The Blue Mage Raised by Dragons Page 14

  A trio of fairies were hovering around the bush, picking bananerries. The fairies had purple horns similar to Tafel’s: they sprouted from their temples and curved around their heads. They were all one foot tall and wore leaves as gowns. Four dragonfly-like wings grew from their backs. The only difference between the three were their eye and hair colors, which were red, blue, and yellow.

  “Isn’t that a demon?” the one with red eyes asked.

  “It looks like a demon,” the blue-eyed one said.

  The one with yellow eyes nodded.

  “Hello, my name is Tafel, daughter of the demon lord,” Tafel said while curtsying with her shirt. “What are your names?”

  “Daughter of the demon lord? Maybe we shouldn’t talk—”

  “I’m Bella,” the blue-eyed fairy said, interrupting the red-eyed one. She pointed at her peeved sister. “She’s Rella.”

  “And I’m Yella,” the yellow-eyed one finished. Rella crossed her arms and puffed her cheeks out.

  “Don’t be like that,” Bella said to Rella.

  Rella stuck her tongue out. “Why would the demon lord’s daughter be here in our land?” she asked. “I think she’s lying.” Rella flew up to Tafel’s nose and sneezed on her.

  Tafel flinched and rubbed her eyes. “Did she just sneeze on me?” Tafel asked Vur in a high-pitched voice.

  Vur nodded. “I think that means she likes you.”

  Yella sighed. “It’s the naïve dragon boy too,” she said and clicked her tongue while shaking her head.

  “She cursed you,” Bella said and giggled. “Now you can only tell the truth and only the truth for one month. No more and no less.”

  “What? You shouldn’t curse someone when you first meet them,” Tafel said and pouted. “That’s not very nice.”

  “Fairies aren’t nice people,” Rella said and nodded. “Now tell us who you really are.”

  “I’m Tafel, daughter of the demon lord,” Tafel said. Her eyes widened, and she put her hands over her mouth.

  “Is she really cursed?” Vur asked.

  “Yes,” Tafel said in a muffled voice. The trio of fairies nodded.

  Vur frowned. “Dispel,” he said while waving his arm in front of Tafel’s body. “Did it work?”

  “No,” Tafel said with her hands still over her mouth.

  Rella giggled. “You can’t dispel a fairy’s curse that easily,” she said and stuck her chest out.

  “Yup, we can’t dispel it either,” Bella said while nodding. “I guess she really was the demon lord’s daughter. Sorry about that. We’ll be going now.” Bella waved.

  “Wait! You can’t just curse me and leav—actually you can. You shouldn’t curse me and leave!” Tafel said while interrupting herself.

  Rella stuck her tongue out at Tafel. “You can blame yourself for being a demon. I’m glad I could make at least one of you honest,” she said and turned to leave.

  Tafel faced Vur with an aggrieved expression. His eyes glowed and the fairy trio, who were about to fly away, found themselves pinned to the bananerry bush.

  “Hey! Gravity magic’s not fair,” Bella said and pouted as she flapped her wings to no avail.

  “That’s cheating!” Rella said.

  “Why don’t you like demons?” Tafel asked Rella.

  “You’re all liars,” Rella said and crossed her arms while looking away.

  “Demons tricked us out of our cave and imprisoned our queen,” Yella said. “We had to give up our home and our stuff.” The yellow-haired fairy pouted.

  “I miss my slime bath,” Bella said and sighed.

  “I miss my kitchen!”

  “I miss my bathroom…”

  The three fairies sat down and cried.

  “Huh? Don’t cry,” Tafel said. “I’m sorry. Please stop.” Tafel bit her lower lip and tugged Vur’s hand. His eyes stopped glowing and the fairies stopped sobbing, exchanging glances with each other. Tafel opened her mouth to speak.

  “Itwasnicemeetingyoubutwehopetoneverseeyouagainbye!” The fairies flew away before she could say anything. Vur and Tafel stood there for a moment, Tafel’s mouth still partially open.

  “Fairies are weird,” Vur said as he shrugged and picked a handful of bananerries. He held one out to Tafel. “Want one?”

  “Yes, I do, and I want you to feed it to me,” Tafel said. Her face turned red as she covered her mouth while turning away. Stupid, stupid curse!

  Vur appeared in front of her with a berry and smiled. “Say, ‘Ah.’”

  Tafel’s cheeks burned as she ate the berry. “No more questions, please. Okay?”

  “Do you—”

  Tafel covered Vur’s mouth with her hands. “Okay?” she asked again while smiling.

  An image of Lindyss’ smile appeared in Vur’s head. He nodded.

  ***

  “We finally reached level 15,” Lamach said as he sat down. A slime, which he just stabbed, bubbled and dissolved into a layer of white powder.

  “Let’s ask Doofus if we can go deeper,” Gabriel said. The two were killing slimes in the mana source located in Niffle. After the undead cavalry began their purge, the students had returned to grinding away in the slime dungeon. The two went up to their teacher and asked if they could go deeper. Doofus nodded.

  “Be careful. The next types of monsters are dangerous metal elementals. Don’t go past the second room,” he said. “I’ll be keeping watch on you two.”

  Gabriel and Lamach smiled at each other. The two puffed their chests out and tilted their chins up as they passed their classmates who were still killing slimes. Gabriel equipped his morning star mace while Lamach readied his lance. They walked through a corridor and arrived at a cave with a few other adventurers in it. Ringing sounds rang out as metal clashed against metal.

  Gabriel stopped walking as his mace fell out of his hand. His mouth fell open as he turned his head towards his brother.

  “Is that a floating … spoon?” Lamach asked.

  “There’s a floating fork over there too…” Gabriel said.

  “Instructor Doofus did warn us about dangerous metal elementals…” Lamach said. “But utensils? What’s next? Chamber pots?”

  Gabriel picked up his morning star. “Don’t jinx it,” he said and sighed. He raised his arm and thwacked the spoon.

  ***

  “You were cursed by fairies?” Zollstock asked his daughter. He was sitting in front of a bear corpse with Vur and Tafel.

  “Yes, Father,” Tafel said, unwilling to make eye contact.

  Zollstock sighed. “What’s your mother going to think? I can’t have you go back to her like this.”

  “She’d probably blame you for not watching over me,” Tafel said as Vur cut out a piece of bear.

  “It’s not my fault the fairies cursed you,” Zollstock said while adjusting his pants.

  “No, it’s not your fault,” Tafel said and covered her mouth. “You just stayed in the cave all day with Auntie.”

  Vur blinked at Zollstock. “Your pants are on backwards.”

  The demon lord looked down. “No they’re not,” he said. “This is how I always wear them. You’re imagining things.”

  “He’s lying,” Tafel said with her voice muffled by her hands.

  I really can’t take her home like this, Zollstock thought. “We should go back soon or your mother will be worried sick,” he said. “Do you want to go back?”

  “No. I don’t want to go back. Mom and Prim are too strict,” Tafel said and lowered her head. “I hate learning how to act like a lady, and I have no friends there. I want to stay here with Vur.” Her eyes glistened as tears leaked from the corners of her eyes.

  Zollstock rubbed his chin. “Alright then,” he said and nodded. “You can stay for now.”

  Tafel looked up with wide eyes. “Really!?”

  He nodded again. “Your mother’s going to be furious at me,” he said and smiled, “but I think it’ll be worth it to let you gain experience and grow.”

  �
�Thank you!” Tafel squealed and tackled her dad with a bear hug. “I won’t tell her about the adult things you do with Auntie.”

  Zollstock winced and groaned as his face blanched. “You’re welcome,” he whispered back.

  ***

  “You did what!?” Mina screeched. Zollstock hung his head with his eyes closed. Some fights weren’t meant to be won. This was one of them. “It was your idea to let her go! Now you don’t even bring her back!? Does she mean nothing to you? Do my words mean nothing to you!?”

  Mina’s horns pulsed red as her hair rippled in the air. She glared at her husband who refused to say a single word while she yelled at him. She had received reports that her husband returned without Tafel and went to the clinic before coming to see her.

  “Please. Calm down,” Zollstock said with his head still lowered. “I can explain.”

  “I’m waiting,” Mina said with her arms crossed over her chest. Her hair stopped rippling, but her horns still glowed red.

  Zollstock looked up. “The resources in the wilderness are a lot greater than they are here. She can eat magical beast meat for breakfast and drink from the Fountain of Youth when she’s thirsty. She can even find a beast to imprint her. Given enough time, she’ll be one of the strongest leaders we’ve ever had.”

  “I don’t care about that,” Mina said. “You could have brought her back and explained it. Did you even see how Vur acted? What if Tafel becomes as wild as him? Did you even think about that when you abandoned her in the forest?”

  “But—”

  “Tafel doesn’t even need to be strong,” Mina said. “I don’t know why you insist on molding her into a combat freak. If you brought Gabriel or Lamach there, then I wouldn’t mind as much, but Tafel?”

  “She has so much potential,” Zollstock said. “We shouldn’t stifle that just because she’s a girl.”

  “Potential to do what? Run off and get herself killed?” Mina asked. “Aren’t we in the process of making peace with the humans? There was no need for her to become strong before, and there’s even less of a reason now.”

  “But weren’t you an adventurer before?” Zollstock asked. “Shouldn’t you know why she needs to become stronger?”

  Mina’s horns stopped glowing as she glowered at him. “It’s because I was an adventurer that I know she shouldn’t live that kind of life,” she said. “Tafel is not going to be an adventurer.” Mina slammed the door to the bedroom, leaving Zollstock in the hall.

  The demon lord stared at the door and sighed. I knew I should’ve brought her flowers and chocolate. Well, that wasn’t so bad. That could’ve gone a lot wor—.

  The door flew open.

  “I forgot to ask,” Mina said with her horns glowing. “When is she coming back?”

  “Um. I don’t … know?” Zollstock said in a questioning tone. “Wait! Wait!” He waved his hands in front of his body as Mina stepped closer to him, her fist glowing red.

  ***

  Mina’s mother was pouring tea when her house shook. She stood up and walked to the window, opening the shutters. There was a hole with smoke pouring out of it on the top floor of the demon lord’s castle. She shook her head and went back to her seat. Oh dear, she thought and sipped her tea. I did warn him about her temper when he proposed.

  14

  “The dragons are back, Milord.”

  Zollstock raised his head and placed his quill down. He was doing paper work in one of the unoccupied storage rooms. For the past month, he avoided Mina for the sake of the castle’s integrity. It would’ve been a problem if the populace knew, but they didn’t. A smile appeared on the demon lord’s face. How strong would Tafel be after spending a month with dragons? He straightened his clothes and clapped the sentry on the shoulders and said, “Take me to them.”

  Tafel and Vur were sitting on Prika’s head. Vur wore black leather pants with Lust sheathed on his belt while Tafel wore brown leather pants and boots. She was also wearing a white woolen sweater with the image of a bat knit on the center, courtesy of Lindyss. In the past month, a third pair of horns had sprouted from her temples. They grew towards the back of her head, but curved downwards once they passed her ears unlike the other pairs.

  Tafel and Vur held each other’s hands and chatted as Zollstock and Mina came towards the capital’s gate from opposite directions.

  “Tafel,” Mina said. “I’m glad you’re okay. Come here and give your mother a hug.” Her arms opened, waiting for her child to climb off the towering red dragon.

  Tafel shook her head and hugged Vur’s arm. “I don’t want to go home,” she said.

  Mina’s face cramped as Zollstock panicked. Is the curse still not gone? “Don’t say that, dear,” he said with a smile. “Your mother missed you very much. Come and give us a hug. Then you can tell us about everything that happened.”

  “You won’t listen to me,” Tafel said and hugged Vur tighter. “You never do. It’s always Tafel do this, or Tafel do that. I never get to do what I want.” Tears leaked from her eyes as she sniffled.

  Mina glared at Zollstock, her horns pulsing with a bright-red glow. The demon lord avoided her gaze and cleared his throat. He pointed at the ground and said, “Tafel. Come here. Right now.”

  Tafel shook her head and buried her face into Vur’s shoulder. Her body shook as she sobbed. Vur patted Tafel’s back and turned his head towards Sera.

  “Mama, Tafel doesn’t really have to leave, right?” Vur asked.

  Smoke rose out of Sera’s nostrils as she sighed. “She has to. We can’t keep the princess of a nation.”

  Grimmy grinned. “You know, she won’t be the princess of a nation if the nation’s gone,” he said. His eyes flickered to the two demons by the gate. They paled and retreated backwards.

  “Grimmy!” Leila said and tugged her mate’s wing. “Don’t even joke about things like that in front of them.”

  Grimmy laughed at the two rulers. “I’m only playing around,” he said while swishing his tail. “You have such a nice looking city; it’d be a real shame if something were to happen to it.” He yawned and smiled, showing off his teeth.

  “Is that really necessary?” Vernon asked Grimmy.

  “Of course. I’m just reminding them of their place in the food chain lest they get any stupid ideas,” Grimmy said. Smoke puffed out of his nostrils, jetting towards the demons. “Uniting with the humans and building a garrison on the borders of our forest? If it weren’t for the patriarch’s orders…” His expression darkened. “Just give me a reason to go to war.”

  Zollstock and Mina fell to their knees and lowered their heads. “We would never think to do something that audacious. The garrison is only there to protect our lands from the undead,” Zollstock said. A bead of sweat rolled down his back. “Thank you for taking care of our daughter for the past month.”

  Grimmy’s gaze lingered on the two. When they thought they couldn’t stand it anymore, Grimmy snorted and turned away. Prika lowered her head until Vur and Tafel were level with the city wall. Vur and Tafel didn’t move.

  “Go on,” Prika said and tilted her head towards the wall. Vur hugged Tafel and turned towards Sera. She nodded once.

  Vur lifted Tafel and walked onto the city wall. “Let’s go to the library, okay?” he asked. Tafel clutched his shoulders tighter. He jumped off the wall, causing a nearby civilian to scream, and headed towards the center of the city.

  Mina took in a deep breath and raised her head. “As a reward for taking care of our daughter, feel free to take as many books from the royal library as you want,” Mina said.

  Zollstock’s brow furrowed. He hadn’t agreed to this.

  “But once you’re done, please, never come back,” she said. “The citizens are scared every time they see a dragon outside the city and our productivity drops. Further visits after this one will be treated as an act of aggression.” Her body was trembling, but she maintained eye contact with Sera without flinching. Zollstock held his breath as Sera raised an eyebrow.
>
  “From one mother to another,” Mina said and lowered her head. “Please.” She closed her eyes and waited.

  Sera stared at her for a moment before nodding. “I understand,” she said as her tail swished. “And will Vur be allowed inside the city?”

  “Currently, only nobility or highly ranked human adventurers on a mission are allowed in the border towns of our lands,” Mina said, keeping her head lowered. “And these are just tentative steps towards peace. It is highly unlikely for any low status human to step foot in our capital in the foreseeable future.”

  Prika sighed. “Poor Vur,” she said. She added after a thought, “And Tafel.”

  Sera turned her head towards Prika. “We’re not going to spill blood for the sake of a rebellious demon child.”

  Prika nodded and sighed again. “I know,” she said and shrugged, breaking off a piece of the capital’s wall by accident. “It’s still sad though.”

  ***

  The sun was setting, the sky bathed in red. Five dragons lazed about in the field outside the capital—a decent distance away from the walls—with Vur standing on Sera’s head. Each dragon had a large leather bag filled with books. Zollstock and Mina stood at the top of the capital’s walls, their hands on either of Tafel’s shoulders.

  “Vur…,” Leila said as she sat up. “We’re not going to come back for a long time.”

  Vur blinked. “What? Why not?”

  “We’re not welcome here anymore,” Leila said. “Dragons shouldn’t mix with demons.”

  “But what about Tafel?” Vur asked. “She’s my friend.”

  Leila shook her head.

  “I’m sorry,” Sera said as she spread her wings.

  Vur jumped off of Sera’s head, but Prika caught him with her claws.

  “Let me go,” he said and squirmed. His eyes glowed with a golden light. The air around him fluctuated for an instant, but in the next second, his eyes closed and the ripples died down.

  “Sorry, Vur,” Grimmy said after casting a sleep spell, “can’t let you wreck the town, even if I want to also.”

  Sera nodded at Mina. The demon said something to Tafel. Tafel stared up at Mina and then looked at Vur with wide eyes. She tried to run forwards, but the hands on her shoulders prevented her from going very far. She opened her mouth and shouted, but the dragons were too far away to hear what she said. Tafel fell to her knees and cried. Zollstock tried to rub her back, but she knocked his arm away with her elbow and continued to sob. The figures of the dragons became smaller and smaller until only five black specks could be seen in the sky.