Demon Queened Ch. 11

"Now, if you wouldn't mind leading me to your Village Head?"

"It's the tallest building in the village," Lissera informed me, shrugging as she gestured in its vague direction out the window. "You really can't miss it."

"Good. Then you should have an easy time guiding me there." I insisted, refusing to move from my spot.

"No, really, it's not the sort of thing you'd need a guide for. Just walk down the road toward the center of town. You couldn't miss it if you tried!" Her smile seemed a little strained, and there was an edge of panic in her voice.

"Why do I get the impression that you don't wish to guide me?"

"I don't want to get a lecture on 'proper dress for a lady' after you're gone!" Lissera complained, her smile breaking apart like waves on sharp rocks as she lifted her hands to clutch at her ears. "It's almost as bad as the lecture I'll get if I let you go without seeing her! I'm telling you, there's no way for me to win here!"

"Then I suggest you accept your fate with grace and show me the way. Running will only make it worse, no?"

"Urk..." From the grimace on Lissesra's face, I'd hit the nail on the head. "You can only say stuff like that because it doesn't affect you, dammit!"

"True," I conceded. "Which is why I won't stop you from slipping away when we get close enough, but I will have you guide me." Truthfully, I simply didn't wish to wander around town by myself. I seemed to be oddly popular in this village, and the discrepancy between who I was and how they saw me was uncomfortable. Even if Abigail was right about my worth, I still wasn't the hero they saw me as. A true heroine was someone like Lucy, who risked her life for what she believed in, with no expectation of reward. All I had done was inconvenience myself for the sake of some potatoes.

"Fine..." Lissera let out an exaggerated sigh, then held out a hand.

"I don't need to be led around like a child," I protested, starting to walk past her toward the door. To my surprise, however, Lissera grabbed hold of my hand as I passed her, squeezing my fingers.

"That's not it," she said, shaking her head. "This is my... payment. If I'm going to get lectured for three hours or more, the least you can do is let me hold a pretty girl's hand."

"A pretty girl's...?" I stared at her, baffled. "You can't tell me you're still hoping to bed me? I know I keep saying this, but I am the Demon Queen, you know."

"Maybe? I'm not sure how bedding you would work, to be honest. I mean, putting aside you being literally made of sin, I don't know what I'd do with the whole mouth and tentacle thing you've got going on down there."

"Made of...? Mouth and tentacles!?" I pressed my free hand to my forehead. Even though I knew it was impossible, I sincerely felt that I was starting to get a headache. I was definitely going to have to look into the church's teachings, and soon. I was tired of getting caught off guard by the lies they told about me.

"If you think I'm so disgusting, why do you even want to hold my hand?"

"I never said you were disgusting! Just different. But there's a line in the holy scriptures that says the best way to understand someone different from you is to take their hand and realize you aren't so different after all. When I feel your fingers with my own, it's hard to think of you as evil, or gross. You're just another pretty girl holding my hand."

I stared at her for a long moment, not sure what to say. From the earnest look in her eyes, I could tell that she meant every word she said... for better or worse.

"Lissera," I said, at last, speaking slowly and deliberately. "I do not have tentacles. Or a second mouth. The only thing 'down there' is my vagina, plain and simple."

"Huh? Really?"

"Really," I insisted, choosing to ignore the mix of doubt and disappointment I heard in her voice. "And I'm not 'literally made of sin' either. I was born to parents, the same as you. You might remember me mentioning my childhood?"

"I thought you meant right after you... 'formed'," Lissera admitted, shyly glancing away from me.

"I meant what I said. The question is whether you can say the same. Even if you've accepted that I'm not pure evil, you can't accept that I might be good, can you? You don't want to think that everything you've ever learned might be a lie."

"I-I'm trying, Eena. I'm honestly, seriously trying! But even if everything the church says is wrong, I still don't know what's right. How can I tell the truth from falsehood when I don't know anything about you?"

"Did you ever consider asking?" I countered, anger simmering just beneath my words. "You might find it works wonders."

"Then next time I'll ask you," Lissera promised. "But for this time, can I just hold your hand?"

"Why?" I challenged, gritting my teeth as I tried to hold back my tongue. "Because of some line in the scriptures? It doesn't even make sense! What could you possibly get from holding hands with someone like me?"

"It's not just a line! It's a reminder to look for commonalities between people. We both have ten fingers, right? And we both feel warm to the touch. We're both here, in Solla, touching each other's hands! So... maybe it's not so impossible for us to understand each other after all..."

"...Do what you will," I uttered darkly, turning to walk out the door. Despite my cold words, there was a faint flicker of warmth in my heart. Lissera and I were still worlds apart from truly understanding one another, but the fact that she was trying gave me some hope.

"Hey, wait a second," Lissera protested, hurrying to get out the door ahead of me. "There's no point in me guiding you if you're leading the way, you know!"

"Then be a good guide and take me all the way to your Village Head."

"There's absolutely no way I'm doing that!" Lissera boldly declared, dragging me down the dirt road. It seemed that the village was somewhat starved for strangers because I started drawing attention again the moment I was past Lissera's door. No one called out to me, however, and I ducked my head, moving past them as quickly as I could and forcing Lissera to move even faster to keep ahead of me.

"And, stop!" Lissera called out, lifting my hand alongside hers to indicate a house. "You see that big house three doors down? That's her place. Just knock on the door, and she'll let you right in."

"Very well," I relented, pulling my hand from Lissera's grasp. "May we meet again when next I visit."

"You mean you're not going to come back to my place for the night?"

She looked crestfallen, but I still gave her a firm shake of my head. Spending the night with Lissera likely meant her attempting to sleep with me, and I wasn't sure I wanted that. It wasn't as if I hated her or anything, and I certainly didn't object to casual sex... Sleeping with her might be a good way to convince her we weren't so different from one another, for that matter. But, truthfully, her treatment of me so far hadn't really put me in the mood.

"I'll be heading back out into the woods to make some walnut dye tonight," I informed her, hoping to mollify her.

"And after? You're not going to be sleeping outside, are you?"

"Don't worry about me," I insisted. "I can look after myself just fine."

I could feel Lissera's eyes lingering on my back as I walked toward the Village Head's house. I didn't turn to face her, though, and instead knocked upon the wooden door.

"One moment!" I could hear the age in the hoarse voice that called out, but also a definite firmness and strength, like that of a grand old oak.

The door opened a few moments later, revealing a very small woman; she couldn't have been more than five foot three. She was wizened with age, bent forward and leaning on a gnarled wooden cane. Her face was wrinkled with frown lines. Surprisingly, for all that, there wasn't a hint of grey in her hair. It was brown, and a shade very near my own at that.

"Well, what do we have here?" she drawled, her sharp yellow eyes locked upon me. "If it isn't the adventurer who saved our town. How nice of you to finally come pay me a visit."

"I-"

"Well, come on in," she interrupted, turning back around and gesturing for me to follow her. Despite being hunched over and reliant on a cane, she moved with surprising speed and soon disappeared into the house. That left me hesitating in the doorway, uncertain how to proceed.

"Come on in, I said! You trying to let the flies in?"

"Apologies," I answered, trying not to roll my eyes as I entered the house and shut the door behind me. After walking through the parlor, I found myself in what appeared to be a dedicated dining room, with a large table and several chairs set about it. Two bowls had been placed on the table, one at the head and one at the upper right seat. "Were you expecting someone? I can come back later, if so."

"I was expecting you," the Village Head snapped, pulling out the chair at the head of the table with a little more force than necessary, before dropping herself into it. "And a lot earlier, at that! The food's grown cold waiting. It's been sitting here since I first heard you'd wandered back into town! What sort of hero doesn't come to visit the Village Head first thing? Bad enough you left the first time without so much as a hello or goodbye!"

"I never claimed to be a hero," I corrected her. "And you can lay the blame at the feet of your own townsfolk for my not showing up last time. They rather neglected to mention an authority figure when we were making our deal."

"And what sort of town wouldn't have a leader, hmm? We might be small, but we're not that much of a backwater."

I looked away, having no answer to that. I couldn't tell her I was so unfamiliar with human government that the thought had simply never occurred to me.

"Well, done is done I suppose," the Village Head sighed, rubbing her temples with her fingers. "If you're finished making excuses, you should settle down and eat."

"Did you not have something to discuss with me?" I probed, settling into what was apparently my chair and poking at the food with my spoon in annoyance. The lumpy white food looked familiar, though not from this lifetime. "Are these mashed potatoes?"

"Oh? It seems you really do know your potatoes. That's right. These are mashed potatoes - with a little butter, and some salted pork too. It's as luxurious a meal as I can manage, though it would have been better hot..."

"It's not a problem," I calmly assured the Village Head, focusing my gaze on her bowl. After a moment, steam began to rise from the top of her meal, and I shifted attention back to my own.

The Village Head frowned at my display, then poked at the potatoes with her spoon. "Huh. You move the heat source around during the heating or something? You managed to warm the whole thing without burning anything. Still not as good as a consistently heated meal, though."

"Is that so?" I murmured, wondering if perhaps I had made a mistake of some sort. For humans, with their limited magic, allowing the warmth to spread from a handful of spots was no doubt the most efficient way of reheating a meal. But I'd chosen to prioritize taste instead, and had simply heated the whole bowl in one go. It seemed that the Village Head noticed it too because she let out a small grunt and narrowed her eyes at me.

"Well. Maybe there's some truth to you taking out all those wolves with magic, after all," she muttered between bites of potatoes. She ate as fast as she moved, and within a few minutes, her bowl was empty.

I, meanwhile, had only taken a few bites. Truthfully, even with the salted pork and butter, the food was rather bland. Now that I was over the sheer excitement of eating actual potatoes, I couldn't help but think I'd prefer a properly seasoned meal. Perhaps something with a little spice? I had quite a few meals packed away in my Empty Bag, and I really wished I could pull out a hot plate of fries.

"Not your thing, is it? I'd think someone who'd save a town for potatoes would be more than a little interested in a meal made of them."

"I have my own preferences for their preparation. Perhaps I'll introduce you to them someday, Miss Village Head." I smiled as I spoke, forcing myself to take another tasteless bite.

"Alorie," the Village Head corrected, reaching across the table to grab my bowl and pull it toward her.

I stared at her in surprise, unsure what to say. She'd been rude throughout the evening, but this seriously took the cake. Before I could say anything, however, she again began to speak.

"The name's Alorie. And if you're not going to enjoy your food, then you should give it to someone who will. That's just common manners, isn't it?"

"I wonder about that," I muttered, wondering if I should kick up a fuss. It was true that I had other food, but surely she had no way of knowing that? I was worried that if things kept going this way she would end up walking all over me.

"Look, let's go straight for the tower, here," Alorie said, pushing aside my bowl. She'd already eaten half of it, somehow.

"Excuse me?"

"It means to get to the point. Thought someone as well-traveled as you would know that. But to follow through - what would it take to get you to stay here for a few weeks?"

"Stay here for...?" I shook my head. "I'm afraid that's impossible. The Heroine is expecting me in Rendra city before long."

"The Heroine, is it?" Alorie questioned. "I did hear you two were traveling together when you left. If you really did beat up those wolves, it's no wonder the Heroine became interested in your strength. I'm sure she's looking for all the help she can get defeating that thrice-damned Demon Queen... Looks like her gain is our loss, though."

I kept my expression steady as she spoke, even as she cursed my name. This much was nothing, really. I knew how humans viewed me, though I was growing a little weary from all the reminders.

"Can I ask why you need me? Maybe I can still assist." It wasn't as if I were obligated to help a bunch of people who hated me. No matter how often I rescued them, they would no doubt continue to curse my name. Still, I had made inroads here, and if I truly wished to make peace with humans in the long run I would likely need whatever toeholds I could make.

"I'm surprised you don't know, considering how close you are to the Heroine," Alorie remarked, snorting. "The church decided not to send us a new guard."

"A new guard?" I asked. "You mean for the town?"

"For the church," Alorie clarified. "Though I suppose you could say for the town as well. Guessing you haven't been to many small towns like this, but out in the boonies, church guards are the first and often last line of defense we have. They kill off the smaller monsters that try to make trouble, and they stand in the way of bigger threats until adventurers can be called to handle them. Or at least they're supposed to. Ours ran off before you even got here - guess twenty wolves was a bit much for him."

"And the church won't replace him?"

"It might have something to do with the letters I sent to the city. Something about calling them all incompetent baboons who can't tell a proper candidate from a basic thug didn't go over too well, I suppose. But they're claiming we insulted the Heroine, instead. Apparently, she didn't take too kindly to us giving the job to some unregistered adventurer when she was already on her way here."

"I can assure you that's not the case. You had no way of knowing Lucy was coming, and she's hardly the sort to judge someone for trying to survive."

"...So you call the Heroine 'Lucy', do you? Awfully chummy with the chosen one of the Goddess, don't you think?"

"I was taught it was polite to call your acquaintances by name, Alorie. Perhaps we were taught differently in such matters?" I kept my tone light, almost mocking, trying to hide the irritation I felt. The title of Heroine sounded fancy, but it referred to nothing more or less than a cog in the angel's war machine. Lucy deserved to be seen as her own person, not merely as an embodiment of that awful title.

Alorie scowled at my words. "Well, do as you will. I'm not the one who's risking the chill of Hell. But you're right about one thing: No one chosen by the Goddess would be as petty as Father Molae is claiming. He's just trying to make us scrape and bow for forgiveness. I thought maybe if we had you protecting us for a few weeks, I could put the screws to him - say we might not need a church presence after all."

"It's certainly a courageous plan. But if it's only a bluff, surely the townsfolk can protect themselves for a few weeks? I would hope at least some of them know how to fight."

"Most of them, actually." A small, prideful smile flitted across Alorie's face. "Part of our old guard's job was teaching people how to defend themselves. And my people took to it well - there's a strength in them you won't see in any big city folk. A determination to do whatever it takes to survive. But determination will only get you so far, little miss hero."

"My name is Eena. And I don't understand. If they have the capacity and the will, then what's stopping them?"

"Weapons. Or a lack of them, anyway. Oh, we've got some pitchforks, some scythes, a couple of beaten-up spears, and a rusty sword or two, but nothing that can take on a pack of wolves. If something comes after us, and we've got no guard, we could all be wiped out before an adventurer even hears the news."

"I see... That would be a problem." I kept my face carefully neutral as I thought things over. Weapons, hmm? I was sure the tower had plenty. It was rare for me to visit the armory, and I'd certainly never paid much attention to its contents, but I had no doubt that it was well stocked. With all the losses that we'd suffered in our retreat to the tower, we likely had more weapons than we could use, even if I failed in my goals and things came to war.

Still, arming humans wasn't something to do on a whim. It would be one thing if they truly wanted to break away from the church, but I wasn't about to empower a town loyal to my enemies. Though letting this village get wiped out would leave a bad taste in my mouth...

Well, perhaps I could talk to Abigail about it when next I saw her.

"You're being awfully quiet," Alorie accused. "Something on your mind?"

"Nothing vital," I assured her, forcing a smile as I stood. "Thank you for the food."

"You aren't planning to head out, are you?" Alorie demanded, her lips curling into a disapproving frown. "It's getting dark out."

"I'll be fine. I have somewhere in mind to stay for the night." I moved toward the door, letting the smile drop from my face as I turned away from her.

"Well, alright. But be careful with Lissera, you hear? That girl pays more penance for sex than anyone else in this village, and everyone in town knows you're on her list."

"I'll keep that in mind," I replied, mentally adding sex penances to the list of things I needed to investigate. Of course, I wasn't planning to sleep with Lissera in any case, but I couldn't tell Alorie that I was passing up her hospitality for the chance to sleep in the woods, even if it was simply because I needed to make more hair dye.

I stepped out of Alorie's house before the Village Head could add any more warnings, closing the door behind me and hurrying down the street. I headed toward the opposite end of town from where I'd entered, fumbling momentarily with the simple lock before opening the gate and slipping through. I walked past the fields, beyond the second wall, and followed the road among the trees until a bend in the path obstructed the town from view. Then I moved off to the side of the road, took a deep breath, and began to let my magic flow.