The Demon Lord Is An Angel
Chapter 184: Volume 4 - Prologue

Chapter 184: Volume 4 - Prologue

In a hidden place, in a dark room, five of the six devices began to light themselves as the holders of their keys prepared to meet.

The room had a single occupant, and each of those meeting today was likewise alone in their respective sanctums.

Five of the six showed robed figures, each with a white mask, marked with elements, and each was distorted to appear equal in height.

"Where is Lictor?" one spoke, their mask marked with the symbol of Stone. Their voice was distorted as well, carefully degendered by the complex magics that enabled them all to meet from far away.

"Lictor has yet to report, Praetor," replied the one marked for Fire. "I understand their city was likewise targeted for a siege, but unlike Aedile’s, Lictor’s was the true target, at least if Maledict’s presence was any indication."

"We were all fooled, Curiate" spoke the mask marked with darkness. "Duke Heresy is a clever demon, and we lost much in the way of knowledge and resources... Though I understand Lictor kept copies of the most important tomes outside of that place."

The one with a mask marked for Air spoke to Darkness. "Quaestor, that place was our outpost, small enough to stay below consideration but prestigious enough to attract talent. Recruitment will be far more fraught now that Heaven moves to rebuild. What if they choose to have a hand in the new Academy?"

"What are you suggesting, Aedile?" asked the one marked for Water.

"Withdraw Lictor. Have them take up a position in a colony. Perhaps send them to the east."

The one marked Water hissed their disapproval. "Out of the question. They have accomplished more where they are than many of us have done across a dozen cities. As long as Heaven does not suspect, and Hell does not pull any surprises, I say we trust Lictor."

"Interrex, do not allow your personal feelings to cloud your judgment," Quaestor cautioned. "We will send an agent. Assuming Lictor did as advised and retained the hybrid, we shall soon see if-"

"Apologies for my lateness, all gathered," a new voice spoke. A new masked robe appeared, marked for Light. "My ward has managed to get himself in trouble yet again."

"The hybrid?" asked Fire.

"Yes," Light replied.

Shadow spoke next. "Is this trouble more important than your report?"

"No, Quaestor," Lictor answered.

"Then speak, we shall listen," Curiate said.

One by one, the other masks intoned, "Speak, we shall listen."

"As the Haruspex wishes," Lictor said.

"The boy is truly back. I learned of this from my agent in the Adventurer’s Guild. A prospect with a relationship to the hybrid did exactly as I predicted, and now he is within my care."

"How did he survive the attack on the city?" Curiate asked. Smoke trailed out from under their mask, suggesting they’d just taken a drag from their pipe.

"He has not revealed that to me, but I believe it should be said that Maledict would not let his own child die."

"And your plans for him?" asked Aedile.

"He has proven amenable to my offer that he teach at the Academy - obvious restrictions notwithstanding. I have commissioned a complex creation that will ensure he goes undetected, but I will need reimbursement, since I have other obligations for the city that will come due within the year."

"How much reimbursement?" asked Quaestor.

"Two orichalcum bars and nine gold," Lictor replied.

There were sounds of grumbling. "What working short of a siege engine could cost so much?"

"It is not just the working, but the silence I am buying. The hybrid has discussed some of what he saw, and in order to verify his... unique perspective... I had an illusion construct created in a circle of twenty-eight mages."

Interested murmurs began to flow. "I thought the limit was twenty." "That’s a lot of mouths to stitch shut." "Imagine what we could create with circles of twenty-eight."

Quaestor raised a hand and shortly the room came to silence. "Is this more of the unknown knowledge your former prospects wrote to you of?"

"I believe it is, as the boy was never particularly social outside of his immediate circle," Lictor replied.

"How do you propose to shut up twenty-eight mages?" asked Interrex. "I can send agents..."

"That will not be necessary," Lictor said firmly. "The boy actually helped with that. Once I had devised the circle, he proposed hiding every part of it but the injection points, using nothing more than a circle of lead, placed above the working."

"And this preserved the circle from their eyes?" asked Quaestor.

"Much of it. The injection points, as the boy called them, each had an important function attached. Given how many functions I worked into it, I doubt they could piece it together from just those, but it never hurts to be sure." Lictor managed to sound self-satisfied despite the vocal distortion.

"How many functions?" Quaestor asked.

"Seeing as they were each Creators of moderate to advanced skill, I decided that four each would be appropriate, telling them it was a test of their skills."

"One hundred twelve functions..." Interrex wondered.

"The boy was very keen to point out all the flaws in the first illusional I commissioned for him," Lictor said with a note of annoyance. "But thanks to that bit of trouble, we now know that twenty eight is mages can form a circle... and I suspect more, given how many students he discovered had actually gone missing."

"How much more?" asked Interrex.

"Over a hundred. But I have not laid my suspicions at his feet yet," Lictor answered.

Once more, the conversation temporarily devolved into chaos and speculation. And once more Quaestor raised their hand for order.

"These discoveries alone are monumental. You will have all the resources you need from us, as soon as it can be plausibly arranged," Quaestor said.

"Aye," agreed Interrex immediately.

One by one the rest of the room gave their affirmations.

"The Horuspex is agreed," Lictor noted. "Is there anything else?"

"What is this trouble you spoke of?" Quaestor asked.

"Nothing major. The boy’s pants were eaten and replaced by a protean siphon, one which had apparently attached itself to them at some point, and which became active when the enchantment on them was to be refreshed. Unfortunately, we did not discover this until he put them on... and now he insists he has tamed it."

Interrex sputtered as they suppressed a laugh.

Quaestor tilted their head in confusion. "Tamed it? A protean siphon?"

"He calls is a mimic, for some reason, and thinks he can teach it to be ’all the clothes he needs,’ provided he has the mana for it... which he does. In that, at least, he is a match for what the records say. Oh, and he has a second one. His familiar, the succubus, has requested it for the same should his present experiment succeed."

"Should something be done about her?" Praetor asked.

"I see no reason to. She was remarkably restrained for such a starved creature when she first entered the school, and has since evolved in such a manner as to bear some traits as a gnossinian."

"I thought a demon takes only after the mother, no matter the evolution. So she is also a hybrid, but of two demonic types?" Praetor asked.

"That is my understanding as well," Lictor confirmed. "Is there anything else, comrades?"

The air felt lighter after the recent discussion, and so Lictor thought it prudent to get back to their duties.

"There is one more thing," Quaestor said. "An agent will be sent. Do not attempt to interfere with their mission in any way. If need be, they will be a sacrifice to ensure the continuation of your mission."

"Understood," Lictor replied. "I assume you want them to get close to my ward. Just do not be surprised if the boy winds up in bed with them."

"How many paramours could one lad have?" Interrex asked.

"In the last year? Four."

"Four?!" Aedile blurted. "Did they each know about each other?"

"From what my prospect has told me, they knew about each other as soon as reasonably possible. The only one out of the loop is the heavensent one, and the one that died. The former... would not have made a good prospect."

"And they were all fine with each other? That sounds complicated," Aedile continued.

"It is. So much so that he refers to his relationships as a constellation," Lictor chuckled. "But as long as it doesn’t interfere with him as a prospect, I shall stay out of the affairs of the young."

Quaestor raised a hand for order, "We are not here to gossip like students. Lictor, are there any other issues you wish to discuss?"

"None that I cannot handle," Lictor replied. "You will each receive my written report within the month."

"Then our meeting will adjourn. The new distress word will be... ’heavensent’," Quaestor emphasized the word. After each figure murmured their acknowledgment, they concluded, "To preserve what was lost."

"We remember what was lost." the others intoned as one.

One by one, the figures disappeared.

Until Lictor and Quaestor remained.

"Lictor... do you really think he’ll open the Gate for us?"

"He is the only one of his kind, and thus is the only one who can. We are fortunate he was adopted by my former prospects."

"The coincidence seems far too minuscule to be a coincidence. Have any gods attempted to make themselves known to the boy?"

"None that he could identify," Lictor replied. "Just as none have made themselves known to us, despite our search. Not even the heavensent gods."

Quaestor tilted their head slightly. "Are you in distress?" they asked.

"Yes, but I am not compromised. I just wanted to use the word before it becomes active tomorrow..." Lictor sighed. "Coming out of mourning has renewed his spirits... He is a lot to deal with."

Quaestor nodded. "It is up to you to determine any help you require."

"I doubt any of us know what I’ll require, especially me, but thank you." Lictor bowed their head slightly as Quaestor nodded.

Then they both disappeared.

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