An hour later, Iris found herself seated inside a carriage along with Amelia and Chrysanthe. She squirmed on her seat. This wasn't the first time that she was in the company of a darkling, but this darkling was looking at her with interest, something the wolf — Lord Kieran never showed her.
The darkling accompanying them was the same red haired darkling whom Lord Kieran assigned to look after them. It was odd that Iris felt at ease in Lord Kieran's company. The said man was known as a feared and deadly warrior of Asnar, only rivaled in infamy by the Red King and the Black Mage himself.
And yet, Iris felt uncomfortable sitting across this woman.
"Is there something on my face?" She asked the red haired darkling.
"Oh no. I'm merely surprised that a magus like you was able to hide amongst the mortals this long." The red haired darkling said with a small smile. "I'm Ricci Rosebriar by the way, but you can just call me Ricci."
"I see." Iris didn't probe any further.
This only proved her assumption that some darklings were able to tell that she was a magus right off the bat, without her needing to use her magic. She tilted her head slightly, allowing the morning light coming from the window to illuminate her pale blond hair.
Amelia arched her eyebrow towards the darkling named Ricci. "You can tell? How?"
"I'm a faerie. I might not be as strong as Lord Kieran and his three demon generals, but my magic perception isn't that bad."
"You said that they are demons and you are a faerie. Does this mean that there are other races living in Asnar too?" Chrysanthe shifted nervously. Unlike her two friends, she wouldn't be able to protect herself as she wasn't versed in any type of self-defense.
"Of course, there's more. I know that the Kingdom of Dravial speaks lowly of us, Asnarians, but there are things that you may find interesting in our land. We aren't just barbaric, mindless monsters people thought us to be." Riccei sounded amused, as if she wasn't offended by how mortal humans perceived her kind.
She then glanced in Iris's direction.
"I'm not saying that Asnar is a safe place for you humans, but for someone who has a tremendous amount of mana in them, it might be challenging not to attract others' attention."
"You mean, Iris would be in danger?" Amelia asked, and Iris stiffened in her place.
"Not just her. All of you. While it's true that the thirteen demon lords of Asnar are working hard to settle the peace on our land, there are still some who wish to cause trouble not only to our courts, but also to the humans in Dravial, but you don't need to fear me, especially you, Lady Iris. I will not harm any of you unless you pose a threat to our lord."
"I am no lady, Miss Ricci. You can just call me Iris." Iris replied. "You said you are a faerie and yet you serve a demon lord?"
Ricci broke into a smile. Iris thought that faeries had wings. Or was it possible that they could hide them at will?
"I must admit that it's probably confusing for humans like you, Lady Iris. The thirteen demon lords aren't all demons like Lord Kieran. Certain beings that reach enough mana can be considered as a demon lord in Asnar. As for why I'm serving a demon, let's just say that I don't get along with the current Faerie Queen."
Iris said nothing and didn't correct Ricci for calling her a lady again. Ricci might have claimed that there was no need for them to fear her, but Lord Kieran was a different case. He was obviously out of their league and far way more powerful than her. Add to the fact that he was actually a demon lord.
No one said another word and they sat in silence. The sounds made by the creaking carriage and the hooves were the only things that could be heard. The carriage jerked and creaked, but none of them commented on it.
Iris occasionally peeked out the window, but no one was directly riding beside the carriage they rode. Their carriage had long passed the woods near Calaren Town and now they were on their way to reach the mountain range that separated the Kingdom of Dravial and Asnar. All she saw so far were nothing but meadows, trees and the grasslands.
Certainly, there could be other ways to reach Asnar faster than riding a carriage. Iris thought.
'Perhaps it wouldn't be safe for us humans though.' She reasoned out.
When night came, the carriage started to slow down. Only when it pulled to a stop were they allowed to step down from their carriages. They were instructed to wear black coats before they alighted. Once Iris hopped down, she looked around and found three other carriages in front of them, no doubt carrying the rest of the tributes.
Some maidens protested as their stomach grumbled from hunger. The demon lord, Lord Kieran, didn't seem to care if they hadn't eaten throughout the day. Thankfully, Chrysanthe was allowed to bring the pack of biscuits her family handed to her so Iris and Amelia could nibble on something.
Chrysanthe held onto Amelia's arm, her eyes sweeping around them. She could see nothing but the darkness in the woods they just passed.
"Stay close, ladies. We aren't sure what dangers are lurking out here."
Ricci remained to accompany them, but something about how serious her expression was bothered Iris. Lord Kieran and the other two demons accompanying them were nowhere in sight, but it didn't mean that any of the maidens could easily escape, especially in a place like this.
Iris then found it suspicious that Lord Kieran had to come all the way to Calaren Town to pick up the tributes himself, when it had never occurred before. He didn't need to fetch them himself before, so why now?