I tried to take a rest just as Lucy had said, but my mind was filled with a million different questions and my heart was beating so loud I could hear it as I lay down, probably due to what had happened.
I stared at the ceiling in wonder, my mind had been distracting me from thinking and it was not like I was in a position to do so for the past few days anyway. But now I was safe and had all the time to take in what had happened recently, the realization of being in a different world, nothing like my own, finally hit. This was a world of magic and the supernatural, and currently, I was being taken care of by a princess who is also the future 'demon lord'. These were things I had only heard in anime and manga, but now it was reality.
Demons and empires, all that I had seen and heard about them in my world were that they were evil and consumed by power and greed, but all that I had received till now was safety and protection. The people who had hurt me the most were the ones who looked like me.
I kept lying idle, thinking to myself and what I could even do from now on and before long I fell asleep due to exhaustion.
I was woken when I felt a hand on my head, gently stroking my hair. I opened my eyes to see Lucy's hand on my head and I jerked up out of embarrassment.
"It's okay...It's okay, it's just me" she said hurriedly.
"Um, hi...good morning" I replied.
"Afternoon actually, I came to wake you up for lunch. Your body is probably healed now...you should eat" she said as she held my hand, beckoning me to get up.
I got up not realising I was still half naked and looked at Lucy waiting for her to show me the way but she just looked down at me and giggled before looking away.
I immediately grabbed the blanket and covered myself with it before shouting "Sorry!!".
"No, it's fine...I forgot too" she said with a grin on her face, still looking away.
"I will tell the maid to provide you with some clothes, please get changed, I will be waiting for you outside" she said as she headed for the door while stifling her laughs.
I let out a sigh, lamenting the fact that this was the third time I had felt so embarrassed. I waited till a woman with black hair, smaller horns and victorian maid clothing entered the room and placed a pile of clothes on my bed before bowing and leaving.
"Maids...huh, she really is a princess" I said as I got dressed as fast as I could. It was a comfortable cotton shirt that went below my waist and soft linen trousers.
I walked towards the door and realised that my body really had healed completely, in fact, I had never felt as healthy in my life. Lucy's healing factor really was effective.
As I opened the door I saw Lucy leaning against the wall in front of me, looking up idly. I did a double take as I looked at her again and realised just how beautiful she was.
"Staring is rude you know, anyway, you probably have lots of questions and I have some too. Let's have a nice lunch and talk about it shall we" she said as she turned and led the way forward.
I followed her meekly, cursing myself internally.
As we walked, I looked around the endless maze of what I assumed was a castle. Endless doors led to more rooms and hallways, windows everywhere from where you could see numerous fountains and gardens all across the courtyard.
Eventually, we arrived at a huge door and once we entered, I found myself in a huge dining hall with a table that could fit about two dozen ppl, with exquisite furniture and decoration with a fireplace and a huge chandelier at the centre. There was a line of maids standing near another doorway where I presumed the entrance to the kitchen was, silently waiting almost like statues.
"Please start serving if lunch is ready Serina, thank you" Lucy said to the maid standing closest to us and who was also the most senior looking.
"Yes, Princess Lucille" She replied as she and the rest of the maid headed into the kitchen.
"How many times have I told you to just call me Lucy, hmph, you never listen" she said as she pouted cutely.
She took a seat and beckoned me to sit beside her, I was still processing this huge mansion and silently sat beside her. She placed both her hands on her cheeks and rested her elbows on the table, looking at me she said "So, what do you want to know".
I just sat there in silence for a few seconds, debating on what to ask, but I had so many questions that the only question that seemed plausible was "Everything".
"Hmm, fair enough I suppose. Where should I start...Well, I will begin with what I know about you. Clearly, you are not from around here, A few days ago, I felt a huge imbalance in the magical source of this world called mana. From that day onwards I spent days researching what might have happened, and looking at you my suspicions have been confirmed. You see, we demons used to have access to an ancient magic which was capable of 'producing' beings of immense power and strength, but for some reason that my father is yet to disclose to me, it is forbidden to use anymore and had been locked away for generations. Only the demon elite having knowledge and access to it, and all other knowledge had been supposedly erased. I had been very curious about this magic since I was told about it and through many quests to find out more, where more than once I had almost died I found a book, a single book, supposedly written by one of those beings. This information about the book and what I had to do to acquire it only belongs to me so I must request you to keep silent about this" She said in a serious tone.
"That book was written in a script not used in this world but I quickly realised that the language it was written in was the same as the one used in this world. It is the reason we are able to communicate with each other. I have had this book for years, and I have deciphered most of the alphabet but a few are still remaining, that's how I knew the term you use called 'cells'. From what I could conclude, these beings of power that were created by this magic were not in fact created, but they were brought here. From a world different from our own, believing in something called science, a world where magic didn't exist. You are from that world aren't you" she said with a shine in her eyes, curiosity brimming from everywhere.
"Yes...I was brought here from my home, along with many other people. But you said that this magic was only held by ancient demons. But the person who brought us here, he was a human, the king of the Rostaria Kingdom" I asked, with a curiosity of my own.
Her posture and gaze stiffened, her fist tightened and anger exuded from her body.
" A few months ago, a traitor who had access to the spellform where the magic was contained, stole it and fled from the empire. He allied with the Rostaria kingdom and taught them how to use the magic. They probably perfected the spell only recently and only then were you brought here. His actions have put this whole world in turmoil and on the brink of war. He betrayed his duty, he betrayed his people and he betrayed his family, and it is my duty to bring him his punishment" She said with rage emanating out of her, a pressure that was even affecting me, I physically couldn't move.
"But who would do that, who would betray their whole race and for what!!" I asked, not being able to wrap my head around his motivations.
Her demeanour instantly changed, she looked down and all the anger that had been so visible turned into sadness and regret.
"It was my older brother, Lucifer Tempest Mephistopheles, he was the heir to the throne and future demon lord before I beat him in the successor ritual" she said.
"This is all my fault...."