The bravery of Leofwynn stirred the fearful heart, pulsing with magma and lava, hardening it and melting the blood in the luminous veins.
The volcano girl leaped against the Demon King, brandishing the sword aimed at the powerful enemy.
With one finger, the pinky, the legendary Demon King, even before being struck, created the invisible shield that shattered Leofwynn's blade.
In the air, the volcano girl was hit by the invisible barrier and was sent flying a great distance without touching the ground, falling far away, into water.
The water magic came from the staff conjured by the unicorn girl, protecting her friend from crashing into the bushes, like a dive into a pleasant lake.
Leofwynn's vision, which was a blur of walls and ruins among the branches, transformed into deep blue in the waters her body sank into.
For a few seconds, there was peace.
Until the water left the volcano girl's body, who fell on her back to the ground, seeing the world upside down, and the torrent conjured by Cwenburg crashing against the imposing Demon King.
In the waters, the new alchemy stripped the dress of the alchemist Æthelflæd, blackening the water around the legendary being.
Meanwhile, with the broken sword, Leofwynn got up and looked at the wall. If she ran she could escape, but there was no possibility of abandoning Cwenburg. So the volcano girl aimed for a new attack, watching the surrounding landscape distort.
The broken sword was one-third of its original size, and as Leofwynn began her strikes against the enormous being, she heard Æthelflæd's voice:
— Burn! — and so it was, the skin burned uncontrollably, and the heat distorted the vision of the three around, burning the black alchemy, transforming the water from the unicorn's conjuration into a tornado of black flames.
VISITING HALL
Exhausted, the three fell to the floor, watching the fire die out, and in the center, the bored Demon King informed them:
— My race is also immune to fire, electricity, light, darkness, all elements of the periodic table, bladed weapons, firearms, magic, and physical attacks, to spare you three the effort. However, it was a good attempt, I must confess. — the Demon King spoke with a poetic air, like someone trying to impress but not knowing many words. — You are like… like…
— Like what? — Cwenburg wanted to know, the diamond horn shining on her forehead pointing at the monster.
— Like ignoble ones, introduce yourselves.
— What? — Cwenburg didn't recognize the word.
— Who are you? And what are you doing here? — understanding that not only were they weak but also had no knowledge about him, the Demon King wondered if they had really come there to fight him. Or were they even dumber than they looked? And they seemed like the least intelligent beings he had ever encountered, which was saying a lot, considering he had lived for millennia.
— Excuse me, Demon King, I am Cwenburg, a water and ice mage, still without ice spells, from the unicorn lineage.
— How are you an ice mage if you don't have ice spells yet?
— I believe I am an ice mage too, so I already am.
— No, you're not. If you don't know any ice magic, you're not one yet. Maybe, if you study, one day you will be, but not yet.
— Yes, I am. — Cwenburg insisted, sitting up, still without the strength to stand.
— And the other two?
— Leofwynn, from the southern volcanoes. — the redhead smiled, showing her teeth to the Demon King, who immediately retorted:
— Never heard of it. And the last one?
— Human, Æthelflæd, I came to kill the Demon King! — she admitted smiling, removing the cap to drink more of the intoxicating alchemy that cheered her and reddened her face.
— And how would you do that?
— She wanted to poison you. — the volcano girl quipped.
— That's impossible, I already explained.
— Well, there was no way to know. — the human's voice sounded strained.
— Of course there was! — the Demon King's objection raised his voice, as he called out. — Blith! Where are you?
— Here, Lordship. — it was an immortal, so ancient that his eyes were covered in wrinkles, something extremely rare for their lineage. He appeared so stealthily that the Demon King himself was startled, losing his composure for a few seconds and hearing from Leofwynn:
— It will destroy our youths. Your demonic assistant will do the heavy lifting, and evil will just have fun! Yes, demons eat little children… this is our end…
— Wait! What story is this? — the Demon King felt offended, but before he could react, he noticed the unicorn girl was sleeping sitting up, and the human stood up:
— You can start with me. — a long string of saliva left Æthelflæd's lips as she walked without taking her eyes off the monster's bare, muscular chest.
— Blith! Save me from them!
They all entered and drank tea, served by the butler Blith.
As there were no cups, Blith used the water made by the mage in his own old hands, using Leofwynn's hot head to warm it.
Then he served, from hand to hand, a handful of tea to each.
Leofwynn and the Demon King threw away the tea they received.
Æthelflæd kept hers in a canteen.
And Cwenburg drank it, letting out a small burp, followed by a lot of vomiting. In the vomit, like a shadow of letters, one could read "The Demon King's Lolis Minions Can't Be This Cute!" The unicorn rubbed her eyes, and the words disappeared as quickly as they appeared.
Sitting on the floor in the Visiting Hall of the Black Castle, there the Demon King organized his thoughts and reached an unexpected conclusion:
— Yes, that's it. This place needs staff. You three will travel and bring me good servants. Since slavery is no longer so well-accepted, I will pay a salary to the chosen ones.
IN THE SKIES
Before leaving on their new mission, each of the three asked a question.
Leofwynn:
— And if we refuse?
— I kill all three. — the bodies of the three lolis received curse marks in hidden places. This way, the Demon King could communicate with them, know where they were, and, in the worst case, carry out his greatest threat.
Cwenburg:
— Can you repeat that? I wasn't paying attention…
— Gather staff for my castle! All positions, gardeners, artisans, weavers, carpenters, I don't have furniture anymore! Everything except guards and armed people, I can handle the security of this place, in fact, no one would be better than me at that. Maids, don't forget the maids! Dozens of them! Handmaidens! Bards! Whatever else is needed. I'll inform you through the curses.
Finally, Æthelflæd's question:
— How much is the salary?
— What salary? — the Demon King himself got confused, annoyed that the unicorn had fallen asleep again, missing half of the previous explanation again.
— The maid's salary.
— Why do you want to know that? — Leofwynn questioned Æthelflæd. The volcano girl was holding Cwenburg by the shoulders and wanted to leave that castle as soon as possible.
— Depending on the amount…
— Depending on the amount, what? — the volcano girl's veins lit up again.
— Maybe I'll stay here, it doesn't seem so bad, and the Demon King… — more saliva left Æthelflæd's lips as she observed the extremely muscular body dripping with sweat beside her, who stepped away:
— I don't want any of you here. — the Demon King kicked them out of the castle.
And in the serpentarium, the three flew, hearing:
— A cook! Start with a damn cook! — the entire scene shook again, with Cwenburg writing "cook" in a small notebook.
The serpent's wings beat firmly, and soon the trio was flying among the clouds.