When it came to her expectations of Ash, Lucy was always wrong. For instance, earlier, when she first met the young man, she expected Ash to be a cold-hearted prince. But she was mistaken. It turned out that the young man was quite the dork.
Then, just now, when Ash passed by her carrying a sword, she imagined him as a brave hero. That was also wrong. In reality, he was a drunken coward.
But this time, when Lucy bet that Ash would be knocked out by one strike, she was right.
After vomiting to his heart's content, Ash took a stance and prepared to fight. He raised his sword, which gleamed in the moonlight. "Come at me, ugly creature!"
The demon chuckled. "You first, boy!"
"Don't regret it!" Ash swung his sword. Unfortunately, the strike missed by a wide margin. His vision was blurred from the wine he had guzzled earlier. He slashed at the air, a meter away from where the demon stood.
The demon laughed and pushed Ash's chest, sending the young man flying five meters away.
"Come on, Ash! Stop messing around!" Daniel scowled in frustration. He turned to Lucy, who was staring blankly. "Hey! Can you get your sister out of here?"
Snapping out of it, Lucy quickly got up. She helped Katherine towards the gate of their house.
"Damn you, Ash!" Daniel released his protective spell. He then drew a sword that suddenly appeared in the air and began attacking the demon.
They fought. Several times, the young man managed to hit the demon, but his strikes seemed to have no effect.
Half-drunk, Ash stood up. He blinked to clear his head. "Damn," he muttered.
The young man's hair was disheveled, his shirt dirty, and some of its buttons had come off. He twirled his sword in one hand before charging at the demon, who had just managed to push Daniel back.
Once again, Ash swung his sword. He moved nimbly, dodging the demon's claws. It was as if he flew when he pushed himself upward. With one long slash, he managed to split the demon in two, then landed gracefully on the front steps of the house.
Slowly, the creature's body disintegrated into dust carried away by the wind.
"What are you guys, really?" Lucy gaped in shock. She glanced back and forth between Ash and Daniel, as if she were experiencing a chaotic nightmare. First the demon, then Mags, and now this. She even bit her tongue to prove she wasn't dreaming.
Instead of answering, Ash stumbled to the side and vomited again. "I hate wine."
"Disgusting!" Daniel snapped. He approached Lucy and took Katherine from her. "Get in the carriage, I'll explain later."
"But, but, Mags?"
Daniel looked at Lucy with pity. "I'm sorry for your loss."
"You haven't even checked. Maybe she's still alive."
Daniel shook his head slowly and guided Katherine into the carriage parked outside the gate. He helped the girl inside.
Lucy stood frozen in place. She couldn't leave Mags just like that. Although she knew her mother was likely gone, she didn't want to leave. Tears once again rolled down her cheeks.
Still staggering, Ash approached her. He patted her shoulder. His eyes focused on Lucy's blackened hand. "I'll take care of it. You should go with Dan. You need medicine for your hand."
Lucy raised her hand. She sobbed but shook her head. "I want to see Mags one last time."
Ash clicked his tongue. "Are you sure? In this state, I'm sure that demon wasn't gentle with your Mags."
He's right, Lucy thought. She couldn't bear to see Mags' mangled body.
"Go with Dan. You'll be safe with him," Ash urged. "Tomorrow we'll hold a proper funeral for Mags."
"For George, too."
Ash nodded. "For George, too," he repeated reassuringly.
"And for the coachman?"
"And for your cat, while we're at it." Ash was starting to get annoyed.
"I don't have a cat." Lucy frowned.
"Well, just go." He pushed Lucy towards the carriage.
The girl had no choice but to get into the carriage. "What about you?"
"I can take care of myself."
"That's not what I meant... Never mind!" Lucy didn't finish her sentence.
"If you're that worried, don't be. I won't let my body get hurt, so you can enjoy it later."
"You're utterly shameless!" Yet, Lucy's face turned red. She didn't refuse the young man's hand when he helped her into the carriage.
Once inside, she found Katherine grimacing in pain. Her dress was stained with blood around her abdomen. Daniel was bent over, trying to examine her.
"May I?" The young man asked for permission. Slowly, he moved Katherine's hand, which was pressing on her stomach. Blood was still seeping out, staining the girl's hand. Her dress was torn, revealing a ten-centimeter gash.
"What happened? How did that demon get into my house? What was its purpose?" A flood of questions filled Lucy's mind. It felt like her head was going to explode.
"Believe me, Miss...." Without looking up, Daniel replied.
"Lucy. Call me Lucy."
"Believe me, Miss Lucy, I want to know the answers, too." The young man drew a symbol in the air, which glowed for a moment before entering Katherine's stomach, making the girl groan.
"What are you doing?" Lucy asked, worried. The carriage jerked as it began to move, causing her to fall against the young man's shoulder. "Sorry."
Ignoring the disturbance, Daniel focused on channeling his magic. "I'm just trying to heal her, but it's not as easy as I thought. That demon used a curse when it attacked. Even so, at least the bleeding has stopped."
"Is it bad?" Katherine asked.
The young man's eyes softened as they met Katherine's. He smiled. "Not too bad. Don't worry, you'll be fine."
"By the way," Lucy interjected, "my hand turned black because I pushed the demon. I think my foot did, too. Is it dangerous?"
"Well," Daniel reassured her. "There's a great healer at the academy. So don't worry."
"Academy?"
"Ah, you'll find out soon." Daniel spoke with the kindness of a noble prince. Lucy felt she wasn't wrong in targeting him as her future husband.
"How did you know?" The girl asked again. "How did you know to come to our house in time and save us?"
Daniel shook his head. "If we had arrived in time, George wouldn't have died."
"How do you know George is dead?" Katherine cut in. "You didn't even enter our house."
"If he were alive, he wouldn't have let you be chased by that demon."
"True." Katherine was struck. She leaned her head back against the seat. She cried silently.
Seeing her sister's sorrow, Lucy also began to cry. She rested her head against her sister's forehead. If she thought about it, Katherine was supposed to marry George in less than three weeks. But now, that wedding was just a dream. Lucy felt so sorry for her.
The girl also felt resigned. She didn't know where to go after that. How would they live? Who would take care of them? Mags had no family other than them. Their uncle on their father's side would certainly refuse to take them in. Their relationship was strained. Lucy sobbed, thinking about her future.
Not wanting to appear weak, Lucy looked at Daniel, who was bent forward, hands clasped, elbows resting on his knees. She distracted herself by saying, "You still haven't answered my question. How did you know to come to our house?"
If the lantern in the carriage were brighter, the two girls would have seen Daniel's face turn red. "I don't know. I guess we just happened to be passing by."
For now, Lucy accepted that explanation. But she was sure it wasn't the truth. "And what about you, Kathy? How did you turn into smoke?"
"I wasn't fast enough, Luc. The demon managed to hit me."
"That's not what I asked." Lucy felt like an idiot among them. "Why didn't you ever tell me?"
"I was afraid you'd think I was weird." Katherine answered weakly.
"You're not weird. You're half-angel," Daniel responded.
If Ash had said that, Lucy would have taken it as cheesy flattery. "What do you mean?"
"You'll find out later, once we reach the academy."
"You keep talking about this academy. I don't understand. What academy are you talking about?" Lucy asked.
The young man scratched the back of his neck, even though it wasn't itchy. "You'll know soon."
"Forget it, Luc." Katherine squeezed her sister's hand as Lucy looked like she was about to press Daniel.
Reluctantly, the girl held back her curiosity.
"By the way, thanks for saving us." Katherine reached for Daniel's hand, making the young man blush.
Lucy looked everywhere but at Daniel and her sister. She spent the rest of the journey in silence, feeling useless.
Some time later, the carriage slowed down. They entered a gate with iron bars three meters high. The grounds of the place called the academy were vast. Trees as tall as an adult human grew sparsely there.
Lucy caught a glimpse of a sparkling body of water as she peeked out. The building itself was a grand castle, forming a wide U-shape with tall towers in several places.
Lucy had heard of this academy before. If she remembered correctly, the school was reserved for the children of nobles closely tied to the seven most influential families in the land, including the royal family. Not just anyone could set foot there.
She had even heard that one of her neighbors was imprisoned for accidentally entering the academy grounds. But now, there she was. She only hoped that her presence wouldn't cause any trouble that would lead to her punishment.