Kaede, haviuro her seat, observed the se with mild i. She retrieved a bottle of sake from her iory and poured its tents into a blue-tinted gss. Taking a slow sip, she eyed the groveling archdemon before her.
"So, that's an Arch demon, huh?" she mused aloud. "Doesn't look like much."
Her Ultimate Skill had long since beeivated, rest Chikowan’s magic. However, judging by his bloodied state, it hardly made a difference.
Delta stood nearby, her bck, fluffy tail wagging with almost dangerous force. A pleased glow radiated from her skin, the rush of battle having given her a mueeded release. Even now, her lips curled into a grin, her sharp es glinting uhe light.
Beside Kaede stood Ari and Shifu. Ari’s expression twisted in pure disgust, while Shifu remained as posed as ever, his eyes unreadable.
Hachi stood o them, her emerald dress shimmering faintly as she tinued applying pressure through her gravity magic. The increased force weighed down on Chikowan, keeping him firmly pinned against the stone floor.
Meanwhile, Kaori let out a quiet sigh of disappoi, her arms crossed. She had been eager to test her restored strength, but the archdemon had been too weak, evea alone had been more than enough to break him.
On Raja's side, Queen Towa stood frozen, shock etched across her face.
"Chikowan…" she whispered, her voice barely audible. "Is it true? Please… tell me it isn't true."
Tears welled in her eyes as she searched the demon’s face for any sign of denial. Chikowan had been by her side for as long as she could remember. He had cared for the queens before her, guided her through her childhood. If the accusatiorue… then the very man she had trusted most was the one responsible for their early deaths.
Mobuji, standing at her side, trembled in despair. "To think… all these years, and I never noticed. An archdemht under our noses." His voice cracked with emotion. "How could you do this!? You watched her grow up. You practically raised her! We swore an oath to the previous queen… and I failed her!"
Chikowan s their anguish, his bloodied lips curling into a twisted smirk.
"Fools," he spat, venom dripping from his words. "The lot of you. Do you truly believe lesser beings such as yourselves could ever prehend the as of your betters?"
Queen Towa visibly defted at Chikowan’s snark, the st remnants of hope crumbling in her heart. All this time, her people had ood a ce.
"Yeesh. Get a load of this guy," Kaede deadpanned, resting her in her hand. "So, spill it. Who were you w for?" She took the broken pieces of Queen Towa’s tiara from Shifu, examining them with mild curiosity.
[Devour]
The fragments dissolved into pixeted particles, vanishing into her hand.
The object, Queen Towa’s Tiara, ow be recreated.
Recreate object?>
‘Sure, but exclude those dangerous-sounding arts.’
With a soft glow of purple light, the red tiara reformed in Kaede’s palm, now purified of its malicious properties. She twirled it between her fingers before pg it oable with a light cck.
"And while you’re at it," she tinued, her voice calm but firm, "tell me who created this tiara. Ahese two questions, and I promise you a quid painless death."
Chikowa out a strained ugh, his body trembling uhe weight of the intensified gravity. "Trying to give me orders, foolish human? You think you scare me!?" He sneered, eyes burning with defiance. "I will alk! You are nothing before my dy’s might! And wheurns..."
"Pito," Kaede interrupted.
In an instant, the pink-haired Antari appeared behind her, Charlotte kneeling at her side.
"My Lady," they both greeted in unison.
Kaede turo Charlotte with a small smile. "How are you enjoying your days under Pito? I know she’s a handful."
Pito stammered, ears twitg. "M-My Lady! I’m not that bad, am I?"
Charlotte shook her head. "Lady Pito has been nothing but kind to me, My Lady." She straightened her posture. "As for your previous question, I am doing well. My children and I have grown stronger, and we have acquired new skills that we are eager to put to use in your name."
Kaede’s smile widened. "Well, it looks like that time has e." She gestured toward the groveling Arch Demon. "Our friend here has some secrets that he feels are wise to keep from me."
Charlotte’s expression darke the implication, her body tensing with anticipation.
"I want to know everything he knows," Kaede tinued. "Down to the smallest details. Be a dear and take care of that for me, Charlotte."
A slow, predatrin spread across the Arae’s face. "With pleasure, My Lady."
Chikowan’s breath hitched as Charlotte advanced, her movements eerily fluid. Her three sets of eyes blinked in sequence, an unnatural motion that sent a shiver down his spine.
"You and I are going to have so much fun," she purred, her voice dripping with amusement.
Chikowan recoiled as she pced a hand on his shoulder. A siiion seeped into his body as her magic coiled around him, invasive and vile.
Then, in a fsh, they vanished.
Silence hung heavy in the room before Kaede let out a sigh. "Well, that wasn’t ominous at all." She leaned back, stretg her arms. "At first, I was a little put off by Charlotte getting those torture-based skills. But if they’re for people like him... I don’t really mind."
Queen Towa colpsed to her knees, her body trembling as despair gripped her.
"Queen Towa!" Hiiro called out, rushing to her side, his voice thick with .
She barely registered him, her thoughts drowning in sorrow. "My kingdom..." she whispered, her voice quivering. "All this time… there was never any hope for us."
Her amethyst eyes turo Kaede, who had risen from her seat and was now walking toward her.
Towa stumbled forward, separating from the Kijin, and reached out to Kaede. "Lady Kaede," she pleaded, pg a hand over her chest. "My heart… it hurts so much." Her fingers ched over her left breast as if trying to hold herself together. "I poured everything into proteg my kingdom, yet all this time… I did everything I could… Why? This pain… my heart 't take it… It hurts so much."
Hiiro gritted his teeth, struggling to hold back the tears burning at his eyes as he watched his beloved queen unravel before him.
Towa finally reached Kaede, her trembling hands grasping the taller woman’s shirt in desperation.
Ari frowned, shifting slightly, prepared to act, but one gnce from Kaede held her back.
Using Kaede’s shirt for support, Toulled herself up, her face just inches away from Kaede’s. "What am I supposed to do?" she whispered, her amethyst eyes searg Kaede’s deep onyx ones for an answer. "What am I supposed to do in this situation?"
"You cry," Kaede said softly.
Towa's breath hitched as she felt strong arms around her.
"You cry," Kaede repeated, holding her close.
Towa’s eyes widehe warmth of the embrace chipping away at her st defenses.
"You are a strong woman, Towa. Raja is lucky to have you as its queen," Kaede murmured. "But it’s not a crime to feel pain. Your kingdom has suffered a heavy blow. If you don’t cry for it, if you don’t care for it, then who will? That pain in your chest will never go away otherwise. It will haunt you, break you. So, Queen Towa, in this moment, surrounded by friends, you cry."
And she did.
The queen of Raja broke down in Kaede’s arms, sobbing untrolbly. Her cries echoed through the feren as Kaede slowly lowered herself to the floor, cradling Towa’s head against her chest.
"It’s okay…" Kaede whispered, running her fihrough Towa’s green locks. "I’m here now. Leave everything to me."
Hiiro stood frozen, tears streaming down his own face as he watched his queen weep in Kaede’s embrace. "Oh… Queen Towa…" he murmured.
Minutes passed, and Towa finally drifted into an exhausted sleep.
Kaede turo her panions, her expression hardening.
"Ari, Kaori, Pito, I want all three of you to iigate the kes in the kingdom of Raja. Use as many people as needed."
Pito immediately k. "Yes, my dy!" She vanished in an instant.
Kaori closed her fan with a graceful flick, a knowing smile. "Of course, Lady Kaede. I will see to it at once." With that, she, too, disappeared.
Ari hesitated, her frown deepening as she g the sleeping queeled against Kaede. Was that… jealousy?
"Ari?"
She fli her mother’s voice. "R-right! I’m on it, Mom!" Without another word, she vanished, leaving Kaede to watch after her with a thoughtful expression.
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