Belcourt watched with wide eyes as Aurelia returned. His breathing quickened involuntarily.

  Impossible. Villeth… is Villeth…? No. No, that’s not right. That can’t be true. He can’t have been beaten.

  Once, Villeth had once been a demon beyond the First Emperor’s control, roaming madly through the Hells in mindless pursuit of battle. Ultimately, he came seeking rumors of the First Emperor. His Master had agreed to the fight on the condition that the eight-armed demon would swear an oath of fealty should he lose. He had still lost, yet…

  I remember that fight. Even my Master struggled to deal significant damage to him, Belcourt recalled. He was an utter bulwark—unbreakable. Neither magic nor physical force could force him to bend even slightly. The Master was forced to bring all of his power to bear. His strength and speed were formidable, but neither could compare to his sheer durability.

  The instructions that the Master had given were simple. If they didn’t encounter stiff enough resistance to pose a serious threat, they were to raze Heavenwatch Monastery to the ground. If they encountered a foe that was dangerous enough to cause concern, they were to flee immediately. This was as much as an information-gathering venture as it was an attack.

  The True Divine Beast read our movements? Belcourt pondered. Then why were the Nixie Archers so successful?

  Ultimately, if Villeth had fallen, Belcourt didn’t intend to stick around much longer. This attack…

  At least it wasn’t entirely unproductive, he mused, thinking back to an unexpected boon gained. If Villeth merely fled, it may turn out to be a victory in the long run…

  Beyond making a note of who had gone to confront Villeth, Belcourt lingered no longer. He descended from the lonely peak he’d been spying from, vanishing into the night.

  ***

  As Aurelia carried Lucian and the others into the monastery, he examined his spetum. It was chipped and broken in countless places, and he grimaced as he ran his finger across the blade. Beside them, Brutus walked while supporting Algard, who was still recovering from the recoil of his finishing move.

  Repairs will cost a fortune, Lucian grimaced. He looked left, where the prince walked. Denzel’s fortune, to be precise… but I helped make him a duke, so I think I’ve earned that.

  He supposed that he should be glad it wasn’t broken altogether. They rushed into the monastery toward the group of poisoned individuals congregated alongside Cyril, intending to see if he’d located the snake. Lucian was worried he’d come back to find a stack of bodies. Instead… he saw people already healed.

  Lucian looked around at the people strewn about, smiling in happiness. What had happened? He eyed Cyril, but before he could ask the man was already answering.

  “I discovered the snake that Aurelia described to me,” Cyril said, looking between them. “Given the urgency of the situation, I tested it and found I was able to dispatch it with my Dark Doppelganger. And you… I presume you were successful?”

  Lucian was surprised. He didn’t know much about the Dark Doppelganger spell because Cyril never seriously fought in War of Four, but Aisha’s snakes were all substantial enemies. He’d liken them to Saltbelly in terms of strength.

  “We were successful.” Lucian alighted from Aurelia. “Did you notice anything else while scouting? Any enemies, other foes?”

  Cyril narrowed his eyes. “No. Only the snake, lurking in a cave on the side of the mountain.” He looked around. “The abbess is out securing all the survivors that she can.”

  “We should probably do the same,” Denzel suggested.

  Lucian gave a nod in agreement. “Let’s.”

  ***

  The casualties were far less than Lucian had been fearing. Deaths were far higher among the nobility of the empire than the monastics of Heavenwatch. Lucian honestly didn’t know whether that would be stabilizing or destabilizing for the empire. It all involved a series of complicated successions. He supposed, ultimately, it depended on the way Algard handled the matter.

  And yet… in the monastery, the dead were mostly the young, who lacked the vigor of the divine beast form.

  When the sun finally came up, the entire day was spent in grief and remembrance of those that had fallen. Lucian stayed with Cate, while Aurelia… he saw a much different side of her on that day. He saw a touch of why these people had become so fiercely loyal toward her.

  Aurelia gave comfort to all those who were affected. She knew what to say to quell rage, and what to do to draw people out of their apathy. She knew whose presence was required where, and generally demonstrated remarkable ability in handling the aftermath of the raid. Even if she was faking her compassion, the fact that it worked was the more important thing in Lucian’s eyes. Her efforts, if not lifting the gloom, managed to start its decay and direct it towards productivity.

  This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

  Others, meanwhile…

  Algard, fully recovered, dragged out a man by his hair into a central square of the monastery. Already, the man was beaten black and blue. As some of the monastics came to watch, Algard threw him forward and kicked him in the stomach. Lucian stepped closer but said nothing, merely confused.

  Some of the monastics demanded to know what was going on, but the emperor ignored them and shouted, “Everyone! Everyone, gather around.”

  His voice was loud enough to attract attention. Soon enough, many people had heeded his instructions.

  “This man…” Algard planted his foot on the man’s chest. “…was the party responsible for informing the demons how to bypass our security patrols.”

  “Mercy, Your Majesty!” The man begged. “Mercy! I was tricked, seduced! Mercy!”

  “Mercy? Unbelievable. I was puking blood because of you, little shit,” Algard countered, pushing his foot down hard enough the man ceased to be able to speak. “You think I wanted to spend my night tumbling in the weeds with an eight-armed devil?”

  The man wheezed and clawed at Algard desperately.

  “Algard!” Denzel shouted, breaking through the crowd. “What proof do you have of this? Is it only suspicion? Because if so…!”

  Algard looked at Denzel. “Last night, not all of the Nixies perished. Some were simply incapacitated. I had them rounded up. Then, I interrogated my retinue.” He looked down at the man. “Those that aroused my suspicion were instructed to kill a Nixie. If they were able to receive purified essence, they were absolved. Can you guess what happened to this man?”

  Denzel’s clenched fist slackened. He shifted on his feet uneasily, then guessed, “…he failed the test.”

  “Yes, good.” Algard looked around to the crowd. “I was going to deal with it myself… but I assumed that you people would be far happier to deal with him.” He lifted his foot. “He’s yours, people of the monastery. I’ve already got what I needed from him.”

  Already, Lucian saw the rage on people’s features as they studied this man. Algard walked away, and behind him, divine beasts manifested one after another. Then, they lunged. For the first time, Lucian saw the brutality the people of Heavenwatch could muster as the man screamed in agony. Lucian simply led Cate away from it all, toward a place of calm. On the way, he passed by Aurelia as she sat on a bench. The two of them shared a glance.

  “See?” she said quietly.

  Lucian didn’t need to ask to know what she was talking about. Despite their benevolence, these people could be ruthless in revenge and justice, just as any other. Aurelia watched the man die, and Lucian suspected she saw her own fate in that if should she ever confess what she’d done.

  ***

  Though the vast majority of people would be allowed time to grieve, rest, and recuperate, those that led needed to decide the next course of action. As it turned out, Lucian had been assigned the role of leadership. Algard demanded his presence in a discussion with Dorothea, Aurelia, and Denzel later that night. Having slept little at all, Lucian was exhausted, but he attended. The first half of the meeting was a retelling of the fight.

  That isn’t to say the meeting was short. It was merely half of the meeting because of who was telling the story.

  Brutus had been droning on for a long while. Lucian, meanwhile, thought of Cyril. How had he known demons had infiltrated the nobles? They weren’t exactly on speaking terms, and he hadn’t found the chance to ask yet, but he intended to.

  “…and then, with sublime grace, Algard slammed his foot upon the stomach of the demon,” Brutus said theatrically. “In a burst of power strong enough to shatter the earth, the demon was sent hurtling through the air, and—”

  “And that’s the end of that,” Denzel interrupted, clearly worried Brutus would carry on.

  “To think we were so close to annihilation…” Dorothea exhaled. Then, she put her hand atop Aurelia’s. “Speaking to those that lost their children… it devastates me. I’m lucky that you’re still with me, dear.”

  Aurelia shook her head. “You should thank Lucian. It was only his plan that saved us all.”

  “Hear hear!” Brutus said, raising his cup.

  Algard eyed Lucian. “Yes. It was exceptional, coming up with such a plan on such short notice. Your mind works in bizarre ways… nearly as bizarrely as your abilities. Remote, instant healing? Attack spells masquerading as healing? That’s not even mentioning the powers you bestowed upon us.”

  Lucian only eyed Algard, waiting to see how he played this.

  “I can tell something is being hidden from me,” Algard said, eyeing each of the monastics present in turn. “I dislike it.”

  Dorothea met Algard’s gaze. “Lucian is a friend of the monastery.”

  “Only that?” Algard asked. He tapped the table, and the silence was palpable. “Under your watch, demons attacked. Many nobles are dead. This is the second demon attack that occurred in Heavenwatch. One might easily claim it to be something perpetrated by your people rather than against them.”

  “What are you saying?” Denzel asked.

  “Merely guessing the possible public reception.” Algard raised his hand to quiet Denzel. “I’d like to make you an offer,” the emperor said. “Aurelia is in my debt—she’s agreed to as much. Your entire monastery is. The demons have shown their intent to attack, and likely will continue doing so. It’s a poor time to be alone, especially when that monstrous eight-armed demon might return. I believe this incident is sufficient pretext to do what I please to Heavenwatch… but I’d prefer to have you as an ally.”

  “We’re all allies in the war against demonkind,” Lucian said, getting a bad feeling.

  “Perhaps,” Algard said. “But I’d prefer something more concrete. In my stay here, I’ve seen how central Aurelia is to this monastery. All look to her for guidance. She’s your daughter, abbess, adopted or not. She possesses tremendous power. Today has demonstrated her astute social intelligence and composure in crisis. I have need of a way to demonstrate my virtue to the people, and no institution is more respected than your monastery. And, to be blunt… such natural beauty is rare.” He looked to Aurelia. “I’d like to welcome Heavenwatch Monastery into the empire formally. To seal that agreement, I’d like to propose to take you, Aurelia, as my empress consort, while naming you the first Lady of Heavenwatch.”