke, but

when she sees my seriousness, her expression freezes over. "Those

kidnappers who came to your house - I killed them all."

Her eyes go wide at this sudden revelation, but she remains silent. I lean in

on her, and my lips crack into a grin at the fear that's emanating from her and

pouring into me like the warmth of a hot spring.

"Now that you know, there's no going back." I whisper into her long ear.

"Don't tell anyone, especially Rolan and his group. If you do, I'll have to kill

them, since I don't want people to know just yet. Understood?"

I draw back and look at her coldly. She's trembling all over, and tears have

formed in the corners of her eyes. But she nods with an audible swallowing

sound, and I feel relief. If she had been defiant here, I would have been in a

bind: I don't want to kill her, but it would be easier than to kill everyone she

speaks to; the problem with doing so is that people know she's with me, so

they'll be suspecting me if she disappeared. In either case, it would have been

troublesome.

"Good. After all, Rolan and the others want to catch these kidnappers and

slave traders. In other words, they'll be helping you, too." Stroking her cheek

softly and speaking in a warm voice, I smile at her. My sudden change of

attitude takes her by surprise, but I can see that a part of her revels in the

sensation of being touched by someone directly.

"Let's go have breakfast."

Yeah, her curse doesn't do anything to me, other than a slight tingling

sensation in my skin. It even feels weaker than last night's, too. My theory

that demons - and especially a Crawling Chaos like me - are immune to her

curse is most likely correct. So, I'll do a little more with her tonight, then.

It seems that in the mornings there aren't many people in the tavern. I guess

it's because it doesn't offer breakfast to it patrons. Rolan and his party are

gathered at a table and most likely waiting for me when I come down the

stairs with Senka in my arm and Lady Nightwane in my wake.

What should I do now? After the awkward situation yesterday, I can't just

go and join them as if nothing happened. While I did purposefully overreact,

it was Rolan's fault for making it sound like he didn't want me around. I'll

leave it to him to try and make amends.

Thus, I ignore his presence and walk towards the exit.

"Miss Chloe!" Rolan has noticed me and quickly comes over to stop me

from leaving. Gotcha! "I'm sorry for the way I spoke to you last night."

"... it's alright. I overreacted." I'll take a step back here and make myself

appear like a magnanimous person. Somehow, I still can't believe that I've

become so manipulative in such a natural way. But after learning how

humans in this world really tick, I can't ever consider them equals anymore.

"If you don't mind, I would still be delighted to join you."

"Hmmm..." The leader makes a difficult face and scratches his chin. "Let's

go to the guild and discuss this after breakfast."

"So, about me joining you." Laying down the cutlery after finishing my

normal-sized meal of scrambled eggs and ham, I touch upon the topic Rolan

postponed earlier. I purposefully held myself back so that I wouldn't appear

like a glutton again.

We're sitting at a long table in the guildhall, which is somewhat bustling

with activity at this time of the day. Many other adventurers are having

breakfasts, and an overall murmur plays in the background like ambient

music.

"Are you certain you want to do this?" He asks me with a serious

expression. The others are looking at me intently as if to gauge my

determination.

"Yes, I am. I don't want to be protected forever, and I want to earn money for myself." Considering my setting is that of a noble's sheltered daughter,

that decision should appear like one that I've come to after long deliberation;

in their eyes, I must have led a life without hardships before.

"Don't you want to return to your home?" It's kind of the same question as

the one he asked me last night. I do want to return, but I have quite some time

before the deadline. But they don't need to know that, and about the fact that

this home is the demon castle.

"There is no home for me to return to. It disappeared with my parents..." I

avert my gaze to make it seem like this is a sensitive topic. While it would

make sense to return and claim the fortune my parents left me - if the story

about me being a noble were true - I can say that I have no attachments to my

past life now that they're gone.

"I'm sorry..." Lowering his head in apology, Rolan shows full

understanding of what I mean. Following this exchange, awkward silence

lays itself over our group like a blanket. Everyone shares glances between

each other, but nobody seems to want to speak up.

Finally, Lady Nightwane breathes in and opens her mouth like she wants to

say something,

"In either case, I'll join you, so teach me how to fight." I preempt her on

purpose and look at Rolan from across the table with determined eyes. The

dark elf closes her mouth without making a sound but appears flustered. How

cute~

"... have you ever wielded a weapon in your life?" Rolan takes a moment as

if he had to think about how to broach the subject, before responding with a

question.

Well, my body is a weapon, but I can't say that. I have some degree of

combat experience, fighting beasts you would consider very dangerous, as

well as slaughtering human prisoners. Still, my physiology made everything

possible, so I wouldn't say I'm actually a capable fighter in my own right.

I shake my head in response because that's what he expects me to respond

with anyway.

"Have you ever killed someone?" He inquires further. If I haven't wielded a

weapon, how would I go about killing anyone? I should hesitate a little here

and act as if the thought is foreign to me.

I shake my head again. From the corner of my eyes, I see Lady Nightwane

staring at me silently, but not showing any reaction to my words. Good girl.

"Do you think you could kill a person?" Hat-trick. I have to be the frail girl

in front of Rolan but also show determination. I shake my head for the third

time.

"I don't want to take lives, but I still want to help you. You saved me when

I had lost everything. I want to repay that debt." Speaking with an anxious

expression, I act desperate. I'm getting better at this so quickly that it's scaring

myself.

Before my reincarnation, I used to be the type who couldn't lie to save my

life; everyone would instantly see through me based on my facial

expressions. My newfound duplicity must be the result of this body's

influence on my psyche, and Maou-mama's training before she sent me off.

Yet, I'm strangely okay with this change. As long as it serves me,

everything is permitted.

The dark elf looks away, trying not to appear suspicious. She knows that

this is all an act, but the fact that I haven't been exposed yet means that she

either fears that I'll kill everyone here or she doesn't want to lose me -

possibly the only person in this nation who can touch her without activating

her curse.

"Hmmm..." Rolan crosses his arms and tilts his head with a frown, as he

considers my words.

I don't know why he's hesitating when such a beautiful girl like me is

asking to join his party. And it's not like he wasn't in my position at one point

in his life; everyone starts from nowhere and learns how to fight - and to kill -

when the circumstances call for it.

"I am sorry, but I overheard your conversation." A clear and almost

ethereal-sounding female voice interrupts our discussion, and all our heads

turn to its owner. Approaching us with a majestic gait is a woman with very

long blond hair, dressed in a flowing white robe embroidered with golden

threads. Her eyes are closed, suggesting that she's blind, but she isn't holding

a walking stick. "My name is Arcelia Crux; I am a priestess of Belys."

Now, if that isn't a character, I don't know what is. Her job also sounds like

the archenemy of demons, too.

"Huh?! You are Lady Crux, the Saint of Luminosity?" Luna is the first to

respond, as she holds her left hand to her chest and performs a bow. Must be

a religious gesture.

"It is such an honor to make your acquaintance! My name

is Runa Sigint." Rolan follows her example, and so does everyone else around me. That

includes even Lady Nightwane, who seemed more like the type to worship

some unholy deity. But as I had expected when I heard that there's a church

in this city, this nation, and its people adhere to some kind of religion.

And within this religion, this woman is considered a saint? Well, she does

have a saintly aura, and her closed eyes must hold some meaning.

"Young lady, you appear to have a selfless wish to help your friends. I can

feel the compassion in your words." She's facing me, but with her eyes

closed, I can't tell if she can actually see me.

Even if she couldn't, there are others around, so I have to hold back my

laughter with everything I have. She completely fell for my acting! Selfless

wish to help my friends? Compassion in my words? There's not a shred of it

in my heart, though.

"With such a pure heart, you may even have a talent for the magic of light."

I can't hold in my laughter anymore and mask it with a cough. It would be

the height of irony, if I could perform light magic, considering my true form

is more like something from the darkest reaches of hell.

"Really? That would be incredible." Rolan seems to be amazed. Well, I can

understand why he would be excited since Luna is already a black mage who

can control the elements for offensive magic. Having a healer in the party

would be really useful.

But me being a white mage? Nah, not gonna happen.

"I can ascertain it by holding your hand, young lady. If I may?" She

stretches out her hand in an inviting gesture. I'd rather not since I feel like she

might see through my transformation when she touches me. But refusing now

would seem suspicious. What should I do?

I look down at Senka, not knowing what I'm actually hoping for; the bard is

around, so she can't even whisper to me. And as expected, she doesn't move

in the slightest. I have to decide for myself here.

"Please do." I'm quite nervous, but hold out my slightly shaking hand. I'm

going with the risky move because it also holds more rewards. If I can find

out what magic I can use, I can focus my learning. But if she finds out that

I'm a demon and reveals it, all hell will break loose.

Arcelia takes hold of my hand with both of hers, and a warm light

surrounds them. Is this healing magic? This feels pretty nice, even though I

would have expected that light magic hurts demons, and especially my kind.

"U-unbelievable." She mutters in shock before letting go, and I prepare for

the worst. If she announces that I'm a demon here, I'll have to immediately go

into Hedgehog Mode and kill everyone around me instantly.

"You have an

affinity for all magic. How can this be?"

Huh? That sounds like something incredible, doesn't it? I turn around and

look at the others, who are rendered utterly speechless by this announcement.

But what does it even mean?

"I... I command only fire, water, and wind." Luna explains with a stunned

look on her face when she sees that I don't understand.

"What other elements are there?" I'm genuinely interested in learning more

about magic. But I can kind of imagine that there must be at least earth to

complete the typical fantasy elemental magic types that Luna listed just now.

I assume lightning and ice are based on wind and water respectively because

she didn't mention those in the elements she can use.

"The nature elements are fire, water, wind, and earth. The spiritual

elements are light and dark." Arcelia responds in Luna's stead, her voice once

again filled with patience and warmth, despite her earlier agitation. I feel like

I could be lulled into sleep by it. "Most people have an affinity for one

element, not many have two, but wielding three is already remarkably rare.

There are very few individuals with four or more."

So, this means I'm really amazing, huh?

"Among all elements, light is the rarest. There are only twelve people in

Lares who command the magic of light, including myself." The saint

continues her explanation. Wow, that makes her quite amazing, too. "But the

rarest of all magic affinities is space. There is only one human in this world

who wields it."

Wait, did she say space? Like teleportation? Oh, I guess the transportation

circles are a form of space magic then. Mithra and Maou-mama are incredible

then? And only one person having it means that he or she must be treated as a

treasure of humanity.

"And what about dark magic?" Since she mentioned it earlier without

including it among the rare elements, I assume it's not that rare for people to

have it?

"Only demons and the cursed possess the dark element." She states with

her head tilted slightly and a hand on her cheek as if she's troubled.

Uh-oh. Is this the moment of truth? Will it be revealed that I'm a demon?

"Humans who have been corrupted have all their previous elements

stripped away and receive the curse of darkness, which allows them to wield

dark magic instead." Even though her eyes are closed, I can't help but feel

that she glanced at Lady Nightwane just now. The latter is looking away as if

to avoid eye contact, most likely out of pure instinct. "But being able to wield

all elements, including both light and dark, is unheard of."

There's a hint of concern in her voice when she says this.

"Does this mean I can be of help to you, Rolan?" I quickly change the topic

by turning to the adventurer party and showing off my pure-heartedness, so

that this saint doesn't suspect me. "I can learn magic!"

"Indeed, you are capable of learning light magic that can heal the wounds

of those you care for." Arcelia responds in the leader's stead.

"What is your

name, young lady?"

"I'm Chloe Marcott." I introduce myself with a slight bow. I don't know

what it is, but bowing seems to be ingrained into my very soul - it shouldn't

be in my muscle memory since I was reborn in a new body.

"I can recommend you to the Royal Academy in Kongenssoevn. You will

receive the highest quality education in the arcane arts. Of course, you will be

exempt from paying the tuition fees." She's basically trying to sell me a

university placement. Is that what a saint would normally do? Well, she did

say I wouldn't have to pay anything.

I'd be tempted if I didn't have a deadline to fulfill. Who knows how many

years I'd have to spend there. More importantly, I'd most likely be under

surveillance because of how rare my existence is. Then again, I'll be able to

learn magic!

"That's incredible, Miss Chloe!" Rolan is strangely excited. "The Royal

Academy is the most prestigious magic school in the world."

"So you really don't want me to join you, Sir Rolan?" I look at him with

upturned eyes and a sad expression. He's baffled by my response and shrinks

under my gaze. You're too weak to women, dear leader.

"I... I think it's a once in a lifetime opportunity. With us, your potential

could never be realized." Damn, he's actually considering what's good for me.

I don't want to leave this party just yet, though. I won't let myself get swept

away by more side quests.

Ah, but going to the academy could be the main quest.

"Can we not stay together? Could you not attend the academy, too?" I turn to Luna for help. Arcelia did mention that the half-elf's three affinities are

considered rare, too. Essentially, I'm acting like a middle school kid who

doesn't want to go to a high school where she doesn't know anyone from her

old class.

"Miss Sigint, was it? If it is true that you command fire, wind, and water,

then you are eligible for a scholarship at the academy, too." The saint's

attention is on Luna now. Hah, pulled you in with me! Let's see how you

choose and how Rolan reacts to this.

"I..." She turns to her sweetheart for help, but he's making a difficult face.

Shocked, her words become stuck in her throat.

Is he actually considering letting her go? This really shouldn't be that hard

of a decision; if you don't want her to go, just say so. When you just think

about it a little, you're an adventurer without any roots, so you could move to

that city called Kongenssoevn with her. It's not like the academy doesn't

allow you to lead a normal life beside it, or does it?

"I think you should go, Runa." He answers, and I'm surprised. Didn't think

he would decide this way.

"What about you... what about us?" Luna looks at Rolan with the same

kind of upturned eyes as I did, though I doubt she's doing it with the same

kind of purposeful intent.

In either case, I don't want to hear any of their couple-talk, so I mute them

in my mind until this is over and they have something useful to say again.

"Can we... think about the decision?" Finally, Luna turns to Arcelia and

asks for more time.

"It is not a pressing matter. Your affinities will not disappear with age, so

you can come after you have completed your immediate plans for the future."

With a graceful nod, the saint agrees to it. "However, learning capabilities do

decline, so please do not take too much time."

She's saying that when you're older, you won't be able to make as much

progress anymore, even if you have the talent. That's a pretty obvious concept

where I'm from, to the point where children aged in the single digits are made

to attend cram school to get a head start in life.

"I understand. Thank you so much for your guidance, Lady Crux." Luna is

relieved that she doesn't have to make a decision right now. I'm riding on her

wave in this one and will do the same as she does.

"But you can start with this, Miss Marcott." Arcelia reaches into her pure white cloth satchel, which I didn't even notice she had until now, and takes

out a small book before handing it to me. Don't tell me these are your holy

scriptures or something.

"This is the scripture of Belys. Through learning

from it, you can nurture the mindset required for light magic."

So, I was right. I really don't feel like reading this world's equivalent of the

Bible...

"I can teach you a useful incantation right away, so that you may be of

immediate help to your friends." She holds out a hand to my forehead and

chants the word 'Sano'. Her hand begins to glow, and I feel slightly refreshed.

"This is a basic healing spell that can alleviate pain and close smaller

wounds. Please practice it whenever you can, to train your focus and control

over magic."

"I'm indebted to you, Lady Crux." I state with a grateful nod and hold the

small book to my chest, signaling that I'll be cherishing it. I don't want to read

stories of saints defeating demons and helping the poor, but the spell she just

taught me should be quite useful.

I know that everyone can use some sort of magic, which is the incantation

to activate maps - even though that feels more like a voice command to

unlock a phone. That means I should be able to learn it, too. Otherwise, my

affinities would be completely wasted, and that shouldn't happen in such a

setting.

"Sano." I hold my hand out to Rolan and put my mind into it. I don't know

what to expect, but I imagine that it will have the effect Arcelia told me it

does. Suddenly, a faint light comes from my hand, and I feel warmth

surround it.

I did it! My first spell in this fantasy world!

"I can feel it! You're really casting light magic, Miss Chloe!" The target of

the spell is overjoyed at seeing me succeeding right away. Does this mean I'm

actually talented?

"Well done, Miss Marcott." Arcelia shows me a radiant smile that

accentuates her saintly aura.

"Then I shall excuse myself. If you have any

more questions, you can find me at the church today and tomorrow. I will

return to the capital in the morning two days from now. There, you can find

me in the Cathedral of Light."

She places her left hand on the center of her chest and brings the fingertips

of her right to her forehead, before gesturing at us with it. Her movements have one extra step compared to what Luna and the others did earlier, so I

assume it's an action reserved to a priestess of this religion.

"Under the guiding light of Belys, we shall meet again." With this blessing,

Arcelia takes her leave. We all bow to her in gratitude and watch as she walks

towards the exit.

Hey, I'm actually grateful! She even taught me magic! And I learned

something even more useful than that from her: Even a saint, that appears as

pure as a human being can get, can't see through my acting and

transformation.

"Alright, then I'll register at the guild." Turning around to Rolan and

striking while the iron is hot, I immediately bring up this topic again.

"... there's just no arguing against you, huh?" Finally, he shrugs with a

resigned smile. He makes it sound like he couldn't just refuse; not like he's

the leader or something. Although, maybe he's actually happy that the

prodigious I will join his party.

"L-let me join you, too." Suddenly, Lady Nightwane raises her voice and

stutters her wish to become a member of Rolan's party as well. It seems

nobody expected that since they all turn to her and stare in surprise as if

doubting what they just heard.

Well, I told her about the fact that these guys want to take care of this

underground slave-trading network, and now I'm joining them in that

endeavor. It's only natural that she would want to come along, then.

Especially since she did kind of make a spoken contract with me, wherein she

becomes mine in exchange for my help.

Wait, what exactly did she think when I said she would be mine? That she's

my slave now or something like that? I'll have to ask her about it later; after

all, I'm not in the habit of keeping slaves.

"What happened between you two last night?" Luna finally asks the

question I had hoped would not come up.

"Nothing, she just came to my room to talk about the doll a little." I smile

at Lady Nightwane, but make sure not to extend it to my eyes, signaling to

her that she knows the consequences of revealing what we talked about. She

gets my message and nods in agreement to my story hastily.

"Since the rooms

in the inn all have two beds, I let her stay over."

"So, about Lady Nightwane joining..." Rolan scratches the back of his head

and seems to scrutinize her appearance.

"Can you fight?" And the same exchange as I experienced before happens between these

two. When the dark elf replies that she doesn't know if she could kill

someone, I really believe it; she's too timid to do something like that. But at

the same time, she knows that her touch is deadly, which means that to find

out about it, she already involuntarily killed somebody.

"I-I'm proficient in alchemy. Y-you can leave making healing salves a-and

remedies to me." She tries to make her case but doesn't sound very convinced

of her own abilities.

"What about magic?" I ask her, but her expression of shock takes me by

surprise.

"Uuuh..." There's a reproachful look in her eyes as she looks at me and

makes this sound. Huh, should I not have asked this question?

"Oh." I remember what Arcelia just told me about elements a moment ago.

Corrupted humans - and most likely demi-humans, too - have their elements

stripped away and are limited to using dark magic. And she doesn't want to

reveal that she's cursed to everyone just yet.

Oops.

"I-I haven't learned any magic." In the end, Lady Nightwane opts to say

that she doesn't know any magic, instead of revealing herself to the others.

Luckily, nobody pursues the matter and asks her about her elemental

affinities, so she gets away with remaining vague.

It's a wonder Luna doesn't seem to consider the fact that apparently she's

been buying magic supplies from someone who doesn't actually know how to

cast magic.

"Well, we could take her in on a probation period, and see what she brings

to the team." I speak like my position in the party is already set in stone.

"Hahaha! The missy doesn't waste any time, does she?" Gram laughs

heartily and slaps Rolan's back, who shakes his head in disbelief.

"More flowers to adorn our saga with are always welcome." With a grand

gesture, the bard tips his feathered hat and speaks in his usual fancy language.

For once, I'm glad he's running his mouth like this since it favors our chances

of getting into the party.

"I... don't care." Luna looks away and mutters in an obviously faked

disinterested tone. She seems to have resigned herself to the fact that I'm

going to join, and the fact that Lady Nightwane is coming along now is most

likely being blamed on me, too.

"... let's get you registered, for now, Miss Chloe." Sighing, the leader

finally gives up and simply goes along with it. "And I guess Lady Nightwane,

too."