"Why is the demon still alive?!"
"I agree. If not even the grand wizard can control it, isn't it best just to kill the demon now and be done with it? These claims about other demon lords may be true, but it isn't better to get rid of as many enemies as we can. Here we have a demon lord in our dungeon, let's at least get rid of this one!" The minister of the defences' speech was met with a resounding cheer from the court.
Albaric looked in his direction. As he thought, by the defence minister's side, Leila was smiling contently. Though she was a new addition to the court, it looked like her position was already firmly established. How long had she been pulling the strings? And what was she aiming for? After all, she was the one who suggested the project. Maybe she meant for them to fail from the start...
"And if the claims are true? What if the sword saint was right?" Lord Seref stepped forward, "What then? How will we defend ourselves from the attacks that follow?"
Luckily, Albaric had his own ally this time. Lord Seref was a tall man with dark eyes. He didn't have much weight in the court because his land was to the far west. An area thought to be the most impoverished part of the Empire. Nevertheless, Albaric knew he was one of the ministers who had actually fought on the front lines. His support would appeal to the other generals.
"Lord Seref is correct." Albaric stepped in "The Demon Lord won't come alone. He'll come with an army and they'll have weapons which we do not yet know if we can defend against!"
"Sword Saint," the minister of the defence scowled. "Why do you insist on protecting this demon? Haven't you seen first hand the devastation they can create?"
"I've also seen what an army of demons can do. It will be by far the worst result if they mount another attack against us," Albaric answered
The court became quiet. All eyes turned to the Emperor for the final decision. He had been quietly listening without saying a word.
"If I release the demon lord back to the tower, we will need to find a new master of the tower," he said at length. "We can't find just anyone. They must have the power to not only contain a demon lord but also the knowledge to find a way to cross the border."
"The sisters of the order can lead the campaign,"
"The sisters?" the defence minister exclaimed, "What can they do?" he ridiculed.
"The sisters of the order are the ones who have cared for these items for hundreds of years. They are also the only ones outside the royal army who can use holy magic!"
"Perhaps," the Emperor said tentatively, "but their magic is not suited to combat against a Demon Lord. We need someone with high-level combative magic to contain the demon if anything should happen,"
"Sword Saint," Lord Seref admonished, " There are only a few holy magic practitioners in the Empire. Without the wizard, you are the only one with enough power to hold off the demon."
"I will continue to support the tower," Albaric returned.
It looked as if the tide of the court was leaning in his favour.
"It's not enough," the Emperor declared.
Albaric's eyes widened. He turned back to the throne. The Emperor's piercing eyes laid into him.
"I want you to secure our entry into the demon world, but there are members of this court who still doubt your claims," the Emperor stated apathetically.
Albaric could feel the eyes of the court burning into him. His jaw clenched as he shifted uncomfortably. His eyes fell to the floor.
"That is why," the Emperor went on, "I will ask you to take up an official post again. That way we can all be certain of your intentions,"
Albaric's eyes shot up. There was a familiar lump in his throat. A rush of memories filled his mind, but he pushed it down. If he didn't agree, they would rule against Clover. Then Ace would die...
"I understand," Albaric bowed, "I will do as you wish,"
A week passed since Bird and the wizard had left the tower. Lord Clover remained jailed and Ace decided against visiting them again. Both the tower and the palace were anxiously anticipating the new arrival.
Ace could hear them talking about wherever he went. After Bird left things hadn't been the same. The students, without the watchful eye of the wizard, were almost uncontrollable. The tutors struggled to maintain order.
Albaric had been tied up in court for the entirety of the week. When Ace heard he had taken up his old post, his heart sank. Once more, he had put Albaric in a bad position. What was worse was that he hadn't told Albaric about Clover's plans to "teach them a lesson."
In part, it was because he hadn't had the chance. Ace was dealing with some problems of his own. Without the wizard or Bird, once more he became the target of the students. It hardly bothered him at first. Their behaviour was endearing compared to the demon world.
The problem was their behaviour was escalating. One evening he found a paper shoved under his door. It read in bright red letters:
'Whore'
At first, he didn't understand what it meant. It only took a few days before he realised how the students really saw him. He overheard some of them as he was reading in a corner of the library. They apparently didn't see him and began a discussion on the topic.
"First the Sword Saint then the Grand wizard," one sneered.
"Don't forget the Demon Lord" another giggled, "Did you see that? It actually knelt down beside him. I guess anyone will do, right?"
The next day, Ace found the same words again. However, this time it was scribbled across his door. His first thought was that Albaric might see it. He hated to bother him while he was working so hard. Thus, Ace spent the afternoon there cleaning it.
As he did, the other students passed by sniggering and laughing. Ace didn't attempt any research that day. He decided he wanted to train. He had hardly trained at all since the wizard left.
It didn't go to plan. No matter how hard he concentrated, he couldn't draw out the magic. He punched his fit against the tree angrily. He had chosen the most remote corner of the gardens, but as he did so, he heard a clap from behind.
He spun around startled. Kalandra was leaning back against one of the trees. She finished the sarcastic clap. She wore the same unimpressed expression and deadpan eyes. Ace immediately remembered Albaric's words. This woman was an assassin. He had instinctually felt it since he first laid eyes on her.
Ace sheathed his sword and began to walk away. As he did, he felt a snap at his hip. He stared down. His sword was gone. He glanced back at Kalandra. There in her hand was his sword. He marched up to her.
"Give it back," he said flatly.
"Take it," she challenged.
Ace gritted his teeth. He leaned in to retrieve the blade. The moment he did, her fist flew out from under her cloak. Despite its small size, the first dealt a heavy blow. Ace keeled over and let out a cough. Kalandra stared down cold-bloodedly.
"Is that it?" she asked apathetically.
Ace immediately came to his feet, this time with a start. He launched a punch straight at her. She moved incredibly swiftly. Ace swung out. As he did, her knee came up and hit his gut. However, this time he managed to dampen the blow. He just barely blocked it, but it still had enough force to send him back.
He instinctively threw out his hand, the blade came to his hand at a stroke. Kalandra smiled.
"So you do have some fight then?" she added condescendingly.
Ace flew towards her with the blade drawn. This time Kalandra met the sword with her own blade. Her dagger appeared from nowhere. She spun around in one fluid motion. She threw her leg back and sent Ace flying. He slumped down at the base of the tree. Kalandra stood over him. Ace reached for his sword.
The moment he did, she slapped it out of his hand. He bore his eyes into summoning it into his hand but it wouldn't come.
"Why are you fighting it?" she crouched down, staring at him with her merciless violet eyes. They seemed to be perceiving something Ace couldn't comprehend. His heart was racing. She leant in closer and he pushed himself back. Why wouldn't his magic just work for once?
"Stop trying to run," Kalandra snapped, "Look at me,"
Ace exhaled uneasily. He forced himself to meet her gaze.
"I see it in your eyes," Kalandra continued, "Stop trying to fight the darkness. You want your magic to come. Then, let it overtake you. Don't you want to kill me?"
Ace's brow furrowed, "No, I don't,"
"Liar," Kalandra smiled emotionlessly, "This isn't holy magic we're playing with. Your high sentiments will get you nowhere. You belong in the dark just like me," she pressed the blade to Ace's neck. It drew blood. Sharp pain followed the hot feeling of blood running down his neck.
"If you don't kill me, I'll kill you," she leaned in, still pressing the blade harder and harder against Ace's throat. "You remember how that feels, don't you? Clover said you came from the demon world. Has the human world made you soft?"
Ace stared back at her begrudgingly. He hated the way those eyes looked at him. No, what he hated was that such a person could be beside Clover's side...Why her?
Suddenly, the blade found its way back into his hand. He threw a swing and she ducked back. Kalandra looked down with a satisfied smile.
"I told you," she smirked.
She stepped back. In the same instant, she disappeared into the shadows. Ace dashed the sword to the ground violently. Why did he rise to her provocation? It annoyed him to no end. He didn't want to be controlled by her or Clover.
Even after all this time, he still didn't have the power to get what he wanted. He was still trapped in the tower. And now Bird was gone too. He had been trying so hard to be a human, he had almost forgotten about his life before. Until that woman rubbed it in his face.
Had he really changed at all? If he had, why hadn't he told Albaric about Clover's threats?
Ace left the gardens feeling worse off than before. His return to the student halls only intensified this feeling. First, he was greeted by the usual frigid reception as he passed through the courtyard. Then he found rubbish and rotten food piled outside his door. In a moment of blind rage, he slammed his hands against the door.
His mind only wandered for a second on the prospect: wouldn't it be funny if they got a taste of their own medicine. Suddenly, there was an eruption of voices from the courtyard. Ace looked down startled. All the rubbish was gone.
He slowly walked back the length of the hall. He glanced out of the window at the end of the hall. From there he could see the courtyard. The students were in an upheaval. All the rubbish that had been at his door had fallen outside.
Ace inhaled unsteadily. He quickly returned to his room and locked the door. He had never been able to do anything like that before. A small part of his mind wondered what else he could do.
------------------
The next morning a sudden summons brought Albaric and Ace back to the tower. The interim master of the tower had arrived.
The whole school was waiting in lines to greet the new grand wizard. No one had heard any news about this mysterious newcomer. The person had been personally chosen by the Emperor.
It was a crisp and bright morning on the edge of the winter season. Everyone waited patiently for the new arrival, but the atmosphere could be cut with a knife. Punctually, as the bells tolled, the newcomer presented themself to the tower.
A woman with a poised and rigid gate came to the front of the entire school body. She gave a curt bow which the students responded to in term. Every aspect of her manner and movement was meticulous and precise.
She wore the sister's garb, donned head to toe in black and white apart from her shimmering burgundy hair that was tied tightly in a plait. A number of other sisters followed her out. They lined up behind her with the same guarded expression.
There was a ripple of whispers around the courtyard. Everyone was surprised a sister had been delegated such a role. Although the sisters were highly trained, they were rarely seen outside of the temple except during times of war.
The woman's light blue eyes mirrored her sharp affect. She seemed to perceive the thoughts of the crowd and dispensed with formalities at once.
"My name is Rena Abendroth," she said in an unwavering voice, "As you can tell, I am a head sister of Order. However, I have been invited by the Emperor to oversee the tower while someone more suitable is found. Classes will return to normal as scheduled. If you have any questions, please direct them to my assistants. As you may have guessed, for the most part, my role here is to oversee the internment of the Demon Lord. I understand that you have been instructed not to communicate or interact with the demon. Please see that you continue to follow these guidelines. They are for your safety. That is all. Return to your classes."
With that, she swiftly turned on her feet and began to walk towards the tower without sparing another moment. There was a pause where everyone broke into whispers. The remaining sisters immediately began to coordinate the tutors and soon everyone was directed back to class.
Ace glanced at Albaric. To his surprise, he had a smile on his face.
"This is good for us," he said excitedly.
"You know that woman?" Ace said dubiously.
"A long time ago..." he paused.
Just as he was speaking, Rena appeared in front of them. She gave a stiff customary bow and they reciprocated it.
"I wish to speak to you," she said curtly.
"Rena.." Albaric began.
"Not to you. To this young man," she turned her gaze to Ace, "Will you come with me?"