Ace fought against the tremble in his fist and inhaled sharply to compose himself. He nodded quickly.
"Good," the Emperor replied, "Do as you've been instructed. Make sure those Demons are found and killed, and I will give you everything I have on that village,"
"Yes, your majesty," Ace forced the words out bitterly.
With that, the Emperor took off in his usual unceremonious manner.
The next morning Ace was back in the wizard's office. He was still thinking about the night before. If only he remembered the past. He wouldn't need the Emperor, but it was all just a blur. He could only remember what Sena told him about it. Was that even real?
When Lord Sol died Ace had searched the palace of coins. There wasn't a trace of anything. Although if there had been, it might have been destroyed in the chaos that followed.
What if the others did find a way home? No, that couldn't be. They would have come back for him. Sena would have come back for him. As Ace grappled intently with this idea, he didn't hear the wizard call his name.
"Wake up, Ace!" came the irritated finger snap beside Ace's face.
Ace stared up with thinly disguised annoyance.
"What?" he asked in a low voice.
"I said translate these scrolls,"
"I can't read elven that well," Ace replied coldly.
The wizard was about to begin another angry tirade when a surprising voice chimed in.
"I know a little," said Clover, "I'll help."
"You do that," the wizard sniggered.
Clover sat down beside Ace. He was sitting on the floor with a few books out. Clover leaned over him and spread out the scrolls. Ace pulled back and let out an unsteady breath. He set his eyes on the scrolls and tried to focus.
For a while, they worked through a few pages. As usual, Clover's knowledge far surpassed what they let on. The demon lord was practically fluent in elven. Still, Ace persisted in doing what he could and making notes. After a while, he felt a small tug on his shirt.
He didn't need to look, he knew whose slender alabaster hand it was. He kept his eyes glued to the scroll.
"This is so boring," Clover whispered. They tilted their head back with a weary survey of the office
"It has to be done, Lord Clover," Ace said in a small voice, "I can probably manage from here if you want a break,"
"What happened to calling me master?" Clover stretched out across the scroll, leaning on one hand, their elbow against the paper so Ace couldn't write.
"You're not my master anymore,"
"Right," Clover glanced up, "You're the wizard's student now, it seems,"
"No, I'm not," Ace frowned.
"Then why don't you leave?"
"I have my reasons,"
"And won't you tell what they are?" Clover's eyes came back to Ace.
"It doesn't matter," Ace replied. He didn't want to tell Clover his life was linked to theirs.
"I see," Clover replied, with a foreboding and detached cadence. Ace knew the tone well enough. They were upset. Still, perhaps it was better this way. He pulled the slip of paper from underneath Clover and continued to write.
Ace dipped the pen into the inkwell and was about to finish the last of the translations. At the last minute, the demon flicked their wrist and the ink was splashed across the page. Ace sat up in surprise.
"Oh?" Clover remarked casually, "Look what you made me do,"
They suddenly leapt up and busied themselves elsewhere. Ace stared down at the destroyed page. He balled his fist and began to start the work again, still refusing to look at Lord Clover.
However, he found the task easier said than done. Throughout the day, the Demon Lord continued to 'accidentally' interfere and set his work back. All seemingly without the others noticing. Though Ace feared it would be even worse if they did.
Eventually, the grand wizard stepped out of the study. Bird was at the other side of the room tidying. Thankfully, he was looking in the other direction. It happened once more. Ace had neatly stacked a pile of books to one corner and Clover summarily knocked it down.
This time Ace had had enough.
"Why are you doing this?" he said in a low voice.
"Why am I doing what?" Clover sniffed indifferently.
"Why are you acting like this?" Ace's jaw clenched.
"Hmm, why I wonder?"
"I don't know... You're bored? Or you're angry at me for something. You don't have your powers so now...now..you're doing things like this to get to me," Ace's voice faltered. The strain of everything was like a lump in his throat. He abruptly looked up to meet Clover's gaze, his eyes almost tearful.
"Are you crying?" the Demon Lord said in a low voice.
"Of course not," Ace replied flatly.
"It's cute that you think you can lie to me," Clover sighed, "You're so stubborn. From the first day I met you. You're always like this," they sat down beside him.
Ace swallowed hard, trying to contain himself.
"You know, you haven't looked me in the eye since the trial. You don't want to be my friend anymore, is that it?"
"Are we friends?" Ace's brow furrowed.
"You tell me," Clover answered, "I can't stand the wizard. That little guy over there won't even talk to me. And the Sword saint treats me like I'm some kind scoundrel whose sole purpose in life is to lead you astray. I didn't think it was like that though. I mean, before, I thought we understood each other. Was I wrong?"
"No," Ace finally lifted his face.
Seeing Clover's face he was surprised. There were those forlorn and lonely eyes he had seen in the demon world.
"I know that the Emperor has tied your life to mine, but you don't need to worry, Ace. Nothing's going to happen to you,"
Ace felt suddenly embarrassed and selfish for being the only one still wrapped in how he thought their relationship should be. He couldn't bring himself to say the real reason he felt scared to get close to Clover again. If Clover had already moved passed then so could he. Maybe they really could be friends.
"We can be friends," Ace smiled sheepishly.
Clover's expression lit up. Their rose coloured eyes twinkled. Ace forgot why he had been so adamant about creating a distance between them. This would be fine right?
-------------------------------
It took several weeks for a reply to come from the East. The Demon Lord's mysterious 'friend' sent a letter to announce their coming to the royal palace. However, days had passed since the appointed time and tension was high.
That is, for everyone except the Demon Lord. Clover showed no sense of urgency, nor diligence. This only provoked the wizard more. Despite his claim of indifference to whether the demon lord complied, he became increasingly bad-tempered.
Thankfully, Ace found some relief in his new relationship with Lord Clover. It reminded him of when they first met. If anything, it was better than before. The Demon Lord was still uninhibited in spite of the chains that now bound them. They were still eccentric, capable of gleeful mischief. And yet, Ace once more observed the same profound sadness in their eyes.
However, this time Ace was careful not to encroach. He had set a line down in his mind, as much for their benefit as his own. The pain of the encounter in the woods was enough to steady any rising feelings. He only needed to recall his own foolishness to quench any emotions that escaped from the neatline he had drawn.
Thus, a lively atmosphere would ensue every time the wizard left the room. And it happened more often than not at least once a day. Ace surmised these visits were to a certain sister and member of the royal family. Though they went to lengths to hide it, it was too obvious not to notice when it occurred on such regularity.
Even Albaric who had been keeping his distance had picked up on it. Towards the end of the day, he was making his way up the tower. There was a steady stream of light sliced through the windows which fell in patches across the stairs. The students had finished classes so the passageway was quiet.
He almost couldn't believe how bold they had become. Just outside the study door, there was a vehement exchange of whispers.
"Why are you doing this?" came the first voice.
"It's for your benefit,"
"The Emperor..."
"...Has had enough of waiting. My affection is the only thing protecting you. You should be grateful,"
Albaric reached the top of the stairs and the murmurs came to an abrupt halt. Leila came out from behind the wizard with her usual reserved smile.
"Sister," Albaric nodded coldly.
"Sword Saint," she replied with particular emphasis. She passed him by without so much as a glance and took off down the stairs. The wizard's eyes were stuck in place for a moment but came up with a start when Albaric appeared. He looked as if he wanted to say something but his pride prevented him.
"You made a mistake there," Albaric remarked.
"I thought you had nothing else to say to me," the wizard replied drily.
"Well, there's not much I can do given the circumstances,"
"You can mind your own business," the wizard returned sharply.
"I was just pointing out the obvious," Albaric scoffed, "You know better than to get involved with her,"
"Ah, because you courted her? If I only had a choice of those you haven't try to woo, there would be no one left,"
"I couldn't care less about who you screw around with, Michael. Just don't let it get in the way of the mission,"
The wizard opened his mouth to retort when a loud bang came from behind. Both the Sword Saint and the grand wizard rushed back into the study.
Bird was stood with his mouth wide open. The source of the thump was the large book at his feet. He and Ace were staring up in surprise at the stranger who had burst in through the windows. A cloaked figure had their arms wrapped around the demon lord's throat.
"Kali!" Clover exclaimed with a smile. They grabbed the little frame and spun them around with glee.
"Step away," the wizard warned, seeing the hand close to the demon lord's collar. He raised a hand to cast magic. Albaric too had his sword raised. The cloaked woman turned, revealing her face.
Two severe purple eyes observed them hostilely from underneath the dark hood. Then the woman immediately turned back to the demon lord.
"Shall I kill them?"