A Marvelous Devil.
Chapter 34: The Price of Ambition
The Underworld.
Nyra's PoV.
It had been a long time since I last lost consciousness from pain. That kind of endurance was drilled into every single soldier in the battalion, and I prided myself on it.
But it had been a while since I had been this injured.
The fall was brutal. I had been flying high when the pressure struck.
Now, focusing on the memory, I felt proud of forcing my body to move in that state.
But… It didn't hurt anymore.
Like, nothing.
Did they waste a Phenex tear on me? Would Andromalius use that to get me under his thumb? I wouldn't put it past him, considering how much he showed he cared about his own peerage; to say nothing of someone like me who had badmouthed him.
My body also felt strange, and it was submerged in some water.
And it felt nice. To the point that I didn't bother checking my body for injuries, keeping my eyes closed, and just enjoying the feeling.
My body slipped deeper into the liquid before I realized what I was doing, and I had to hide a moan from how good it felt. It was like my whole body was being revitalized nonstop.
Not only were my many aches retreating at an alarming rate, but even the demonic power I used to traverse the territory was also refilling even faster.
What in Lucifer's name had they done? Did Tandy have some kind of healing-type sacred gear? That would explain why he had reincarnated her.
The fear of them using a Phenex faded to the back of my mind after thinking about it. I had never used them personally; things were expensive as hell, but I had seen how they worked, and my grandfather said multiple times how they only worked with physical ailments.
So it couldn't be that. Hopefully, it wasn't something even rarer. But Dante Andromalius didn't have to use something priceless to heal me when he didn't even know me.
Worse, I wasn't supposed to be here. He had been clear that he wanted the battalion to retreat from the territory so that he could do whatever he planned without eyes on him.
"Hm, just like that, baby," a feminine moan reached my ears, the sound sultry to the extreme, and a squelching sound soon followed.
I almost opened my eyes in alarm, feeling a blush rising through my cheeks.
Were they fucking while I healed? I knew Andromalius was a scoundrel!
"Ah," Tandy's sigh continued, "that feels so good, love."
"Do you like it?" Dante's voice was like a rumble with how deep it came out of his mouth, to the point that I clenched my thighs together.
Oh… this was bad. Was he like that?
Nonono, I had to leave. I knew I should have visited the bar with the girls last month to scratch the itch. Being part of the battalion was bad for relationships, and the majority of soldiers who had my eye didn't approach me because they feared my grandfather.
And as much as I hated to admit it, Dante tickled several of my checklists.
"Uhu," the needy moan that responded to his question, and the breathy sighs did nothing to help me, "Just like that!"
"Okay, enough!" I opened my arms in alarm and stood up from the liquid despite hating doing so, my arms rising to block my privates and glaring at the high-class devil that treated his peerage this way.
Only for my mouth to open when I saw the scene.
Tandy rested with her feet in the air as Dante massaged them, the squelching sound was him spreading some kind of heated oil through her toes.
Andromalius let out a chuckle, looking up and down at my figure.
The unblocked sight, because I dropped my arms from embarrassment.
"Thank you for the view, my dear. You didn't have to do that," he said, amusedly.
Tandy smacked his hand with a smirk, also looking at me, "Dante, don't be an ass. She will explode from shame."
Then her expression softened, "How are you feeling, Nyra? You were really injured. What happened? I thought we cleaned every demonic beast from the direction you came from."
Then her eyes looked at my midsection, "But Dante is right. Thank you for the show."
Andromalius snorted loudly, looking at Tandy in surprise.
"You swing both ways?" He asked curiously, "Didn't expect that coming from my light."
Tandy just snorted, staying silent.
He then kissed her feet softly, waving his hand and getting rid of all the oil that covered her pale legs.
That… that wasn't something a person like the one I believed he was would do.
None of the Great King Faction would treat a peerage member this way, much less the ones that still believed the Old Satans would be better than the new ones.
Tandy's smile was sweet as she pecked Dante's cheek, resting her head on his shoulder.
Then she lifted an eyebrow in my direction, and I finally remembered to cover my privates.
"Where are my clothes?" I asked tightly.
"Heh," Tandy giggled, "here. I had to take them off to heal you. For the record, Dante didn't see anything until you decided to show us."
And she threw the bundled clothes at me.
I didn't reply to her because I was sure only a squeak would come out of my mouth. Honestly, I wasn't sure why I was so embarrassed.
I was a devil, for Lucifer's sake.
Closing my eyes, I thanked my lucky stars for being adept with fire magic and soon dried my body from the liquid and put back my uniform.
"Thank you for healing me," I bowed my head, feeling my heart skip a bit at what was coming.
But grandfather didn't raise someone who would ignore when she was helped.
"What do I owe you? I just need to make sure it won't put the battalion in danger and that it's not illegal. Aside from that, I'm willing to hear you out."
Tandy's hand covered her mouth as she giggled softly, shaking her head between defeat and amusement.
"I told you the majority of devils are self-serving assholes," Andromalius ignored my question and sent a teasing look Tandy's way.
"Like you aren't," Tandy burst out laughing, earning a shrug from her king.
"You don't owe us anything, Nyra." Tandy turned her head in my direction, "If you don't believe me, just think of it as us paying back the information you gave us."
I looked at her dubiously for a moment, but the girl… she didn't look like the bad sort, and I believed I was a good judge of character, despite only having seen her once.
"Really?" I asked one last time, at which she only sighed, nodding her head with a small smile.
"I appreciate it, then," I sighed, taking a seat on a chair once Andromalius nodded at my unasked question.
"What happened?" Tandy asked, and once more I was surprised seeing Dante preparing three drinks instead of sending Tandy to the menial work.
Was I wrong about him? I thought back on everything and realized I was beginning to doubt my first impressions.
"I don't know, I came to see how you two were doing, and on the way here, some kind of pressure froze my body while I was flying," I explained, focusing on the King's expression.
He didn't even twitch. Tandy did wince. She wasn't good at hiding her emotions.
I ignored it for now.
"Did you really clean the outer ring already?" I asked hesitantly, "How? We were here for over forty years, and we never managed more than to cull the numbers."
"We're built different," Dante smirked, but not exactly unkindly as he set the drinks on the table.
I shot the smug bastard a glare. As much as I wanted answers, I knew he wasn't obligated to give me any.
I was already indebted to them, regardless of their insistence to the contrary.
Lifting the glass, I avoided checking it for toxins or poison despite my magic almost doing it by itself.
And drank the milky white liquid.
My eyes widened in surprise as the regeneration sped up threefold.
"What is this?!" I stood up, alarmed.
"Good, right?" Tandy giggled once more. It sounded nice.
I just nodded, sitting back with another blush.
Why in the world was I acting this way was beyond me. I was usually more composed.
It had to be his fault.
"It's a product that the Andromalius family will sell once we finish setting the territory," Tandy explained eagerly, "Anyone will be able to get different kinds. Keep an eye on the devil net for the announcement."
"Was this how you healed me?" I asked, my mind running through scenarios.
This was not something simple, and it honestly explained why the Satans decided to give him the Gusion territory if he could produce something like this.
"The Phenex won't be pleased," I warned the King. "Worse, they're your neighbors now. You need to be careful, because they already dislike you after witnessing the Gremory princess's behavior around you."
"You saw that?" Andromalius's lips quirked. "And you don't have to worry about that. I don't plan to enter the healing business. We're going to focus on a cheaper alternative. What you are drinking right now does not supernaturally heal you; it simply enhances your cells for your natural regeneration to be faster."
"With the added energy, obviously." Tandy pointed out with a proud smirk, "And considering we will sell diluted versions, anyone will be capable of getting some version of it."
I nodded, seeing the possibilities and how it would toe the line instead of jumping over it and setting it on fire.
It could work, but there was still a big problem.
A simple one, in truth. We were devils.
I looked between them, feeling… something I hadn't felt in a long time.
Ambition.
Opening my mouth, I closed it shut, seeing the knowing glance in Andromalius's eyes.
"Hoh?" He laughed, "Do not be shy, my dear. Go on."
Swallowing thickly, I couldn't… I couldn't get out of my mind why he scared me more than some other generals I had met with my grandfather.
He wasn't a normal devil. But I already knew that, didn't I?
He couldn't be a normal devil if he had the attention of the Satans.
"May I be blunt, Lord Andromalius?" I asked neutrally, trying to keep my nerves in check.
He waved his hand airily, his other hand hugging Tandy's waist.
"Is this your power, or Tandy?" I swallowed, knowing that I was asking something private.
"Tandy's," he replied simply, a curious look growing on his face.
The amusement never left.
"Then you have to be careful, Lord Andromalius." I warned seriously, "If she's the one facilitating such a product, you need to keep her safe from other devils. Especially the powerful families that would do anything in their power to take her from your hands."
Despite the very real danger, neither of them looked surprised nor scared.
In fact, Tandy seemed like she didn't care in the slightest that other devils would absolutely come for her.
"I thank you for the warning," he said carelessly, making me hide a frown, "I know what to do, you can rest assured."
I didn't push more, despite wanting to.
The silence stretched for a longer time than was appropriate, because I didn't know what to say to avoid sounding like I was pushing into something I had no right to do.
I lowered my head, watching the drink and taking another sip to hide my expression.
It didn't work.
"You want in," he laughed, shaking his head.
It wasn't a question. Not even an observation. He said it like it was a fact, and it was.
I kept my expression neutral despite the sweat on my back. I hated that he could see through me so easily. "I don't know what you mean. It was just friendly advice."
Tandy shot me a disapproving look that somehow felt worse than it should have.
"Hoh?" his smile stayed in place. "If you want to know something about me, dear Nyra, it is that being truthful goes far here."
Smug bastard. Why did it have to be him? Ugh, I wasn't usually this jealous.
Tandy's eyes showed me that he was being truthful, and I sighed.
"Fine," I set the glass down after finishing the drink, "Yes. I want in."
"Explain your reasons."
"Because I'm not blind," I rolled my eyes, keeping my tone professional. Just like Granpa had taught me. "What you have here… the territory, the drink, the fame you'll have if you succeed here… I know it's going to be significant. Anyone with half a brain and enough experience to see the signs can see that."
"Flattery will get you everywhere with Dante," Tandy chuckled.
That was a lie.
I sent a stink eye at her, making her stick out her tongue at me in amusement.
"It wasn't a compliment, Tandy. It is a fact." I met his eyes, making sure not to look away despite all the warning bells in my mind.
"I'm also aware I don't have much to offer you. I'm not half-human, I'm not from the 72 families. And I'm not particularly powerful. But that doesn't matter to you, does it?"
I looked at Tandy, reading her body language and the faint signs of how much she had changed. I couldn't read her demonic power anymore.
Which meant she was already stronger than I was.
WHICH DIDN'T MAKE ANY SENSE!
"You made her stronger than me in less than a month. And as absurd and impossible as that should be, that means you know what you're doing. I want in. I have a century under my grandfather, relationships inside the army that took me decades to build, and enough common sense to tell you things even if you don't want to hear them."
"Even if you dislike me?" He asked neutrally.
"No, I hate that you are better than me. I'm jealous of what you have, but I'm willing to prove my worth. I want more than what I have."
He wanted honesty; he could have it.
"Hm," he tapped his fingers on the table, "Like the Phenex warning."
"And many more," I nodded.
Lord Andromalius stayed silent. He looked at me in a way I didn't like, reminding me of minutes before when he had seen me naked.
It felt as if he was seeing through me.
It was deeply uncomfortable.
"You want to ride my fame. My name," he nodded in understanding.
The bluntness of it made my face heat up, but I nodded despite the embarrassment. "If you want to see it that way."
"It is the truth," he shrugged.
"It's not like I'm asking for a free ride," I felt the need to defend myself, "I'm asking for a chance to prove my worth."
Tandy grabbed his hand, but he didn't move his eyes from me.
"A week. You'll prove your worth in a week," he nodded. "You will stay here with us, fighting. Proving you have what it takes. And if you are acceptable, we'll discuss terms properly."
"And if I don't?" I asked nervously.
Did I really want to do this? He seemed calm about fighting in the inner ring.
I had more experience than he did, and this place still gave me the shivers.
Did I want to risk my life for the chance?
Fuck… I did.
"If you don't," he paused, a dark smile growing on his face, "You won't have to worry about that. You won't remember."
"And if you approve?" I asked after a moment.
"Then you'll have fair terms, I give you my word."
I felt the pressure from before setting on my shoulders once more, and my eyes widened as I gaped at the unamused stare, "And my word is my worth."
Fuck me and fuck my ambition. Grandpa always said it would be my doom.
But despite knowing that, I gave him my hand, which he shook with a growing smile.
"We'll have fun, you don't have to worry," he laughed darkly, "If anything, Tandy will enjoy having someone to suffer with."
And I realized at that moment that I didn't know what I was dealing with, seeing the excited look in Tandy's eyes.
One week later.
I dropped to my knees the moment the last monster turned into ashes.
Not from injuries. Fuck Tandy for that.
She had made sure of that, healing every single thing I had gone through with the same cheerful smile, telling me that I could keep fighting.
I didn't know if it was admirable or if she was unhinged.
No, my body was fine. My mind wasn't.
I needed a moment to remind myself that it was over. Because I still didn't believe it.
One week.
One fucking week, and I understood why some of the veterans who were part of the army before protocols were established had a haunted look whenever we needed to come here.
I never understood that look, because fighting as a group was different.
Still dangerous, obviously. But not as traumatic as what I just went through without a moment of peace.
Because the monsters next to me didn't allow tiredness to exist. Nor did fucking Tandy.
One week, and I had seen things I was going to spend another century trying to forget.
The cursed variants of the monsters that didn't die even when you destroyed their bodies. The very ruins that fought back. The moment on the third day when something looked at me from the darkness between two collapsed walls.
The moment when my whole body froze in abject terror.
A terror that was shared with said monster once Dante stepped in front of me and glared it into submission.
He didn't stop his conversation with Tandy, and the monster ran away.
He didn't even say anything to me after that.
Or on the fifth day, when Tandy healed a hole through my stomach like it was nothing. Her light, that beautiful, impossible light, flowed through my body with that warmth that reminded me of the last hug I shared with my mother before her last expedition.
I had started crying and couldn't explain why. I was grateful that Tandy hadn't asked, just kicking my ass into the fray once more with a perverse giggle.
She was scary.
The memory of yesterday, the sixth day. When Dante battled a being capable of cursing even my grandfather, as if it were nothing. Something that had forced the General to act because if not, our whole group would have been decimated.
And he destroyed it in four minutes, while explaining to Tandy how she had to fight beings that depended on curses.
Tandy even took notes.
I was surrounded by monsters, and I wasn't talking about the demonic beasts. I didn't think it was even possible for me to feel pity for them. And it turned out I was wrong.
Four fucking minutes.
I had asked Tandy after that how she had managed to survive two weeks alone.
She had gone very still, her blue eyes losing their shine before it returned.
Then she smiled at me, patting my cheek and warning me not to ask what I didn't want to know.
I hadn't brought it up again. Because she was right… I wasn't sure if I wanted to know.
Sometimes, I hated Tandy. Because she didn't let me die.
Sometimes, I thought that would have been better than being brought back from the hands of death.
But then I'd jumped into the fight once more, because grandpa didn't raise a coward.
Or maybe whatever Dante and Tandy had passed to me, and I was already as insane as they were.
"Hey."
I jumped so hard my wings manifested involuntarily, snapping out and nearly hitting the monster in the face.
Dante looked at them, then at me, before snorting.
I pulled them back in, not even feeling embarrassed anymore.
"Sorry, my lord," I said tightly.
He just grinned approvingly, and I bit down a curse.
Fuck this smug, handsome bastard.
The walls of the main town in the Gusion territory were visible from here. The very core of the territory, and the most dangerous location.
Over 30% of the territory remained untouched by these two forces of nature. The place where grandpa almost died.
Tandy stood at the edge of the clearing, looking at the walls with a smile that I recognized now.
The crazy smile.
"I have good news," Dante said simply, "you passed."
I looked at him.
"The offer stands. In fact, I'll give you a freebie." He said graciously, "You can walk away clean. Everything from the last seven days won't matter if you decide so." He tilted his head, "You'll wake up tomorrow, and the worst part you'll feel will be a headache."
The temptation was real.
I couldn't pretend it wasn't, because he would see right through me anyway, and I was too tired for that song and dance. I learned my lesson already.
I thought about what I just went through.
Then, about the opportunity Andromalius was. The treasure trove that had no depth. The devil that would rise higher than even the Satans one day.
The ambition, the stupid, persistent, inconvenient ambition that started this mess.
Then I looked back at Dante.
"I still want in," I said firmly.
It came steadier than I expected.
He didn't smile, just nodding and patting my shoulder.
I shivered at that.
"Good, I guess. Welcome to the team, Nyra." He said.
Then he walked to the walls.
I followed his gaze, not even feeling fear once the demonic beasts inside howled into the air. Each one stronger than my grandfather and the other generals.
Each one stronger than me and Tandy by several margins.
But I didn't care. Because the scariest monster wasn't on their side.
Tandy approached me, smiling cutely with bright eyes as she nodded in her King's direction.
"You'll want to watch this," she said quietly as Dante began floating, merely glancing at the demonic beasts.
And they feared him.
He spread his arms wide.
What followed was a fog so dark I couldn't see through. Wherever he learned that magic was not something I was privy to, and honestly, the less I knew, the better.
The fog came out of his mouth, his eyes, his ears, even his pores. It was like a gate had been opened, and the fog couldn't be held at bay anymore. It grew, more and more, until the whole town was covered by it.
Then the fog turned blue as the territory trembled under his control. Dark blue, the fire that not even the ultimate class beasts wanted to be near off. They climbed the fog, as if it were alive, in spiraling patterns, and from it came the screams of its previous victims.
The damned victims.
The monsters inside the town retreated in terror, no matter their strength or size. The few stupid ones touched the fire and howled in pain as they were consumed whole.
Then they all fled into the core.
Then he snapped his fingers, and an orb of pure darkness fell into the center. Just on top of the castle.
Just watching that orb made me feel sick in the stomach.
"The monsters inside will continue growing and multiplying," he said neutrally, watching the fires settle into the fog, "getting stronger the longer they're in there. A good training ground for the future, no?"
I gaped at him before taking a step back without meaning to.
"For your peerage?" I asked after a moment, trying to sound casual.
"Heh, you're cute," he chuckled.
I looked at the walls, at the fire, hearing the distant screams and howls and shrieks. Then, at Tandy, who was smiling at the walls with that vicious expression.
Grandfather… you were right. I was an idiot.
But I meant what I said. I still wanted in.
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