"Hehehe~ So You FoUnD oUt 'bOut My FRieNDS!"
Claudina sneered. "I wasn't aware a demon could have friends."
"HeY! THaT's MeaN! I am A BAroN! YoU ShoULD ResPeCtinG Me!"
"So? I am a duchess. I am of higher standing than you. You are the one who's supposed to respect me."
"WaIT yOu Are a DUcHess?" He slumped down.
She frowned but her sword was still raised up. It didn't attack her.
When she saw the demon wasn't moving she slowly moved away and went towards the shattered window ledge.
She was right.
The capital was burning. Flames rose up while smoke devoured Roeas in its entirety. Below she could hear the terrified screams and low howls of both monsters and demons.
"Why am I getting déjà vu?"
"WhAt's déjà vu?"
She jumped. "I forgot about you for a second…' she mumbled. But to her surprise the demon hadn't moved form it's spot. She smirked. "What a foolish demon. You should have attacked me when my back was turned."
"BuT you're a DUcheSS. I ShouLD RespEct You." He faced her but he was still sitting with his hands sprawled over his short stubby legs.
She blinked. 'What the hell? Is this a demon or a docile dog? I just said him to respect me in the heat of the moment! Maybe his owner taught him to respect ranks.'
'Wait didn't he say he was human? …Is this a boon for that one time I genuinely prayed? Maybe Chronos isn't so useless after all.'
Somewhere in the temple of Chronostis Chronos sneezed. "I feel like someone is cursing me?"
"Say de- no Baron…" The demon's rabbit ears perked up.
She jolted. '…That's sort of cute…' "I will ask you nicely this time. Do you know who Rosalinda Carlos is?"
He shook his head.
"A person with an androgynous appearance who introduces themselves as a herbalist?"
Again no.
"The Arbitrary Abstractions who were previously called the Vessels of Ri'sh?"
No once more.
She pondered for a while. 'So he has no clue who they are? He must be quite sheltered for a demon?' "How did you enter the human realm, Baron? You said you were human once so I am assuming you were sent to the void or hell after you died. Afterwards you were summoned. So who summoned you?"
"…A weIRd HUmaN SuMMoned mE anD soMe othEr saMe GradE DeMons. We StayeD wiTh WeIrd hUmAn unTil shE REleaSed Us TodAy."
"So you and all your friends have never seen the outside world?"
He nodded his head.
'This explains his incompetence as a high grade demon.' "Alright you are coming with me. Do you think you can point out who this 'weird human' is?"
He nodded again. "Good. In return I will spare your life."
"WhY? YoU CoUlD kilL mE. AfTEr i TeLL yOU."
She tilted her head. "I could. But you are of use to me. Hence I am letting you live. After your usefulness is over I will send you and your friends back to the void."
"…Do yOu PromiSe? wiLL YOu reaLLy senD Us BacK?"
"By my honor as a saint I swear."
"…dOn't SainTs Kill DeMons? DoN'T YoU Hate demOns?"
She belted her sword. "I am indifference to both humans and demons. I only kill your kind due to orders nothing else. The only ones I do care about are the people I have taken under my wing."
"EvEn DemOnS?"
She paused before saying in a clear voice. "Even demons."
"tHen Can I beCoMe onE oF YouR people?"
She stared at him, his thousand eyes blinking at her.
"Are you asking for salvation?"
He didn't answer.
"It's alright to speak."
"DeMoNS dOn't Get SaLvaTIon. I wON't geT iT either."
"You won't know unless you truly wish for it." She took off her gloves.
She walked over the scorched furniture and fallen debris. She stood right in front of him.
It was a dangerous position for her. For all it could mean the demon was pretending and just waiting for her to drop her defenses.
A demon requesting salvation from a human and from a saint no less. It was unheard of.
But something told her that this wasn't the case. Or maybe she wanted satisfy her curiosity.
She held out her hand. "I will bring you salvation that you so desire. However whether you can become one of my people, you will have to prove your worth it."
He stared at the outstretched bare hand. "dO You pRoTecT yoUR pEoPle For anYTHing TheY diD? AlWays?" He looked up at her face to detect any lie.
"Without question. If the need arises I would give life for their safety," she answered truthfully.
Gingerly his enormous clawed hand took her small slender hand.
She lips thinned.
"…Why do they choose the worst person to bring them salvation?" She smiled sadly.
The demon tilted his head not understanding.
"It's nothing. Let's go."
They hadn't moved when voices came from the hallway.
"Sire we didn't mean to leave the post!" the first one pleaded.
"Silence you part! If I find the demon has entered the room of my beloved I will feed you to the demon!" the second one yelled back
A third voice said, "Sire! Please have mercy on us!"
"Shut up!"
Footsteps now neared the room. Suddenly they stopped.
"A thousand curses to the bastard who did this!" the second one yelled. "YOU! Go and get more guards here!" Somebody scrambled away.
"Wait a second...The door of my beloved's …CLAUDIAN!"
Footsteps ran through small splashes.
"CLAUDIAN! Are you alright?!" Aidan rushed inside in the room, panic-stricken. Instantly his face morphed into shock then anger.
His Claudina was alright. But she was trapped in that demon's embrace. Gathering from the state of her dress, her ashen face and room, he concluded that the demon was attempting to defile her.
Just as how he saw red when she was clinging on to Sylvester he felt the same rage. Grabbing at the crossbow of the horrified guard, he aimed an arrow at the demon.
TWANG.
The arrow lodged itself into one of the back eyes of the demon. The demon in turn reached back, pulled the arrow out and crushed it. The eye had already started to regenerate.
"ThaT diDn't HuRt."
"My dear Baron that man is my enemy. He hurt you in order to hurt me." She cupped his face with her hands. "He wants to get in my way by harming my people."
Baron wildly swiveled his head in 360 degree. "WhY diD yOU hUrt Me?! wHy DiD YoU HuRt HeR?!"
"Silence demon! Release my future queen!"
"SHUT UP!!! YOU HURT HER!!! I"LL KILL YOU FOR HURTING HER!!!!"
Baron ran on all fours crushing the debris underneath. He swiped at Aidan's face. While he dodged it in time, a deep gash sent rivulets of blood. "I'LL EAT YOU! DEVOUR YOU!!"
Aidan screamed, dropped the cross bow and ran with Baron close on his heels.
Claudina was left standing, blinking. "…Well that was unexpected...but definitely ideal...."
She glanced at the window. Smoke was creeping nearer to the palace. Though faint she could sense the Holy magic of the saints.
She can't go to them. Not yet.
Her left hand throbbed. She pressed it down. "I understand you wish to return to your masters but…the new fledgling I took under my care is in danger. So please wait. I will return all of you."
The throbbing lessened if only a little.
"Now let's see what the rabbit has done."
She ran out the room. Turning her head right and left she strained her ears to hear the low howls of Baron.
It was coming from the left! And by the sound of it there were already soldiers.
"I wanted to avoid killing humans." She signed. "What's one more nightmare? The Stars' Blessing keeps me awake at nights." She ran in the direction where the clangs of steel and growls grew. '
The sounds led to a single hallway with a room in the end. As she neared the room she saw a severed head being flung across the room.
She skidded to a halt. If she went in now…there was a possibility that Baron must have lost his mind with so many humans he could devour.
The thought of rising in ranks is appealing to the demons hence while their origin story is necessary for them to spread to gain recognition it was also important for demons to consume humans to gain strength. If a Child grade demon consumed more humans compared to a Myth grade demon, the Child grade demon would win through sheer strength.
'What am I hesitating for?' She gripped the sword's handle. 'Demons are notorious on not keeping their words. What's to say Baron isn't the same?'
'Just because one of them asked me to guide him to salvation am I hesitating? Because of just… that one single sentence?'
She gritted her teeth. 'Claudina Von Crowley, you are not a hero that can help everyone. So at the very least help those who want me care for them.' She raised her head.
"Even if it's a demon."
She pulled out her sword and charged in the room.
All around her were half eaten bodies of soldiers scattered like a deck of cards. Spears, swords and arrows were broken into pieces. Heads and limbs were lodged in the walls of the ball room. Skulls were cracked open with eyes and guts leaking out. Metal chains and nets were tore open like paper. At the edge of the room were about twenty soldiers desperately trying to protect the crown prince Aidan who kept on ordering horrible fight maneuvers.
In front of them was Baron going on a stampede. His size had grown considerably big along with an extra pair of hands. Broken arrowheads and swords were embedded on his eyes, staining his fur with black sticky viscous. He let out low guttural growls. They threw another iron net at him but he ripped through it with a yell
"Baron?"
Baron twisted his head and cracked his neck by raising it two feet high, his black eyes circling wildly for the voice. At last they landed on her shocked face.
"duCHeSs…HuRtsSSs…"
She lowered her gaze. "You can rest Baron. I will take care of it now."
Baron sat down. The soldiers still not aware why the demon stopped attacking shoot arrows at him.
A wall of stone protruded out of the floor shielding the demon. A cry of confusion went out.
One of the soldiers near to the wall kicked it with curse. Suddenly his vision turned, rolling on its axis. His head fell and rolled to another soldier's feet.
Somebody screamed at the back.
A flash of red and black went on a rampage. Heads flew high up in the air with blood spurting out like a fountain. Screams were tore out of their throats midway when a silver sword slashed through them. But somehow they couldn't run nor move. It was like they were stunned.
Claudina killed all the soldiers in their stunned state after casting out the stun spell. 'Less hassle if they attack too…'
At end of it she stood in a sea of red. Twenty heads pilled underneath her while their bodies were sprawled in odd angles. Her burnt heels and ashen legs were caked in blood. She wiped of the blood on her face.
She signed. "…I was hoping not to kill someone unnecessarily in this timeline." "Hahhh!" She ran her hand through her hair. "Whate- Wha?!"
Someone suddenly pulled them in their embrace. "You are alright! In one piece! Thank the heavens nothing happened to you!" Aidan whispered in her ear fervently.
She deadpanned. 'Right…this guy.' "Um…please get off of me."
He wasn't listening. He continued to whisper reassurances to himself on her ear. His hands on her waist and arm around her heaving chest irritated her.
She huffed in annoyance before easily pushing his off.
He appeared to be both surprised and heartbroken. 'So the effects have yet to go away…' She belted her sword back in it's sheath and walked away from him by going behind the stone wall.
"Baron?" she called out. A brick fell down and she looked to her left.
Baron had sat down his back leaning on the wall. Thought there were so many bodies he didn't eat a single one.
Without hesitation she crouched down beside him. She lightly pressed her hands to his side smoothing the fur there.
"…Are you alright?" she asked.
"…yEssS…"
She lowered her head with a sad smile. "I came a bit late didn't I?"
"…BUt tHe …DucheSS …caMe… wHEn… nO OnE eLSe Did…" HIs words came out as low rasps.
She looked up hurriedly. "Wh-why do you sound like that?"
She quickly cheeked for any injuries. There were none and all the previous wounds had regenerated. "Baron, do you have any injuries in the inside?"
His four clawed hands twitched. "iS…tHat WhY i… FEel sO wEak…?"
Claudina gritted her teeth. Here for the first time she wished she had paid more attention on demon anatomy during the lectures she received in the temple. She completely believed it would never come to use so she ignored it. And now it had came back to bite her in the ass.
She thought of using Holy magic on his to heal but…Holy magic was at its very core the one thing that kills demon. If she tweak it a bit to turn it into Anti Holy magic maybe then…
"…dO…YoU cRy… FOr…yOUR… peOple too…?"
She hastily looked up. Baron gently touched her face. HE bought up one of his claws to her face. The tip was wet.
Oh.
Oh.
OH.
She was crying.
She, the saintess was crying for a demon, her enemy. The Claudina Von Crowley, the cold hearted woman was crying over a demon she met an hour ago.
"…Baron…I..."
"…it'S alRigHt DucheSS. We dEmoNs wEre sPwneD aLOne AnD diE AloNe…" His chest rumbled. "…sO I aM GlaD yOu ARe heRe wITh Me iN my laSt MoMentS…i WaS scaRed tO dIe wIThoUt aNY oNe beSiDe mE."
Tears fell down her cheeks mixing with the blood with small splashes.
'Why do I feel so sad…? That Baron…is going to…die? I shouldn't care he's a demon! Then why?'
Because he's one of your people now.
She whirled around. She didn't see anyone but she certainly did hear it.
Her voice.
She was sure it was her.
No one can sound comforting and warm as well as persuasive as her.
Even she could no longer see her, Claudina could always sense her presence. She continued to encourage her to do the good things in life.
And Claudina could never say no to her requests. No matter how selfish they may be or how they went against her ideals.
She smiled bitterly. 'You're right. He is under my wing. So I need to protect him. Thank you for reminding...my dear friend...'
She turned back to Baron. "I swear on my name I will save you."
Baron's eyes widened with emotion. "…iT"s noT NeeDed…"
She gave a confident grin. "You are not a lonely demon who is going to die here. You are one of my people. I will save you at the cost of my own."
She touched his side again and thought what to do.
'Think, Claudina, think! Holy magic is out of the question and I have never tried to use Anti Holy magic ever before in my life. While it may have some parts of demonic magic in it, at the end of the day it comes from Holy magic so I could hurt him.'
'And...Anti Demonic magic…I can't use demonic magic if I have Holy magic. They cannot coexist together without damaging me. Then what…'
Baron groaned.
'…I need to make a decision.' She frowned.
'I need to use Anti Demonic magic spells then. Doesn't matter what happens to my body but I need to save him.'
She exhaled. "Baron, tell me if it hurts?" He only continued to groan. She looked at him with pity. "Don't worry. I will take all of the pain away....So bear with it just for a bit..."
She raised her hands and joined them together. The first line of the spell right on her tongue when…
"WAIT!"