Though the High Fae had warned Iris and her friends about the discomfort they were about to experience, as soon as they left the portal, Iris was still surprised to find her friends unconscious inside their carriage, while she could barely stay seated.
Her world seemed to be spinning and she had this urge to throw up, feeling like her head was heavy and huge at the same time. She couldn't focus on her surroundings, nor did she know if they had safely arrived at Silver City.
"Are you alright, Lady Iris?"
Iris lifted her head and stared at the fae, but it didn't seem like Ricci was affected by the portal, unlike her and the rest of the maidens who came with them.
"I…" She held the side of head, trying to figure out what had happened to her and her friends.
"It's alright, Lady Iris. They just passed out because of the effects of the portal. The fact that you are able to remain awake means that you have enough mana to protect you. The portal is strong enough to test the mental stability of a person. All maidens passed out as soon as we entered the portal, Miss Chrysanthe managed to stay conscious for ten minutes while Miss Amelia lasted longer than the rest. She almost made it along with you, but she couldn't resist the power of the portal."
"Then… does that mean that Amelia has magic too?"
Ricci shook her head. "No, Lady Iris. Miss Amelia is a human with no magic on her."
"Then how did she manage to last longer than the rest?"
The High Fae's lips curled with an amused smile on her face.
"I believe you already know the answer to that question, Lady Iris. You should know Miss Amelia better than me."
Iris said nothing and understood what she meant at once. Amelia had the strongest will amongst the people she knew in her whole life. Her best friend wouldn't back down and give up without a fight, so it only made sense why Amelia would last longer than the rest. She was proud of her friend. She knew that she could rely on her friend, especially here in Asnar, where it wouldn't be certain that she would lead a happy life.
"How long would it take before they regain their consciousness?"
"In an hour so, Lady Iris."
Iris didn't know if she still had any strength to move right now. Do they really need to go and see the rest of the demon lords that ruled the land? Was it really important for them to meet the rest of them? She also wondered, aside from testing the maidens for magic, why do they need to test them for illnesses?
"I have another question, Miss Ricci." She asked, once she didn't feel light headed anymore.
Ricci cocked her head to one side. "Ask away, Lady Iris."
"You said that we will be tested for magic and illness. I can understand why you need to test for magic, but what about the illness?" This had been bugging her since Ricci said those words to them. Iris didn't believe that a mortal disease could possibly harm the darklings who were obviously more powerful and resilient than humans like her.
It didn't seem like the fae expected to hear such a question from her. Unlike earlier, when Ricci was able to provide her with the answers, this time the fae looked conflicted. It must be something confidential that she couldn't simply divulge.
"You don't need to answer me if it makes you uncomfortable." Iris said, knowing that it wouldn't be easy for Ricci to answer her this time. The High Fae had done enough for her and her friends already.
"No, let me answer you truthfully, Lady Iris. It's better for you to know, since you will be living with the rest of us. It was rumored that the Black Mage had left something behind, securing a part of himself amongst humans. The thirteen demon lords believed that it might be hidden particularly in a magus. Maguses can outlive a normal human, you see. Their strong mana is enough for them to prolong their supposedly short lives."
"So you all think it's hidden inside a magus because they would be able to hide its presence?" Iris assumed that whatever the thirteen demon lords were looking for, it must be something really dangerous if they were still looking for it after all this time.
"It's just an assumption, but you are right. We would have found it already if it was hidden in an ordinary human. Not that a simple human would be able to contain any of the artifacts that once belonged to the Black Mage."
It had been centuries and it had never been found here, so the thirteen demon lords thought that it might be hiding amidst the humans' dwellings outside of Asnar. However, given the treaty that was still in effect between the Court of Shadows and the Kingdom of Dravial as well as other human kingdoms, they weren't able to scout the area to find the artifact.
"Do you know what it looks like? Does it have a name? Why do you think you can only find it in the maidens and not the men?" Iris questioned the fae. Although their meeting was quite short, she was sure to miss Ricci once they were separated again later.
"That, I'm afraid I can't answer, Lady Iris. Only Lord Kieran and the other demon lords know what they are trying to find. We were only told that it's extremely powerful and dangerous, and that it could revive the Black Mage once the conditions are met. The Night Critters are also searching for it, so the demon lords cannot stop until they find it."
The two fell silent, each lost in their own thoughts. Iris realized that even the darklings had their own share of problems, despite possessing magic and longevity. Back at Dravial, she and her family were striving to put food on their table, but here in Asnar, every darkling was worried that another war might erupt once the Black Mage is resurrected.