Chapter 577

You know, what do you say to someone who was just resurrected from death and turned into a Devil?

‘Welcome back? How was the cold specter of death?’

‘It must have been a pain in the neck to have your head cut off?’

‘Don’t worry, this is totally real and not a sudden flash of delusion and hallucination in the last moments of your life as you get decapitated and time seems to have slowed to a crawl.’

“I only come to check up on everyone; I don’t mind giving everyone privacy.” I looked to Venelana. “You probably still have a lot to talk about? And it’s not really my place to interject anything.”

From the looks of it, Trisha hadn’t been awake for long; there was no way she had been completely informed of everything yet.

I did glance at Olga, who was holding onto Trisha’s arm, and her eyes were red, clearly having been crying not long ago.

“Oh sweetheart, if there’s anyone that’s allowed to ‘interject’ in this situation, it’s you.” Venelana smiled warmly. “Come on, sit over by me.” She beckoned me over.

I wasn’t an expert in Devil Culture, but I knew the broad strokes. Evil Pieces were something, ironically, sacrosanct to them for some reason. Perhaps an exaggeration on my part, but even parents weren’t supposed to interfere when a child uses their Evil Pieces. Likewise, parents also aren’t supposed to interfere in how their child runs their peerage.

Venelana hasn’t been shy about telling me some things about that. How she’s had to hold her tongue at some problems that her daughter hasn’t addressed in her own peerage.

I don’t really understand it, but it’s apparently something really important to Devils.

Likewise, it would be improper of me to insert myself when Venelana was ‘welcoming’ her newest peerage member. Despite me not liking or caring about some of these customs, it’s important as her partner to respect them from my end.

But clearly, she didn’t seem to mind or care at all.

I took a seat next to Venelana, doing my best to be supportive.

“How are you feeling, Miss Fellows?” I asked to ease the awkwardness.

“Like I was brought back from the dead.” She responded.

I had to stop myself from laughing; at least she’s joking about it, I suppose. 

“I just got finished telling her about her new…status.” Venelana told me.

“Ah.” I nodded. “Did you tell her about me?”

Venelana shook her head. “That’s not something for me to say.”

Olga and Trisha looked at me, and then I realized that they both were in the dark.

“Just to clarify, you know what Venelana is?” I asked, not trying to make it a ‘rude’ statement, calling her a ‘what,’ but I think they understood my question.

“I have just been informed that I am now a Devil, yes. And she is my…queen?” Trisha responded.

Venelana nodded. “That’s technically correct, but I don’t care about all the ponce around it.”

“Do you mind if I say something?” I asked Venelana again.

She gave me that same warm smile; the way her dimples appeared was always very cute. “I appreciate your concern, dear. But you know how little I care about this whole thing. I’ve had my Evil Pieces for centuries and never used them until recently.”

I took her hand and brought it up to my mouth to give a quick kiss before I turned back to Olga and Trisha.

“Allow me to reintroduce myself. My name is Wilhelm Henry Schweinorg. I was born as Takao Shimoda. My mother was a prostitute who had a one-night stand with a certain Devil and I was the byproduct. I’m a Half-Devil by birth, and I was adopted by Zelretch some time ago.”

Funnily, despite Trisha finding out she’s now a Devil, she and Olga both just sort of stared at me like I had three heads.

“Even as a Magus, I can guess that you’re feeling confused right now. Maybe even frustrated, scared, perhaps? You don’t have to be a believer of a certain faith to look at the concept of a Devil and go pale at the thought of your humanity being gone now. I was eighteen years old when I found out I was a Half-Devil myself.”

Someone may not even realize they value the idea of their ‘humanity’ until it’s gone.

However, Trisha wasn’t a normal person. 

She was a Magus.

She wasn’t going to have a panic attack; she wasn’t going to throw a fit or start crying.

I didn’t say anything more than that; I gave her a moment to gather her own thoughts.

“I’m processing.” She finally spoke.

I understood that sentiment quite clearly.

I processed it in my own way as well. Though, mine was more about running away from everything for a clean break.

Regardless, this was good; it was progress rather than just keeping her thoughts bottled up and not knowing what she was thinking. “If I may be so bold as to offer a way to bridge this newfound ‘relationship’? Venelana, why don’t you tell her about the benefits she’s gained by becoming a Devil?”

“Benefits?” Olga perked up, and Trisha did just as well.

“I’m interested to hear this as well.” Trisha looked at Olga for a moment and nodded.

How to win over a Magus: tell them what benefits they gained from something, and they’re much more open to discussion and what-not. It was also a good way to pull her away from any negative thoughts for the moment.

Venelana was clearly happy with me here. 

“First is your lifespan.” Venelana held up a finger. “There’s some debate, but it’s generally believed that the average Devil has a lifespan of about 10,000 years at a minimum.”

That right there was enough to quickly shift the atmosphere in the room. I wouldn’t call it a 180 by any stretch of the imagination, but knowing that you were about to live about a hundred times the normal human lifespan, at a minimum, it was a pretty good ‘bonus.’

“T-ten thousand years!?” Olga exclaimed.

“It’s more of a conservative estimate.” Venelana nodded. “And it’s quite easy to extend that through other methods. Devils also get stronger with age; if you did nothing, you would very slowly, but surely, grow stronger over time.”

“Though, honestly, no one really knows. The first devils aren’t yet reaching ten thousand years.” I made sure to clarify.

“He speaks the truth.” Venelana made sure to clarify. “You came with some other minor benefits like good night vision, enhanced seeing and hearing, and of course, all your physical attributes have done a qualitative change. If you tested yourself, I’m sure you would find that you could probably lift several hundred more pounds than before, without any proper training.”

“I see, those are certainly very beneficial.” Trisha said softly.

“There’s still more.” I stated.

Venelana picked up again. “And of course, you can speak, write, and understand all mortal languages.”

“How else is a Devil supposed to steal souls if they can’t communicate with every region?”

“Hush.” Venelana playfully swats my shoulder.

“Steal Souls?” Trisha furrowed her brow.

Even Olga’s eyes widened.

“It was a joke on his part.” She gave me a look, playfully. “A very long time ago, it would be true, but devils don’t ‘steal souls’ these days. However, we do still accept contracts. But the price is usually more mundane: money, items, favors, etc. But the ‘price’ for contracts is secondary; when you complete a ‘contract,’ you get a very miniscule bump in your Demonic Power.”

“Which leads into perhaps the biggest benefit you’ve gained from becoming a Devil, especially as a Magus.”

“Demonic Power.” Trisha breathed out. “I presume this is some sort of power native to you—my new species?”

“I think Wilhelm could explain it in terms you would better understand.” She looked to me for help.

“I would say that a Reincarnate Devil would no longer generate magical energy. However, since you have magic circuits, that won’t be the case. Normally, devils have their own pool of ‘demonic energy’ they pull from that replaces magical energy in their spellcasting or other uses. It’s systematically different, but not much changes on the surface. Demonic Power can turn into Magical Energy for the purpose of casting spells, as its main use.”

I could speak from experience here; my magic circuits still work, and I still have my own demonic energy, even if it was extraordinarily small when I was younger.

“However, the Demonic Energy has its own differences that you’ll be able to explore later. There is one major point of superiority that many would claim that Demonic Energy holds over Magical Energy. That is the concept of imagination.”

Trisha furrowed her brow. “Imagination? That sounds…whimsical.”

“Have you heard of the Holy Grail? The ritual that takes place every 60 years?”

“Of course.” Trisha pushed up her glasses. “It’s a rather popular, if also disdained, ritual that is talked about when it appears every time in the Clock Tower. Lord El-Melloi II also participated in it, which has elevated its notoriety in the past.”

“The concept inside the Grail that facilitates the ‘wishing’ comes from the Sorcery Trait of the Einzbern family—something dubbed Wishcraft. The Imagination concept prevalent in Demonic Energy shares similarities. You take Demonic Energy, you desire a result, and your Demonic Energy fills in the gaps to produce the result.”

It took a moment before a reaction was finally had.

“Wait!” Olga slapped the bed in a burst of excitement. “You’re saying that this Demonic Energy replaces the need for spell formulas or structure?”

Trisha got the insinuation as well, but it seems Olga asked the prevalent question.

“You would be correct.” I smiled. “Demonic energy doesn’t require spell circles, spell formulas, or even rituals to actualize spells.”

“This is….” Trisha seemed to be having trouble finding the words.

Venelana leaned over and gave me a quick kiss on the cheek. I think she was happy with how I helped her out here. She was still not entirely knowledgeable about things around these parts, so I’m sure I helped a bit.

“But I saw you using spell sequences and circles before?” Olga spoke up, looking at me.

“Ah, good catch. Allow me to clarify a bit. I was actually born with a miniscule amount of Demonic Energy, so it’s difficult for me to wantonly throw it around like that.” Of course, that wasn’t mentioning the use of the Hogyoku inside of me. “And to add on, ignoring the process does require more demonic energy the more complicated something is. So most Devils do utilize spell circles and formulas in their magic to reduce the costs, but the process is still leagues simpler than the equivalent without.”

“That is…amazing, but how does the cost transfer in sequence to ‘complication’? Could you simplify a spell formula down to its base components but retain its power in a logically impossible way, but the ‘imagination’ concept will still allow it to actualize?!” Olga excitedly blurted out, rambling on before she seemed to catch herself. “Ahem, I apologize; I was…excited for a moment.”

“I’m sure this is a lot to take in as well. But it’s also important to note the detriments too.” Venelana shifted tone slightly. “As you may expect, we don’t have the best relationship with the Church. Holy things are poisonous to us; even stepping on consecrated ground could be detrimental if you aren’t prepared. And invoking the name of a certain creator can bring about a splitting headache if you’re not careful.”

Trisha frowned. “That is to be expected, I suppose. You mentioned briefly about your ‘world,’ how it’s full of phantasmal species, and the Age of God persists. Does that mean I would be ‘hunted down’?”

Oh, did she briefly touch on that already?

“We have a peace treaty with Heaven; you don’t need to overtly worry about that.” Venelana said casually.

Olga and Trisha both seemed to blink at the casualness with which she delivered that.

“Quite frankly, and how do I put this politely, woe be to anyone who targets you and, by extension, Venelana.” I added.

Maybe that sounded more ominous than I intended it to, because now they were looking at me weirdly.

“But also, I’m actually on fairly good terms with Heaven. I’ve met several archangels in person.”

…did that make it worse? Because now they were looking at me like I had three heads again.

“...I think I need some air.” Trisha said softly.

I stood up, straightening my tie. “Well, the preliminary guest auction is going to start pretty soon; perhaps a break to attend and…take a breather from the heavy stuff is appropriate?” I looked around.

I subtly reached over and poked Venelana's arm and gestured to Olga.

“That sounds wonderful. What do you think, Olga? Do you have an anticipation for this ‘auction’?”

Olga puffed up. “Of course! As the heir to the Animusphere family, I have vast resources to use to acquire any rare or valuable resources that pique my interest!”

“Oh my, it sounds like you’re excited. What are you looking for? Anything in particular?” She managed to get Olga to walk with her out of the door.

Trisha wasn’t as oblivious to the clear move to take away Olga’s attention.

“I presume you wish to speak to me about something private, Lord Schweinorg?” Trisha asked.

“Sorry, I didn’t want to overly worry Olga.” I smiled awkwardly. 

“...Is that so?” Her lips thinned ever so slightly.

I pursed my own lips because I could imagine that from her perspective, I looked very suspect. “You’re probably wanting to know why we’re showing so much favoritism towards her?”

“The thought crossed my mind.”

A polite way of saying that yes, she very much wanted to know why. However, my status as a ‘magician’ probably stopped her from being blunt.

“You know what my magic is. In another time, another place, I’m friends with an older Olga. So it’s a personal goal of mine to make sure this Olga is happy.”

Her face changed quickly as she seemed to digest what I just said. “Thank you, Lord Scheinorg.” Her voice was still soft, and it held a hint of gentleness to it. “You have no idea how much it relieves me to hear your reasoning.”

Ah, well, I couldn’t fault her. A Magus is a Magus. She wouldn’t be a proper Magus if certain thoughts about me having inappropriate desires towards Olga—not necessarily the scandalous kind—could be possible.

“Since Olga is out of earshot, forgive me for being blunt; after the trauma, you must be experiencing. But do you know who killed you?”

“I was wondering when someone was going to ask.” She kept herself steady despite a slight tinge of possible hesitation in her voice. “I am thankful that you care enough about Olga that you didn’t want to burden her with this after what happened. Thank you, Lord Schweinorg. You and Lady Gremory took care of Olga in my absence and, presumably, would have continued to do so. That means more to me than you probably think.”

I gave her a smile in return. “There isn’t a need to be like that anymore. We’re probably going to be running into each other a lot more now. And considering your relationship with Olga, I hope that you bring her around a lot too. God knows that girl needs better socialization outside of Magi business.”

Trisha let out a sigh. “I’m afraid that her father, as absent as he is, may not approve of her continued absences from the ancestral home to go gallivanting around.”

“You don’t need to worry about her father.” My expression didn’t change. “I’ll make sure to go have words with him. I’ve heard quite a bit about him from my other Olga, after all.”

She pushed up her glasses. “Is that so? Then perhaps, I would not be remiss to be the one to guide you to his place of residence and perhaps be present for this talk.”

Further words didn’t need to be said there.

Trisha obviously wasn’t a fan of Olga’s father, and neither was I.

He was an utter asshole from what I knew, so I’m sure our talk will not be very polite.

She got up from her sitting position, and I politely put a gentle hand on her shoulder in solidarity. “Go ahead and spend this time with Olga; don’t worry about anything too heavy. We can continue this stuff after you’ve had a moment to catch your breath.”

“Thank you, Lord Schweinborg, I am thankful for your consideration.” She nodded, accepting my gesture of goodwill. It wasn’t much, but letting her just decompress at her own pace ‘away’ from us with Olga would do her mental state well. “As for your question from before, yes. I do know who killed me. I saw it with my Mystic Eyes right before….” She didn’t finish that particular sentence. “Karabo Frampton.”

I raised an eyebrow.

“I’ll take care of it.” 

She gave one last nod as we left the room to catch up.

@***@

“Look who finally got up.” I saw Salem waiting for me outside of the lobby train car.

She let out one of her cute huffs. “And whose fault is that?”

I gently took her hand into mine to soothe over any ‘anger,’ as nonexistent as it was. She accepted it readily enough.

As soon as we walked inside, it was like a hush overcame the train car.

Even more than before, people were staring. Funnily, it wasn’t mostly on me either. I got my own fair share; it was the first ‘public appearance’ since the whole fiasco yesterday. Plenty of people saw me use the train as a bludgeoning tool on that servant. And plenty of people saw Salem match a zombie apocalypse with her own horrific monsters.

And everything in between

And not so strangely, a great many people were looking towards Trisha. Someone who should be very much dead right now.

Of course no one outright called her out on it. In the world of Magecraft, there are hundreds of ways this could be explained without jumping to ‘resurrection.’ 

But that didn’t stop people from whispering and eyeing her suspiciously.

We found our seats next to Venelana, who welcomed us happily.

I looked around and saw Olga sitting with Trisha, not far away, but enough that they had privacy. It seems like they were catching up or just spending some much-needed time to themselves, despite the whole ‘auction’ thing.

Well, this specific ‘auction’ was more of a social thing, or something meant to waste time until the real auction later.

I specifically did not see Karabo.

I didn’t know where he was—somewhere on the train, obviously—but I wasn’t going to go turning it over just yet. He would pop up later today at the very least, and then we would have words.

Also, the other church people weren’t present; I presume they don’t care about this part of the train ride. They only came for the specific mystic eyes that have been the talk of the crowd recently.

I still have no idea what relation Morgan has with these supposed Mystic Eyes.

Waver came in and took just a moment after I finished evaluating the ones present. He was by himself. I could imagine that Gray wouldn’t want to be out and about, because, speak of the devil, Morgan came walking in as well.

And she wasn’t wearing her veil.

I suppose she didn’t see a reason to hide herself any longer.

She sat on the opposite side of the room, but we were in each other’s line of sight.

She scowled when our eyes met and turned away.

If I were in a really petty mood right now, I would have thrown something at her. But my concerns were elsewhere since Morgan was apparently…behaving?

Is that the correct way to call it? She wasn’t actively being evil within my presence at the moment, which was something that should be noted.

“Good morning, Waver.” I greeted Waver as he sat at the table next to us.

“Good morning to you as well, Lord Schweinorg. Lady Salem, Lady Gremory.” He greeted each of us politely as Salme and Venelana gave him a nod in return.

Pleasantries aside, there wasn’t much conversation to be had. Everyone was here for a purpose, even if the purpose wasn’t as grand as the one later tonight.

Eventually, the train auctioneer entered the room, and the idle chatting slowly receded.

“Good afternoon, everyone.” She addressed us all. “As per tradition, we usually hold a guest auction the day before the main auction begins. However, there is a small change in schedule. Due to recent events, the main auction has been moved up to later tonight. There will still be plenty of time to partake in both, so you need not be concerned.”

There were a few murmurs and some frowns, but no one called her out or said anything particularly negative.

For most Magi, this wasn’t really a place that they could act out or get loud even if they were upset.

“As a reminder, this guest auction is not administered by the staff of the Rail Zeppelin. We merely oversee it to make sure that proper decorum is met and no hostilities occur. What you buy is entirely at your own discretion; what you accept as payment is likewise entirely our prerogative. If you are ‘scammed’ or ‘cheated,’ then you only have yourself to blame. If there are no questions, I will open the floor to begin. Anyone is welcome to step forward and present an item to be auctioned. We will take turns; one person is allowed to auction one item at a time, then they must allow someone else to go. If no one else wishes to go, you may continue until the auctioning of items is finished.”

She curtly, and seemingly intentionally, didn’t wait for anyone to ask a question despite her words.

Well, it would be strange to expect her to hold anyone’s hands.

She’s very explicit about washing her hands of any responsibility for the items here and their potentially dubious value.

There was a moment where everyone looked around, as if waiting for someone to make a move.

The first to step up was someone I noticed when I first entered the train, mostly because he was hard to not notice.

The man with the elephant head.

“Hello everyone.” He addressed the room as he took the center stage.

Is it weird that I didn’t expect him to have an English accent? 

“I have an oddity I picked up in my travels through India four hundred years ago.” That was enough to pique many people’s interest. He took out a small box, opening it up. Inside, there was a smooth oval-looking stone. “I discovered this Lingam Stone at a market. It has several vibrant colors under the surface, and it has a hand indentation pushed into the stone’s surface. Also called a Shiva Lingam, as it has connections to the gods of the Hindu beliefs and has sacred symbolism. I’m open to monetary offers or trades at my discretion, thank you.”

I can say for sure that it wasn’t just a river stone he picked up randomly, that’s for sure at least. I think everyone could see the ‘vibrant colors’ slightly sway under the surface of the stone.

{Bid for it.} My Zanpakutō spoke up.

I was surprised to hear him speak up about something like this.

Are you sure?

{It’s beneficial to the Spear.}

And that got my attention.

I took out a gold coin and flicked it to him.

The Elephant Man immediately caught it, and his attention was now set on me. “A thousand of those.” I offered it to him.

The Elephant Man looked at the gold coin, inspecting it thoroughly. “I’ll accept this bid.”

Rather quickly, there was another metallic clank as he snatched a different gold coin from the air. It came from a certain witch on the other side of the room.

“Two thousand of those.” Morgan looked right at me when she said it.

I felt my eye twitch.

Her lips curled up.

Right, so that’s how it’s going to be.

@***@

A/N

One maybe two more chapters of this arc, but I think I can wrap things up in one chapter, we’ll see.

Trisha a bit overwhelmed, Olga just happy to have Trisha back, and things are coming to ahead now that someone had been named.