Demon's Trial

Peek. From around the corner, Lilac spied on Alan as he stopped to talk with the prince. Several days had passed from the announcement of the Plumrose Ball, and neither she or Alan had asked the other to the dance.

With how often Lilac saw Ella with Alan, she was afraid that maybe she had missed her chance. Were they already planning on going together?

“Stalking Alan?” A voice came from behind her.

Lilac leapt into the air with a jolt like a terrified cat, twisting her body around to see who had scared her.

Ella stood proper with her hands behind her back. She gazed at Lilac with calm purple eyes, her lips pulled in the hint of a smile. “I didn’t mean to scare you,” she apologized.

“Oh, Ella! Um… This isn’t what it looks like,” Lilac blurted out.

“So you’re not stalking Alan, then?” She leaned forward to peer around the corner, where Alan was still standing around, chatting it up with Prince Glenn. “Then what is it you’re doing?”

“I just got here,” Lilac lied through a fake smile. “I didn’t expect to see Alan, so I lingered a little longer than I should have. I was just about to leave.” She took a step to the side, eager to escape the priestess’s presence.

“Is that so…? I hope you’re not planning on asking him to the ball,” Ella said with a hint of a warning.

“Me? Ask him to the ball? I would never,” she waved the accusation away and let out a fake laugh. “Besides, it’s the boys that are supposed to ask.”

“Something you only learned recently,” Ella commented. “Because you’re not from here.”

Lilac’s body froze. “W-what do you mean by that?”

“I’ve noticed you seem to be a little new to our culture. You must be from a civilized society, since you were able to adapt fairly quickly, but I can tell you’re not from this kingdom.”

“Well, I–”

“Being from the borders, you would still know some of the things you don’t,” Ella said. “I don’t know where you’re from, but I hope you’re here for good reasons. Now, if you’ll excuse me…” Ella curtsied and marched off down the hall toward Alan.

Lilac watched her go, worried that her cover might be about to blow like an unstable volcano. “Jharis isn’t going to like this…”

Poof. A cloud of dust materialized, replaced a moment later by Jharis kneeling before her with his head bowed. “You called, Lady Lilac?”

A startled yelp escaped Lilac’s throat. “Jharis! You can’t just appear like that here!”

“My apologies. I shall make a proper entrance this time.” As quick as he had come, he vanished into a cloud of dust.

“Jharis–!” Lilac sighed, shaking her head.

Suddenly a door a few paces away opened, and the lanky, blond form of Jharis stepped through. “You called, Lady Lilac?”

“I didn’t, but since you’re here, I need to tell you something,” she replied. After glancing around to see if there was anyone close enough to overhear her, she leaned in and whispered her conundrum to him.

“Oh, interesting… I see… That is indeed troublesome,” he quietly commented during her explanation of what just occurred. “Shall I eliminate the issue?”

“E-eliminate!?” Lilac was taken aback by his suggestion. “Why would you kill someone? That’d make things worse!”

“Kill?” Jharis met Lilac’s gaze. “By the Darklands, Lady Lilac, why would I do that? I may be a vampire, but I don’t kill people. Unless they deserve it, of course.”

“Wait, then what did you mean by ‘eliminate the issue’?” She asked.

“I meant I would talk to this Ella girl myself and tell her a more elaborate story to put out her suspicions,” he explained. “Is that no good?”

“Oh, um…” Lilac pondered for a minute. “It might be a little suspicious for you to do that right after she talked to me. Let’s wait to see if it gets any worse before resorting to any counter measures.”

“Understood,” Jharis lowered his head. “Is there anything you desire before I depart? A cup of the best human tea, perhaps?” A steaming teacup materialized between them, floating in the air on its own. “Or perhaps a snack?” Beside the white porcelain cup of bronze tea appeared a grilled fish skewer.

“I’m fine,” she said. “Why were you preparing these at such a random time…?”

“I had a feeling I was going to be called soon, so I took the liberty of preparing something for you,” Jharis explained.

The savory scent of the fish mixed with the bittersweet of the tea as it reached Lilac’s nose, creating a sudden knot of hunger in her stomach. Her mouth watered, eager to take a bite of the juicy fish. “Well, you did go through the trouble already… It would be a shame to let it go to waste.”

She reached for the stick and took a massive bite into the flesh. “Mmm, so good…!” Her face lit up as she savored the delicious meat.

“Your happiness fills me with honor,” he said. “If you don’t mind, I’ll be taking my leave now. Just leave the teacup in the air when you’re finished.” In another swirl of dust, Jharis once again vanished.

Lilac glanced over to where the hero was, but he was nowhere to be found, as were Ella and Prince Glenn. Nom nom. The rest of the fish found its way into her stomach. “Where would he have gone…?” She wondered aloud. From the observations she had made over the past few weeks, the two most likely places for the hero to be at this time of day would either be the training grounds or near the pavilion outside the boys’ housing.

Outside, the sun shed its warmth with the world. Many students took advantage of the lovely weather and communed in the gardens with their friends.

In the distance, she could spot a few people practicing with swords by the training grounds. Once she was closer, she recognized Alan, Vance, and Prince Glenn engaged in mock duels while Ella stood beside a dummy, cheering them on.

Ella paused and shifted her eyes to the approaching Lilac. In opposition to what Lilac was expecting, she simply gave her a brief wave before returning her attention to the sparring men.

Cling, clash! The steel blades of Vance and Alan crossed. Their arms shook as they attempted to force their blades forward. Vance’s eyes flicked over to Lilac and a smirk crossed his face. “Looks like we’ve got another spectator!” He jumped back, freeing himself from the tangle of swords. “How’ve you been, Lilac?”

Alan relaxed and turned toward the newcomer, issuing a silent nod in greeting as he sheathed his sword and returned it to his belt.

“I’ve been good,” she bounded up to the group. “What’s going on here?”

Prince Glenn gave the sword he had recently attached to his hip a pat. “We’re sharpening our skills against the best swordsmen around. Would you like to join?”

“I don’t think I’d stand a chance with a sword, sorry,” Lilac politely declined.

“Don’t sweat it,” Vance replied. “Everyone has different talents. Heck, you’d smoke me and Glenn in magical combat.”

“I’m honored you think so,” Lilac giggled.

Alan crossed his arms. “I’m curious… I’ve only seen you use magic during our placement exams. It was an impressive display, but does it translate to the battlefield?”

“Um, I believe so? Magic isn’t all that hard, so I’d assume it would be easier to fight with than a weapon,” she said.

Ella took a step toward the group. “Why not test it? Alan and Lilac could battle it out right now. Their magic is on the same tier, so it shouldn’t be a problem to go all out.”

Alan’s surprise caused him to flinch. “Go all out? Ella, do you realize how dangerous that is?”

“Don’t worry about it, Alan,” she smiled innocently. “I can heal whatever damage is caused. We’re far enough away from the academy that we don’t need to worry about anyone else getting in the crossfire.”

For some reason, Lilac had a bad feeling about it. “I don’t think we need to test who’s stronger. Alan’s the hero for a rea–”

“Please, Lilac?” Ella twisted her face into a soft pleading expression and slowly stepped toward her as she spoke. “I’d really like to see it.” She stopped, close enough to whisper in Lilac’s ear. “I’ll let you ask Alan to the ball if you agree.”

“Deal!” The word was vacuumed out of her mouth before she could think about a response.

“Splendid!” She clapped and turned to the rest of the group. “See? Lilac thinks it’s a good idea.”

“If you say so…” Alan muttered. “I still think going all out is a little too much.”

“Then how about using around half your power? I think that would still be a good display,” Ella bargained with him.

Alan thought for a moment. “I guess I’m fine with that. Is that okay with you, Lilac?”

“Of course!” Lilac nodded eagerly. She really hoped that wasn’t an empty promise Ella gave her. Dueling against the hero, seeing his strength… then taking him to the Plumrose Ball… it was like a dream come true. She was sure the Demon King would shower her with praise when he found out.

“I’ll be the referee,” Vance volunteered. “Glenn, please stay near Ella. She’ll keep you safe if any attacks come loose. Alan, Lilac, are you both ready?”

The two nodded in unison.

“Take your positions on the field.” Vance waited for the two to march back a few paces and face each other before continuing. “The duel between Alan, a light magic user, and Lilac, a dark magic user, will begin in three… two… one… Begin!”