I did my best to suppress my footsteps as I crept alone through the Demon King’s tower. My fingers found the handle of Reynard and squeezed tight, ready to unleash him at a moment’s notice. No matter how long I stayed in this dark and gloomy place, I could never get used to it. And the so-called Hero only added to the tower’s eerie atmosphere. 

It felt like his presence was everywhere, his leering eyes bearing down on me from all sides. But I endured. My senses were sharp as I searched each room for my friends. 

I had told them to wait for me in my room! I was only gone for a few minutes, yet they had left without a word. Despite my calm exterior, my heart dropped each time I built the courage to glance into a room, fearing what I’d find. 

 After witnessing what that creep had done to those poor girls, I could only expect the worst. 

Ever since he appeared in front of Anno and me, I knew something was off about the boy who called himself the Hero. Anno could sense it, too; he was just a lot more… verbal about it.

 Anno wore his heart on his sleeve; anyone who cared to pay attention to him would know that. On the other hand, I preferred to keep my thoughts to myself. It was a waste of time and energy to bother. And admittedly, I got a kick from watching people guess what I was really thinking. Maybe I took it too far sometimes, but I couldn’t help it. Sarcasm was in my blood. Mother said I got it from my father.

For people like Anno, who took themselves way too seriously, never giving a straight answer was hilarious. Then again, had I been more honest from the start, my friends would not be in such danger. I was supposed to protect them. I did my best to defend them from the monsters in the wilderness when the real monster was right by our side from the start.

It was all my fault. 

I did not see the warning signs. I did not see the minuscule changes in Gertrude and Heide until it was too late. If I had, I could have prevented all of this by killing that creep before he got too powerful. Or fleeing with them before he got his hooks into their hearts. But I let my desire for adventure blind me to his true nature. Now, he was untouchable, and all I could do was watch as my friends slowly succumbed to his lecherous will like a terminal illness.

Their vapid expressions haunted my nightmares. The way they simpered over him, even after showing his true colors, was beyond disturbing. 

I could not get the way Gertrude acted as I bandaged her bruised arm out of my head. She barely acknowledged that she was injured, let alone admitting who had caused it. Neither had Heide, which broke my heart even further. 

I spent every night pacing, racking my brain on how to fix my blunder, coming up with plan after plan to stop him. And only thought of failure after failure.

My Fox Flash was not enough. If someone like Anno could keep up with the telestone I’d embedded in Reynard—even if he did get help from the Holy Sword— there was no way it would work on him. If only I’d taken the sword for myself, maybe I’d be a step closer. 

What could someone as useless as Anno do with such a powerful weapon? It would be a waste in his hands! But what could I do except have hope that my oldest friend would not squander the last of my faith in him? I hated to think about how I had to rely on Anno for anything, but I was not strong enough to protect Lina.

I did not think Anno was strong enough to keep her out of trouble, but seeing what the Hero had done to my friends and how desperate he was to get her back made me glad that I had not brought Lina here. My hands were full enough already with Gertrude and Heide. 

It was then that I heard a voice from up ahead. I was nearing the throne room, where the Hero was no doubt basking in his power. He did that a lot nowadays.

I could only be glad that he’s as delusional as he is. Otherwise, he’d have realized long ago how much I detested him. Only the prospect of defeating the Demon King made me tolerate him in the first place. Now, I hated him with every fiber of my being. The thought of rescuing my friends was the only thing that allowed me to even get near him. It’s what kept me sane.

The voice I heard was not the Hero’s as I thought; it was a woman’s. At first, the cadence made me believe it was Heide, but the closer I came to the entrance to the throne, the less I recognized her matter-of-fact tone. At last, I managed to sneak close enough to hear exactly what she was saying.

“—and you think you can get her back with just those three? They’ve already proven themselves as incompetent.”

There was a slamming sound, followed by the crumbling of stone. Then, the Hero’s voice. “I don’t care! I’m not getting rid of them! They’re mine!”

“I didn’t say you had to,” said the woman coolly. “No one can blame you for wanting a nice little harem. I’d say it’s par for the course and well-earned.”

Her words made my blood boil. But I became distracted as another voice giggled. A most familiar giggle prompted me to creep forward so that I was close enough to the edge of the doorway the Hero had destroyed all those weeks ago.

I chanced a peek into the room where I spied the Hero sitting upon his throne. One of the arms had broken where he’d slammed his fist in anger.

Below him were three figures standing at the bottom of the stairs to the throne. Their backs were to me as they looked up at the Hero. Even so, it was hard not to recognize the short one on the left with her gaudy helmet and cape. Astrid.

The sight of her made my blood grow even hotter. It was her fault that my rescue was ruined. While Heide seemed not to remember her, I remembered everything. Astrid continued to giggle, leaning on that giant hammer of hers. Had she been alone, I might have been tempted to confront her, but I had the sense to stay where I was.

Of course, I did not recognize the other two, though the rightmost one—the tallest one—was hidden by a cloak, so it could be my mother beneath it for all I knew. The third one, who stood between the other two, was even stranger than Astrid. 

It was strange how normal she looked. Her black hair was tied back in a bun, and her clothes were simple yet stylish. From how she carried herself, even from the back, I could tell she was in charge. 

She continued in her same blasé fashion. “You have to admit, however, that you lack the forces necessary to flaunt your power as the new Demon King. Whoever heard of an all-powerful overlord with only three lackeys? It’s laughable if you ask me.”

In the last moments before I pulled my head back from the doorway. I saw the Hero’s eyes narrow. “You’re saying I need an army?”

“Exactly,” said the woman. “No Demon King should be without a mass of unstoppable forces at their disposal.” I could hear her slight smile in her voice. 

My heart raced. Who were these three? Astrid had done her best to stop me from bringing Lina back here, and yet, there she was, standing in front of the Hero like she hadn’t. He scoffed.

“I hate to tell you this, Miss Ingrid,” said the Hero, who, in fact, did not sound like he hated telling her in the slightest. “But I killed all the Demon King’s forces. So much for being unstoppable.” He laughed. 

I chanced another look into the throne room in time to see the woman called Ingrid bow. “I meant unstoppable for everyone else, of course. Even if you have a hundredth the numbers that the previous Demon King had, you could still find your missing companion much sooner.”

The Hero’s eyes narrowed, but he smiled as he leaned his chin on a hand. “When I said I killed the Demon King’s forces, my point was there were no survivors left to join me. Where would you suggest I find replacements?”

I could feel Ingrid’s smile widen from here. “Leave that to me.”

The Hero stood, prompting me to hide behind the doorway again. I listened to his footsteps as he walked down the dais stairs. By the time I peered back into the room, the Hero was standing over Ingrid with a wicked grin. 

“Really? Just like that? I don’t have to sign a contract, make a deal, or pledge my loyalty?” He raised a hand, which made the two women flanking Ingrid stiffen, preparing to retaliate.

Ingrid did not so much as twitch, even as the Hero ran a finger across her forehead, through hair I could not see from this angle. I could not tell if it was out of affection or for intimidation; either way, it was a power play. Given what I’d seen, I was not tempted to jump in to help. No matter how off-putting the Hero was, I could tell that this Ingrid woman was even more so. I could not see the silent signal she gave to her companions, but the two relaxed. 

“Hmm, how bold,” Ingrid mused, “I wonder if you might be getting a little greedy? Don’t you already have enough innocent women for your collection?”

He leaned closer, “There’s nothing innocent about you, Ingrid. Even so, what’s wrong with adding one more, right? I’m the Demon King, after all. I am allowed to be as greedy as I want.”

For the first time, Ingrid laughed, though it was as cold as the rest of her countenance. “You may have a point, boy. It’s in your nature to never be satisfied with what you have.” Then Ingrid leaned in, cupping her left hand to his cheek. For a moment, I thought she was going to kiss him, but she only leaned in and whispered in his ear loud enough for me to hear.  “But that’s the reason you were chosen in the first place...”

My heart froze, not at her words, but at the sudden twinge of jealousy at the sight of her touching his face. 

Oh, no.

Without hesitation, I mentally beat down the vile emotion until there was nothing left but rage. This was not the first time his artificial charm had tried to worm its way into my heart. But I, Silva Schafer, refused to let it! I knew his game, and I would not allow him to win! I would save Heide and Gertrude no matter how long it took, even if it cost me my own will. It was only a matter of time before I lost myself like they did.  But I would not allow myself to succumb until they were free.

Ingrid's next words brought my full attention back to the throne room: “And you’re not the only one with such ambition. Isn’t that right, Ms. Schafer?”

All four of them were looking at me, and I saw Ingrid’s face for the first time. Her red eyes were cold from behind her sharp corrective lenses. Her lips were pressed in a flat line, but with the ghost of a satisfied smirk hidden around the edges, she continued to hold his face.

Iliana! They got me. My instincts kicked in, and with no other options, I stepped into the doorway fully. “Oh, aren’t you Mr. Popular? I didn’t know you were entertaining. Sorry to interrupt, but I was looking for Gertrude and Heide. Have you seen them?”

I kept my posture casual as I looked at each individual, taking care to make the same amount of eye contact, especially Astrid, who only grinned in that unnerving way of hers. Her smile did not reach her impassive eyes. I could only hope she thought I’d forgotten her like Heide had. 

Most of the cloaked woman’s face was hidden in the shadows of her hood. She was as tall as me, so the edges of the cloth obscured her eyes, but I could see part of her mint-colored hair, wound in tight curls, hugging soft lips.

The only other person who regarded me with any emotion was the Hero, who looked so smug to be discovered to be surrounded by women, that it made me want to wretch. But I suppressed it as I waited for his answer. 

“They’re in the kitchen,” he said at last. “Said they wanted to make dinner for everyone.”

“Oh,” I said, cursing myself for not thinking of that first. “I think I’ll join them, then.”

“Good. I can’t wait to eat your cooking. Your omelets are my favorite.”

I hated how genuine he sounded, and I hated the slight fluttering in my heart more than words could describe. The urge to knock Ingrid’s hand away from his face was stronger than ever. I had to get out of here before I did something I regretted. 

“Well, don’t let me keep you. Keep doing…whatever it is you’re doing.” I did not want to turn my back on any of them, but I had to if I did not wish to appear suspicious.

The cloaked woman was in front of me the moment I turned. My breath caught in my throat as I did a double take to find that she was no longer standing with the others.

I reached for Reynard, only for the woman to snatch my wrist and twist it back. Pain shot through my shoulder, but I refused to let out a cry. Instead, I twisted myself free of her attempted lock, though she still held tight to my wrist.

In retaliation, I elbowed her in the side, attempting to force her grip to loosen, but she held firm and knocked my hand away, pulling out an intricate dagger from her cloak, the blade of which she had to my breast. But I remained stalwart; the hand she gripped held Reynard tight. I stared at her while I calculated my next move.

I could move out of her grip with simple teleportation. I was still bad at long distances but only needed a few inches. Even still, this woman was strong. I was not sure what my move would be after that. But I did not have to think of one as Ingrid’s cool voice cut through the tension, “That’s enough, Liesl.”

 Faster than I could register, Liesl let go of my wrist and stored her blade away. “What was that for?” I asked, addressing Ingrid.

“Yeah!” said the Hero angrily, “I told you she was mine.”

 I did not dare take my eyes off Liesl, but I wanted to flash him an ugly look. He wasn’t even trying to be subtle, not that he ever had. 

Ingrid answered, as cool as ever. “It was merely a test to see if she was worthy to be one of your generals.” She appeared on my left, smiling and scribbling with a pen on a small writing board. “You seem to be the type who would rather be fighting on the frontline than be holed up here. Am I wrong?”

She was not. However, I had no desire to fight on the Demon King’s behalf. But I was surrounded by enemies, in the spotlight, so I smiled. “A general, huh? Do you really think I’m strong enough?”

“I’d say so.” Her eyes said otherwise. “If you could keep up with Liesl, you can certainly lead an army of Deborn.”

I could see Liesl’s mouth smile. Her chin twitched upward, “Yes, not bad, Miss.”

Her voice was much softer and sweeter than I expected; whimsical, almost fairy-like, but her now-visible left eye commanded my full attention. While the upper half of Liesl’s face was still covered in shadow, a single golden iris appeared within the darkness.

My voice died in my throat. Any lies left my thoughts as I stared into Liesl’s eye. Only one other person I’d seen had eyes that glowed like that… But how? Lina was supposed to be unique. Who were these people? And what was their aim?

A cackle from my left as Astrid walked past me, “Look at her, Ingrid, she’s so excited, she’s speechless!” The head of Astrid’s hammer bumped into me, threatening to knock me off my feet. I managed to remain balanced, but the jostle did manage to restart my brain.

“Yes, I’m honored.” I did not believe for one second that these three thought I was excited about anything they said. They probably knew I’d figured out their true reason for making me general. But the Hero seemed to buy their story, which was enough for me. 

“I never thought about having generals,” he said, while we watched the three women line up next to each other with Ingrid in the center. 

Her eyes were focused on her writing board, continuing to scribble. “Wonderful.” Ingrid looked up at us. “We’ll get back to you once that army is prepared. Demon King. General Schafer.” She regarded us with a nod each. And then they were gone. 

I could still see them there in my mind’s eye, or perhaps their aura lingered. Still, I kept my composure, as I always had. And, ignoring the Hero’s calls for me to wait, I walked forward alone into the darkness of these gloomy halls to the kitchen where my friends waited.