“Release Nora now!” I commanded, leveling my sword at Mistress Aziza. “Or I’ll fire off a few more fireballs!”

  Her ruby-red eyes narrowed as a small smile twisted her lips. “Well, you can try, but you’ll be disappointed with the outcome.”

  The Will of Euphridia quivered, and a smoky, striated pattern wove over the bde. The sword grew heavy, its tip sinking toward the floor. It was all I could do to keep it from falling entirely.

  As I tensed myself for a fight with alternative weapons, a bubble-like barrier formed around the dark lord. “Marquis Galenus,” she called sharply, her bzing eyes still locked on mine. “Find out who was responsible for reversing the thaumic pority in Delta IX.” She flicked a gnce to the left, surveying the damage behind me. “And the rest of the quadrant, apparently.”

  A sharp buzz cut through the air as the demon materialized, already in full prostration. “Mistress Aziza,” Galenus said into the flooring, “It was Master Ambrose!”

  One of Aziza’s angur eyebrows shot up. “You have sufficient evidence of this, such that it shows only him and excludes all other possibilities?”

  The cloven-hooved demon let out a short whimper. “Yes, your eminence!”

  “Mmm… Thaumothymotic cascade? Certainly pusible. More than enough triggers.” Her eyes went distant for a moment. She then let out a measured sigh before shaking it off with a deliberate shrug, the bubble around her popping. “He has isoted himself in his quarters. Let him be for now since I’ve regained control of the system. But do let him know…” She paused, drawing herself up with a rge inhale. “He may no longer join us for tea.”

  Lucky him.

  Galenus bobbed his horned head as he disappeared in a puff of dark purple smoke.

  Relias stepped forward. “It is unwise to ignore our collective will, Aziza. You will release our companion immediately.” He summoned his staff to his hand, its point already glowing.

  The demon lord chuckled. “My, and I had been told that you were a gentleman. But here you are threatening me in my own home.” Dark vapors rose from the floor, curling around the length of his staff to snuff out its light. “I have a strict ‘No Fighting’ policy here in my Tearoom, Holy Sage Relias. This is a pce for delicacies and discussion, not vulgar violence.”

  “You must like to keep your vices separate,” Vernie muttered, sheathing one of her simirly corrupted daggers with disgust. Knowing her, it was only done for show and not to be taken as a form of acquiescence.

  “It cuts down on unnecessary casualties.” Aziza’s smile widened. “Lady Nora will be joining us shortly. In the meantime, please seat yourselves.”

  With a flick of her hand, the room around us fshed and reset to a most decidedly not destroyed status. Tea faded from the tablecloth as several chairs rearranged themselves around a rectangur table, the most ornate seat reserving itself for the Mistress along one of the long edges. Five small cards materialized with soft poofs at the pre-arranged bone-white china settings, each listing one of our names in the shimmering gold script that matched our initial invitation. Nora was to be seated on my right, as Relias was indicated on the card to my left, with Aleph, Tetora, and Vernie farther away.

  “Where’s Taika?” Tetora demanded as he stepped forward, holding the line with me.

  "She sends her regrets, but an urgent matter demanded her attention, and she has departed with my brother," Aziza said, gliding toward the table. She did not walk so much as float, the sweeping hems of her dress concealing her lower form. For all I knew, she might not have had legs at all.

  “Well?” she inquired as her chair twisted itself into pce beneath her. “Aren’t you going to join me? Why, I mean at the table, of course.”

  Aleph, Tetora, and Vernie gnced questioningly at me, and I passed it on to Relias, who appeared to be concentrating on something unseen.

  “No object around this table, save for the jewel bound to Aziza’s neck, possesses a true form,” he decred in disapproval. “They are mere manifestations of the Mistress’s will—conjurations that exist only so long as she deigns to sustain their illusion. They may also turn upon us at any moment.”

  “Diabolical,” Vernie muttered, ripping her eyes away from the gleaming faux silverware scattered on the table.

  If I want Nora back, though, I have to py along. But that doesn’t mean I have to do so willingly.

  With an exaggerated sigh, I flopped into my chair, slouching as far as it would allow. With arms crossed and legs sprawled wide, I made a point of taking up as much space as possible. “Well?” I drawled, tossing my head back slightly. “What do you want?” I jutted my jaw out and narrowed my eyes. For a moment, I considered spitting to add the final touch to my deliberate dispy of annoyance, but I thought better of it. “I’m very busy, you know.”

  If Aziza was at all upset by my actions, she didn’t show it. Instead, she focused on pouring herself a cup of tea, carefully keeping her fluttering sleeve out of the pot’s path. She filled it to the brim, so much so that the liquid threatened to spill over, yet not a single drop escaped. She broke the illusion of refinement only after the cup reached her lips. Her loud, uninterrupted slurp echoed through the room, shattering the poised elegance of the moment and coaxing a cringe from all of us.

  Why, she’d never had tea with humans before!

  “It’s not poisoned,” she assured us after she set the teacup down, waving her hand at our miraculously full teacups. “Simply say the fvor you want and drink.”

  I turned my head, noting that Vernie was sniffing her cup, her nose wrinkled in suspicion. None of us, however, were stupid enough to imbibe.

  “We’ll pass on that, thanks,” I said. “You were just about to tell us—”

  “Keep your hands off me, slitherbeak!” Nora shouted as she pushed through a door that had not been there a moment before. “I don’t need an escort!”

  “Nora!” I shouted, jumping to my feet as Anhinga, with feathers ruffled and appearance sickly, stumbled in after her.

  “Lady Nora… has arrived,” he said wearily, as if she had been too much to handle. “Permission to withdraw, Mistress Aziza,” he added after his form flickered.

  Nora!

  I ran forward to Nora as the snake-crow demon disappeared, presumably with Aziza’s unspoken approval.

  “Hold it right there,” Nora ordered sharply, her right hand outstretched. “Prove you’re you!”

  “Um,” I paused only a few feet away, realizing I should have her do the same. “I talked you out of getting a tattoo once. You know, you thought the symbols meant ‘strong woman,’ but it was the kanji for jealousy? We argued, and then Mama caught wind of the whole pn and threatened to get a matching one—”

  “Next time, prove yourself without embarrassing me!” she shouted, throwing herself at me for a hug I gdly accepted.

  Nora always said I needed to end my stories sooner.

  “I’m so gd you’re alright!” I decred, picking her up and swinging her around. “I was so worried!”

  “You promised you wouldn’t do this again!” she yowled, squirming out of my grip. “Y-you don’t think I’d let some mere mid-level boss mess with me, do you?” She straightened out her cloak, her hands shaking.

  I leaned down. “Nothing bad happened, right?” I asked in a hushed tone. “I need to know the level of retribution to deliver.”

  Nora bit her lip, her face strangely mencholy. “They decided I’m neither human nor demon, so I was just treated as a detained guest. Private room, amenities, you know, standard procedures.”

  “There are no standard procedures for kidnapping!” I snapped. “It’s a terrible thing! I can’t even begin to imagine how you felt in the hands of the enemy!”

  She fshed me a weak smile but then squared her shoulders. “Bored,” she replied loudly. “They asked a lot of questions, but I told them I wasn’t going to give them answers.”

  She wouldn’t have to say them, though. The strong ones can pick up on thoughts.

  Nora cleared her throat, obviously catching my look of disbelief. “I also spent a lot of time thinking and talking about all those trashy romantasy comics we like to read—”

  “Enough!” Aziza snapped. “I shall suffer no more psychological torture at the hands of this … alien dark mage!” With a clearly difficult inhale, she straightened in her chair. “We have pressing matters to discuss, and I’m not giving back Lady Nora’s personal effects until we finish our conversation.” Her face twisted, taking on a bestial appearance and exposing her fangs. “Sit down.”

  Nora shrugged and took her seat. For a fleeting moment, I considered escape once more. But even if I managed to counter whatever had been done to my sword, I doubted we could all make it out unscathed. With that in mind, I resigned myself and took my seat begrudgingly.

  "I do not usually consider the pressing affairs of demons to align with my own," Aleph rumbled, casting a gnce in my direction. “Least of all when they involve coercion, deceit, and the deliberate probing of our mental and physical limits.”

  So she had subjected them to testing, too.

  “There are always exceptions to the Rules, especially when we share a common enemy,” Aziza replied smoothly, tapping the crimson gem at the hollow of her throat. "So let us begin with a shared understanding: The only force keeping King Olethros restrained at this moment is me, and I am losing the battle."

  Post Chapter Omake:

  Nora: You made a mistake.

  Rae: Where?

  Nora: You have me saying we like to read trashy romantasy comics.

  Rae: And?

  Nora: I said, ‘used to read.’ You need to fix that.

  Rae: But I still like to read them.

  Nora: You’re intentionally misquoting me!

  Rae: Because you lied! I saw the test volume of “I Finally Got The Cold Duke of the North to Hold Hands With Me, A Modern Business Woman!” in your manga library.

  Nora: >.> Didn’t I also say to stop embarrassing me? Just for that, I’m not going to lend it to you.

  Euphridia