Demon Queened

Devilla

First things first, aside from landing and placing my prisoner upon the ground, I decided I needed to cool my head. Quite literally, in fact, as it took me merely a moment to conjure up a ball of water large enough to dunk my head into. From there, I made the water vibrate vigorously before letting it descend down from the top of my head to the tips of my toes. By the time it was over, the originally clear water had turned a murky black. I, on the other hand, was clean as a whistle.

"You really

are

the Demon Queen, huh?" the dragon asked me while staring at my hair. The locks were quite dry, my control over the water ensuring that none of it remained on me, but I doubt that's what she was staring at. More likely she was taking in the fact that my hair was pure white, the dye having burned off in our fight.

"Just as

you

are truly a dragon... I assume?" Though she currently looked like a dragon girl, similar to Lenora, I was fairly sure actual dragon girls had no ability to call forth their monstrous ancestry. If they

could

then they'd probably be even stronger than the real deal, seeing as how monster girls almost always outclassed the monsters they were descended from. Indeed, if Lenora were to fight this dragon in its current form, she'd undoubtedly come out on top - but if she were to face the mountainous form it had taken before... Well, quantity was a quality all of its own.

"Yeah, I'm a dragon," she confirmed. "And my name's Jahara, if you're wondering."

"I wasn't," I replied, still a little too annoyed for common courtesy. I

would

start calling her by name, though, now that I knew she had one. "I

am

curious as to why you were flying towards the city, though."

"Ah, well... about that..." Jahara looked down and clenched her fists, ignoring the pain her injured hand must have caused her. "Usually I just attend the festival as a human, but some asshole adventurers snuck into my cave and stole the money I'd earned this year!"

"You

earned

money?" I questioned, arching an eyebrow.

"Sometimes I go into town and sell some of my shed scales and talons, claim I snuck into a dragon's cave for them. Wait, crap... I bet that's what gave those jackasses the idea in the first place!"

"Right... and the reason a lack of money led to an attack on the city of Gour?"

"Hey, I wouldn't call it an

attack

! More like a...food raid?I sorta figured I'd scare all the humans off and then help myself to a snack... I mean, come on, I saved up all

year

just to come feast! Am I supposed to give it all up just because some jerks stole my money?! You understand, right?"

"No," I replied flatly, my voice as cold as I could make it. Cold enough to make Jahara take a startled step back, wincing as her injured side caused her renewed pain. "You realize you ruined the festival for everyone else, just for your own selfish gain?"

"I mean... humans can make that shit for themselves any time they want, can't they? I don't even know how to cook! I only eat things raw or charred most of the year! This was... I mean, sure, I knew I might have to explain myself to a few of the other dragons, but, well... I thought I could take them. Never thought I'd run into an abomin- I mean an

anomaly

like you

."

"An anomaly?" I echoed. Was that what I was? An anomaly? It would explain why a creature meant to be my peer in power was so trivially easy to defeat. Why the dragon was unable to even scratch me, actually injuring herself in the attempt. That, or there could be some secret to Lucy's power, something that allowed the Heroine - and

only

the Heroine - to hurt Demon Queens. Both were perfectly reasonable explanations.

So why, then, did I feel a sense of dread in the pit of my stomach? Why did my mind continuously flicker to a possible third option? One that I didn't even want to put words to...

I needed answers and there was only one person I could think of that might have them. Unfortunately, she was at the tower, and I... I was here stuck babysitting this imbecilic dragon.

"What?" Jahara asked, backing up a step and flinching once again in pain from her side and hand. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Like what?"

"Like you want to skin me alive and turn me into a handbag... How the hell do you manage to look so scary when you're tiny and na- oh shit, what did I say this time!?"

"I am

not

short! You're just tall!" Six feet tall, to be precise.

"I don't know," Jahara muttered, her pain seemingly forgotten now. "I've seen a few Demon Queens over the centuries, you know? From a distance mostly, but still. I'm pretty sure you're small for one."

"That's...!" I grit my teeth. "If you

must

know, my dam was apparently on the small side!"

"Is that why you're giving me the handbag look?" Jahara asked. "Because I'm pretty sure you could pull it off without breaking a sweat and it's

really

creeping me out."

"...Apologies," I muttered, forcing myself to look away from her. "There are simply questions I want answers to and the potential answer

source

is currently... not present."

"Hey, it's not like

I'm

going to keep you here! If you wanna leave..."

"And let you continue with your rampage?" I demanded, returning my gaze back to her and causing her to flinch yet again. "

No

. Where

I

go, you're going. The only problem is, I left a message for Lucy to meet me

here,

at the site of our fight..."

"I wasn't going to go into a

rampage

! I just figured I could, maybe, you know, scare people off by looking all terrifying and breathing some fire into the air. Maybe I'd ignite a few trees? Then I'd just sneak a bite or two from the abandoned stalls before people start filtering back in again."

"I'm not sure they

will

be coming back anytime soon," I replied. "Not if anyone figured out

my

presence in all this mess." It was hard to believe my flight through the skies had gone unnoticed. If nothing else, my midair fight and our eventual finale should have been fairly flashy.

"So... there's still a chance I could grab some food once you're done with me?" Jahara asked, giving me puppy dog eyes.

"You..." Where, exactly, was the vicious dragon that had just been trying to kill me?! "Fine. If it's food you wish, then it's food you shall have so long as you promise to shut up about it.

After

I heal you, though. Perhaps

you

can focus on food with such big holes in your hand and side, all covered in blood, but it's bothering

me

."

Saying so I walked over to her and put my hands on her hand and side and intoned the holy words to heal her injuries. She looked surprised as she examined her hand and side, now completely healed, before letting out a yelp as I repeated the water trick I did earlier to clean her off as well. Then I bent down to snatch up my Empty Bag and began to pull forth bowls and plates. Tomato stew that had been simmered slowly over the course of a day, steak so tender it would fall apart at a touch, and of course some crispy fries with a side of spicy... not-quite-ketchup. The taste was almost there, but the consistency was off.

"I could have cleaned myself off, thank you very much!" Jahara said indignantly, jumping around to shake off any lingering water.

"Have at it," I declared, as I manipulated the soil to form a simple table made of compacted earth. Placing the dishes down, I ignored Jahara's suddenly ended complaints, her gasps of shock, as well as the disaster of an eating scene that followed as the dragon began to rampage and gobble everything up with her bare hands, even going so far as to stick her fingers directly into the stew to scoop it up. I suppose I would see if she really

could

clean herself up after making a mess of herself again

I focused instead on something much less distressing - my wardrobe. I'd been naked ever since she had tried setting me on fire and now I'd washed off even the ashen remains of my outfit. It was only natural that I pulled more clothes from my bag. A backless red crop top and a short black skirt, to be precise, alongside a new pair of heels.The latter in particular helped, my bad mood dispersing a little now that my footwear situation had been dealt with.

"Oh man, what is this stuff?" Jahara asked between bites of food. "I mean, it's all stuff I had before, but the meat, the stew! It tastes so much better than what I usually get!"

"Of course. No matter how good the food at those stalls may be, they simply lack the sheer amount of experience, time, and care that goes into a palace dish. I can't help but notice you didn't mention the fries..."

"I mean, they're alright? Not something I've had a lot of before, so I guess that's nice. Sauce is new, too. But it's just... I mean, they're

potatoes.

There's sort of a limit to what you can do with them, you know?"

Lacking a mirror, at the time, I'm not entirely sure what expression I made in response to that blasphemous statement. I

do

know that it caused Jahara to shut up in a hurry, though, busying her mouth with eating instead. Probably for the best, even if her table manners had somehow gotten even worse...

For my own part, I pulled out a plate of fries and ketchup, determined to

properly

enjoy what the damn dragon failed to appreciate. We ate in silence, each of us focused on our food, and neither of us having anything to say to the other.

For my part, I was still rather annoyed at the situation I'd found myself in. Even if it

was

ultimately my fault for rushing ahead without a second thought. I wondered what was wrong with me that I'd rush out to risk myself for people who weren't even mine without a second thought... but I knew that if I hadn't Lucy would have the moment she got back and I didn't even want to

think

about the way she'd look at me if I refused to help those in need. Regardless of whether I was met with forgiveness or hatred, it would surely have altered our relationship.

...Not that the damn dragon had even intended on hurting anyone, apparently, but I hadn't known that at the time!

As for why Jahara kept silent... I'd like to say it was tactfulness, but mostly I think she was just too invested in her food to spare me any attention. Especially since I kept pulling out more from my bag, letting her stuff her face until, finally...

"That's it! Enough! I've made up my mind!"

"On what?" I inquired, arching an eyebrow.

"On joining you! I don't care

how

scary you are, if working for you comes with perks like

this

I am one hundred percent on board!"

"You..." I stared at Jahara for a long moment. "I don't recall ever giving you a choice, you know..."

Whether she'd intended to hurt people or not, Jahara's actions had forced the evacuation of an entire city. Who knew how many people had gotten hurt in the process? If nothing else they'd been severely inconvenienced. In truth, I hadn't decided what to do with Jahara at all, but letting her go had never been an option.

"I suppose it's for the best if you're following me around willingly..." I conceded after a moment.

"At your command, boss!" Jahara declared, hand on her heart.... Or at least I initially assumed she was aiming for thereabouts, only to be caught off guard when she put a hand on her stomach instead. "Just keep on feeding me, alright?"

"I'll let the kitchens know to prepare extra meals in the future," I replied, rolling my eyes. "

Many

extra meals. For now, though, I'll ask you to be quiet, clean yourself off, and put some clothes on. I need to think." I took a spare outfit from the Empty Bag and handed it to her.

"Sure thing boss!" Jahara declared, miming the locking of her lips with a hand before winding back her arm to throw away the 'key.' I was speechless when she actually followed through and tossed the invisible key hard enough to send her spinning, as if she'd truly sent it sailing over the treetops. Afterwards, she looked in the direction she'd thrown the 'key' with a pleased grin before turning to put on the outfit I'd given her. Thankfully, she realized on her own that she was still covered in the debris of her food rampage, before I had to stop her. A quick spell was enough to incinerate any mess left on her before actually putting on the outfit.

I shook my head and said nothing, lost in thought about what to do next... or at least I

wanted

to be caught up in thoughts of logistics. I already knew what I wanted to do next, though - I knew who I needed to talk to in order to get the answers that I sought. I just didn't want to think about what those answers might be. I still had a terrible feeling in my gut whispering that I wouldn't like the answers.

So, instead, I went over my plans in my head again and again. How I'd make it back to the tower - flight, most likely, unless Lucy thought to bring the teleportation pad with her - what I'd say to Abigail - I'd keep the small talk to a minimum; I wasn't in any state to enjoy her company, and she certainly wouldn't enjoy mine as I was right now - and who I'd talk to first - Sylvanna. If anyone knew where Doll was, it would be her.

Of course, there were also some worries about Lucy to keep my mind occupied. Would she be mad at me for racing off without her? Would she have preferred I come to get her on her date? Had I done what she would have done? What would she have done, if I'd died?

Eventually my brooding silence was interrupted by the sound of branches breaking, twigs snapping, and a loud, "Hello? Eena? Are you out here?" as a familiar figure came walking through the woods, panting heavily from exertion. She'd probably run all the way here.

"I'm over here, Grell!" I called out, trying not to let the exasperation show on my face. "Did you really chase me all the way out here? Why?"

"To punch a dragon, of course!" Grell replied, standing up straight so she could puff out her chest and toss her blonde locks over her shoulder. "And to arm wrestle the... Demon Queen? Wow. You're... the Demon Queen?"

"I thought I made that fairly obvious when I sprouted the black wings," I remarked. "Though I suppose I lacked my trademark white hair at the time."

"Right... You're... the Demon Queen," Grell muttered. "I'm going to arm wrestle the Demon Queen! Wow. That's one heck of a story. You're, uh, not going to smite me or anything, are you?"

"Please. If I was going to be killing

anyone

it would be our new dragon friend. If she's still standing then you're certainly fine."

"Right!" Grell shot me a weak smile. "Does... uh... the Heroine know?"

"Does it matter to you if she does?" I shot back.

"Maybe? I mean, politically it's a pretty big deal I think.... Also probably says something about the state of the world and our potential doom? Or something? Honestly, I suck at complex topics like that. I mean, the way you apologized, and then ran off to fight... Really I'm just confused! Especially without Dyona to explain everything to me. So at the end of the day, I'm mostly just here to do what I do best - punching problems until they go away! And, uh, making sure you know Dyona's stopping any messenger birds from going out with word of a demon's presence. That's probably important, right?"

Air rushed out of me in a loud sigh, a tension I wasn't even aware I was carrying fading away in that moment. It seemed that Lucy wouldn't be getting into trouble after all. At least not right away. With luck, maybe we could even figure a way out of this mess together...

"Thank you," I said after a moment. "The dragon is right before you. Feel free to punch her to your heart's desire."

"H-hey!" Jahara protested.

"You can take it, can't you?" I asked, arching an eyebrow. "I doubt a human fist would even leave a bruise on you. And I thought you'd locked your mouth shut?"

"Th-!" Suddenly shuttering her mouth, Jahara turned and ran off into the woods. Grell and I just looked at each other in bemusement until she came back a few moments later, triumphantly holding her hand forward to show off her invisible key, and then unlocked the padlock she'd mimed setting on herself.

"Ahem. Well, yeah, but that's besides the point! You can't just offer me up as a punching bag!"

"I certainly have to commend you for your commitment to the bit. I'll treat you to dessert."

"So, about using me as a punching bag!" Jahara replied, giving Grell a sharp toothed smile. "Should I change into my full dragon form? Or my full human form? That one would probably hurt

you

the least to punch."

"...Eena... Did you... tame... the dragon I wanted to punch?"

"A little," I confessed. "She was rather easy to win over, actually... It turns out the quickest way to a woman's heart really is through her stomach. Is that a problem?"

"Of course it's a problem! I can't go around punching people's pets!"

"Uh, I'm more of a freelance employee, I think..."

"She's more of a pest than a pet," I said simultaneously.

"I'll totally challenge you

both

to arm wrestling, though!"

"You'll lose," I warned her. "Even against Jahara, I suspect."

"What's this '

even'

nonsense!? I

am

strong, I tell you! Super strong!"

"Probably!" Grell agreed, ignoring the protests of the local pest who was now hopping up and down in indignation. "But hey, how many girls can say they got totally wrecked by the Demon Queen and her pest dragon?"

I stared at Grell for a moment before letting out a sigh at Grell's persistence and phrasing, and then gestured towards the earthen table. "Very well. In return I'd like you to carry a message to Lucy. Let her know that I have something urgent to take care of in the tower and that she should join me there when she gets the chance. She'll know what I mean."

"Done!" Grell declared, plopping her elbow down on the table and lifting her hand up for me to take.

I did so, getting my own arm into position before throwing a glance Jahara's way. "If you wouldn't mind being the judge for this one?"

"Sure thing, boss! On the count of three!" Jahara declared by way of answer. "One! Two! Go!"

The bout itself went about as expected, of course. Perhaps a little better? Grell survived without so much as a sprain, after all. The table I'd made on the other hand... didn't.

"Gah! My stew!"

***

Flying upon a dragon was an interesting experience. One that Jacob likely would have enjoyed greatly, seeing as how it was one of his whimsical fantasies I was currently living out. Unfortunately for me though, I found it rather dull. Also uncomfortable. The scales beneath my legs were unable to deal any damage to me, but if I were a normal human I was pretty sure their sharp, rough edges would have shredded the skin on my thighs.

It

was

fast, though. Faster than I could fly? I couldn't say. It wasn't as if I could simply leave the dragon behind, though, so even if she

was

slower than me it didn't make much of a difference in the end. Even if we'd been flying side by side I'd have had to keep pace with her since I certainly wasn't willing to carry

her

the whole way.

Regardless, with her flying at top speed and me focusing my magic on creating a proper shield against the wind, I doubt it took more than an hour or two before the tower was in sight. When we reached the edge of its surrounding wasteland, however, I tapped Jahara's back twice - a signal to go down.

"I don't need you causing panic in the tower," I told her once we'd landed and she'd craned her neck around to look at me. "Take your dragon girl form and we can fly the rest of the way side by side."

"Whatever you say, boss!" Jahara agreed, somehow managing to give a salute with one of her paws. The feminine voice was a little... disconcerting, coming from a mighty dragon, but so long as she was voicing

agreement

I figured I could deal with it.