The Demon Lord Is An Angel
Chapter 379: Wild Run

Chapter 379: Wild Run

Along the shore of the Grand Lake, Kordia and Kassin ran.

Their goal was to make for the forestlands that marked Montmorency’s border with the Kingdom of Amrita, roughly eighty great measures away.

She was a little surprised by how well he was keeping up, given he was only into his first year, but it was likely his family had begun his training well before his entrance to the Academy.

Once Kir’s bubbling shields broke against the ground, their exit from the city had gone unopposed as confusion over the bright lights and spells erupting from the castle drew all eyes toward it.

But their good fortune was not to last. As Kordia turned to find the castle no longer lit up from within by magic, she also detected the distant galloping of racing beasts.

It was time to use that.

Kordia called for a stop as she readied herself to gather mana.

"What are you doing?" Kassin asked.

"There’s cavalry coming after us. I’m gathering mana to transform."

"Transform?!" he squawked as she tore off her clothes and pushed them onto him.

"I need a lot to do it on my own, so just stay quiet and mount up when it’s done."

Kordia reached out into the world, opening herself to it as quickly as she could quiet the inner voices. She felt the land around her like a heartbeat, quiet but present, its largest forms of life asleep with the day.

And she felt something else, a distant attention turning to her from the lake.

The sensation of an amused gaze as a small but potent tendril of power was extended to her.

The Spirit of the Lake finished what Kordia started, and thus it was with a slight edge of blue in her silvery fur that Kordia emerged from her transformation in the form of a silver fox the size of a horse.

Kassin was left eyes agape at the sight.

"Get on," Kordia ordered, her voice deep and rumbling from the increase in size.

"How are you doing this?" Kassin asked as soon as he was on top, gripping her by handfuls of fur.

"It is in our blood," she said as she took off, barely a great measure ahead of the cavalry appearing over the hills behind her.

In great, loping strides she dashed along the shore.

"Kordia... there’s something I want to tell you," Kassin said.

"Is it what you meant to say at the ball?" she rumbled between breaths.

"Yes, I... I’m the one who broke the stone."

Kordia remained silent. It had been within the realm of possibility, and his scent had been upon the stone. She hadn’t exactly suspected, but a part of her knew she should have. "Why?" she asked, continuing her run.

"Because I didn’t think he would come... I just wanted to talk to you because... because I thought if it was you, me, and Lapins, we could work something out without... him..."

"You’re jealous," she said, recognizing the scent on him. "I should have realized sooner..." If she wasn’t running, she might have sighed. "If you want to talk, you have only to ask, Kassin. That’s how we work. How we’ve stayed working, even when we’re apart."

"But what if I don’t want to talk to Kir?" A sour note of fear spiked through the jealousy. "I want us to be together, but it feels like... he’s in the way."

Kordia spent a few strides thinking. "It’s often when we’re the least inclined to talk that sometimes we need it. Kir is insightful for his age... I think if you two talked, you could reach an understanding. But I can’t make you go to him."

"It’s just... insane. He’s crazy powerful. And a demon. We shouldn’t be helping him..."

"Did you forget he’s also half-angel? His very existence is hated by Heaven and Hell alike."

"Didn’t seem that way to me with the demons."

"You didn’t see Kainur try to kill him. If any of those demons could challenge Kir as he is now... it might be a different story, but Kir told me what Kainur said. I think he’s more of an unknown amongst demons except to the oldest."

"Why?"

"Because when your home is destroyed every few centuries, history must be hard to keep." The more she thought along this line, the more she realized why demons relied so much on their leaders.

"I still don’t think we should help him. We have our own lands to worry about... why can’t-"

"Don’t throw our people into the fire just because it’s getting hotter than you thought. I promised you we would make things work, and I will see that promise through if you let me."

"How?" Kassin asked. "I just... can’t see how it’s supposed to work. If you’re with him, then Heaven at the very least will want to destroy us for it."

"Let me think." Kordia thought for a long while. She’d spent so long with Kir that even with all the intrigue and strange magic, he felt like a constant in her life— one she didn’t want to give up. With Kassin, things were still too new. And for him, it must have been all the worse because he felt he was fighting Kir for space in her thoughts.

But maybe that was because she hadn’t been helping Kassin... maybe he was right, and what they needed was time alone with the truth. To talk. To forge their own bonds, even if that meant she couldn’t bring Kassin around to loving Kir the same way she did. And for that matter, she needed to do the same with Lapins.

After all, Lapins had been willing to put everything on the line to propose to both her and Kassin before the whole court of Montmorency. But she’d never gotten the chance...

"You’re right," she said to Kassin, imagining she heard his ears perk up at the words. "We do need more time together. To talk. Once we meet up with Kir again, I’ll-"

"Kordia!" a voice called from above.

Kordia skidded to a stop and looked. It was Lapins.

She was in Kir’s arms and covered in blood.

He alighted on the ground and deposited both her and a figure that did not get up. Mercy.

"What happened to her?" Kordia asked as she rushed over.

Kassin descended as Kordia started to inspect Mercy’s wound.

"The Ambassador sent a tendril of magic through her. I can’t tell how bad it is," Kir reported.

"Get me some light," Kordia said, and a moment later, the shore lit up as Kir produced a magical light.

Her heart is damaged... How is she still alive?! Kordia wondered as Lapins held the hand of her maidservant, weeping and begging her to hold on.

"Lapins, step aside," Kordia instructed.

"I won’t leave her."

"You’re in the way," Kordia snapped, and a moment later Kir pushed Lapins aside with a massive hand.

With her area cleared, Kordia bent, pouring her senses into Mercy as she sought to understand the wound.

The attack that did this left traces of mana that fought her senses, so Kordia snuffed them out one by one, overwhelming them with her own as she encouraged the wound to heal as fast as possible.

The effort drained her, as every multiplication of the body’s natural tendency meant an exponential rise in cost, but she kept on until she was sure the heart would beat, sparing no foxfire-tinged mana to dull the pain as Mercy screamed into the night.

When it was done, Kordia collapsed out of her fox form, panting and sweating and naked, her silver hair like a sheet on her back.

Mercy was left with a cruel scar along her shoulder, both front and back, and it was likely the arm would not be as strong as it had been for a long time, but she was alive.

"Mercy! Oh, thank the gods..." Lapins held the hand of her maid, who opened her eyes weakly, raising her good hand to brush Lapins’ hair silently.

"I brought them here because you’re the best healer I know," Kir said.

Kordia accepted her robes back from Kassin. "Thank you..." she touched his hand. With him in war form, she felt like a toddler touching the hand of an adult. "Kir... there’s something I need to do..."

"Anything you want, I’ll help with," he said without hesitation.

"I need to get to Silver... and I want to take Lapins, Kassin, and Mercy with me."

"The only way to do that will be with a glideway. That would take days for Mosh and I to set up, and a place tall enough to make it work."

"You can use Mount Morens," Lapins said, her voice choking with anger as she looked to Kir. "Make me Queen, and I’ll give you whatever you need."

Kordia looked at her. "Lapins..."

"You don’t know what you’re asking me," Kir replied.

"My father stopped being a King the moment he let someone else decide for him. Rid my land of the angels and I’ll do whatever is in my power to help you. I’ll let your demons stay. Anything. Anything!"

Mercy made a small noise, drawing Lapins’ gaze as she reached up with her hand and guided Lapins into a kiss, before falling unconscious.

All at once Kordia understood why Lapins had been so willing to go along with such an insane plan as wedding both her and Kassin.

She had a love she wanted to protect, and was willing to expand her relationship to Kordia and Kassin in order to protect that love.

Kir paused for a long moment as he thought, before finally answering.

"Hail to the Queen."

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