With the ritual completed it was finally time to open the vault. It was kind of exciting, like opening a mystery box. It was also the first time I would use devour magic since I had changed the spell.

  Casting the spell worked as usual. The familiar black smoke appeared and greedily ate through the magical protections. I focused on the link and could feel a small trickle of energy entering it. There was not enough magic for a significant change but it showed that devour magic was now working like I wanted it to.

  Interlude - Iris

  I was having breakfast when I felt a tingle. I stared at my hand. What was happening? I moved towards the window and looked at Ash's tree. It had grown quite a bit yesterday but it seemed unaffected from the small trickle of mana. I sighed. What was Amaya doing?

  Yesterday - Iris

  I was standing on the wall, looking out over the fields. While Amaya was off to slay a demon lord the town remained peaceful. The naiads had been busy. We had an irrigation system now and I was sure there was some magic inside the water. The dryads were turning this place into a small fairy realm it seemed. It would certainly lead to interesting crops.

  I stopped gazing at the fields and continued my inspection. With Amaya gone it was important to keep our guard up.

  I made my way to the gate and approached a guard. "Soldier! Anything to report?"

  He saluted. "No ma'am! Everything is peaceful. A few dwarves arrived earlier, they are consulting about a brewery."

  I nodded. "How are the detectors Lady Amaya installed?"

  "We have tested them this morning with invisibility spells, as ordered. They are working as intended."

  "Good. Today would be an ideal time for someone to test our defences, stay vigilant."

  "Yes, ma'am!" The soldier saluted.

  The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

  It felt good, having a command again. I had been in the military for a long time. I had thought I could make a difference, back in the Empire. But I had lacked the connections. Skill was only rewarded until you became a threat to your superior officer. Without Amaya I would have lost everything.

  Now? My experience was valued. I was valued. It made me feel warm…

  I almost tripped. Something was wrong. Something happened with the bond.

  "GUARDS! BRING EVERYONE INSIDE THE GATES! DEPLOY THE RESERVES! SEARGENT, I NEED MAGES ON THE WALLS. SEND A MESSENGER THROUGH THE GATE AND INFORM HELL THAT…" I gasped, my vision became blurry.

  "General Iris? What is going on? Are you under attack?" I heard someone ask.

  "The bond…" I mumbled, while falling to my knees. Electricity was coursing through my body. Everything went black…

  I awoke in a bed, immediately alert. "What happened?"

  A succubus I did not know smiled at me. "Everything is fine. It seems that all maid knights experienced a sudden… growth. Lilith feared an attack at first and deployed her forces to cover for the compromised maid knights, but once the trees started to grow it became obvious that it was not a threat."

  I stared at the succubus. Once upon a time I would have been concerned by the presence of a demon. Now it felt reassuring. I looked at my hands. Hands that have worked their whole lives. My skin was smoother than it had been. My whole body felt younger, stronger.

  I felt magic inside me. Electricity arced between my fingers, summoned as easily as breathing.

  "What happened?" I wondered.

  "Lilith theorised that Amaya has slain another demon lord and fed its power into her bond network. She based that on her own experience getting a snack, as she called it." The succubus replied.

  "All maid knights are stronger now?" I asked.

  The succubus nodded. "Everyone connected to Amaya experienced some sort of growth. Go, look at the trees."

  I rose from the bed and made my way to a window overlooking the town. It was already evening, I must have been unconscious for a while. As the sun was setting, the town was illuminated, by trees. Somehow their leaves glowed faintly. Some were green, some red, blue, purple,... It was beautiful.

  Amaya - Present Time

  "And now we loot!" I declared, while opening the vault door. With the magic gone it was simple to grab the door and push it open.

  Once I stepped inside I realised how big it was. I could see weapons, sets of armor, trophies,...

  "I guess we shall see how big your storage artefact really is." Lucy mused.

  I scratched my head. "I think it will work. Let's look around for some cool stuff, then I will store everything. Oh, loot rules. I am fine with everyone grabbing things they want. If two people want the same thing we can roll dice, or see who needs it more."

  Kira stared at me. "My lady, this is all yours. Are you certain we can just… take things?"

  "Of course, loot is shared." I replied.

  After that we spread out, looking through rows of valuables. I was surprised by the amount of weapons and armour, especially since Ashmedai had simply used his blood magic. Maybe wearing it would have interfered with the ritual?

  Actually, what if some of those were cursed? I guess I could always devour them. As I strolled through the vault I found some jewellery. On a small pedestal was a ring made of mithril, with a small amethyst in the centre. I carefully picked it up and studied it. My finger brushed over the gem.

  It was magical, but I was not entirely sure what it did. Maybe it could use it, devour the magic inside, if it was not useful, and enchant it differently. It would make a great wedding ring.