The Demon Lord Is An Angel
Chapter 277: Heroes Wanted

Chapter 277: Heroes Wanted

Lumin hadn’t spoken to Kir since the "Mimic Incident" - as the Norneau papers had published it, having acquired the reports from the Watch and focused a lot on Kir’s testimony.

Then, before his last class before the weekend, Kir had found Terry waiting for him with a mandatory invitation to dine with Lumin that evening.

Which brought him to now...

His evening started with a list of potential charges from Lumin, and she finished with "One day! You couldn’t even wait one day without doing the exact thing I told you not to do!" Lumin was cold and livid as she lay into Kir, across the small private table in her quarters.

"It’s not like I knew what was waiting for us! And I didn’t try to take it on alone. I held back and let the city take care of it. Mostly."

"I almost wish you hadn’t. The Academy is on far shakier ground than you know, politically. The siphon being out and about was a chance for the city to prove it could take care of its own without us."

"One would think you’d want the city to rely on the Academy since you are the Academy, and thus the city?"

"Don’t throw my words at me like you know what I mean."

"Ouch I can smell the moving goalposts from here," Kiryu chuckled.

"She’s either mad or she’s playing a different game than we think."

"Yep. It’s called ’Total Power: Monopoly Edition.’"

"How about you tell me what you meant then," Kir suggested as he cut into a roast carrot.

"Norneau needs a certain balance. It’s been in chaos since the siege. The Queen of Gra’Rhuel saved the city then. The loss of the Academy Tower greatly reduced Norneau’s capacity for producing enchanted goods and rare ingredients, to say nothing of those students who have withdrawn or graduated as a result of the Heavenswar..."

"I still don’t see a reason why having an Academy professor and students solving the siphon incident isn’t good. Especially not with the help of the City Watch and Guard."

"At best, it’s neutral." She ate a slice of ground beef wrapped in cabbage. "Don’t you see? Trust in the city’s independence is what’s at stake. As far as everyone knows, you’re a beastkin professor, which means your getting involved might as well be an advertisement for how well Gra’Rhuel could take care of Norneau. Especially since you brought in their future princess!"

Kordia?

"We did what was right!" Kir protested.

"And at worst, you’ve handed the city another loss because of it," Lumin said, her voice taking on a matter-of-fact tone. "Hot-headed fool. Politics isn’t about right or wrong, it’s about goals, and what takes you towards or away from them. Right or wrong, mercy or cruelty, such things are incidental to the material reality you say you value so much."

Kir set his silverware down. No longer hungry. "So what happens now? I’ve been summoned to the courthouse on Stonesday morning."

"That’s the first I’ve heard of it. I know Kordia, Daisy, and Bailey have been summoned..." She paused to think. "Just try not to embarrass yourself or get discovered under that glamour. The city needs its own heroes, and you are clearly not versed in the petty ways that public perception works. At best, the Mayor is likely trying to assess the damages. But if it’s a trial you better remember where you are."

Kir knew about Kordia, but Bailey and Daisy had mentioned nothing.

He touched the glamoured ring, noting that it still felt quite warm compared to normal, even though he’d cut the flow of mana to it for this dinner.

"What kind of ’heroes’ does the city want?" He stared pointedly at her. To Kir, in an ideal society, heroes would be unnecessary.

"Why would I care about that? It’s just what they need." She sipped her tea. "Oh, your pay is still cut for the next three months. Let it not be said that I am a liar."

"What?!"

*

Back home, a different sort of conversation took place during breakfast the next day.

"Stella! It’s been a while," Kordia said as soon as she entered, sitting across from her. "What’s the occasion?"

"Ugh, some Watch bitch shut down my business. Said I needed a license from the city. I swear her sexual preference is ’fucking people over.’"

"Oh. I thought you might have started eating."

"I prefer my liquid diet," Stella winked, reclining in her demon form, which reflected what Kir thought a slightly tall, curvy, full-breasted succubus should look like. "It’s more satisfying to work for it."

"Liquid- Oh..."

Kir shook his head as he listened from the kitchen. He hoped this wouldn’t be one of his last home meals for a while, but if it was, he was going to make it special. Especially since he had an important proposal to make...

As Stella and Kordia got reacquainted, Kir set each dish on the table as soon as they were done.

His mood to cook for the day had come more from his worries, but with Kiryu to help correct some of his procedures, he managed to produce quite a feast.

Egg-toast, pancakes with caramelized apples and wind magic-whipped cream, coffee, pork sausage, biscuits in sausage gravy, cherrywood-smoked bacon in a range of textures from crisp to chewy, cream-scrambled eggs with a bit of salt and pepper, minced fruit with whipped cream, and Norneau’s staple of heavily sugared cherry juice.

When Kir sat, unglamoured with his ring resting on the kitchen counter, the topic of conversation became serious.

"Did they tell you anything about why we’re being summoned?" Kordia asked.

Kir shook his head. "Lumin thinks it’s probably just a damage assessment, which makes sense since the Mayor hasn’t had much time to react. But at worst it’ll wind up being a public trial..."

"For what?!" Stella asked, a bit incredulous.

"Property damage, public property damage, reckless use of magic, unauthorized use of combat magic within city limits, negligent regicide..." Kir listed the potential charges Lumin had laid on him before their dinner had become more civilized.

"So the city wants me to serve as a witness against you?" Kordia said, shocked. "I won’t do it. We did nothing wrong."

"According to Lumin, the city wants a hero. A Norneau hero so people aren’t inclined to join the Queendom of Gra’Rhuel... And not an Academy student."

Kordia chewed her bacon angrily. "Let me guess, she was angry because I was involved."

"Let me just tell you everything," Kir said, before proceeding to lay out how the entire dinner conversation with Lumin went.

"Damn. She seemed nice when I was in the Academy," Stella said, having faked being a student for the single semester Kir almost managed.

"She’s nice until she wants something from you," Kordia shuddered. "You should see how she treats the special students."

"Expectations lead to disappointment," Kiryu snarked. "Grab that one piece of bacon, it looks smoky."

"If it’ll buy me some peace and quiet," Kir grabbed the desired bacon and ate half in one go. He enjoyed a bit of smoky flavor but the piece in question was half char.

"It’ll buy you more than that. I think I have a plan you’ll like, but you’re going to need Stella, a new box of tobacco, and some buckets’ worth of water."

"Why would I need a new box of tobacco?"

"Because I’m not going to tell you the plan without promise of payment. Get me something a bit more fruity, like the cherry-dried stuff. Oh, and as a bonus, I think I have a plan for you to keep the Ghostheart Train rolling when you go on winter vacation. Assuming you aren’t forced out of the city or imprisoned or whatnot."

Deciding it would be best to humor Kiryu, especially since his other half sounded so confident, Kir agreed and listened to Kiryu while Kordia and Stella talked through their understanding of Kir’s revelations.

After a few minutes of back and forth with his other half, Kir smiled.

"Stella, Kordia, I have some ideas on how we can make the most of the situation, even if it turns out to be a trial... And maybe give Lumin what she says the city wants."

"Oh I know that smile," Stella said. "That’s the ’I’m so clever’ smile."

Kir turned the smile on her, "And what’s this one?"

"That’s the ’I’m so clever and you’re going to hate this but I’ll love it’, smile."

"What are your ideas?" Kordia asked.

"Well, for you, Kordia, I’d like for you to brush off your drawing skills..."

She’d often complained about not having a lot of time for drawing since starting her duties as a witch in training and special student, so Kir figured he’d give her something a lot safer than operating the bus.

After explaining the idea, using a piece of toast and several breakfast items to highlight how the concept would work with as few pages as possible, Kordia was left with a look of mild amazement.

"And you came up with this while you were cooking?"

"Something like that," Kir said.

"Thanks for the credit, chief." Kiryu snarked.

"And what about me?" Stella asked, sipping at the only breakfast item she’d taken, a cup of cherry juice.

"Yours is going to be a big role on Stonesday. The plan is..."

To Kir’s surprise, at the end of his explanation, Stella grinned.

"You know, that’s not the worst plan, but if this is going to potentially be the last weekend we have together, I want to have a little fun..."

"What kind of fun? We already sleep together," Kordia raised an eyebrow.

"We haven’t had fun together for a while, so let’s make it a night on the town! My way."

Kir and Kordia shared a look, then shrugged in agreement.

"Alright!" Stella cackled. "Let’s get fucked tonight!"