Propositions

It was dark out. When they'd visited the guild and then left, the sun had dipped below the horizon, darkening the streets. While Axel wasn't as advanced as the Capital was rumored to be, it did have magical lighting on its main streets, with lamps much like the ones in the guild lining the streets and making nightlife possible for those with the time for it.

Walking through the streets of Axel, they had hit everywhere Tanya could think of: first had been the Tailor, who had been happy to get Viktoriya out of the smelly, dirty clothes she had been utilizing for a bit too long and into something more appropriate.

In keeping with Tanya's monochrome clothes – gray evening gloves, a white shirt, black pants, black boots, with the only color coming from her green cloak – Viktoriya had opted for something in the same vein of color, if not style.

She too kept her boots, and choose pants that might have looked more fitting on a man and that were necessary for the colder conditions higher in the sky. Besides that, she opted for a longer white shirt than Tanya's, one that was much baggier than anything Tanya had seen her wear, with the sleeves opening up at the ends.

Both of their gloves matched, at least, and instead of a mantle like Tanya, she decided to wear a green jacket that resembled their old flight gear.

Tanya sighed at the thought as they headed up the stairs of the inn they were in. Their old flight gear…

She had to admit she missed having the stuff. The clothing was much warmer than anything here, and while that wasn't necessary on the ground, it would be if they ever stayed in the air for extended periods of time.

So would those boots, come to think of it. Tanya, unfortunately, was no scientist, and while she had often deconstructed both her rifle and her Computation Jewels for maintenance, the clunky, flight-stabilizing boot that each mage wore were not one of the things Tanya had looked at often. Recreating them would likely be impossible.

Tanya's thoughts turned back to what had led them into getting a room at this inn. After getting Viktoriya new clothing, Tanya had dropped Viktoriya's old clothing off at the Blacksmith's, before thinking better of that – Tanya was still… unhappy about the looks he had sent her – and leaving the place with more than they had planned to drop off.

They had come here a little while ago to purchase their rooms, and then they had split up.

After some deliberation, Tanya had dropped by the guild while Viktoriya went to that barn. Tanya paid her tab that everyone had managed to rack up in the two hours they had been gone, and Viktoriya had picked up the few possessions Tanya felt were safe enough to leave in the barn – a clothes line, a pillow, and a bed sheet.

Tanya pushed open the door. Now, they were in that room Tanya had paid to be allowed to stay in for the next month. It wasn't overly large, but it had room for the both of them, two beds, and a small window that overlooked one of the quieter streets of Axel.

A magical light illuminated their room, but Tanya wouldn't have cared if she had needed to use candles. She was just happy to be inside and out of that barn.

Of course, to get the room, pay off those debts, and help out Viktoriya, she'd burned through half of the million Eris reward. She thought that having a place to stay and calming the other adventurers' fears that they were somehow evil for taking care of a measly ten monsters.

The day as a whole had been one of the best yet, and it was all thanks to the woman resting in the opposite bed. Darkness and Chris were nice, but neither knew her, not like Viktoriya did…

Although…

Tanya grimaced. Viktoriya really didn't know Tanya's first life, and Tanya had been meticulous in keeping the fact that she even had one hidden from everyone. She had slipped up a few times, referenced things that weren't invented yet here and there, but no one had suspected the ridiculous truth.

She looked at her adjunct, and decided. She'd tell her. She knew that she had another past, and keeping it secret would only cause her to resent her all the more.

"Viktoriya." Immediately, the woman's eyes shot open, staring at Tanya. After a few seconds of pessimistic procrastination, Tanya began simply.

"I haven't been honest with you, and I suppose it's time to fix that." Another moment of hesitation, and Tanya began to lay out her first life.

Being born a man, growing up in Japan, being an atheist, going to college, working a nine to five job, and getting killed by someone she had fired. Her meeting with the one who claimed to be god, and her continued spurning of his insistence that she convert.

Finding herself in a world similar to her last, but one with magic. Enlisting, being given a cursed piece of jewelry that she now had to rely on.

She left out a bit. Some vivid descriptions of how much she despised her body, hatred that she wasn't taller – but there was nothing for that, thanks to the Reinforcement spells that protected her from the neck-snapping forces inherent to being an Aerial Mage at the cost of stunting her growth – and, of course, each and every memory from the last month before they'd left.

Tanya wouldn't be talking about that last thing.

Ever.

Finally, after nearly an hour of explaining herself, she finished. Viktoriya was quiet, and seemed to be deep in thought, probably trying to reconcile what she'd learned with what she knew. Tanya didn't hope for lenience, but-

"Okay."

Tanya blinked, and then blinked again, waiting for an elaboration. Or hatred. Or suspicion.

However, Viktoriya's smiling face just shone, not wavering in the slightest. It did waver when Tanya began to show signs of confusion, such as her mangled screeching. "What do you mean!?"

Viktoriya said nothing, and Tanya decided she'd elaborate, if Serebryakov wouldn't. "'Okay' doesn't cut. Are you angry? Unhappy? Filled with enough potent rage to spite me for nearly two decades? I need more than 'okay!'"

Viktoriya just sat there, considering her words for a moment. Then, happily, she said, "Well, I did say I'd believe you, right? Besides, considering everything else I've seen today, it doesn't seem that outlandish. Although…"

Tanya winced. Here it was. Viktoriya was going to begin to rant and rave at her for keeping so many secrets for so long. Emotional scarring on both their parts was sure to follow, and-

"Are you okay?"

Tanya blinked at the question. Was she okay?

She gazed at Viktoriya curiously. "Okay? What do you mean?"

She winced slightly. "I… after everything you've been through, after everything you've had to fake and lie about and hide, and after what happened in-"

Tanya cut her off with a glare. Her statement died on her lips, as did the nervous bravery shining in her eyes, and Tanya sighed. "I think I'm mostly good, Viktoriya. Anything else?"

Tanya could clearly see she wanted to talk about that, about what had happened after her battle with the Bloody Valkyrie, but Tanya wouldn't, so she was trying to move the conversation away from-

"Are you really a man?"

Twitch.

The girl across from her brought a hand up to her mouth, hiding her snickering and trying to look anywhere accept for the strand of hair on top of Tanya's head that had just bobbed in annoyance at an unavoidable reminder of her situation. Tanya just sighed, cursing her hair in addition to everything else.

"Is that really all you have questions about?" she asked. An earnest look from the woman across from her confirmed it. Tanya grimaced.

"Well… I don't have a dick, if that's what you're asking. Although, you already saw that much at Bidin-Budin. On the inside, though, I still consider myself a guy. Plus…" she trailed off, smirking evilly and not upsetting a lightly blushing Viktoriya, who was very much used to those smiles by now.

"This world has magic items, similar to that truth-detecting item that the guild gave us, that can change a person's gender. And once I get one, I'll be slightly more free from this prison of a body!" she shouted happily.

And it was a prison. There were upsides, of course, but her ability to peep in on women was much like having a great view of the beach from a prison cell: you couldn't exactly get to what you saw.

"Really?" Viktoriya asked, shock ringing in her voice. Tanya nodded, and began to wonder why she seemed so surprised. She had already said that Tanya's past was nothing compared to this place, although…

Tanya's eyes widened. Was the reason that Viktoriya hadn't ever wanted a relationship with any of the men in the 203rd…

"Wait! Uhm…"

Tanya trailed off, and she felt a blush begin to build on her face. "I… suppose I never considered the idea, but, Serebryakov, do… you need one of those-"

Tanya's face had continued to burn until it felt like it was practically one fire, and Viktoriya's face soon mirrored her own. She was sputtering, and Tanya felt incredibly awkward, and-

"No! Of course not, why-"

Tanya felt extremely uncomfortable, but Viktoriya just sighed and straightened her hair nervously. "Tanya. With all due respect, hell no !"

Tanya breathed a sigh of relief. Obviously, Tanya had made a huge leap in logic. She was just as straight-laced as she assumed she was, and her lack of relationships was simply due to the war and nothing else.

She shook her head. What an absurd thought, that a pre-modern Europe would ha

Things were silent, for a moment, and then Viktoriya cleared her throat. "Well, I guess that's everything…"

Tanya nodded, ignoring the contemplative look on the woman's face – Tanya had just dumped a lot of information on her – and she went to turn off the light. As she turned it off, Viktoriya asked another question.

"Tanya. Do you remember all of those times we changed in the same room? Or those times that I unbuttoned or took off my uniform? Or the time we were invited to that hot spring in Bidin-Budin? Or that time we were on the eastern front and we needed to bunk together, and you were very insistent on us sleeping together in order to keep warm?"

Tanya smiled. She remembered each of those times fondly, and had thought of the many times in the last few months, with her separation from her last life and Viktoriya.

While they weren't exactly safer times – only the Tranquility Princess and that pair of Reincarnates had matched the danger of a single veteran aerial mage, proving this war was just… ridiculously peaceful compared to the Empire's war – she had certainly had a much more concrete life ahead of her.

"Yeah! Why…" Tanya trailed off, gulping reflexively. Right. Viktoriya now knew why Tanya had been so insistent.

Stiffening her shoulders, she braced herself for abuse, but it never came. She turned away from the switch on the wall, only to see that Viktoriya was turned towards the wall next to her bed, away from Tanya. Thankful for her mercy, she slipped into her bed and stared at the ceiling.

A voice pierced her ears and thoughts of safety. "I won't attack you. I just hope you can live with yourself for taking advantage of me when I was unaware," she said softly.

Tanya paused for a moment, before she began to softly chuckle. Wow.

She knew that berating Tanya wouldn't really do much, so she opted to let her stew in her shame. Plus, the way she worded that soft statement was suggestive enough to make Tanya associate that with something much worse than simply staring.

A magnificent move on her part, because it would definitely get her to apologize, eventually.

Turning over, Tanya attempted to snuggle into the soft sheets to imprint the comfortable feeling into her body and to suppress any memory of lying in itchy hay.

She was also trying to hold out. She wouldn't apologize…

Not for at least a week. Yes, she was fine with what she'd done, and some of those situations that Tanya had used to snuggle up to or get a better look of Viktoriya had also had legitimate reasons for occurring other than Tanya's puberty-driven urges.

She could hold out for a week.

She was a war veteran, after all; how hard would it be to resist the lingering guilt she felt… even if Viktoriya's presence meant it wasn't exactly lingering anymore?

-OxOxO-

Arrayed in a dark room, women dressed in casual clothing sat around a table, each clutching a drink of some kind in their hands. Most adventurers would be shocked to see them in anything that had more cloth than your average fishing net, but they weren't catering to the male adventurers of Axel.

Not tonight.

A gathering of devils had begun. The average human imagination would place such a thing as heinous, as a meeting between separate eldritch horrors, each bent on enslaving humanity to serve their whims and ready to betray the others for the barest hint of additional power.

The male adventurers of Axel, more familiar with them, would think of such a thing as dream-worthy material.

Among a group of such low-ranked devils, however, it looked more like a meeting between good friends or business partners. They had been in Axel for years, and they weren't going to leave anytime soon, barring some sort of tragedy.

No one knew each other's actual, full name, of course; those held particular power over devil-kind, but the lack of knowledge about that area was expected. Most arrayed around the table knew her as the youngest one there.

An outside adventurer would likely just call her a 'Loli Succubus', when comparing her flat-as-a-board chest to her associates' assets, but she was fine with that.

Everyone had their fetishes, and they were happy to cater to them, as long as everything was in a dream. No human could punish another for their thoughts.

Tonight, however, they had closed their shop. They had had to apologize to the various adventurers, and even had to pay them back for failing to provide their service.

The Succubi were not particularly fussed about that, however. This meeting was important, more important than regular money.

The Succubus that adventurers knew as the 'Receptionist Succubus' stood, clearing her throat. "Now, we're going to party, but before we get too inebriated, we should discuss the reason we're partying," she said, cyan eyes flashing in delight.

Everyone else there was only slightly put off by the delay – they did want to know of their benefactor.

"We got word from several customers, and, when I went to the guild itself, from nearly everyone there, that someone decided to take care of some of our oldest foes," she intoned.

They had all learned this hours ago, but no one interrupted. It was fun to pretend you were some high-ranking devil, like Vanir or Maxwell, making a speech to hordes of weak, pitiful devils.

"That's right; Tranquility Girls!" she shouted. Everyone scowled, barely repressing hisses of anger.

"They entice adventurers, get them to stop approaching our shop, and consume their bodies once they've died of malnutrition! We can't take them on – we are too physically weak – and despite the money we've put up for their extermination, no one has been able to kill any," she said, muttering the last part. No one here held any sympathy for them.

They killed humans that were weak enough to fall to their charms, humans that they would have an easy time extracting money and emotion out of.

"Until today! Today, not only was the Tranquility Princess finally exterminated, but nine others with her! Tonight, we celebrate their destruction!"

A cheer went up, but no one drank. Receptionist Succubus wasn't yet done.

For effect, Loli Succubus stood. "Who do we have to thank?"

Everyone turned to Loli Succubus, deep in thought. Receptionist Succubus sighed. "We haven't yet determined that. Despite asking people in the guild, we only learned a few things." All were quiet, waiting to absorb this information.

"One: it was a pair of adventurers, but nearly everyone agreed that one probably pushed the other into it. Two: one is thought to be a noble, since they're very powerful and have blonde hair. And Three: both were women."

At the second pronouncement, everyone's spirits wilted, but at the last one, everyone became visibly saddened. Finding them would be hard, and paying them back would be even harder.

They did, after all, want to thank whoever it was; those quests were technically contracts, and the fine print at the bottom did say they were entitled to further compensation from the people at this building.

It was hoped that male adventurers would see the writing, realize who was offering the quest, and take off to do their bidding.

That two females had been able to complete the quest was odd – none of them thought that they were capable of that sort of thing – but they didn't really care. They did need to complete the contract.

Silence reigned, until Loli Succubus spoke once more. "How do we find them?"

No one seemed to know. Even Receptionist Succubus seemed troubled.

"Well," she began, playing with a strand of her hair, "we could try to ask our customers about blonde-haired adventurers; there can't be many of them, right? We'll be able to find the Tranquility Destroyer that way."

Everyone made sounds of agreement, and then began to throw themselves into their alcohol, forgetting about their troubles. Even Loli Succubus, who looked like she was too young to know what the word 'inebriated' meant and who was centuries older than any human, was having some.

They were enjoying themselves, intent on worrying about and figuring out the identity of their benefactor at a later date; for now, they would drink!

"Three cheers for the Tranquility Destroyer!"

They partied long into the night.

-OxOxO-

Blazing eyes surveyed the brightly lit room, and an aging body, tired from fighting long past its prime, tried to act as regally as it could when there were possible enemies all around it.

Oh, Hans, Sylvia, and Vanir had all sworn allegiance, but he was getting very old for a Demon King. He didn't really fault the first two for testing plans to try and usurp him.

It was only natural for those that saw him as weak to try and become the most powerful, but without him at the helm, he was sure things would collapse. He was the only one who knew why this fucking war had been started in the first place.

Or he was the only one who cared, anyway.

While he would love to retire and let his daughter lead, she hadn't yet consolidated power. He had to wait for that, at least.

Suddenly, one of the doors at the far end of the room burst open, and two things walked in. Calling them people, despite their looks, would be folly.

One appeared to be a rather normal looking man. Not overly normal that some people would be disgruntled by it – he was nearing six foot, and his blonde hair drifted passed his shoulders, which was odd for a man – but normal enough that people wouldn't be able to describe him as either ugly or handsome.

Of course, this was by design.

Everything from his perfectly tailored black clothing with golden highlights to the very shallow cut on one of his cheeks, where one might cut oneself with a shaving razor, was manufactured, for standing before him was Ragcraft, the leader of their intelligence division and a Doppelganger of the highest order.

Next to him stood Vanir. Clad in a dark suit and a bright yellow tie, he looked like the perfect gentleman, besides the odd, black and white mask that was divided down the middle. While unassuming, these two were some of the best people in his entire army.

Vanir sat down opposite of him, across the long table that could seat ten beings – his generals, himself, and the 'retired' General that Wiz had taken the place of.

Of course, that NEET hadn't actually ever shown up to a meeting after his place had been taken by Wiz, so they just used it for guests.

All of the seats were not filled.

Wiz was in Axel, maintaining the barrier and losing him money. Celestina was retraining herself, since she had gotten that power boost, presumably because her Goddess had been released or, more depressingly, the number of her followers in the world had gone down. Wolbach was still searching for her other half, and Verdia was in Axel, currently keeping watch for a specific Reincarnate.

Not that the others in the room knew about the Reincarnates' actual origins. Only Verdia knew that they were more than people from a faraway land blessed by the Gods to fight him and his forces.

The two of them called the Reincarnates 'Hero Candidates' like everyone else, but they knew what they really were.

Instead of ten, only six chairs were filled. Hans, Sylvia, and Vanir on one end, and him, his daughter, and Ragcraft on the other. He'd called this meeting due to the new threat.

Of course, Hans had an objection. "Hey, when are you gonna get more people? I'm getting kinda hungry, and-"

"Silence."

He didn't often demand they be quiet – he needed them to be happy so they'd take orders, and he couldn't afford to easily kill subordinates as good as these.

However, he was angry.

"All I ask is that you serve me. Not even well. I just need you to follow orders if I give them, and in return, I try and help you achieve whatever desires you have, since you couldn't care less about my cause," he spat out.

The two at the end of the table attempted to act above his words, but his personality had only gotten more forceful as he aged, unlike his power.

"Sylvia. The Chimera. You finished your modifications to your body ages ago," he began. The man – because no matter how feminine his face was or how beautiful his tits were, she had a penis and thought of himself as a man – tried smirking. That smirk rapidly faded at his next pronouncement.

"Now, instead of leading my forces, you sexually harass whichever minions don't know about your modifications, which is far too many because you two," he continued, pointing at both Hans and Vanir, "ensure I have to replace them constantly."

Neither looked particularly upset, especially Vanir, but he let his annoyance be known.

He first addressed Vanir. "In battle, you do nothing but get our force's hopes up with pronouncements of victory and then feast on their disappointment when a Hero Candidate – or ten – shows up. Then you actually help out, fighting the adventurers and feasting on their shame and disappointment. Then you abscond from the fight, leaving both sides to go home with few casualties and you to come back more well-rested than anyone fighting a war has ANY right to be."

"Then you come in here, feasting on my guards' emotions," he finished. Vanir still didn't look upset, and the Demon King didn't care.

Hans snickered, and he glared at the Toxic Mutant Slime. He might look like a man now, but the sheen of purple sweat showed what he really was. "You're no better. You eat. I understand that you're a Slime, but if you want food, go out and get some of it from whichever battle we're fighting in instead of using my guards as fucking toothpicks!"

Hans seemed to have melted into his seat a bit, but he raised a hand anyway. The Demon King grit his teeth. "I know Slimes don't have teeth; it's a metaphor, you fucking dipshit."

He let his words sink in, and then he sighed. "Those not with us are trying to amass power, at least. And Ragcraft."

He turned to their guest. While not a Demon General – he was too weak, physically and magically – he was the leader of their intelligence division.

The Demon King's tone became honestly mournful. "I apologize for ruining your thirty-year plan. You've been so deep undercover, and to force you to fake your death to carry out another plan is in bad taste."

The Doppelganger, who had been shifting his form idly, settled on the intimidating, expressionless, pitch-black human silhouette. A slightly nervous voice echoed from it. "Of course, my Demon King! It's no problem. We live to serve you, after all…"

"Yes…" he trailed off, eyes narrowed at the nervousness present in his tone. Then Vanir stood, and Ragcraft sunk into his chair.

"Moi would like to inform the enfeebled and slightly insane Demon King that what the idiotic Doppelganger said is not the whole truth!" he shouted, smirking happily.

A weak, pleading, "Vanir…" was emitted from Ragcraft, but the Duke of Hell carried on.

"The one known as Ragcraft the Prime Minister of the nation of Elroad forgot his original purpose! So entranced was he by his position and his wealth and the splendor he brought to 'his' nation, that he forgot that he was sent to destroy Belzerg's chief economic supporter!"

The Demon King looked at Ragcraft, who had taken the form of a mouse and was trying to burrow into his seat. It wasn't hiding them from his shame.

"That's right! And what Ragcraft learned from his experience, was that if he had not become a part of their government, their monarchy would have already gone bankrupt long ago and been unable to support Belzerg anyway!"

The Demon King fought down the disappointment he felt towards his underling – that was what that Duke of Hell wanted – and took a deep breath. He counted to ten. He tried to do a bit of math.

Still, excess energy, created through his emotions, leaked out. The others were too distracted with their amusement to notice.

He finally calmed down, and when he looked up again, Vanir was rolling on the ground, pointing and laughing at Ragcraft. Sylvia and Hans were trying to hide their own amusement, but it was pretty obvious they wanted to join Vanir in rolling on the floor.

"Fine," the Demon King muttered, trying to figure out just how he would salvage this. His daughter, seated to his right, touched his arm, and the last of the anger drained out of him.

"Fine. Everything's… fine. You aren't there anymore, and Belzerg was implicated in your assassination. They'll be distracted by that, and we can begin a few plans early. I have orders, and you all will follow them," he bit out angrily. Sylvia and Hans straightened immediately, while Vanir and Ragcraft took a moment to adjust themselves.

"Hans. The Axis Cult is poised to fall, with nearly all of their resources committed to one city?" he asked rhetorically. Hans nodded slowly, but the Demon King didn't shirk his duties and had read the slime's reports over the years. He already knew this fact well.

"You'll travel for two months and destroy their main resource. Remember the promise we made to Wiz, or I'll personally teleport her to you so she can kill you," he said, ending with a glare and a warning.

They wouldn't harm any non-combatants and get torn to shreds by an undead, no matter how much easier it would be to finish the kingdom off if they could just massacre a few towns and turn their inhabitants into their own soldiers.

"Sylvia. You're on the front line duty. We need them distracted while Verdia does his best in Axel, and Vanir is too unreliable." Said Demon didn't seem to take any offense, but the Demon King didn't expect him to. He was older than nearly anyone, and it took quite a bit more to get under his skin.

"Daughter. You're going to continue training and consolidating." She nodded, and what went unsaid was that she would be trying to win Hans and Sylvia's supporters over to her side. With them absent, she should be able to win over some of the more indecisive among those plotting his death.

"Vanir. You have another month, and then the majority of our contract will be finished." Vanir gave him one of those smiles that he knew meant he was completely satisfied, which wasn't good, since Vanir's satisfaction usually meant he was getting fed some disappointment eventually.

Soon, Vanir would be gone from the castle, the residence and fighting portions of the contract finally done. He provided a very important piece in balancing his forces and the forces of that foolish king. And, with most of the contract done, Vanir would be obligated to help him recruit more demons and continue maintaining the barrier.

He felt very foolish for being made a mockery of in his own castle, but it was almost over.

Foolish… King…

The Demon King grit his teeth and snarled. That damnable pawn! His opposite in Belzerg might have been old, but he was nothing but a battle maniac, too jumped up on adrenaline to care that the people and powers around him were using him.

He sighed angrily, and dismissed everyone besides Ragcraft. All of them left without a word.

Ragcraft was still slumped in his seat, but the Demon King didn't care. He sighed and spoke slowly. "Ragcraft. Make sure your intelligence gathering apparatuses are up to date, and then you'll be meeting up with Verdia for some special work."

Suddenly, Vanir burst into the room again. "Moi would like you to know that the Doppelganger has already checked his minions in Belzerg on a vacation he took when he remembered he was your minion, using it as an excuse to take a break from thirty years of dealing with royalty."

The Demon King shook his head, once more trying to convert his disappointment into something else, since the Duke of Hell wouldn't get any pleasure out of anything but shame and disappointment.

"Whatever," he snarled, settling on feeling angry. "Go join up with Verdia, and begin building a network in Axel. The Kingdom's source of new adventurers and Hero Candidates is a target we want to be informed about, no matter how weak they might seem."

Ragcraft nodded helplessly, and with room empty, the Demon King sighed. Usually, the room would have soldiers in it, but Vanir and Hans and Sylvia scared his forces. They all tried their best to stay away if they could.

He grumbled to himself. There was no one that had more troublesome companions than him. None of them got along, they bickered with him and each other constantly, and they were almost not worth the effort.

And, if there was someone with a more annoying, grating, expensive group of idiots around them, then he genuinely prayed for their health. They must be on the verge of death with friends worse than his generals.

-OxOxO-