The first thing Lily had done after Master had blessed her with a body, was cleaning the whole house. Master had given her permission to go out, but she didn't deserve any time off, let alone eating real food like a human. After years serving him, she knew he wouldn't mind, and would appreciate her not wasting his money.
Her Soul Brand trembled with delight at the thought of Master. After her death at the hands of her father, it had blossomed completely. She would spend hours contemplating it when not training Ivy, as if hypnotized. After all, Master was using precious mana to keep Lily's pathetic soul anchored to him. It was the only way for her spirit to resist the Forsaken Place's gravitational pull.
The brand was the core of her identity. Master was one of the top Onomancers in the continent and had chosen her name with care. Her namesake was not the common White Lily, which symbolized purity. It also had nothing to do with the Blue Lily, associated with femininity. Her Soul Brand was a Red Spider Lily: a poisonous flower that many found unsettling to look at.
Usually found growing around graves, it represented death and rebirth. A guide to the afterlife. For Lily, it was a constant reminder of the unrepayable debt she owed Master.
The flower-shaped brand was her only tether to Heaven. The least she could do was to worship it as a symbol of Master's grace.
Lily made sure her bare feet were clean, before leaving the room she had been scrubbing for the past hour. It was a very humble study, with a wooden desk, an armchair, and a small fireplace being the only things of note. She had done her utmost to remove all traces of dirt left by the previous owners. Not a speck of dust remained on the desk where Master notes now lied, organized in stacks.
The house was a little cottage in the countryside near Aman. Master had purchased it from an elderly couple who had accepted the money with glee. Master had needed a place to lay low, after evading the trap set by Lily's father who had almost cost him his life.
There were no words to convey how much Lily hated the man. Sure, he had taught her magic and had always done his best. He had been a loving and affectionate father despite his lofty position in the kingdom. Nothing of that mattered to her, though.
He had sworn to kill Master, so she hated him. Sometimes life was that simple.
Family, after all, was something only weaklings cared about. Fear, disguised as strength in numbers, highlighting how pitiful their existence was. She was lucky Master had opened her eyes to the truth, or she would have had no idea how disgusting they all were. Pathetic worms crawling in the dirt, playing useless games of status and politics. Anything to distract themselves from the real terrors prowling in the night.
She had seen the Hells, lived them, albeit for a short time. She understood what it meant to suffer; to scream a million times before starting all over again. She used to think she was strong, now that notion had vanished from her soul. The Devil her Master had left her with had made sure of it.
When she had returned, Master had explained the situation in detail. Asmodeus, The Lord of the Hells, had won the battle against the Heavens. He had defeated all the Gods, annihilating them or turning them into his playthings. For all the Illuminated Races, this was the worst possible outcome. Everyone belonged to the Forsaken Place now, regardless of their actions in life.
The scariest part was that nobody but a select few knew about this.
The Kings and Queens of the world could do nothing against the Father of Lies. The Hells bribed them into pretending normalcy in exchange for a spot as Devils after death. Some of them had rebelled, of course, but how could man succeed where the Gods had failed?
Lily chuckled, imagining how they must be loathing everyone they had ever loved. Their peers had brainwashed them into thinking honor and love were worth an eternity of pain. Whoever believed in that drivel had never spent an hour in a Devil's care, Lily was sure of it.
A loud knock at the door brought her back to reality. Who dared waste her time when she was busy serving Master? She used the smallest fraction possible of Master's mana to conjure some clothes. Worthless cunts like her did not deserve them, but she didn't want to cause a stir.
She settled on a simple maid outfit she had seen servants wear around these parts before. A black dress with short sleeves and a simple, white apron in front. It had taken her a couple of seconds to get dressed, after which she opened the door.
Outside she found a young woman, staring back at her with a dumbfounded expression. She recognized her from the new fuckpet's memories. This was going to be a problem.
"Can I help you?"
Lily pushed down the revolting feeling she always felt talking to anyone who wasn't Master. She knew the girl's name was Rei, and that she fashioned herself a warrior. The air of unearned confidence she exuded made Lily want to gag.
"Sorry to bother you, ma'am. Is this Dyne Fusco's house?"
Lily sized the woman up. She was athletic and well-equipped, but nothing more. Run-of-the-mill adventurers like her usually acted as bodyguards. Greenhorn Mages often hired them for ventures in more dangerous areas.
Beginner Mages were weak in close quarters but still had to wander into Dens and Dungeons. Some of the components they needed required high Mana concentrations to grow. Muscle-brained idiots were perfect for the role of meatshields and got paid a pretty penny for it.
"Yes, Master Fusco lives here but is currently out on an errand. He should be back in a few minutes though, would you like to wait for him inside?"
Lily opened the door to invite her in, her mind racing to figure out what she should do. How did they find them so soon? Brother Keith should be hindering any official investigation on the girl's disappearance. Master friends at the Academy had also made sure to ignore its missing honor student.
"R-really? Is this really his house? Y-Yes, yes, thank you. I would like to speak to him."
The girl entered the house, leaving a trail of dirt and dust behind her. Suppressing her rage, Ivy led her to a rough wooden chair in the living room. Lily saw the woman eyeing the soft couch, but she'd rather murder her than have to scrub it clean again.
"Would you like some water? It's very hot outside."
Playing the part of the dutiful maid, Ivy faked concern over the girl's well-being. Her short brown hair was matted with sweat and dust, like the rest of her body. Lily did not see a horse, so the girl must had traveled by foot.
Did she learn Master's name from the Adventurer's Guild? And then what? Did she try every single house in Aman's vicinity?
She had thought the girl had figured out this was where her Master lived, so she had thought it best to not lie. With dread, she was starting to realize her mistake.
"Gods, yes. I'm parched! I've been searching for days. Your Master is not an easy person to find, let me tell you. I asked everyone in town, but nobody knew where to look for him."
Lily had to fix this, fast. She had messed up, and this revolting woman was making things difficult for Master. He had never explained to her why, but he had always refused to use a fake name. This cunt going around asking questions meant that her father would soon know. A whole squadron of Mage Slayers would descend upon the small town, hellbent on finding them.
