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Chapter Text

Four years before the death of Himmel the Hero...

Aura the Guillotine sat upon the decayed throne of a ruined castle, somewhere within the wastelands of the North. She looked up through the long-collapsed roof at the night sky, idly watching the stars. Her most powerful followers, the Executioners, stood about the chamber, similarly watching the sky in silence.

The decades following her battle with the Hero had been difficult. She had been hideously wounded, and only narrowly escaped with her life through desperately ordering her entire army to attack the Hero's party. Even then, had he not made the baffling decision to turn back and fight her minions, she doubted she would have escaped. It took all of her remaining strength to regroup with her followers and make her way to a remote, run-down shack in the mountains.

She was left near-immobile in that shack for many years, slowly recovering from her injuries, drifting in and out of consciousness. She remembered overhearing at some point that the Hero's party had killed the Demon King, and feared he would now seek her out, and she'd be helpless to defend herself. She also overheard her followers debating whether they should abandon her, and those in favour of doing so recommending finishing her off before leaving, lest she take revenge on them later. She couldn't accept an end like that; if she were to die, it should be in a grand battle against an army of mages and soldiers, although of course she had no intention of dying at any point.

Only Lugner remained of her original followers; the others either had either left or died in squabbles with one another, often over what to do with her. Linie, at the time little more than a child, had apparently found the lonesome shack at some point through sensing its inhabitants' mana. Lugner, impressed with the young demon's detection skills, had decided to recruit her of his own volition.

Since then, she had almost completely recovered, and had moved the group to their current, more dignified and secure hideout. She encountered Draht in these ruins, and the much weaker demon immediately kowtowed and pleaded to join her forces. She had even begun to rebuild her army, although she only had a dozen soldiers, and of those only half of them wearing proper armour. She was nearly ready for a grand return, to remind the world of the Seven Sages of Destruction, but she didn't dare move until she was sure of the Hero's death. Given human lifespans, it would likely not be long now; until then she'd continue silently watching the night's sky and passing the days in this long-forgotten fortress.

A sudden sensation came over Aura, a kind of heat in her bowels mixed with a gnawing thirst. A sensation she had felt before, although not for almost a century. She shifted slightly in the ancient throne. Linie glanced towards her, a quizzical look briefly crossing the young demon's face as she no doubt noticed Aura's suddenly destabilized mana. Lugner straightened his back, and Draht didn't seem to notice at all.

No, not now. I don't need this now...

Aura narrowed her lips and shifted again as the sensation fully washed over her. Demons so rarely have the urge to breed that it feels unfamiliar each time. It was distracting to the point of being overpowering, and it had only just begun! The desire would grow until she found a mate, and her mana would get more unstable, signalling to every nearby demon the undignified state she's in, and risking triggering it in them. Lugner glanced towards her; Aura thought she spotted a hint of disapproval on his face, but he hid it well enough that she could forgo punishing him.

Aura swallowed and glanced around the room.

Draht? No, absolutely not. He was a low-level demon, young and with weak mana, and limited potential. Had this been the days of the Demon King and the Seven Sages, Aura would never have tolerated him in her retinue. And besides, despite never noticing before, something about the shape of his face was bothering her, and the way his hair covered his eye. She felt a wave of nausea briefly pass her over at the idea that she had even considered the possibility.

Aura turned her attention to the stoic Linie. Another young demon, but Linie had stronger, better-defined mana, and far greater potential. Her strength was impressive for her age; Lugner had made the right decision in recruiting her. Her thin waist was nicely emphasized by her underbust corset, and Aura liked the way her legs peeked out from under her dress... Wait, what am I thinking?!

Linie turned her attention to Aura again, and their eyes briefly met. Aura felt a sudden and indescribable sense of anxiety and dizziness, and quickly averted her gaze. Linie tilted her head, clearly confused by her leader's behaviour.

Lugner? Really, he was the obvious decision. Seeking out another demon approaching her power would be time-consuming and dangerous, particularly with the Hero still alive. Lugner had impressive mana; certainly the strongest demon here other than Aura herself. He was also quite tall, and in her current state, Aura found his face appealing.

In better times, she'd never consider any of the three, and would have brutalized them had they offered. A demon with as much mana as Aura, not to mention her fearsome reputation and title, would be supremely desirable to one in her state; only another great demon would be worthy. She thought back to the days of the Demon King's Army and the other Sages, distracted by wild and insane ideas of throwing herself to the lot of them, and even the Demon King himself. Completely frivolous thoughts, given all of them were very likely dead; luckily she'd be free of them soon.

As she was deciding on Lugner as her mate, another problem crossed Aura's mind. If she conceived, she would have difficulty fighting to her maximum potential for the next fifteen months. She had some confidence that, along with her Executioners, they could oppose the Hero's party, at least long enough for her to escape again, but that relied on her fighting to the maximum potential her lingering wounds would allow. No, getting pregnant was far too dangerous, at least until she was certain the Hero was dead.

She briefly considered waiting, but given the state she was already in, she immediately concluded it was impossible. The hero could live for decades more in the worst case, and she'd go mad with lust long before then. Other powerful demons had been killed trying to seek out a worthy mate in the past, and that was during the time of the Demon King. That only left one option.

Aura rose from her throne and approached Linie, Lugner glanced in her direction, his eyes indicating his understanding; clearly he had come to the same conclusion, arrogant as it was for him to even think about it. Draht noticed her unusual behaviour for the first time, watching as she moved towards the girl. Linie wordlessly stared at her as she approached.

“Linie, you will accompany me,” Aura said.

“Where are we going, Lady Aura?” Linie asked.

“Away from here,” Aura answered. “You will follow me.”

Linie silently acknowledged Aura's authority. Draht looked as if he was about to say something, before Lugner shot him a glare. Good that he did, Aura thought. It's likely that she'd kill Draht for whatever had crossed his mind, had he said it.

Aura took flight into the night sky, Linie following close behind. The two flew over the hills, as Aura looked for a safe location to... Deal with her urges. The irony of the situation hung over her mind; the idea of her mating with Linie would have been absurd merely an hour ago. No, insulting. Anyone claiming she'd degrade herself by having sex with such a young and weak demon would be committing an affront against her dignity, which she would have repaid with violence. And yet, here she was, about to do exactly that. Curse the Hero, for doing this to her!

Aura spied a farmhouse about a half hour's flight from her lair. She saw no signs of activity near the two-story residence, and no flicker of flame in its windows. Other buildings were some distance away; it was unlikely that any humans would notice them, especially this late at night. Either the house was abandoned, or the residents were sleeping, in which case she could easily kill them. Aura veered towards the ground, landing in front of the house, Linie close behind.

“What are we doing here, Lady Aura?” Linie asked.

“We're going to make sure this house is empty. If it's not, we're going to kill the humans inside, as quietly as possible,” Aura answered.

Linie nodded, and the two of them entered the house. Linie sprinted up the stairs with silent precision, producing a long, thin blade with her magic. She began to check the second floor bedrooms and closets. Aura moved methodically through the first floor of the house, finding no signs of human life, although she noticed random foodstuffs left in the kitchen, and a kettle and teacup on a nearby table. She was not nearly so distracted as to miss something so obviously suspicious.

Aura returned to the entrance as Linie hopped down from above.

“There are no humans above us,” Linie said.

Aura paused, and tried to focus through her constant desire. Humans required food to survive, and this building appeared to be in perfect condition. Why would its occupants abandon it, and if they did, why would they leave such important items behind? Aura glanced at her feet, and drew her sword. She thrust the broad blade into the floorboards, producing a loud crash. She listened carefully for any cries of surprise, then checked underneath to be certain when she heard nothing.

The strange inconsistencies in the house continued to bother her, but the thought of what she was here to do soon took over. She moved up the stairs, bidding Linie to follow her. Aura felt her heart pounding, and was nearly dizzy with anticipation as she moved towards the closest bedroom. Her mind was clouded with thoughts that felt alien to her. She hated her mating season; all demons did. It filled them with bizarre, incomprehensible emotions and desires that they never felt outside of this brief period. No wonder, then, that the proper way to handle it is to seek out a fitting mate as quickly as possible, roughly satisfy their lusts, and act as though it never happened.

She moved into the master bedroom and stopped in front of a dishevelled and unmade bed. Another oddity, a voice in the back of her head said, although it was quickly drowned out by her wildly growing desire. The bed was easily large enough to fit her and Linie, and quite comfortably too. Aura was never particularly drawn to physical luxury, but in her current state she was happy to see that the blankets and pillows looked particularly soft and plush; the humans who lived here must have been rich. It surely wouldn't be undignified for her to enjoy this, right? It is, after all, a necessity that all demons experience.

“Lady Aura, what are we doing here?” Linie asked.

Aura snapped her attention to the younger demon, realizing she had been silently staring at the bed for several seconds.

“We're going to... I'm going to impregnate you,” Aura said.

Linie stared at her, showing no emotion. “What does 'impregnate' mean, Lady A-”

Aura cut off Linie's question by violently shoving the younger demon onto the bed. Linie's eyes widened in shock as she bounced on the plush mattress, her arms flopping by her sides. Before Linie could ask any more distracting questions, Aura pounced on the deliciously vulnerable girl, straddling her hips and crawling over her on all fours.

Linie let out a small gasp, the surprise and confusion she was feeling melding with the slightest hint of fear. Aura understood why immediately; after all, she could break Linie like a twig at any moment; her servant should be afraid! Linie's trepidation, and a slight quiver in her lower lip drove Aura's bestial lusts to new heights, and she dove in, forcing her tongue into Linie's mouth as she pressed their bodies together. Linie squirmed beneath her as her tongue explored every inch of the girl's mouth, the sensation of Linie's soft body grinding against hers sending pleasant jolts through her.

Aura pinned the struggling Linie's arms to her sides, not breaking her hungry kiss for even a moment. She slid her left leg between Linie's, grinding along Linie's upper thigh and revelling in the lurid pleasure the motion provided her, before doing the same with her right. Aura pushed her hips forward, forcibly spreading Linie's legs open and thrusting against her.

Aura finally broke the kiss, a thin trail of saliva between her tongue and the panting demon girl beneath her. She took a moment to look down at Linie; the girl's expression was one of stunned shock and disbelief. Linie had no idea what was going on or what Aura intended for her, something the great demon in her current state found erotic to the point of intoxication.

The first thing Aura had to do was flip Linie's switch, but her mana yet remained stable. Given the difference in their age and the intensity of her kiss, she was surprised that wasn't enough, but that was no matter, it was just an excuse to stimulate the nubile demon to greater heights. Aura briefly tugged at the ribbon around Linie's neck, trying to figure out how it held her dress on. She quickly gave up; after all, their clothes were made of mana, and could easily be reconstructed. Instead, she placed her left hand on Linie's shoulder, forcing her into the mattress, then grabbed the collar of Linie's dress with her right. With demonic strength, she tore the younger demon's dress clean off her body in a series of savage tears, tossing the remnants to the floor by the side of the bed.

Aura looked down at Linie. The younger demon was now nude from the waist up, her pale skin almost glowing in the moonlight shining through the window. Her chest rose and fell with her deep, rapid breaths, her pert breasts topped with small, pink nipples. Aura let her eyes trail down to Linie's slender, delicate midriff, and over the thin leggings still covering her lower body. Yes, Linie was definitely the right choice, and Aura was going to enjoy this immensely.

“Lady Aura...” Linie spoke. “I apologize for whatever I've done to offend you. Please, tell me what you want from m-Ah!”

Linie was cut off by Aura pinching her nipples, and rubbing them between her index fingers and thumb. The pink nubs quickly hardened as Linie arched her back.

“I'm going to make you feel good,” Aura said. “I want you to tell me how good you feel.”

“I-I.. I don't know!” Linie exclaimed, writhing under Aura's touch. “It feels strange!”

Delicious. Aura leaned in, gently kissing Linie's neck and leading down to her chest. Aura flicked her tongue across one of Linie's erect nipples, eliciting another gasp from the quivering girl. She placed more kisses on her perky breasts, licking and sucking on Linie's peaks as she saw fit. Each new touch caused the girl to cry out in new and arousing ways, her voice a mix of half-formed protests and slurred words.

Aura led her kisses down Linie's waist, briefly licking her navel; she had no idea what purpose this part served, however humans had them and seemed quite entranced by the sight, leading to Aura's decision to expose her own.

“It... The places you're touching are tingling, Lady Aura.” Linie said. “I feel sensitive. Am I hurt?”

Aura glanced up at her, and peered at her mana. Still not enough? She thought back to her previous experience, centuries ago, with another female demon. She didn't expect to need to go this far just to trigger Linie's heat, but no matter. Aura grabbed the top of Linie's leggings, and tore them off her hips and thighs, leaving two halves of the ruined fabric covering her legs. Aura looked at the thin line between Linie's legs, damp with arousal, and the patch of light pink hair above it.

She had learned long ago that humans apparently push their young out through this gap, a thought that always struck Aura as an impossibility. Surely something the size of a human child would pulverize the mother. Perhaps human young are initially very thin? Maybe they transform in the way caterpillars do? She shook off the distracting thoughts; for demons, this organ served no purpose other than pleasure, and it offered the most of anywhere on their bodies.

Remembering what had been done to her in the past, Aura wrapped her arms around Linie's thighs, hugging them from below, and leaned in. She first licked along the length of Linie's pussy, tasting her arousal, before working her tongue into the inexperienced girl.

“Aaah! L-Lady Aura!” Linie cried out, writhing again.

Aura dug in, exploring Linie's depths with her tongue. Linie cried out and sharply jerked her body with each new touch. Aura lapped up Linie's juices, finding the taste irresistible in her current state. Linie tried to place her hands on Aura's head, fumbling with her hair and finding no purchase. Aura grabbed Linie's wrists from below and firmly placed them on her horns; Linie gripped them obediently and instinctively pulled, leaning back as Aura plunged her tongue in deeper.

“Lady Aura, it feels so good!” Linie cried out. “Please, do it more! More!!”

Aura glanced up at Linie. Ah, there we go. Her mana's a mess now, just like she is. A smug smirk curled at the edges of Aura's mouth as she continued to service the younger demon. Finding the heat between her own legs growing unbearable, she slid her right hand out from under Linie's thigh, taking a quick moment to squeeze and grope the girl's rear, before lowering it further. She reached under her own skirt, and tore away the thin piece of fabric beneath it, before plunging two fingers into herself.

Linie's cries increased in pitch and intensity, as Aura zeroed in on the girl's weak points. She gripped Aura's horns tighter, arching her back as she sped towards her peak. Aura fingered herself harder, enjoying the sensation of her silk glove against her clit and wet passage.

“Lady Aura, I'm- Something's wrong! I'm going to...!” Linie started.

Linie's panicked declaration descended into a loud cry of pleasure, as she was overcome by an explosive orgasm. She lifted her hips off the bed, a flood of arousal pouring over Aura's tongue and into her mouth. Aura greedily licked it up, swallowing as much as she could, the excess dripping onto her chin.

Aura had only planned to warm herself up with her hand, but Linie's violent orgasm and delicious taste caught her off guard, and she felt herself pass over the brink. She added a third finger, and fucked herself through her own climax, coming all over her gloved hand.

Aura finally pulled back as Linie sank into the plush mattress, flushed and panting. She sat up, and wiped her chin with the same hand she had just used to pleasure herself, her body still tingling in afterglow. The mess of her and Linie's juices formed a web of glistening, sticky fluid between Aura's fingers. She held her hand up, and watched the moonlight reflect off it, smiling at her lewd handiwork.

“Ah, l-let me...” Linie reached up and grabbed Aura's wrist with both hands. She pulled Aura's hand towards her, and started licking and sucking her fingers.

Oh, that's sexy... Aura smiled as she watched the mostly-nude, blushing demon licking her fingers, tasting and swallowing their combined arousal. She felt like a sex Goddess, a sense of pride washing over her in spite of how shameful demons typically considered this act to be. Now that Linie was well and truly in heat, they'd need to engage in further lascivious acts, and Aura would take the opportunity to mingle her mana with Linie's. It occurred to Aura that she could have likely managed that during their mutual orgasm, and had missed the opportunity. Oh well, no option but to continue.

Aura slid her glove off, letting the damp article fall across Linie's chest, taking a moment to enjoy the sight. She did the same with the other, before tearing her own clothing to shreds, tossing the pieces to the side, in the same pile where Linie's ruined dress now lay.

“You look so beautiful, Lady Aura,” Linie said. “I want to touch you more...”

The younger demon hesitantly reached up towards her. Aura grabbed her hand and placed it on her plump breast, encouraging Linie to touch her as she wanted.

“We're going to make each other feel good now,” Aura said. “Then, I'm going to get you pregnant. In fifteen months, you'll give birth to our offspring.”

“How do I get pregnant?” Linie asked.

“I'll take care of everything,” Aura answered. “Just focus on feeling good and touching me.”

Aura shifted her position, interlocking her legs with the younger demon's. She thrust her hips forward, pressing their damp sexes together. Linie let out another sharp cry and fell back, drowning out Aura's own gasp. They were both still very sensitive; Aura knew this wouldn't take very long. She was almost disappointed at the thought.

Gripping Linie's left leg, Aura began grinding against her, each thrust producing new gasps of pleasure. Linie returned the favour, moving her hips in time with Aura's. Aura looked down, enjoying the sight of Linie's breasts bouncing in time with her motions. She grabbed the younger demon's hand again, and placed it on her chest a second time, encouraging Linie to grope her.

Aura let out a sudden cry as Linie squeezed her nipple much harder than she had expected; the sharp pain mixed with the growing pleasure, and sent her to even greater heights of arousal. She increased her pace, feeling the impending climax. Her disappointment from earlier was long gone; now she wanted nothing more than to come, as fast and hard as possible. She hugged Linie's leg for greater leverage, as the younger demon roughly squeezed her breasts.

Aura gave a final scream of pleasure as Linie pinched her other nipple, and the building orgasm rocketed through her body. Linie's climax came moments later, and their combined cries echoed through the abandoned bedroom and into the night. Aura forced her mana into Linie, and felt it breach and intermingle with her being, adding a new dimension of pleasure to her climax. A spray of fluid shot out of her, staining Linie's prone body with her sticky arousal. Aura nearly fell back, gasping for air, as the intense orgasm faded.

After a brief respite, Aura looked down at the exhausted and panting Linie, her wet glove still lying next to the girl on the bed. She took a close look; there was no mistaking it, Linie's mana was an unstable mixture of her and Aura's energies. Linie was most certainly pregnant, and thus Aura's problems were solved. Linie would be mostly out of commission for the next fifteen months, and Aura would be... Well, protective is the wrong word, but she did feel some level of instinct to keep Linie away from direct harm. Still, this phase was far less disruptive than her earlier arousal.

However, having her mana disrupted like this would be very exhausting for Linie, and Aura's role was taxing as well. Beyond the physical exhaustion, she had, more or less, forced a piece of herself into Linie. She would recover in less than a day, but she had almost no energy left. She smirked at Linie, as the younger demon drifted off into sleep. Necessity aside, that was by far the best sex she had ever had in her five hundred year long life. Perhaps in another century or so, she'd use Linie again, assuming the girl was still alive. For now, she'd rest; not sleep, but just relax for a bit, until she recovered the power to fly. She lay down next to Linie, and rested her eyes for a moment.

It was past noon by the time Aura awoke, to the sound of songbirds in the midday sky. She cursed herself for drifting off, remembering the unusual state this farmhouse had been in. Humans could have returned at any time and caught the two of them in bed. True, it's unlikely they'd be in much real danger, but such a lapse was unacceptable for a great demon. She stood up, conjuring a new set of clothes for herself.

Aura looked down at Linie again, still nearly nude. She licked her lips, thoughts of repeating last night's activities racing through her mind. But no, fucking a pregnant demon would be degenerate in the extreme, there would be nothing to-.

Aura froze.

No... But how?! She quickly focused on Linie's mana; she must have made a mistake last night. Perhaps she was too tired, and misread the younger demon's mana. But Linie still showed the unmistakable signs of pregnancy. Aura stopped her mana detection, and checked again, confirming the same thing. Horror rose in her mind; somehow, despite impregnating Linie, she was still in heat. The arousal wasn't as blinding as it had been the prior night, but it was still there, and staring at the nude Linie only caused it to build again. Aura looked away.

“Linie, get up and get dressed,” Aura ordered.

Linie slowly rose behind her, and conjured her dress again. Aura turned around to face her; of course, Linie was no longer in heat, having returned to her normal state, pregnancy aside. She tilted her head to the side.

“Lady Aura, your mana is-” Linie said.

“I know!” Aura cut her off.

She thought about what to do. She had never, ever heard of a demon remaining in the throes of lust after successfully reproducing. She tried to calm herself down, dreadful fears that something had broken inside her bubbling to the surface. What if she never returned to normal? She thought about what she would have said just a day ago about a demon permanently stuck in heat... She couldn't even imagine something more shameful. Not to mention the danger; she'd surely be dead in less than a decade if this continued, if that.

No, plummeting into irrational fear was pointless, not to mention undignified itself. First order of business would be to return to her castle. The two of them had been gone for longer than she had intended, and it would be best to return before Lugner or Draht started seeking them out, or got any other ideas.

“Linie, we are returning to the castle. Follow me,” Aura ordered. Linie nodded, and the two of them stepped outside, before taking to the air, and flying off into the distance.

A shape stirred in the shade of a tree, just outside the window of the bedroom where Aura and Linie had spent the night. A turquoise-haired female demon in a white dress, with two tiny horns jutting out of her forehead, stepped into the light.

“Well that is fascinating!” she said, watching Aura and Linie disappear from view. “I'd love to talk to her about it!”

Chapter Text

Four years before the death of Himmel the Hero, but the next day or so...

Aura swooped down into the throne room of her castle as the noonday sun crossed into the late afternoon, Linie right behind her. Lugner and Draht, having barely moved since Aura left the prior night, looked up at them, silently nodding in acknowledgement of her return. Linie returned to roughly where she stood the previous night, then sat against the stone wall, the disruption to her mana still taking a toll on her. Aura sat on her claimed throne, an impatient look on her face.

Lugner glanced between Aura and Linie, no doubt carefully examining both of their mana. He would certainly notice right away that Linie was pregnant, and that Aura's state had not changed. Aura made an attempt to precisely control her mana in a manner she never had before; rather than simply hiding it, as one would do to ambush an enemy, she attempted to conceal the instability her heat produced in her mana, constructing a facade of normalcy. Of course, doing something so bizarre and nonsensical with no practice could never work, and the attempt seemed to only attract more of Lugner's attention.

“Lady Aura, I thought you were-” Draht began to speak.

A whip of blood lashed out from Lugner's palm without warning, slashing Draht across his face. He cried out and raised his hand to the wound, as he was flung to the stone floor. Yet again, Lugner had saved the demon's life, by interceding before he said something unforgivable. Draht quickly rose to his feet wearing an expression of rage, but relented seeing the far more powerful Lugner and Aura glaring at him. He wisely decided to vacate the throne room for the time being.

Lugner returned to doing nothing in particular, as Linie slumped down to the ground, curling up on the floor, exhaustion forcing her to sleep. Aura glanced to towards her, before turning her attention to one of the unmoving headless knights standing in attention around the room. She stood up, and carefully polished a slightly worn corner of its cuirass, checking the others, before returning to her throne.

Nearly a full hour of nothing passed, then Lugner approached Aura.

“Lady Aura, I mean no disrespect, however-” Lugner began.

“I cannot get pregnant at this time. Doing so would weaken me, and if the hero attacked, I would be unable to defend myself,” Aura said.

“I was not proposing... Forgive my presumption, but I assume that, given Linie's state, you were successful. And yet you remain... Indisposed,” Lugner said.

Aura stared back at him, a hint of impatience cracking on her face.

“Very well, I will not mince words. Only the desperate nature of our current circumstances led to your decision to take Linie as your mate. I have never heard of a demon remaining in your condition after mating, however given that such a thing has happened, perhaps the difference in your power is to blame,” Lugner said. “While the hero remains at large, there may be no course of action available to you other than seeking out a suitable partner.”

Aura considered Lugner's words. This was certainly a better alternative than the possibility that she was simply damaged beyond repair, and perpetually in heat. He was quite correct that under normal circumstances, there would be no chance that a great demon would mate with such a young partner, even one as promising as Linie. It was as reasonable of an explanation as any. She nodded slightly, and Lugner returned to roughly his previous location.

Several days passed, with few changes other than Draht's eventual return to the throne room, and Linie regaining enough of her strength to function more or less normally. Aura rose several times to maintain her soldiers, but never spoke a single word, and neither did any of her Executioners. There was no change in her condition; her lust continued to grow, and she found herself glancing at Linie from time to time, recalling their previous acts. She was left with no choice other than to accept this would not fade on its own.

“We're leaving,” Aura said, a few hours after sunrise on the fourth day.

Her Executioners turned their attention to her as she rose from the ruined throne.

“Lugner and Linie will accompany me. Draht will remain here, to watch over the castle and attend to my soldiers,” she announced.

Draht looked like he wanted to protest, but caught his tongue before he earned himself Lugner's ire yet again, or worse. His frustration was obvious, but Aura didn't care, so long as he did what he was told. Lugner and Linie approached the throne, and, with no need to prepare anything for a journey aside from themselves, the three of them took off into the morning sky.

The three demons flew at a height of close to fifty meters off the ground; high enough that anyone seeking to interfere with them would be well exposed before doing so, but low enough that their mana detection abilities could easily sense the presence of any other demons at ground level. Linie's endurance remained low, and the party would need to stop to rest far more frequently than Aura was used to. While irritating, one of the very few protective instincts she possessed urged her to keep Linie close by, so she accepted the slower travel time.

Days of travel turned into weeks, with few interesting sights among the rolling hills and endless forests of the Northern plateau. Long-abandoned homes, fallow fields, and the odd beast punctuated the silence of the demons' journey. Empty roads the trio flew over would presumably connect to human villages and towns, but they had no particular reason to follow them.

More than a month after they left the castle, the demons crested over a hill covered in yellow flowers during a particularly clear day. A human village, dominated by a large windmill, lay scattered around the hill and the well-tended fields surrounding it. Aura looked down at a group of what appeared to be human children on the hill, obscured by fluffy seeds blowing through the wind. The children scattered in all directions as they caught sight of the party, dashing through the field of flowers and screaming for their lives, as they abandoned random wooden baubles on the ground and made for the houses below.

Some of the smaller humans moved far slower, or simply stood still, crying out in the midst of the field. Linie, feeling unusually hungry in her current state, made to swoop down at one of the isolated children, but Aura stopped her. She was certain that none of the humans in this village could harm a Sage of Destruction, but it's possible if there were mages or warriors protecting them, that Linie could be killed. Best to keep moving.

Weeks later, the group caught sight of smoke rising from a clearing in the forest. Approaching, they saw a ruined village, bodies lined up on the ground in a clearing near what the humans call a church. This was the first sign the trio had seen of clear demon activity, so they floated down from the air to examine the area more closely, landing near the neatly-arranged bodies.

“Lady Aura-” Linie began. Aura silenced her.

The mage's mana flared up from behind a half-destroyed wall next to the church, exactly where Aura had sensed it earlier, and a man leapt out of cover, pointing a staff in her direction. She felt disappointed; the mage could have used the opportunity to reposition, and attack them from another angle. This, combined with his relatively low mana, marked him as a rank amateur. The mage's clumsy Zoltraak spell veered unevenly through the air, aimed not at her, but at Lugner; perhaps he was so foolish that he could not even identify the greater threat.

Lugner deflected the bolt with a shield of blood, as a second human, armed with a spear, charged out from the other half of the wall. Lugner easily deflected his charge as well, nothing but a bored expression on his face. The humans quickly realized their mistake, and turned to flee, but it was far too late.

“Auserlese,” Aura produced her scales and cast her signature spell.

The mage froze in place. The warrior dashed to the back of the church, Lugner taking to the air in pursuit. Aura placed her essence on one half of the scale, and the mage's appeared on the other, the scales obviously tilting in Aura's favour. She felt no particular pride or joy in this victory; this man had no interesting suit of armour, nor was he a notable foe. She heard the sounds of Lugner intercepting and overcoming the other human.

“Who did this?” Aura asked.

“Divine Revolte,” the man said, no choice but to speak.

Divine Revolte. Aura was familiar with him. A demon general of some repute; he was acknowledged for his power, but had an odd obsession with humanity he passed on to his followers. If Revolte had been female, Aura may have found the solution to her problems, but perhaps he had attracted more powerful demons to his side since the Demon King's fall.

Seeing the brief battle was finished, Linie approached one of the bodies arranged in front of the church, and began consuming it. Demons do not need to eat, but it can assist them in recovering their mana, a particularly useful quality for a demon in her condition. The frozen mage grimaced and glanced in Linie's direction.

“Where is Revolte now?” Aura asked.

“Somewhere to the North of here. I don't know where exactly,” the mage answered, still looking towards Linie.

Aura herself turned, and confirmed nothing unusual was happening; Linie was simply eating the corpse as normal.

“... Why do you keep looking at her?” she asked, letting curiosity get the better of her.

“That man... Was my brother. I was born in this village. I left to study magic, but got back too late to save him, or anyone else,” the mage said. His fingers twitched as he clutched his staff tightly. “We were going to bury him and the others.”

Aura blinked. “You would certainly have been killed by Revolte if you were here when he attacked. You should be glad you survived.”

“I wouldn't expect you to understand,” he said. “I'm dead now anyway.”

“... You're Aura the Guillotine, one of the Seven Sages of Destruction, are you not? Maybe not all is lost then,” he added, a strange look in his eyes.

Aura briefly considered what the man meant. She wasn't particularly known for getting along with humans. Perhaps a rumour had spread that she kept them as her servants? Her musings were interrupted by the mage's face suddenly contorting with rage, as he raised his staff, briefly escaping her control, and fired what was certainly meant to be a final Zoltraak with as much power as he could muster at her. Aura's eyes widened in surprise, as she raised a hand, exuding sheer mana to repel the spell. It impacted her hand and dissipated, nevertheless singing her palm. Linie leapt to her feet, on guard.

That was a mistake, she thought. If he had aimed that at Linie, she would likely have perished.

Aura charged forward and pulverized the mage with her sword. Damn Qual, she thought, opening and closing her damaged hand. There's never been another case in history of humans mastering a demon's spell, and yet Qual's masterpiece has become their greatest weapon! To think, such a useless mage would be able to use it to injure her, however slightly. She'd have to give Qual a piece of her mind when he escaped his seal.

Linie and Lugner returned to Aura's side, standing in the now-deserted village.

“We're going North. Divine Revolte destroyed this village, and is likely nearby,” Aura said. The others nodded.

Flying over the tree line, it did not take much time for the demons to sense Revolte's presence. They caught sight of the demon general standing, or at least as much as his serpentine body constituted standing, in a small clearing with a pair of other demons, looking up at them. At least he appeared to be looking up at them, given he was wearing a blindfold of sorts. Still doing the blindfold thing, I see. Aura sighed. The trio landed in the clearing.

“We are honoured by the presence of Aura the Guillotine, survivor of the Seven Sages of Destruction,” Revolte bowed, saluting her with his four swords. The other demons, a male with a staff and a female wearing a sword on her back, bowed as well. Revolte looked up and added, “... I am at your disposal.”

Aura found herself irritated at Revolte's comment. He surely observed her state, and made the assumption that Aura had come seeking him as a mate. True, under other circumstances, he would be suitable, if somewhat weak, however Aura always found Revolte to be an unappealing demon, with his strange obsessions and bizarre appearance. She was further disappointed to see he had merely two followers, although each appeared somewhat capable. Typical Revolte. He showed some tact, however, so she had no need to discipline him.

“Due to various circumstances, I cannot risk a pregnancy at this time,” Aura said. She pointed at the female. “I will make use of her.”

Revolte was clearly surprised by her words, and perhaps insulted, but Aura didn't really care; she was obviously superior to him and he had no defense against Auserlese. He simply nodded, and turned to the female.

“Sturm, you will do what Lady Aura says,” he ordered.

“Lady Aura, I am happy to be of service,” Sturm, the female demon, said.

Aura was less than impressed. She didn't need Revolte's permission to begin with, and the pomp and ceremony he constantly engaged in was simply a waste of time. Still, while not old or powerful enough to be truly suitable, Sturm was attractive enough, and seemed decently powerful. Her black top and short leggings were nice, and her sash-like skirt and hairstyle reminded Aura of her own look, though her hair was a dark green instead of purple. She had decent taste, pity she had one of Revolte's stupid blindfold things on. Sturm walked over to her and stood still, waiting.

This idiot... Does she think I'm going to have sex with her right here, in front of Revolte and... And everyone?!

“Follow me,” Aura said, turning and flying away from the clearing, through the trees. Sturm followed her closely.

Earlier, Aura had allowed her curiosity to get the better of her, and made a serious misstep. Now she was considering doing it again. She wouldn't be in any danger, aside from potentially hearing something painfully stupid.

“Is Revolte still obsessed with humans?” she asked.

“I don't think Lord Revolte is obsessed with them, but he certainly likes them!” Sturm said, smiling. “I love them even more!”

Aura narrowed her lips. She isn't a freak who wastes her time trying to figure out what humans are thinking, but she was pretty certain they don't like being killed. She mentally kicked herself, knowing she had to ask.

“Why do you attack them if you like them so much?” she continued, against her better judgment.

“Oh right, most of us don't understand humans very well,” Sturm said. Aura's eyebrow twitched. “Humans love fighting. They make statues and tell stories about strong humans who died fighting against demons, and have celebrations to remember the most famous ones! And humans particularly love this kind of sword!”

Sturm drew her katana, twirling it in the air. “Whirlwind attack magic, Medrozbalt! Medrozbalt!”

Sturm swung her sword from side to side, generating slashing whirlwinds that cleaved through the trees.

“Why do you and Revolte wear those blindfolds?” Aura asked.

“Oh, humans especially love blind swordsmen,” Sturm answered.

“But you can both see perfectly well, even with them on?” Aura added.

“What do you mean?” Sturm said, confused.

Revolte is so fucking stupid. This conversation was a mistake. She'd give Sturm something far better to do with her mouth in a moment. Deciding she had put enough distance between herself and the other demons, and certain they wouldn't hear a thing no matter how loud she might possibly be, she stopped and placed her feet on the ground. Sturm did the same, turning towards her, still with that dumb smile.

Aura's irritation with Revolte and his idiotic ideas faded as she took another look at Sturm. Satisfying her lust with Linie hadn't stopped her unnatural heat, true, but it had been far less consuming since then, or perhaps she was simply used to it. Now, however, standing in front of Sturm and about to satisfy it again... She noticed how tight-fitting the demon's black top was, and how it hugged her small breasts, the twin nubs of her nipples nearly poking through it. She glanced down at Sturm's toned legs and thighs, and how her skirt hung off it, much like Aura's own style.

Unfortunately, her eyes were drawn back to that stupid, self-assured smile.

“Shall we begin?” Sturm asked, not a hint of sensuality in her voice.

Aura was done talking with this girl; she was just going to use her now. She grabbed Sturm's waist and pushed her against a nearby tree, closing in and kissing her deeply. Sturm acquiesced to Aura's touch, returning her kiss, although in a clumsy, mechanical fashion. Not nearly as sexy as Linie was... Aura thought back to Linie's adorable and confused reactions, and felt herself warming up.

Aura broke the kiss and grabbed the top of Sturm's shirt, pulling it down to her waist. The demon's small breasts bounced slightly at the motion, her brown nipples hardening in the cool forest air. Aura grabbed and kneaded her chest, massaging her stiffening nipples, before diving in to resume the hungry kiss. She thrust her tongue deep into Sturm's mouth, the two of them lashing and licking at each other as if engaged in some sort of sensual fencing.

Aura hooked her thumbs around her own top, pulling the cups down and feeling her breasts bounce free. She pressed her chest against Sturm's, letting their nipples squish together, Aura's much larger chest dwarfing Sturm's. Feeling her passion building, Aura placed her knee between Sturm's legs, almost lifting the girl off the ground, grinding against her as she continued her passionate kiss. She heard Sturm give off a deep purr as she briefly broke the kiss to breathe.

Aura opened her eyes and took a look at Sturm. The normally single-minded demon was panting as she recovered from Aura's sexual onslaught, her expression such that even with the blindfold, Aura barely felt the need to confirm that she was properly turned on.

“Ah, Lady Aura...” Sturm began, speaking in heady whispers. She placed her hand on Aura's cheek. “I'm so sorry, I couldn't see how gorgeous and powerful you are... I'm so lucky that you chose me... Please, I'll do anything you want...”

Much better, Aura thought. She smiled with smug pride and grabbed Sturm's chin, enjoying the surprised gasp the aroused demon gave off. She kissed her one final time.

“You will use your tongue on me. Do you know how?” Aura asked. Sturm nodded in response.

Aura changed positions with Sturm, placing her back against the tree. Sturm dropped into a low squat position, standing on the balls of her feet. She lifted Aura's skirt, and pulled her panties down, letting them fall around her boots. Aura was surprised Sturm didn't just tear them away, but feeling the fabric catching around her feet had its own appeal.

Sturm leaned in, and gently licked Aura's pussy. Aura lifted her head and closed her eyes, savoring the sensation as Sturm started to explore her. She took hold of one of Sturm's horns, using her spare hand to grope and play with her own chest. Sturm reached down with her right hand, rubbing her pussy through her thin black tights as she braced against Aura's thigh with her left. Aura glanced down, enjoying the sight of Sturm's damp slit clinging to the thin fabric.

“Yes... Just like that...” Aura said, moving her hips against Sturm's tongue.

Aura heard the sound of fabric ripping, as the increasingly frustrated Sturm tore away most of her tights, and plunged her middle and ring finger into her sex. Sturm wildly fingered herself as she worked her tongue deeper into Aura, licking up her arousal. Aura felt the pleasure building, and pulled Sturm in closer, gripping her horn.

“Mmm! MMMM!” Sturm let out a muffled cry.

Aura looked down as Sturm seized up and gripped her thigh tightly. The demon servicing her thrust her hips forward, spreading her legs wider. She licked Aura deeply as a spurt of clear fluid shot out of her pussy, followed by a second and third, in time with her rocking hips, the muscles in her legs tightening as she held the squat position.

Greedy girl, coming first like that... Aura stroked Sturm's hair as the girl lapped even more desperately at her pussy. Aura moved her sensitive breast to her mouth, sucking on her own nipple as Sturm seemed intent on lapping up every drop from her pussy. Aura focused on her own pleasure, intent on climaxing in Sturm's mouth. If she was so desperate for Aura's cum, she'd get it.

Yet again, Sturm let out another muffled cry, this one even sharper, as she spasmed and squirted again. Aura was shocked; once was one thing, but coming twice when she's eating someone else out? What a slut! Could demons be sluts? Aura didn't have much time to consider the question as she felt her own pleasure rising to a fever pitch. Yes, Sturm was a fucking slut, a slut about to get her reward.

“Yes, yes, YES! YES!” Aura cried out.

Aura grabbed Sturm's head with both hands, crying out in pleasure as she came, riding the lesser demon's face. Sturm's muffled cries built again; Aura noticed she came a third time. What a desperate, needy whore of a demon. Aura began to force her mana into Sturm's, before glancing down and holding off. It would be incredibly degenerate to intentionally delay impregnating her, but she just had to see.

“Take off that stupid blindfold,” Aura ordered.

Sturm obediently pulled the blindfold off and dropped it to the side, looking up at Aura with emerald green eyes, matching her hair. Her eyes had a dazed expression, damp with desire and intensity. Revolte is so fucking stupid... Aura found herself further irritated that he'd keep the girl's beautiful eyes covered up, although she knew she wouldn't have cared if not for her unusual condition.

Aura pulled on Sturm's horns again, bidding the girl to continue, looking into her eyes as she wordlessly resumed her deep licking. To Aura's amazement, Sturm almost continually came as she ate Aura out, spurting over and over, her eyes dizzied with pleasure. Aura was losing count... Five, six? Seven? Maybe some demons were just like this; Aura felt a twinge of jealousy, but it was drowned out in her building pleasure.

Aura cried out again, climaxing a second time in Sturm's mouth, not even paying attention to whatever the lesser demon was doing. This time, she forced her mana into Sturm as she rode out her orgasm, triggering a third, desperate peak. Aura stumbled forward, gripping Sturm's head, pushing the girl off balance. Sturm fell backwards as Aura slumped against the tree, panting.

Sturm moaned and writhed on the grass, her face and chest covered in Aura's juices. Aura began to rise to her feet, watching Sturm attempt to cup Aura's cum off her chest and drink as much as possible. Sturm's moans peaked again, as she arched her back shooting onto the balls of her feet, and squirted a final time, nearly striking Aura's face.

Aura's jaw dropped. She wasn't even touching herself that time! Sturm came just from drinking her fluids, and so intensely...

That is so hot...

Aura realized with that thought that, to her chagrin, she had not cured her condition by impregnating Sturm. Just to make sure, she carefully checked the demon's aura, easily spying the signs. Aura would have been more irritated, but the sight of the topless demon writhing and mewling on the ground like some sort of sex-starved animal was far too distracting. A second thought passed through Aura's mind. True, demons aren't often in this state, but...

Are demons actually lewd creatures?

Sturm finally stopped, falling asleep, or perhaps passing out. Aura really didn't want to carry her back to the others, as her state could lead to unwelcome questions. Well, there was nothing out here that could harm the sleeping demon, so Aura pulled up her panties and fixed her top, making her way back towards the others. Realizing that she risked revealing her unusual condition to Revolte, she focused on hiding the instability in her mana; she had been practicing for the past weeks, and while it was not perfect, it was far better than her initial, clumsy attempt.

“Where is Sturm?” Revolte asked, frowning. If he noticed Aura's condition, he didn't say anything.

“Asleep,” Aura said.

Revolte's frown deepened, but he relented, realizing he could do nothing to coerce Aura into elaborating further. Moments later, however, any remaining questions were answered, as Sturm, her clothing fixed and looking like nothing had happened, emerged from behind Aura. She wore the same dumb smile she had earlier.

“... Lady Aura, given Sturm's condition, I will be unable to continue my campaign for a time,” Revolte said. “If you wish, perhaps you could remain-”

“I don't care,” Aura said, smiling slightly.

This time, Revolte was definitely offended, and made little effort to hide it. Aura's smug smile deepened.

“In her condition, Sturm will require security,” Revolte noted.

“Yes, and you will provide that,” Aura said, the 'or else' not needing to be stated.

“... Very well, Lady Aura,” he said, his lips thinning in irritation.

“Fear not, Lord Revolte,” Sturm said. “I may be somewhat weakened by my pregnancy, but drinking so much of Lady Aura's mana-rich fluids has left me feeling better than ever. I feel like I've aged forty or fifty years in a single day!”

Aura's face fell. The other demons in the clearing were silent.

“... Lugner, Linie, we're leaving,” Aura said.

“Lady Aura, am I stronger?” Linie asked. “I only sucked them out of your glove and-.”

“We're leaving!!” Aura repeated.

The three demons flew off over the tree line, leaving Revolte and his followers behind. For his part, despite his prior offense, Revolte was feeling quite amused now, and smiled for the first time in what felt like decades.

Back in the forest, where Aura and Sturm had engaged in their lewd congress, the turquoise-haired demon in the white dress sat against a nearby tree. She held a sketch pad in her left hand, making the finishing touches on a highly detailed and explicit sketch of Sturm servicing Aura.

“Interesting,” she noted. “So consuming the sexual fluids of a far more powerful demon increases one's mana, and furthermore seems to trigger a series of climaxes, or perhaps vastly increased sensitivity to pleasure? I'm amazed I've never heard of this before! The Demon King would have found it so fascinating!”

Sensing Aura and the others fly away, she took flight as well, determined not to let her newfound hobby get too far away.

Chapter Text

Three years before the death of Himmel the Hero...

Aura rose to her feet, fixing her clothes. The black-haired demon girl below her slowly stirred from the soft grass, her frilly skirt and vest in tatters. Stumbling to her feet, she moved away in a daze, bidding Aura a slurred farewell. She disappeared into the nearby woods.

This was the seventh one Aura had gotten to since Sturm, and Sturm remained the most powerful female demon the party had encountered on their impromptu voyage. It occurred to Aura that she never even learned this girl's name, or what type of magic she used. In fact, she had simply spied her lurking behind a hill by the side of the road, perhaps intent on ambushing passing humans, and had descended on her. She enjoyed the way the girl's skirt nearly met her black stockings, revealing the slightest line of skin, and how her short hair barely failed to cover the back of her neck...

I did at least speak to her first, right...?

Yes, she had, reassuring herself. She had told the demon girl that she was going to impregnate her, and that she shouldn't resist. Aura's face fell, that really wasn't any better. She looked behind her, roughly fifty feet away, where Lugner and Linie were waiting. She didn't really care about them seeing anymore.

Linie was close to giving birth, and her mana was a swirl of hers and Aura's. Luckily, as the pregnancy had progressed, Linie's mana had largely stabilized as expected, and her endurance and capabilities were nearly back to normal. Linie continued to behave the same as always, fascinated by random objects or wildlife, barely showing the slightest hint of emotion.

Lugner, however... His expression remained mostly neutral, but Aura felt like he often wore a look of defeat on his face. He spent most of his time working on his magical abilities, when not following her around. He almost never said anything; really none of the three did. Thinking back, it may have been over a month since a single word was spoken between them. Lugner surely didn't think particularly highly of her condition and her means to control it, but who cares what he thinks? He isn't the Sage of Destruction here, she is!

Aura moved towards her companions. As a test, she looked up at Lugner, remembering how she had felt when her condition first struck her. No, nothing... He wasn't unappealing, by any means, but it seems a full year of lusting after female demons had warped her tastes. No, more than that, she actually had tastes now. She really had to figure out how to solve this problem soon, or she'd be ruined forever.

Aura wordlessly took off, and the other two followed. They had been circling around the Northern plateau and surrounding areas for some time now, finding a disturbing lack of demon activity. There were isolated lesser demons, likely those who were too young or insignificant to have played any kind of role in the Demon King's army, but aside from Revolte, she hadn't encountered a single notable or anything resembling an army. Demons today were a disappointment! They were completely lacking in ambition and content to behave like wandering monsters!

True, Aura had been hiding in a shack in the mountains and then a ruined castle for decades, but that didn't count, given she was wounded and knew firsthand how terrible the Hero was.

All these humans were living peacefully in areas the Seven Sages of Destruction once dominated, not a care in the world. Aura couldn't help but see Himmel's stupid face in her mind every time she thought about that, or the group passed by another human village. That's it; the next time they run into one, she was going to destroy it, and remind the humans who they're dealing with!

She glanced towards Linie. In three months!

Aura continued to fume for the next few days of monotonous travel, her perpetual lust giving way to her renewed desire for proper demonic ambitions. Her fantasies were suddenly interrupted, however, by the sudden sense of a powerful source of demonic mana coming from below her. She paused in the air, then turned towards its source, spying an large building by a river, obviously a human abode. It looked to be abandoned, despite its grand proportions; whichever human once lived in it must have been important. The source of the demonic mana was coming from within.

Aura proceeded towards the ruined mansion cautiously; she had been seeking out a demon of her power, and would have normally been relieved to find one after so long, but it felt as though this demon might be even more powerful than she was.

Who could it possibly be? Had Macht escaped from his seal somehow? She had heard that the other Seven Sages were all dead, so there shouldn't be many demons left who could directly compete with her power. In fact, she had started to suspect she may be the most powerful demon in the world. And this mana did feel somewhat familiar...

The group landed in front of the overgrown mansion's large doors. They carefully advanced, and pulled them open, entering the once grand foyer. The three story hall was dominated by the skeleton of some massive sea creature, suspended by ropes from the ceiling, in the place of a chandelier that had long since fallen to the floor and shattered. The skeleton had clearly been placed here recently, long after the mansion fell to ruin. The demons glanced towards the various passages leading out of the foyer, and the double stairs leading to the second floor.

The somewhat familiar mana, the massive skeleton of a sea creature, the fact that this demon seemed more powerful than she is... Aura was fairly confident she knew who this was, although her feelings on the matter were another story.

“Solitar, you're here, aren't you?” Aura called out.

A door on the second floor creaked open, and a short, turquoise-haired demon in a flowing white dress, a short brown vest covering her arms and shoulders, emerged. She gingerly walked over to the edge of the landing, placing her hands on the railing and running her fingers over it.

“Hello Aura, it's so good to see you again!” Solitar said. “It's been, I think, almost three hundred years?”

That sounded about right. Aura had last heard that Solitar got into some sort of argument with the Demon King, and more or less disappeared off the face of the planet. She hadn't been certain if the infamously cagey wandering demon was still alive, but wasn't surprised the Demon King let her leave. Solitar was greatly admired by many demons, and was something of a legend amongst their kind.

“You don't need to stand there. Come on up,” Solitar added.

She's definitely up to something... Aura thought. She was doubting more and more that this sudden encounter was any sort of coincidence. No point in standing in the entrance, however. Aura and her companions flew up to the second floor, following Solitar into a musty study filled with bookshelves. It looked as though Solitar had been using this place for some time.

“Aura, there's something wrong with your mana,” Solitar said, a smile breaking on her face. Of course she noticed.

“... I am currently seeking a mate. This has taken some time, so I've been hiding the instability in my mana,” Aura explained.

“Why would you do something so pointless?” Solitar asked.

“It's not pointless! It's the only way to keep my dignity!” Aura yelled.

“Sorry, sorry!” Solitar laughed and waved her hand. “Omniscient Schlacht told me I should say that to you in this situation. He said it would be funny someday.”

Aura was stunned into silence. Solitar had to be joking, there's no way Omniscient Schlacht would care about something like this. Also she really did not want to think about the Demon King's second in command predicting her embarrassing situation.

“Although, are you sure you're having problems finding a mate, Aura?” Solitar asked. She looked towards Linie. “It looks like your problem should have already been solved.”

“That was another demon under my command, named Draht,” Aura lied. “My heat struck later. Obviously, a demon as young as Linie would not be a viable mate for me, a great demon of over five hundred years.”

“Hmm, is that so? I suppose Sturm wasn't you either, then?” Solitar asked. “Or that cute little thing hiding in the tower to the North of Graf Granat's domain? Or that girl by the road a few days ago? Or...”

Damn it.

“... with the black lace leggings? Or that girl whose magic allowed her to control specifically flies for some reason?”

So Solitar knew everything. How did she know everything?!

“... How do you know all this?” Aura asked, trying to keep her voice even.

“You remember that farmhouse where you first brought Linie? I had stopped by to have a nice talk with the humans living there, and just wrapped up when I felt a powerful demon's mana approaching,” Solitar said. “Being a cowardly demon, I immediately hid and suppressed my mana, only to find out it was cute little Aura, with a tiny demon in tow!”

Damn it!

“I would have come out to chat with you after you wrapped up your... Business, but then I saw something amazing!” she continued. “You stayed in heat even after impregnating her! This gave me a perfect opportunity to study demon sexuality on an accelerated time window, so I've been following you around since.”

Aura's words failed her.

“I've made all sorts of fascinating observations,” Solitar said, taking out her sketch pad.

Solitar opened the sheaf of papers to the first page, and Aura's jaw dropped. On it was an extremely detailed illustration of her head between Linie's legs, Linie grabbing her horns in the throes of pleasure and arching her back. Solitar leafed through the pages. The second showed Aura and Linie's legs intertwined in lewd congress. The third Sturm squatting on the ground and eating her out. The fourth Aura bending a girl over a block of stone at the top of a ruined tower. The illustrations continued through all of Aura's partners, ending on her tearing the black-haired demon's vest off.

“This is a copy, by the way,” Solitar added, heading off any possible ideas.

“Why... How...” Aura mouthed.

“First I draw rough sketches of the positions, and specific details like clothing in the margins. Then I come back later and fill them in,” Solitar said.

“Why would you draw those?!” Aura demanded.

“I told you, I have an opportunity to study demon sexuality, a topic that I've never been able to properly dive into due to our low reproduction rate,” Solitar answered. “As I said, I've made all sorts of discoveries. For example, sexual stimulation, particularly of the vagina or clitoris, results in both a flood of intense pleasure and a discharge of a clear, sticky fluid from the vaginal tract. The quantity and force of this discharge appears to be directly proportional to the intensity of the experience.”

“I knew that before... This situation,” Aura said.

“Oh, I'm well aware, however I've recently discovered that human females do not typically undergo this form of discharge in the same manner we do,” Solitar continued. “Despite this, human males seem to believe they regularly do, or it is a mark of extreme sexual prowess on their part to cause it. Do you realize what this means?”

“I imagine it means you will spend the next hour discussing convergent evolution and mimicry,” Aura said.

“Far more the latter,” Solitar said, not missing a beat. “This supports the hypothesis that the sexual function of female demons, both in terms of the intensity of our behaviour during intercourse as well as the focal aspect of vaginal discharge, are likely related to the perception of human males. The implication is that female demons have been shaped by evolutionary pressure to be sexually appealing to human males. In fact, now that we're speaking face to face, I have the opportunity to experimentally refine this hypothesis. I have speculated that the converse holds true, and that male demons are likely designed to be appealing to female humans, and have devised a method to determine if their common biases are intrinsic to male demon physiology.”

Solitar produced a short wooden rod with a rounded tip, and glanced to her left. “Lugner, please insert this into your anus.”

But Lugner, being a wise demon, had vacated the room silently some time ago. Linie currently had her finger on the spine of one of the books, and was repeatedly tilting it in and out of the bookcase, having nothing more interesting to keep her attention.

“This all seems very pointless,” Aura said.

“No, there are practical applications,” Solitar replied. “Knowledge that female demons are likely meant to be sexually appealing to human males suggests certain techniques. For example.”

Solitar tore her dress and vest with her left hand, then acted as if she was desperately holding them together, as they fell off, exposing her shoulder. She threw herself to the ground then looked up, tears welling in her eyes. She raised her right hand in a halting gesture, desperate and quivering.

“N-No! Stop, please!” she pleaded. “I-If you let me live... If you let me live I'll let you do anything! Anything you want!”

Solitar stood back up, fixing her clothing. “Like so.”

What a worthless observation. Everyone knows that one.

“... Why don't we step into my laboratory? Your travel route has been somewhat predictable, allowing me to return here frequently for supplementary experimentation,” Solitar said.

Solitar ushered Aura and Linie into the next room. Rather than anything one would typically expect from the word 'laboratory', the next room was little more than a bedroom, although with some unusual additions. A large mirror was suspended over the bed, and another stood vertically at the foot, leaning against the wall. An array of small wooden tools of unknown purpose, consisting of rounded edges of varying shapes, sat on a shelf next to it.

“While I lacked the ability to experiment with male demons, I decided to test the discharge hypothesis myself,” Solitar explained. “After testing a range of techniques, I tried other measures to influence the intensity of the experience and match that with the distance, strength, and mechanics of any resultant discharge. I placed a mirror above the bed, then at the foot as well, to insure proper observation. I tried looking at my sketch pad, and using various tools of my own make. In doing so, I was able to determine that the discharge is mechanically different in terms of point of origin from similar phenomena in human females, thus further conferring further support to my hypothesis.”

“Stop saying 'discharge'!” Aura yelled. “So wait... You've spent the last year following me around, watching me have sex with other demons, then between that engaging in extended masturbation sessions?”

Solitar glanced behind her, at her atelier. “Yes.”

Again, Aura had no words.

“There is another reason I've been following you around, admittedly,” Solitar added.

“What's that?” Aura asked, knowing she would regret it.

“This whole situation is the funniest thing I've seen in my entire seven hundred year long life,” Solitar said.

Damn it...

“Linie, we're leaving,” Aura announced.

“Already?” Solitar seemed surprised. “Shouldn't you have sex with me first? I'm certainly a viable mate for you, and that would confirm whether or not your condition is caused by an inability to find a one, or some deeper form of dysfunction.”

Aura hesitated. “... I cannot risk a pregnancy right now, as the Hero is still at large.”

“That's fine, I'll carry,” Solitar said. “Although I think you're being overly cautious. Human performance degrades significantly with age, and it's unlikely the Hero would be much threat to you now. Besides, I impregnated you when we last met.”

Aura was so glad Lugner had left the room.

However, she had to admit, Solitar made an unfortunate amount of sense. She was certainly a viable mate, in fact she was older and even more powerful than Aura; it's entirely possible no other demons exist at a comparable class. Typically the younger demon would carry if both were female, simply by virtue of authority, but if Solitar was willing... Try as she may, Aura couldn't think of many logical reasons not to have sex with Solitar.

“... How were you doing your experiments if you're not in heat?” Aura asked.

“Oh, that isn't required to reach orgasm. Indeed, I found my drawings to be of limited use. I believe in human terms, our default state would be considered 'asexual',” Solitar said. “I encountered a human once who claimed to be 'asexual', and offered a description of its various aspects. It was quite fascinating! He managed to extend his life by a full five hours, which is almost a month in the human perception of time. Besides, the sensation remains quite pleasant, even without sexual desire.”

Aura looked at Solitar again. Solitar had a slight build, similar in a number of ways to Sturm, but her plain dress didn't exactly scream sex appeal. She had a pleasant face and delicate features, common to nearly all female demons, but... Solitar moved closer, her curious smile unchanging.

“The sensation is quite pleasant, isn't it?” Solitar repeated. “Furthermore I've researched a number of techniques that I believe will be enhanced with a partner.”

Aura glanced Solitar up and down. It hadn't been long since her last conquest, and Solitar's intentionally plain appearance and typical obnoxious attitude weren't making Aura feel particularly lustful... But she remembered what consuming the... Fluids of an older demon did to Sturm, and many of the others... Solitar's smile widened.

“Come with me, Aura,” she said.

Solitar grabbed Aura's hand and led her to the bed, sitting down alongside her.

“I've observed that in the vast majority of situations, you primarily rely on kissing and groping your partner's chest in order to trigger her aroused state,” Solitar said. “This is effective in seventy-five percent of cases, however in the remaining twenty-five, you typically resort to-”

Aura pushed Solitar onto the bed and leapt on top of her, aggressively shoving her tongue into the irritating demon's mouth. Despite the intensity, Aura's violent kiss was not driven by her usual carnal desire, rather, the main thought going through her mind was how to most effectively shut Solitar the fuck up. If Aura's tongue is in the back of her mouth, then she can't say anything for at least a few moments.

Aura pushed her body against Solitar's, pinning the smaller demon to the bed. Despite her terrible attitude, Aura began to enjoy the sensation of her body grinding against Solitar's soft form through her dress. She reached under Solitar's billowing skirt and ran her hand up ther thighs, feeling for the fabric of her panties, only to encounter the soft touch of her sex. Aura broke the kiss and looked down.

“My skirt's quite long, so wearing anything underneath it would only get in the way,” Solitar said.

“You're masturbating so frequently you don't wear panties anymore?” Aura asked.

“Oh no, this is nothing new. I never wear them,” Solitar answered.

Aura's mind drifted back to her thoughts watching Sturm writhing on the ground. Are demons actually lewd creatures? Even when not in heat, Solitar's walking around with nothing on under her dress! She shook her head, and felt her horn hit the mirror hanging above the bed.

“Apologies, Aura. I would like to keep those in place, in order to make additional observations,” Solitar said. “It appears as though, perhaps due to the fact that I'm older, kissing is insufficient. I recommend eating me out, as you did with Linie.”

Solitar's usually unreadable smile widened further, and the demon was practically beaming.

“You seem to be looking forward to this,” Aura noted.

“I am! I expect it will be both immensely pleasurable and informative,” Solitar added.

A part of Aura's mind wanted to do anything other than what Solitar said, mostly out of spite and irritation with the talkative demon's attitude, but that part was increasingly getting drowned out. Aura reached down with both hands, and flipped up Solitar's long skirt, the billowing cloth catching around a band a few inches above her navel. Solitar was completely bare from the band downwards; Aura took a moment to look over the demon's soft, pale skin, and the pink line of her hairless sex nestled defensively between her supple thighs. That tiny voice got quieter still, as Aura felt her lust grow at the alluring sight.

Aura placed her hands between Solitar's thighs and started to pull them open, only for Solitar to resist and struggle against her.

“... Why are you trying to keep your legs closed?” Aura asked. “This was your idea.”

“From my observations of your encounters, you have a tendency to be very physically coercive with your partners, even when they are totally acquiescent,” Solitar answered. “Thus, I concluded that you are sexually aroused by being in a dominant and aggressive role. I am being what humans call a 'thoughtful lover' by resisting your actions.”

Fucking Solitar. Frustration and annoyance shot across Aura's eyes as she exerted more force, attempting to wrench Solitar's legs open with enough power to seriously injure a lesser demon.

“That reminds me, I've been speculating that your Auserlese has been subconsciously informed by this aspect of your personality,” Solitar babbled. “You appear very receptive to themes of dominance, control, and superiority. You regularly reference the fact that you are a 'great demon' who has 'lived for over five hundred years'. Curiously, you have done this even when in the presence of older or equivalently-aged demons, and while none of them are making similar assertions. The way your magic weighs your mana against yo-AH!”

Having finally wrenched Solitar's legs apart, Aura dove in and aggressively plunged her tongue into Solitar's pussy. Solitar let out a cry and arched her back, pushing her hips off the bed. That shut her up. Aura felt a flush of pride and arousal at her accomplishment, and aggressively explored Solitar's depths.

A sudden pang shot through Aura's body as she licked up Solitar's arousal. The sensation was a mixture of pleasure, excitement, and a surge of energy; she felt her entire body tingle after each lick. Aura thrust her tongue in even deeper, seeking to gather up as much of the delicious nectar as she could. A surge of warmth built through her body. Recalling her time with Linie, Aura tore away the cloth between her legs and pushed two fingers into herself, letting the peak of her palm rub against the fleshy bump above it.

Solitar struggled and writhed against Aura's tongue, keeping her hips off the bed. She continued to let out a mixture of pleasured cries and pointless 'observations', but Aura was far too consumed in devouring every drop of her to process any of it. Aura widened her legs and lifted her hips higher into the air, revelling the luxurious feel of her silk glove against her most sensitive spots. Solitar's voice peaked enough to draw Aura's attention back to her.

“DRINK IT ALL!” Solitar cried out. “DRINK IT!!”

A deluge of arousal poured over Aura's tongue and down her throat. Heat spiked through her body as the two demons simultaneously collapsed into the throes of orgasmic pleasure. As Aura's mind slowly came back together, she gained enough awareness of her surroundings to remember why she was doing this, and began to force her energy into Solitar's disrupted mana. However, Solitar pushed back, deflecting Aura away.

“Why did you...” Aura said, still gasping for air. “Why did you stop me?! Are you still trying to be a 'thoughtful lover'?!”

“I need to make additional observations,” Solitar answered. “And after coming that hard, I'd like to enjoy this for longer. Let's remove our clothing before proceeding.”

Aura and Solitar quickly discarded their clothes, and Aura took another moment to let her eyes rake across Solitar's body. A blotchy flush that had settled across the lithe demon's pale skin was quickly fading, as her breathing normalized. Aura's gaze settled on Solitar's chest, her nearly flat breasts tipped with tiny, cherry peaks. Aura glanced down at herself; she had never really paid mind to this before, but she was realizing she had a rather large chest for a demon. Solitar suddenly hopped off of the bed, grabbed a string from a side table, and moved to its foot.

Aura turned in confusion to face Solitar, and saw her closely examining a pattern of clear, sticky droplets clinging to the mirror behind her. Solitar extended the string, placing one end near where Aura's hips had been, and the other towards different points on the mirror. Aura blanched as she realized what Solitar was doing.

“Your physical location is closer to the foot of the bed than mine typically is, invalidating a direct distance comparison,” Solitar explained. “But by considering the force of gravity and decaying arc of this spray pattern, I can extrapolate a hypothetical distance within a reasonable margin of error. That said, I'm already convinced that this will support my hypothesis, lending further credence to the idea that qualitative pleasure and sexual desire directly correlate with the force of discharge!”

Aura's jaw dropped, a horrified expression crossing her face, as Solitar returned the string to the table and picked up a small red notebook, jotting down a series of numbers and notes.

“Please lie down where I was positioned, Aura,” Solitar said.

Aura was still trying to process what Solitar had just done. She found her body moving without properly thinking about it, and lay down where Solitar had been. Solitar picked up one of the wooden tools on the shelf, the roughly cylindrical piece with one end rounded she had grabbed earlier. She turned to Aura.

“I'm curious what your impressions of this are,” Solitar said.

Solitar knelt down on the bed, gently pushing Aura's leg to the side. Without missing a beat, she gently pushed the head of the shaft into Aura's wet pussy, slowly slipping its length into her. Aura's eyes widened with shock as she felt the object, much larger than a female demon's dainty fingers or tongue, plunge deep into her, then somehow deeper still. Despite her recent escapades, it had been over a century since she felt this particular sensation, when she was last with a male demon. She inhaled deeply as she rediscovered it.

After a brief pause, Solitar slowly withdrew the object about halfway, before plunging it back in again. Aura's body rose and fall along with the motion, as Solitar slowly increased her pace.

“How does this feel, Aura?” Solitar asked.

“It's... I-I don't know!” Aura blurted out. “It feels good, I guess!”

The last thing she said echoed through Aura's head a second time, and she felt her blush rise with embarrassment along with the pleasure. She turned her head to the side, avoiding Solitar's eyes, letting her horn dig into the cushion. Solitar continued to fuck Aura with the tool for another minute, before fully withdrawing it.

Before Aura could catch her breath, Solitar had grabbed a second device, this one with a wider, more rounded head and a slight upwards curve to it. Solitar slid this new toy into Aura, whose eyes shot open a second time with the simultaneously renewed and novel sensation. The larger head and curve stimulated new and unexpected areas of Aura's sex, and triggered more spasms of arousal.

“How does this one feel, Aura?” Solitar asked, sliding it in and out. “Do you like it more or less than the first one?”

“I-It's... I-...!” Aura started. “It's the same! They're exactly the same!”

“Really? Your reactions are noticeably different,” Solitar said, increasing her pace. “If you're sure, however, allow me to try this one.”

Solitar withdrew the second device and grabbed a third one, this one a long shaft lined with rising and falling circular grooves along its length. Again, before Aura could catch her breath, Solitar inserted the third toy into her.

The sudden and unexpected sensations, combined with her previous arousal, left Aura unable to regain her thoughts, never mind any form of control. As soon as she began to get used to one of these tools, Solitar would switch to a different one, plunging her back into a confused, pleasured haze. Aura cried out as a wave of orgasmic pleasure washed over her.

“I wonder if that means you like this one most...” Solitar mused. “I'll set it aside for now.”

Solitar placed the third toy slightly apart from the first two, picking up the notebook to make further notes. Aura collapsed onto the bed, trying to gather herself.

“There's only fourteen more of these to go,” Solitar said. “Do your best, Aura!”

By the time Solitar had made all her 'observations', Aura was little more than a panting mess on the damp bedsheets. A dull haze clouded her purple eyes. Solitar quickly jotted down her conclusions from her experiment, and put the notebook down.

“Aura, are you ready to continue?” Solitar asked. “You still need to impregnate me.”

“... Right...” Aura muttered, shifting slightly on the bed.

“I'm actually quite aroused from watching that, so let's go with this approach,” Solitar said.

Solitar climbed into the bed and lay down across from Aura, facing the other direction. She lifted Aura's leg and nestled her head in between her thighs. Solitar began lapping at Aura's drenched sex, as she wrapped her legs around Aura's horns, pulling her pussy towards her tongue. Aura grabbed Solitar's hips and obediently began licking, shuddering at the tingles the act brought along with the spikes of pleasure from her lower body.

The two demons remained interlocked, servicing each other for... Aura had no idea how long. Crashing waves of bliss seemed to pass back and forth between them. Eventually, Aura regained enough presence of mind to remember her entire reason for doing this, and she attempted to push her mana into Solitar's again. This time, either the older demon acquiesced, or simply didn't notice.

The two lay on the bed for some time after, exhausted and intoxicated with pleasure. Aura glanced towards the window, noticing the night sky outside. She tried to remember when during the day the group had arrived at the mansion, but found it too mentally taxing to consider things like adding numbers at this time.

Aura slowly rose from the bed, her body still submerged in blissful tingles, and began reassembling her clothes. Solitar followed shortly after. Aura turned towards the door, considering how best to explain her prolonged absence to the others, only to see Linie standing a mere five feet from the bed, staring blankly at her.

“L... Linie...” Aura stuttered. “How long have you been here?”

Solitar sat up, pulling her dress down over her body. “Hm? She's been here the entire time, she never left. Did you not notice?”

Aura looked down. Her bangs covered her eyes as she twitched slightly.

“Linie...” Aura said. “We're leaving.”

Aura strode wordlessly out of the mansion into the cool night air, Linie trailing behind her. Lugner hovered in the air in front, surrounded by tiny orbs of blood. In sequence, the orbs fired towards him, and he weaved between the delayed shots, countering each with a lashing strike as if assailed by a dozen foes in midair. Upon sensing Aura emerge, he ceased his magical training and descended to greet her.

Aura glanced up at Lugner's face. He retained a flat expression, or at least the best he could muster, but there was no hiding the look in his eyes. Aura's mood dropped, but why even care at this point? She had already lost all dignity as a demon. At least they were leaving. Linie stopped behind her, followed by Solitar, still shoving a handful of books into a large bag she had slung across her shoulder. Aura looked at her.

“... What are you doing?” Aura asked.

“Like you said, we're leaving,” Solitar answered.

A cool breeze passed through the night air. Linie's frilly skirt fluttered in the wind. Aura couldn't think of what to say. Her mouth made shapes, but no words came out.

“I have more observations I want to make,” Solitar said. “I believe my impression of your personality may have been flawed. You are likely what humans call a 'switch'. I will remain with you for fifteen months, then you will impregnate me a second time, providing an opportunity to further test this revised hypothesis. The opportunity to observe other encounters over that time will be helpful as well.

Aura's jaw hung open. Solitar jotted a few more lines in her red notebook, which Aura now saw read 'Aura Observation Journal' on the cover, and placed it into her bag. A second wave of horror passed through Aura's mind as she realized the true implication of what Solitar had just said.

“Yes, that's right, you're still in heat,” Solitar confirmed. “So 'deeper form of dysfunction' it is.”

DAMN IT!

Chapter Text

Three years before the death of Himmel the Hero...

The four demons flew over the forest through the dead of night. Solitar joining their little party some time back had certainly livened the journey up, however even the infamously talkative demon had bouts of silence now. Thankfully.

Linie suddenly faltered and fell behind the group. Aura stopped and turned to face her. The small demon glanced around at the ground, looking for a place to set down. Ah, I suppose it has been about fifteen months. Linie drifted towards a small clearing, followed by Aura and the others.

Linie paced about. “Lady Aura, how many should I make?”

“I don't care,” Aura said.

Linie stopped, and focused. She began to cast a nameless spell, one that demons knew instinctually, similar to that of flight. Her mana burst out in all directions, intertwining with the fragments of Aura's essence that had been building and mingling with it over the past year. As if affected by some form of magical gravity, the scattered bits of energy began to clump into dark swells, drawn together and merging in varying proportions.

As these swells grew, the ephemeral mana grew more and more solid, until it physically manifested into black clumps, which morphed and twisted into vaguely humanoid shapes. They each grew in definition and detail, until colour suddenly washed over them, and Linie was surrounded by a group of fourteen demon children, each standing a mere three feet tall.

Many of the newborn demons showed a mix of Linie and Aura's features, some of them taking on Linie's hair colour, Aura's eyes, or other, more subtle traits. However a number looked completely different and had nothing in common with the two; indeed, five of them were male. Unable to create proper clothes, the demon children wore rags or half-formed facsimiles of clothing. The newborns stood around, staring at each other or the four in complete silence.

Aura and Linie watched, equally silent, as the children slowly began to wander off into the forest, some of them turning to look back at the group, or finding one of the four companions particularly interesting. Aura shooed any who lingered too long away, and soon enough, all of them had wandered out of sight.

Newborns had no magical abilities to speak of; demons could reach physical maturity in about twenty-five years, perhaps fewer if well-fed, and by then would have the beginnings of what would become their unique magic. At that point, it's possible that a more powerful demon could find them useful, or at least promising, but before that point they could expect absolutely no acknowledgement from their own kind. Besides, it was unlikely more than two or three of them would reach adulthood anyway.

Linie slumped to the ground. She was in one of the most precarious states a demon could be, almost completely defenseless, having expended nearly all of her mana in the process. A demon as drained as she is now, in any other circumstances, would likely be on the brink of death. Linie would need to rest for some time before the group could continue. Although Aura no longer felt any pangs of protective instinct towards here, there was no reason to abandon her, so the group settled down to recover.

Some hours later, Solitar approached Aura.

“If my count is correct, you've encountered approximately thirty demons since you set out from your castle, correct? Including males and juveniles?” she asked.

Aura quickly ran through her journey in her head. “About that many, yes.”

“And you've been actively looking for them,” Solitar said.

“Yes...?” Aura replied, wondering where this was going.

“... Interesting,” Solitar noted, before moving away.

Aura stared at Solitar for a time. The infamously curious demon seemed strangely silent and pensive now. Solitar took out her Aura Observation Journal and began writing a series of notes, her face only looking more serious as she continued. Aura grew somewhat concerned; Solitar always wore her stupid smile and only rarely kept her mouth shut, and never if she found something interesting, which she clearly did right now.

Solitar looked up from her book and returned Aura's stare. Aura felt a chill run down her spine; something in Solitar's gaze caused her to raise her guard. Lugner briefly glanced between them, aware of the sudden tension in the air, as he prepared to defend himself from any unexpected violence. Then, as quickly as it started, Solitar relaxed and turned her attention to nothing in particular.

Aura shuddered, wondering what that was all about.

The demons largely returned to their relaxed state over the next hour, as Linie continued to sleep, shivering in the cool air. The restored serenity of the night was suddenly broken by a surge of demonic mana nearby, followed by that of a handful of human mages. This was a powerful demon; possibly as mighty as Aura or Solitar, and its mana felt very familiar to Aura indeed – although that was impossible, the demon in question had died during the the final years of the Demon King's war, in a battle Aura herself barely survived.

Curiosity overcame her, and Aura took flight towards the source of the mana, followed by Lugner and Solitar. Linie should be fine, really, the odds of anything happening by and destroying her were quite low, but if she did die... Oh well.

* * *

The demon, tall for a female, stood over the split apart corpses of a mage and her bodyguards, their blood rapidly pooling across the rough dirt of the road. Her cloak fluttered in the night air as she raised her swords, both pitch black and curved, into the air, before snapping them down, shaking off the ichor. She heard the sound of a man's cry behind her. He yelled a name she forgot so quickly she barely heard it, likely that of the dead mage, followed by a series of typical curses and promises of vengeance. The foolishness of humans; the mage and the two swordsmen standing next to her had perished instantly, with no chance to defend themselves. The others should be fleeing, and yet they would surely throw their meager lives away as so many had before.

She glanced over her shoulder. Nine warriors, behind them another powerful mage and three barely worthy of consideration. Their faces were filled with shock and fear, as expected. The man who cried out, however, quickly turned to rage and despair, tears welling in his eyes. She had been around humans enough to understand this; humans 'care' for other humans in differing capacities. This male human likely 'cared' for the mage she had just cut to shreds.

The man drew his sword and called for an attack, the other warriors joining him in a charge towards her. The mage behind them shouted a warning, pleading with them to stop, but it was already far too late. The warriors rushed towards her, out into the pale moonlight. As the leader raised his sword over his head, readying a self-destructive attack against her, the demon spoke a single word.

“Schattenbefehl.”

The warriors' shadows rose up behind them, and thrust their weapons through their owners' hearts. The dark blades passed through the humans' metal armour as if it were made of paper. The attackers stumbled, coughing up blood, and fell to the ground, dead to a man.

The demon turned to fully face the remaining humans. Another powerful mage, although one she sensed was less dangerous than her first target, and three who were likely apprentices. Their presence here was an insult to the battlefield. She glared at them coldly, and felt them shrink away.

“Master! What do we do?!” one of them said.

“... We flee! The Magic Association must know!” the more experienced mage yelled. “Dread Mitternacht yet lives!”

Mitternacht smiled. Even now, almost fifty years since her presumed death, two full generations of the things, the humans still cowered at her name and knew her and her magic on sight. The apprentice mages hesitated, ending any remote hope of survival. Mitternacht lowered her stance as they finally moved to flee.

A mass of shadow under Mitternacht's foot clumped together, propelling her forward with a surging wave of darkness. She cleared the fifty feet between herself and the mages in an instant, dashing between two of them. They exploded into a shower of blood and body parts. She turned to the final apprentice, seeing her eyes widen in terror as the crimson rain fell across her face. Mitternacht threw her shadowstuff swords at the final apprentice, splitting her cleanly in three.

The master mage turned in shock, then locked his eyes on Mitternacht.

“Damn you...”

She already knew he would do the exact same thing the warrior had, despite ordering the others to flee. He raised his staff and fired off a potent Zoltraak. She raised her cloak, letting the spell harmlessly pass into its shadow, sent elsewhere. She snatched another sword of darkness out of the air and threw it into the mage's chest. A second between his eyes ended any possible final effort.

* * *

Aura felt the mana of the other mages rapidly fade. It was as she expected, given the power she had sensed, but the demon had obviously emerged victorious. The group crested the treeline, getting a clear view of the bloody road. Aura looked down at Mitternacht, who was staring towards the newcomers. Aura was more confused than surprised, as she had grown more certain having felt Mitternacht's mana the course of the battle, but now there was no doubt. She looked exactly the same.

A full head taller than Aura, and most female demons for that matter, as they tended to be quite short. Blonde hair in a simple bobcut. A sleeveless black top and flowing skirt, with a dark cloak hanging over it, and those silly black bands she wrapped around her legs.

However, Aura wasn't relying on hearsay; some rumour that Mitternacht had been slain by some hero or another. Aura had been present at the battle where she died, and had barely survived herself. She had no idea how this could be possible. If it was just the appearance, Aura would assume some demon had developed magic allowing them to disguise how they look, in which case she'd punish the whelp for imitating one of the Seven Sages of Destruction. But to perfectly replicate such a powerful demon's mana? Only Miraculous Grausam could accomplish that, and he was just as dead.

Aura landed in front of Mitternacht, closely followed by Solitar and Lugner.

“How are you alive?” she asked.

“Really. That's the first thing you're going to say,” Mitternacht said. She turned and began to walk away. “I'm not staying here. Follow if you want.”

The shadows of Mitternacht's cloak flowed along the ground beneath her feet, stretching out in front of her and forming a gateway of darkness. The demon strode into it and disappeared. Even more certainty; that was most definitely Mitternacht's Schattenbefehl. Aura had followed her through these gates many times in the past. She hesitated, part of her still assuming this must be a trick of some sort, but nothing could create so perfect an illusion. She must have survived somehow, and Aura had to know the truth. She followed her through the gate, the others close behind.

The group emerged in an ostentatious study, a roaring fireplace to one side, and rows of bookshelves housing ancient grimoires and tomes lined the other. The walls were lined with bricks of obsidian, and the mantle inlaid with patterns of gold. Mitternacht always did enjoy fine things.

Aura had never expected to step foot inside Schwarzhalt again. Mitternacht kept her fortress' location secret from any other; even the Demon King never knew the location, from what she had heard. Aura had been here more than once, and fully explored it, yet she had never found an exit, or a single window that would provide any clue to its location. Mitternacht took a seat on an ostentatious chair and looked at her.

“So how are you alive?” she asked again. “Only myself, Bose, Grausam, and Macht survived the battle with the Hero of the South.”

“Nobody perished in that battle,” Mitternacht said. “Except perhaps for Omniscient Schlacht and the Hero of the South.”

“... That's not possible,” Aura said. “I examined the site of the battle myself. The fading remnants of your mana were plain as day. You three certainly died in that field, only Grausam could craft such a perfect forgery.”

Mitternacht stared at her in silence for a few moments.

... Oh.

Aura closed her eyes.

“Congratulations, Aura,” Mitternacht said, deadpan as can be. “Fantastically quick on the uptake.”

Lugner cleared his throat and placed his hand on his chin. Aura turned and glared at him.

“Grausam decided that the battle was 'Schlacht's mess' and 'he should clean it up himself', and so he produced illusions to engage the Hero of the South, while we simply stood to the side and watched,” Mitternacht explained. “Normally I'd relish a battle against such a famous hero, but against him? I'm not outright suicidal.”

“So Omniscient Schlacht fought the Hero of the South alone, then?” Aura asked.

“No,” Mitternacht answered. “Grausam only hid himself and us females with his magic.”

That... Made an unfortunate amount of sense. Grausam, for all his power, had something of a poor reputation. It was rumoured he would go into heat far more frequently than other demons, and he enjoyed surrounding himself with females even when in a normal state. Aura's heart slumped a bit, when she considered the fact that recently, she's been far, far worse than he ever was.

“I've learned that humans have a term for males who behave as Grausam did,” Solitar said. “I believe they are called 'fuckboys'.”

“Wait, if Grausam hid the females from the battle, then why was I not with you?” Aura asked.

“In truth, for a time I did wonder if another demon may have died that day,” Mitternacht mused. “One of us immediately began speaking about how she is a great demon who is over five hundred years old, and the Hero of the South took the initiative by throwing a fist-sized rock at her head faster than she could see or react to. Upon it shattering against her forehead, she immediately lost consciousness and appeared on the brink of death; Grausam had no opportunity to include her in his spell, and we simply left her there at the end of the battle. I was unsure if she would recover.”

Lugner looked to the side. Aura wheeled around to him, tense with rage.

“Speaking of Grausam, you two are in an interesting state,” Mitternacht said. “I encounter two great demons at the same time, having seen none for fifty years, and then one is pregnant, and the other in heat. What an astounding coincidence.”

“We're travelling together for mutual safety,” Aura lied. “Both of us are vulnerable, and the humans have grown far bolder.”

Mitternacht seemed to accept this, to Aura's relief. This was interesting information, however. To think that three more of the Seven Sages of Destruction may yet be alive. That would suggest that only Bose and Grausam were dead, killed by the Hero Himmel's party. Unless Grausam used his magic to survive that encounter as well...

“Ah...” Mitternacht let out a small gasp.

Aura looked up at her fellow Sage. Her jaw dropped as she saw Mitternacht's mana grow unstable. Her mind protested. I haven't even done anything! But then she recalled; sexual stimulation is often needed to force it, but the simple presence of another demon in heat carries a risk of triggering it in those around them. She had almost forgotten, after her series of rather more aggressive encounters. Thankfully, Lugner hadn't been affected at any point.

However... Maybe this wasn't a problem after all. Aura had worked closely with Mitternacht in the past; the two naturally complimented each other's abilities. Aura's Auserlese was nigh-unparalleled yet highly specific, whereas Mitternacht's Schattenbefehl had many diverse uses. More importantly, the two were nearly identical in terms of mana capacity, to the point where Aura was unsure which direction her scales would tilt between them. Thus, neither could subjugate the other. They would make perfect mates; surely what happened with Solitar was just a fluke, and this time, this time Aura's condition would be resolved!

Aura smiled suggestively, tilting her head to the side. She took a few steps towards Mitternacht.

“It appears my problem is now yours as well,” Aura said. She reached out towards the taller demon. “But I can resolve it for both of us-”

Mitternacht responded by knocking Aura's hand away, her eyes flashing with a sudden, primal violence. Before Aura could properly react, Mitternacht shoved her back against the obsidian wall of the study. Mitternacht slammed her hand against the wall to the side of Aura's head, her fingers chipping away pieces of volcanic glass as she loomed over Aura.

“No. I will resolve it,” Mitternacht said, taking Aura's chin in her hand and tilting her head up.

Solitar smiled, taking her sketchpad out of her bag. She turned a plush chair to face the pair and sat down. Lugner shook his head and sighed.

“I'll be... Somewhere else,” he said, before wandering off into the depths of Schwarzhalt.

Aura stared up at Mitternacht in shock, catching her breath from the sudden impact with the wall. That shock slowly twisted to anger; like Hell she was going to submit to Mitternacht! Actually, she was pretty sure she had more mana than her the whole time, she just had no reason to use her scales on a fellow Sage! She tried to push Mitternacht back, but the taller demon grabbed her wrists and forced them against the wall.

Mitternacht leaned in and kissed Aura as she squirmed and struggled, pushing her tongue into Aura's mouth. Aura had half a mind to bite it off, but decided that after she had regained control, she'd have uses for that tongue. She flexed her muscles, pushing her trapped wrists off the wall as Mitternacht struggled to keep her contained. Sensing Mitternacht was off balance, Aura brought her knee up in into her side, pushing her back to gain space.

Aura immediately charged forward, lowering her head and driving her horns into Mitternacht's midsection. The sharp points forced Mitternacht back, and Aura tackled her to the floor, the two of them landing on a plush red carpet laying in front of the fireplace. Aura fumbled with her hands, trying to get a better grip to pin Mitternacht, accomplishing little more than tearing her clothes as Mitternacht kicked and struggled. With few options, Aura drove her teeth into Mitternacht's inner thigh, producing a sharp cry of pain and surprise.

Mitternacht flailed her legs, trying to get free of Aura's bite, before finally getting a firm grip on Aura's horns. She wrenched Aura's head back and forth, forcing her to unclench her teeth, and pulled her to the side. She immediately leapt on Aura, hoping to pin her against the carpet, but Aura pushed a palm into her face and bucked her hips, throwing Mitternacht off balance yet again. The two great demons descended into a chaotic struggle, clawing and biting at each other, reducing their clothes to little more than shreds as they traded positions over and over.

Amidst this back and forth struggle for dominance, Mitternacht found her head close to Aura's gut, and repaid the earlier favour by jamming her horns into Aura's belly, knocking the wind out of her lungs. Mitternacht grabbed Aura and stood up, leveraging the full power of her core to fling the smaller demon a solid two meters into the air, using her horns like a pitchfork. The stunned Aura sailed over the study and crashed into a wooden desk some distance away from the fireplace, which collapsed under the sudden weight. Loose pages scattered through the air.

“Good spot, Aura,” Solitar said, moving her chair further out of the way.

Aura pulled a grimoire written in an unfamiliar Southern language, titled 'El Libro de las Sombras Eternas' off her face, and quickly rose to her feet, seeing a now mostly-nude Mitternacht approaching.

“Schattenbefehl!” Mitternacht reached towards Aura.

Aura's flickering shadow, cast behind her by the roaring fireplace, split into a mass of shadowy tendrils, wrapping around her body and tearing apart what little was left of her clothes. The ropes of shadow wrapped tightly around Aura's body, binding her exposed body like a harness, pinning her arms behind her back. Aura kicked and cried out in frustration before the tendrils bound her legs together, and attached in various places to the wall and ceiling, suspending her in the air.

“Don't think this means you've won!” Aura yelled. “This will not hold me!”

Mitternacht slowly crept towards Aura, a sadistic smile growing across her face. Her own shadow crawled up her body, taking the form of a jet black leotard fit snugly against her form. The black bands of shadowstuff she kept wrapped around her legs transformed into an imitation of long boots. As she passed by the struggling Aura, she gently ran a finger down Aura's exposed back. Aura arched her back in response to the sudden touch, then her surprise quickly turned to anger.

“You won't get away with this!” Aura said. “I'll rip these ropes out of the wall and- AH!”

A loud slap echoed through the study. Aura jerked and cried out as a sharp pain shot through her exposed rear. Aura craned her neck, and saw Mitternacht holding a black, springy rod made of shadow, topped with a flexible strip of material. Aura recognized the device, this was a type of rod humans used to whip horses to force them to obey, and the stinging on her right buttock made it clear Mitternacht had just used it on her. Her outrage rose again, but before she could utter more protests, Mitternacht ran her fingers gently around and over the fresh welt.

The sudden contrast of pain and tenderness sent a strange electricity through Aura's body, and her half-formed threats melting into a strangled gasp. Mitternacht raised the riding crop and whipped across Aura's left cheek, sending another sharp pain through her rear. Again, this was immediately followed by a far more tender touch. Aura felt herself rapidly grow flush, the mixture of pain and gentle touch arousing some very embarrassing sensations in her body.

Aura had been far too preoccupied with escaping her bonds and turning the tables on Mitternacht to fully contemplate the position she was in, but now, she felt highly aware of how each of the shadow ropes dug into her skin as she struggled. The harness they formed not only completely immobilized her, a rope between her legs dug into her most sensitive regions as she struggled, and the binds exposed her breasts and rear completely. This sudden awareness caused Aura's embarrassment to deepen even further.

“Oh, interesting!” Solitar said. “A number of humans I've spoken to have described this sort of sexual congress, I wasn't aware you paid them much mind.”

“I don't. If humans are doing this, they must have copied it from me,” Mitternacht said. She grabbed Aura by the hair, pulling her face upwards and leaning in to meet her eyes. “I've been fucking arrogant little sluts like this for centuries.”

Mitternacht licked Aura's cheek, then forced her tongue into her mouth. She grabbed Aura's exposed breast and painfully twisted her nipple, causing Aura to squirm and the ropes to dig in even more. She then gently ran her fingers along the tip, sending further shivers down Aura's spine.

Aura gasped for air when Mitternacht finally broke their kiss, yet before she could recover, Mitternacht grabbed the shadow ropes on her back and pulled them upwards, causing the binding between Aura's legs to dig in further. Aura stifled an involuntary moan in her throat, as she started feeling a warmth grow from her sex.

“Oh, are you going to cum, Aura?” Mitternacht whispered. “Are you going to cum from being whipped and bound? I always thought it was too bad I never went into heat around you. I knew you'd be a total slut for this, but I'm surprised just how quickly you're giving in!”

Aura gritted her teeth, and held still. There's no way she was going to get off to this mistreatment, or let Mitternacht's goading get to her. But, as she tried to catch her breath, Mitternacht brought the riding crop down on her thighs, and Aura's jerking in response caused the rope between her legs to arouse her further.

Mitternacht continued to alternate between striking Aura, and tenderly touching her, letting the bindings do their work to bring her closer and closer to the edge. Aura couldn't hold in her gasps and cries anymore, and every strike and touch from Mitternacht produced more sweet sounds from her. The embarrassment she felt was only emphasizing each sensation.

No, no, no! I can't! I'm not going to cum from this, no way!

“There's no fighting it, Aura. Let go. Surrender to me,” Mitternacht said.

“Ah! N-No, you- Aahn!” Aura tried to choke out a protest as Mitternacht continued to abuse her. “I'll get-HA! Y-You-!”

Aura felt a rapidly rising pleasure from between her legs. She fought back against her arousal and held still, trying desperately to hold on to the last shred of control she had in this encounter. But there was no remaining motionless under Mitternacht's continued ministrations, and soon she felt the tidal wave of warmth build past a crescendo, her hips uncontrollably twitching and vibrating against the ropes.

Aura let out a loud scream as she fell over the edge, her arousal gushing out of her sex, around the rope binding her and onto the floor. It was overwhelmingly intense; she hated every moment of it, and yet another part of her mind desperately craved the pleasure and wanted more. The contradiction only served to heighten and lengthen the experience.

“That was fast. Time to get pregnant, Aura,” Mitternacht said, beginning to force her mana into Aura's.

“No, you get pregnant!” Aura snarled, having regained some of her composure.

The two Sages of Destruction pushed the full weight of their mana against each other, producing a storm of energy as the evenly-matched demons sought to overpower one another in a raw show of magical strength. Loose pages sent scattered around the room when Aura fell through the table blew around the room, sent flying by the growing maelstrom of magic. With an explosive crack, the struggle broke, and the two demons were flung to opposite sides of the room, the shadowy ropes vanishing.

Aura slowly rose to her feet, and looked at Mitternacht, who was similarly rising. She saw Mitternacht's mana remained unstable, and smiled with glee; Aura had won the final struggle. Ha! I knew I was stronger! She considered for a moment; she now knew what she wasn't sure of before. Her mana did exceed Mitternacht's. With a feral glee and an urge for vengeance, she conjured her scales.

“Do it, if you dare!” Mitternacht shouted. “Remember, I have a piece of your mana in me now; how will the scales weigh that?! If they tilt my way, do not think I will be merciful!”

“If you fail, I will have you hold still as I slice off your hands, your feet, and your horns. Then I will cut out your tongue, and gouge your eyes!” Mitternacht continued. “I will then drop off the thing that was Aura the Guillotine at a human village, and let them use what's left of you. Perhaps they will test what poisons work on demons, how much injury we can withstand, and what is most painful to us. Then, when they're done, assuming you survive the experiments, I wonder what they'll do with you then? All the hatred humans have for demons will be vented upon your helpless form. Maybe they'll kill you, or perhaps decades, centuries from now your broken shell will remain in a barn, with the rest of the village livestock!”

Aura slowly lowered her scales.

“Quite imaginative, Mitternacht,” Solitar said. “Though I guess we have another demon impregnated by Aura.”

Mitternacht clicked her tongue and looked away, before raising an eyebrow quizzically, and glancing between Solitar and Aura.

“You are still in heat,” she said. “How?”

“... I have a... Condition,” Aura said. She quickly tried to hide the instability in her mana, earning another odd look from Mitternacht. “For the past year, I have remained in heat despite successfully mating... Repeatedly.”

“It's highly amusing,” Solitar added. Aura shot her a glare. “In fact, one of Aura's minions gave birth before we encountered you, and is sleeping in the forest. I wish she could have seen your little act, Mitternacht, the outcome would be fascinating considering her magic!”

Aura did not want to think about that.

“Interesting. I have never heard of anything like this happening before,” Mitternacht said. “Schwarzhalt contains more ancient lore of our race than anywhere save perhaps Ende, and I'm quite certain none of it discusses a similar phenomenon. Do you have any idea of how to stop it?”

“... I had thought that mating with a demon of close to my age and power would work, however after you and Solitar, I suppose that's wrong,” Aura slumped.

“I imagine Aura is going to continue travelling, looking for mates. Although I suppose she could use Linie again now,” Solitar said. “You should join us.”

Mitternacht considered this for a moment.

“I have been in hiding, but perhaps it is time for that to change,” she said. “The humans could do with a reminder of what they face.”

“The Hero is still alive, so we need to continue keeping a low profile,” Aura said.

“The Hero...?” Mitternacht balked. “The Hero is ancient by now, on the brink of death. I hope we encounter him, so he can die at the hands of demons, rather than peacefully of old age! I am not in hiding from the Hero, I am hiding from Omniscient Schlacht, given Grausam's little trick.”

Aura thought for a moment.

“How did that battle end? You mentioned the Hero of the South and Schlacht might be dead, but you're not certain?” Aura asked.

“... I don't think I should answer that, in case Schlacht does live,” Mitternacht answered, after some hesitation.

“That's right, you should keep everything about that day to yourself,” Solitar said, through her usual smile.

Aura's mind immediately locked on to Solitar's unusual statement, but she recalled how the older demon had looked at her after Linie gave birth. No, her survival instincts told her not to push this matter. Having Mitternacht with the group would be irritating, given what had just happened, but keeping a grudge was frankly un-demonic. Hero or no, two Sages of Destruction, Solitar, and two of her Executioners would make their little band something to behold. Access to Schwarzhalt would be helpful as well; Mitternacht could not access her castle from everywhere; only specific locations, and she never elaborated on how these restrictions worked, but they would be able to significantly cut down on travel time. Perhaps things were looking up.

“Oh yes, some of your soldiers remain here,” Mitternacht said. “Luckily for you I never thought to clear them out.”

Aura had nearly forgotten; back when she used to work closely with Mitternacht, she had left a number of her most prized soldiers in Schwarzhalt, having used Mitternacht's magic to move her army about quickly. She had assumed, given Mitternacht's apparent death, that she had lost them. However now she lit up, realizing that she could still retrieve them; a welcome find given her vastly reduced army in the current age.

Aura quickly restored her clothing and left the study, moving through the familiar halls of Schwarzhalt. She passed by Lugner, who was diligently drilling his magic and barely acknowledged her. The lack of respect irritated her, but she was far more interested in retrieving her soldiers than disciplining him. She moved into a lower vault, and found them; rows of headless soldiers along the walls, adorned in the finest armour.

Looking at the closest soldier, she could feel the remnants of her spell lingering on it; she gave a mental command, and the soldier stood to attention. Smiling with satisfaction, she moved down the lines, eventually finding the original centerpiece of her collection – two decapitated knights in gleaming golden armour, Dragonslayer Caelric and Mornog the Glutton. Caelric stood tall, wielding an ornate spear, and Mornog was a human of impossible bulk, with a colossal hammer. Their speed and toughness was unmatched among Aura's original army, from the days of the Demon King.

Aura smiled, things were looking up!

Chapter Text

Two years before the death of Himmel the Hero...

Bishop Heiter sat at his desk, poring over an old tome. The flickering of a candle illuminated the ancient scripture; despite his seniority, Heiter still enjoyed researching the encrypted words of the Goddess when he had an opportunity. His focus was interrupted by the sound of a late night visitor knocking on his door.

“Come in,” he said, looking up.

A priest entered in something of a huff, and bowed. “Lord Bishop.”

“Please, just call me Heiter,” Heiter said, smiling. His face fell slightly when he saw the worried look in the man's face.

“Yes... Heiter. I found this being sold in the marketplace earlier today,” the priest said.

The man approached his desk holding a thin, paperback book, and placed it on the desk. Heiter picked it up, and moved it towards the candlelight. The cover depicted a rather... Stimulating illustration of an old enemy of the Hero's party, Aura the Guillotine, on her knees, her hands above her head, bound to her own scales hovering above her. The title read, 'Mating Habits of the Northern Demon'.

He opened the book, and began thumbing through the pages. His eyebrow raised as he saw some of the other, far more explicit illustrations contained within it, portraying the Sage of Destruction engaged in various forms of sexual congress with other demons.

“This... Blasphemous text has apparently enjoys quite a bit of popularity in the North,” the priest said. “To think that such a thing would be sold in the Holy City! Lord Bishop, the Church must issue a condemnation of this filth and its anonymous author. I have a number of-”

Heiter raised his hand softly. “I agree it's... In poor taste, but if the former lieutenants of the Demon King now inspire thoughts of lust rather than fear, then the world has truly become peaceful. There is no need to intercede. I wonder what Himmel would say about this...”

“... As you say, Lord Bishop,” the priest said, relenting. He excused himself, curtly bowing a second time.

Heiter resumed his examination of the Goddess' scriptures, jotting down a few ideas on some of the esoteric passages, but he began to feel exhaustion building. He would need to retire for the night soon; he closed the heavy tome on his desk and rubbed his brow. As he relaxed his eyes, he found them drawn to the book the priest had left behind. He tapped his desk a handful of times. Oh, what the Hell.

He picked up the cheaply-bound novella, and flipped it open again. As he expected from his first glance, the narrative was little more than a series of pornographic vignettes, featuring Aura the Guillotine's sexual escapades with a variety of demons, all female, and all described in explicit detail. The author had apparently decided female demons were capable of procreation with one another – a convenient concept for this sort of text, but Heiter supposed there was no way to discredit that, little was known about their lives outside combating them. Along with the flowery text were a number of erotic lithographs portraying these adventures. He was quite certain that the popularity of the text derived more from them than its narrative value.

As he continued to read, however, a growing feeling of unease came over him. Something about the flowery descriptions and often comic narration felt strangely wrong, though he couldn't quite put his finger on what the problem was. He flipped by another erotic lithograph, this one portraying Aura assaulting a demon by a highway, while her followers waited patiently in the background, none too impressed by the look of it. Heiter turned to the next page, then suddenly turned back. He adjusted his glasses and leaned in, focusing on the figures in the background.

One of the demons, who had been named 'Linie', had been featured in one of the first illustrations, but the other was a male; likely the character 'Lugner' referred to elsewhere in the text, with limited physical description. This marked his first and likely only visual appearance. The focus of the lithograph was certainly Aura's activities in the foreground, and Heiter imagined most readers would pay Linie and Lugner no mind, yet Heiter's eyes were drawn to the male demon for one simple reason: during the party's deadly battle with Aura the Guillotine, Heiter himself had encountered a demon with a near-identical appearance. It had attempted to skewer him with spears of blood while he was fending off Aura's army.

Heiter had been surprised at first by how accurate Aura herself was portrayed in the illustrations; such a deadly and terrifying creature, who had come so close to ending their adventure being so painstakingly reproduced had certainly drained any eroticism from the text from his perspective. But portrayals of the Seven Sages were relatively easy to find if this author cared for accuracy. Lugner, however, was simply a demon under her command; he had never been mentioned by any who spoke of her cursed army, and to his memory the party hadn't made much note of him after the battle.

Perhaps Lugner had become an infamous demon in the decades since the Demon King's defeat? If so, that would likely mean Aura had perished – welcome news, to be sure, but it didn't add up. Here, he was portrayed as her loyal subject; Heiter had kept an eye open for any sign of Aura's reappearance over the last decades, and there hadn't been hide nor hair of her. If she was dead, and Lugner had become infamous, there would no longer be any connection between them; demons did not typically care to preserve each others' memory. This fact, and the strange sense he got from the prose, left him feeling profoundly troubled.

He had not seen his old friend in some time; perhaps a reunion would be due soon.

* * *

Aura and her growing pack of demons caught sight of columns of smoke billowing over the treeline, telltale signs of a battle. The group changed direction, veering towards the source; though this could be the result of humans fighting amongst each other or simple beasts, this level of devastation may be the sign of demon activity; perhaps Revolte had moved closer to this region. Not sensing any obvious demonic mana, the group landed some distance away, and concealed their presence as they approached.

The source of the smoke was the smouldering ruins of a human village nestled within the trees. A number of the buildings had collapsed or been severely damaged due to out of control fires, and no signs of human life remained within. Aura always found it puzzling why some humans elected to live in remote locations without even a wall to protect them, when humans possessed vast fortress cities with magical barriers that could prove an impediment even for a Sage of Destruction. Perhaps the humans living like this had been cast out to die, or simply enjoyed the risk of conflict? Yes, that must be it, many demons had similar tendencies. Like that idiot Revolte.

As with many human villages, the town was built around a large, stone church, though parts of it had collapsed, likely due to the flames. Aura observed a line of human corpses in the church yard, another puzzling instance of this human tendency, and a strong sign of activity after whatever had caused this damage.

As the demons drew closer, a lone woman emerged from the front door of the crumbling church. Hesitating for a moment, she picked up one of the corpses from the far end of the line, and carried it to the other end, setting it down. She then made a series of hand gestures over the body.

Aura wasn't overly familiar with the habits of humans and their morbid fascination with their own husks, but she was fairly confident that arbitrarily rearranging the corpses wasn't common, giving a clear indication of this woman's true nature. And if not for that, her hood was straining against the obvious curled horns on the side of her head.

Aura raised an eyebrow. Did this demon plan to remain here, posing as a priestess and concealing her mana, until other humans happened to come along? Aura could be patient, but not that patient. Demons today really needed to learn how to apply themselves.

Seeing as there was clearly nothing to fear, Aura let her mana flow freely, and strode out into the open and approached the church, the others following. The hooded demon looked up, and silently watched them approach.

“I am Aura the Guillotine, of the Seven Sages of Destruction,” she said. “I am in heat, and you will serve to relieve that.”

The demon tilted her head quizzically and opened her mouth as if to speak, carefully examining Aura and her companions. Aura realized she had been concealing the instability in her mana almost unconsciously at this point, and felt a surge of pride. Though under normal circumstances, doing this was certainly nonsense, she had truly deceived this demon. Perhaps she could avoid embarrassment in the future. She released the control she had been exercising, and let her state be known.

Mitternacht, Solitar, and Linie, the last of whom Aura had made use of again after giving birth, moved towards the corpses, their pregnancy giving them an appetite.

“Ah, those are mine, as I was the one who destroyed this village...” the demon began.

“Not anymore, they aren't,” Mitternacht said.

The difference in their power was obvious, so there was nothing the hooded demon could possibly do to stop the trio from taking her spoils,. Thus she simply dropped the matter, returning her attention to Aura.

“Please, come inside, Lady Aura,” she said, turning to enter the church.

“Maybe she will!” Solitar called out.

Aura ignored Solitar and followed the demon into the church, leaving her companions behind. The demon stopped among the crushed and broken pews, before an altar to the human Goddess.

“I would be happy to help you relieve your condition, Lady Aura,” she said, bowing slightly. “Nearby, there is a city under the command of a human named Graf Dach. This human leader possesses a powerful sword. The barrier around the city is faltering, but it's unlikely I'll be able to breach it myself for some decades. If you and your followers were willing to assist, however...”

Aura stopped. Did she think this was a fucking negotiation? Two of the Sages of Destruction, and the legendary wandering demon Solitar were in here, and she thinks she has any say in this matter at all? This woman was far weaker than her, and giving her lip? Aura's eyes narrowed.

“You should use this!” Solitar said, entering the church. The turquoise-haired demon produced one of her wooden toys from her bag.

Aura initially thought this device had a similar shape to the others, being a cylindrical wooden rod with a slightly expanded and rounded end, although an admittedly frightening twenty centimeters in length. Then she noticed it was attached to a strange black sling, and had a second, shorter end curling upwards in the other direction.

Solitar offered the contraption to Aura, who accepted it, turning it over in her hands, puzzled as to its intended use.

“I've been looking for an opportunity to see this in action! It's similar to the toys you've seen previously, but it connects to a thong that fastens around the hips. It's similar to a device humans call a 'strap-on', and allows females to simulate a male role in sexual intercourse,” Solitar explained.

Aura turned the 'strap-on' over again, a doubtful look crossing her eyes.

“The other end is inserted into the wearer's vagina, thus providing stimulation,” Solitar added. “Don't worry, it's designed to feel good for you too!”

“I'm not doing this to 'feel good', I'm doing this to manage my condition,” Aura corrected.

“Oh, so you're still saying that, I see. Fascinating...” Solitar took out her Aura Observation Journal and made some notes, much to the Sage's chagrin.

“Why would I bother with something like this, when I can simply impregnate her normally?” Aura asked.

“She was giving you an attitude, wasn't she?” Solitar said. “Therefore, you should bend her over the altar and ravish her holes with that oversized strap, to teach her a lesson. Kind of like what Mitternacht did when she bound you in-”

“I get it!” Aura interrupted.

Aura looked towards the hooded demon, who had a look of growing unease.

“It's very important that you employ the altar in this,” Solitar added.

“Why?” Aura asked.

“Why?” the hooded demon repeated, almost at the same time.

“Because two demons having rough lesbian sex in front of the statue of the human Goddess, on top of the church's altar in a ruined town filled with death, is exactly the thing that will go perfectly in my book,” Solitar said. “I am referring to my Aura Observation Journal, of course, which you will note is a book, and thus what I just said makes perfect sense and we don't need to dwell on it.”

“... I suppose I should introduce myself,” the demon said. She pulled her hood down and undid her cloak, setting it aside. “My name is-”

“It's actually much better if Aura doesn't know your name, and simply treats you as a thing to be used for her sexual needs,” Solitar interrupted.

“Why?” Aura asked.

“Why?” the demon repeated.

“Because then you're even more of a thing Aura is making use of, logically,” Solitar said. “This follows established genre tropes.”

Aura and her partner simply blinked.

“Please, continue, Aura. This slutty demon priestess isn't going to ravish and impregnate herself,” Solitar added.

Aura stared at Solitar for another few moments, before turning to the other demon. She was significantly taller than Aura, nearly Mitternacht's height. She was in the process of removing her heavy black cloak, leaving her in a flowing white dress that gently clung to the curves of her body. And significant curves, at that, as Aura immediately noticed; far more than most female demons had, aside from herself.

Maybe it was just her height and blonde hair, but she really did remind Aura of Mitternacht, perhaps if her fellow Sage grew her hair longer and less restrained. A softer, curvier, far more obedient Mitternacht.

Aura was starting to feel like she might enjoy this a great deal.

She examined on the flexible black material attached to the device Solitar had offered her, finding holes for her legs. She crouched down, hesitantly stepping through each hole, similar to how a human would get dressed. She turned back towards Solitar as she pulled it up to her hips.

“Why are you just standing there?” she asked.

“Oh, no reason,” Solitar answered. “I didn't think you'd care.”

Solitar stepped back a few paces and sat down on one of the intact pews, taking out her sketchpad. Aura rolled her eyes, resolving to ignore her, and turned back to the blonde demon, who kept stealing nervous glances at the loose-hanging device.

Aura lifted her skirt and tore away the thin strip of fabric between her legs. Pulling the device all the way up, she felt the other end press against her entrance. She grabbed hold of it, and tried to guide it into herself, yet she found it more challenging than she anticipated, and somewhat painful. Curious, Solitar had easily slid larger devices into her earlier...

“Aura, as the foremost expert demon on solo play, you need to warm yourself up more. That will cause your vagina to self-lubricate, allowing far easier insertion,” Solitar said. “You should tease and touch it softly, maybe your breasts too. You could also kiss and touch her. Pretend you're trying to trigger your own heat.”

Aura pried herself open, shoving the other end in as far as it could go, grimacing.

“... Or you could just do that,” Solitar added. She picked up her Aura Observation Journal. “Let's add a note to edit that out...”

Tightening the straps, Aura released her skirt, letting it drape over the wooden phallus now jutting out from between her legs. The ache from the sudden penetration was fading, leaving an odd sense of fullness; a far cry from how she felt when Solitar had used them on her, but not entirely unwelcome. She looked up at the increasingly nervous demon priestess.

“... Lady Aura, I am unsure if that will fit...” the demon said.

She stumbled back a few paces, bumping into the altar. She placed her hands on it to catch herself, pushing her chest out slightly. Aura smiled, watching her fearful reaction.

“Demons are very durable. You will survive without serious injury,” Aura said, advancing towards her.

“There are many other ways for female demons to mate!” she insisted. “For example-”

“I haven't done this before, so I want to do it,” Aura said, stopping in front of her.

Solitar said the purpose of this device was to allow a female to assume the 'male role'. Aura thought back to the last time she had been with a male demon, over a century before this debacle, and how that had proceeded.

“Turn around, place your hands on the altar, and stick your rear out,”

The demon hesitated, glancing to her sides as if looking for any possible escape.

“You aren't defying me, are you?” Aura asked. “Defying a Sage of Destruction is a very bad idea.”

Nodding, she slowly turned around, and obeyed Aura's instructions. She placed her hands on the altar, gripping its sides, and nervously pushed her rear out, bending forward slightly. Aura stepped back, taking a closer look at her. She certainly had far more significant curves that Mitternacht, especially in this specific area.

Aura reached out and grabbed the demon priestess' thighs. She sharply inhaled as Aura squeezed the soft flesh, before moving her hand higher, over the demon's soft rear. Aura had the sudden urge to slap it, causing the demon to let out a far more noticeable gasp. Aura felt herself twitch around the device inside her at the sound.

Aura grabbed the bottom of the demon's dress, and tore it off, leaving her pale, pear-shaped rear exposed. She slapped it a second time, before toying with her exposed cheeks. The soft, pliable flesh wrapping around the fake priestess' tense muscles felt particularly nice to the touch. Aura parted her buttocks slightly, and guided the tip of the wooden toy to the demon's entrance. Grabbing hold of her hips, Aura thrust forward, forcefully shoving the thick rod partway into her. The demon priestess let out a sharp, pained cry and tensed up, trying to pull away.

“You should relax your muscles,” Solitar said. “This will be significantly less painful for you if you do.”

The demon tried to relax as Aura wrenched the wooden phallus deeper into her, pushing back against any resistance with sheer force. Each centimeter that the oversized tool breached into her caused her to tense further, however, and she jerked to and fro, gripping the altar to brace herself as Aura clumsily plunged deeper. She bent forward and let out a cry as Aura reached her absolute depths.

“It doesn't appear to be going in all the way,” Aura said. She thrust forward again, causing the demon priestess to buckle, almost falling against the altar.

“That's because it's twenty centimeters long, Aura,” Solitar explained. “You aren't going to get it in any deeper. Well... You could, I suppose...”

Aura made one final attempt to push deeper into the demon priestess before giving up. Remembering the motion that had been done to her in the past, she withdrew the wooden phallus halfway, and shoved it back in. The demon let out another cry, twitching and writhing against the altar.

“This is more difficult than I expected,” Aura said.

“It should get easier... Eventually,” Solitar said. She crossed her legs.

Aura continued to thrust in and out of her, feeling the other end twitch pleasantly inside her each time. The demon priestess was having a far less enjoyable time, from the look of it; her mana had been successfully disrupted after the first few thrusts, yet she continued to make pained cries, flailing wildly with every thrust. She knocked a metal container of some sort off the altar, scattering strange-smelling dust into the air. Aura decided that was worthy of an extra-forceful thrust.

Although perhaps the demon was enjoying herself? Aura had noticed that cries of pleasure often sounded similar to those of pain, for some inexplicable reason. Many of the noises she made during her various conquests weren't much different. Either way, this felt good for her, so it really didn't matter. Solitar carefully observed and sketched the scene from her vantage point on the pew.

Looking at her again, she really did look similar to Mitternacht, wrapped in a nice extra layer of padding. Aura imagined Mitternacht writhing like this with each thrust, and smiled, redoubling her efforts. The heat from between her own legs was growing as well, motivating her to move faster to help her own pleasure build.

Aura reached forward, and tore the fake priestess' dress off her chest. She pushed her forward, squishing her larger than normal breasts against the dusty altar. Aura enjoyed how the soft mounds of flesh pushed out to each side as the demon grasped at the altar.

Her thrusts were far easier now than they had been at the start of this encounter, and Aura was deeply enjoying the feeling of the second tool moving inside her. She leaned forward, gripping the demon priestess' hips tightly. She thrust as hard as she could into her, pushing herself closer and closer to the brink. Finally, Aura felt the rush of orgasm surge through her body, and let out a loud cry, pushing against her one final time as she forced her mana into the priestess. She pulled the phallus out of the demon afterwards, panting heavily, letting her fall limp against the altar.

Aura glanced down at the wooden tool jutting out from her hips, glistening with the fake priestess' juices. Come to think of it, from her mana, she was likely over two hundred years old. An idea crossed Aura's mind; nothing perverse, mind you, just a logical use of available resources to strengthen her position. She walked out of the church, and spied Linie outside, finishing her rapid consumption of one of the corpses.

“Linie, this tool is coated in fluids from a two hundred year old demon. You should consume them, to strengthen yourself,” Aura stated.

Linie stood up, dropping a spare lower leg, and walked over to Aura. She wordlessly examined the tool, before lowering to her knees and licking it. She made an effort to wrap her small mouth around the oversized phallus. Solitar, having followed Aura out of the church, quickly took her sketchbook back out.

“You're too old to benefit from this,” Aura said, turning to Lugner. “However there is another end inside me, you can have that.”

Earlier in this voyage, Lugner had at least attempted to hide his obvious disapproval with her condition. This time, however, no such effort was made, and his face clearly showed exactly what he thought of that proposal. Did he think she was proposing this for some sick pleasure?! What demon wouldn't want to become stronger? True, typically demons shied away from this whole topic, but Aura had realized over their journey that there was really no reason to bother with that. Ideals of propriety should never stand in the way of acquiring power.

Lugner was saved from Aura's wrath by the demon priestess exiting the church, obviously pregnant, moving slowly and bracing herself against the crumbling door frame.

“Lady Aura...” she said. “I am overjoyed you chose me to mate with, although while pregnant, I will be vulnerable to hunters. However, if I had the sword I mentioned...”

She was still on about that?! First she tried to negotiate, now she's trying to manipulate her post-mating instincts? Aura was considering how much of a beating she could safely take, before Mitternacht stepped forward, having consumed the last of the corpses.

“I say we do it,” she said.

“What? Why?” Aura asked. “She'll be perfectly safe if she stays in hiding.”

“Because I want to raze a human city to the bedrock,” Mitternacht answered. “Fuck keeping a low profile! It's time to remind the world who we are!”

“The Hero yet lives, so we need to-” Aura started.

“Don't start, you mewling coward!” Mitternacht yelled. Aura glared at her. “We do this, or I leave this little army. And you all can go back to getting around without my help.”

“I'm also in favour of keeping a low profile,” Solitar said.

Mitternacht met Solitar's gentle smile with a determined glare. “Even you can't stop me from escaping.”

Solitar glanced to Aura. As was typical of Solitar, she was not going to make the final call herself, and obviously Lugner and Linie don't get a say.

“... Fine,” Aura relented.

* * *

The demons stood outside the fortified city ruled by Graf Dach, by the edge of its barrier, under the cover of the trees. Aura had retrieved a significant army from Schwarzhalt for this invasion, including the mighty Dragonslayer Caelric and Mornog the Glutton, arrayed behind the group beyond the treeline. Solitar placed her hand on the city's barrier.

“She was right, this is barely holding itself together,” Solitar said. “Fascinating, this seems to be the work of mages from Kadesh, a very dry kingdom far to the South from here. Kadeshi mages weave mana like threads, creating a far different style of barrier to those made by Northern mages. I imagine the barrier has fallen into such disrepair due to a lack of access to mages trained in the Kadeshi style. I wonder how such a barrier came to be here in the first place?”

“Can you destroy it?” Mitternacht asked, clearly disinterested.

“Oh, quite easily,” Solitar answered. “I just need to unravel a few pieces here, and... There it goes.”

The barrier flashed a gold colour for a moment, becoming visible to the naked eye, as the dome around the city rapidly dissolved. Mitternacht was gone in an instant, warping between shadows to the city wall, and then to the top, disappearing into the city. Aura commanded her army to advance; the wall didn't look particularly sturdy, and Mornog's hammer should be able to collapse a section of it quickly.

* * *

Mitternacht leapt through the shadows between buildings, slashing and cutting at any humans who happened to get in her way. Aside from the Graf's castle, she spied a large building, similar in some ways to the ruined church from earlier, that seemed to be the second most prominent structure in the city. This was a type of building called a 'cathedral', and humans from the city tended to congregate at them, particularly in times of fear. Such as, for example, seeing their protective barrier crumble in an instant.

Mitternacht reached the cathedral, a mass of disgusting humans piling into the square in front of it. Collecting shadowstuff beneath her feet, she leapt into the air, landing at the apex of the cathedral's roof. She looked down on the mob beneath her; the sun shone at her back, letting her shadow, and that of the cathedral, loom over the helpless creatures. She smiled, and unleashed her magic upon them.

“Oh, Hero Himmel, I hope these screams somehow reach your ears,” Mitternacht declared to the sky, opening her arms wide. “May you hear the dying cries of every one of these pathetic vermin, and know in your final years just how pointless it all was.”

* * *

Aura and her companions bulldozed through multiple lines of half-formed resistance. The city's garrison, struck by total surprise and given no time to rally, could do nothing to halt them. Linie and Lugner cut their way through the vast majority before Aura could bring any of her soldiers to bear, much to her irritation. Mornog's hammer and Caelric's spear, used in perfect tandem, could overwhelm the strongest warriors she had ever encountered, and she missed using them. Aura did spy a handful of humans in interesting armour, and added them to her collection, so it wasn't a total loss.

As the group cut through the city, making a beeline for the Graf's castle, Aura spied Mitternacht grandstanding on top of a large building in the lower city. She shook her head. Mitternacht was utterly obsessed with killing humans; of everyone in the old Demon King's army, Mitternacht was known for having personally slaughtered the largest number of them, something she took a great deal of pride in. Aura understood the allure of a fearsome reputation, but humans were just the set dressing for such a thing. She had no idea why Mitternacht so enjoyed causing them to suffer.

Looking around more, she realized that Solitar had vanished. In fact, she hadn't seen her since Mornog collapsed the wall; perhaps she never even entered the city. Not that it really mattered; she'd be able to topple the castle easily, and Mitternacht would certainly raise more than enough havoc in the city itself. Her army continued to make its way to the castle.

Aura expected more organized resistance as she breached the castle's courtyard, and had placed Mornog's tremendous bulk in front of her and the other demons as an extra shield. Though the best equipped humans did indeed rally in the courtyard, the final line of defense was nothing compared to her army. Mornog and Caelric sent humans flying, as Linie and Lugner took down the guards and mages taking aim at them from the walls.

Although these humans posed no real threat to her, an obnoxious number of mages were firing those white beams everywhere. She had to harden herself several times, raising her arms to block Zoltraak spells from the weak spellcasters, or having her soldiers interpose themselves to take the hit. Fucking Qual! Is this just how every battle is going to be from now on? How could he let his spell get commandeered like this? Aura decided that she'd very much like to give him a piece of her mind.

Thoughts of what she might say to Qual, given the opportunity, occupied her mind as her army breached the castle, crushing any final efforts at defense. She was so distracted she missed some choice suits of armour, much to her annoyance. The Graf, presumably, stood in her way in a large ballroom, carrying a sword in its sheathe. He offered it to her, making some statements she half followed that seemed to be attempts at negotiation. Obviously this was the sword the demon priestess was looking for, so at least that part was easy.

Aura took the sword, still focused on the Zoltraak issue. Being a demon was going to be a lot less fun if every single human mage knew that spell. She'd do a final loop through the castle, in case she missed any notable knights, then leave the rest to Mitternacht.

* * *

Back at the ruined village, Aura tossed the sword to the demon priestess, who had since restored her clothes and put her cloak back on. She scrambled to pick it up, and drew the weapon, staring into the blade. Aura raised an eyebrow; she hadn't noticed at the time, but this was a demon sword, still bearing the traces of some ancient unique magic on it. She briefly wondered how it wound up in the personal collection of a human leader, but there was no point in thinking about that. Weapons like this only held an appeal to martially-inclined demons like Revolte. Good for this sword-obsessed demon, as there would be nothing preventing Aura or the others from simply taking it back if they wanted it for themselves.

“You seem distracted, Aura. If you'd like, I have several more scenes in mind you could play out with her,” Solitar said, having reappeared on the way back. “For example, you could use the sword's hilt to-”

“Everywhere I went in there, it was fucking Zoltraak this, Zoltraak that!” Aura exploded. “I'm sick of that spell! Qual ruined everything! I ought to go find him and tell him to his face!”

“I see. Very well, let's do that,” Solitar said.

“Of course nobody's seen Qual for- What?” Aura paused.

“I know where Qual is. Let's do that,” Solitar repeated.

“What? But... How did...” Aura trailed off.

“Grausam told me,” Solitar said. “Qual was sealed away by the Hero's party in the Southern lands.”

Well. That was unexpected.

Chapter Text

Two years before the death of Himmel the Hero...

Draht rose from the cold stone floor of the ruined castle, having laid down to rest in the center of the throne room. It was the middle of the night; he looked up to the stars in silence, as he had done countless other nights, since he first took up residence in this ruin, long before he met Aura. He felt a strange, foreign emotion as he recalled that time; the sensation perplexed him,

Seven hundred and six days. He had been 'watching over the castle' and 'attending to her soldiers' for seven hundred and six days at this point. He moved over to the row of armoured figures, carefully inspecting them for any blemishes or dirt. He brushed dust off the shoulder of a suit dyed red and decorated with fiery engravings; Aura had been particularly satisfied with this one.

He could just leave. For all he knew, her derangement may have gotten her killed, and if she was alive, clearly her plans to find a mate had gone awry. And yet he if she did return, and he was not present, she would certainly hunt him down. The prospect of having a Sage of Destruction out for his blood didn't sit well, to put it mildly.

And yet right now, he was stuck here, without even the benefits her presence brought. True, Aura may be the demon most obsessed with the curve of her own horns that Draht had ever met, but at least she was powerful. As irritating as she could be, Draht's safety was guaranteed so long as he remained close to her. With her missing, his movements were restricted indefinitely in exchange for nothing, and he was forced to spend his time polishing corpses.

He grumbled as he knelt down, wiping a few specks of dirt off one of the headless knights' boots.

His mind wandered back to the days before he met Aura, and that strange emotion returned. It wasn't fear, or pride, or anger... That's it, he missed those days! He missed being the only demon in this ruined castle, filling its halls with traps of razor string designed to slice and dice any foolish adventurers who wandered in. He missed spending his days watching the stars from the throne room, and the spiders do their work in the corners of the castle's musty halls.

Damn Aura! Is she truly a Sage of Destruction anymore? The Demon King is dead; the title is meaningless. Draht should leave. And before that, he should mess up these suits of armour. He stretched out his fingers, conjuring his wires, and went as far as weaving them around some of the corpses, despite knowing he would never actually do it.

He gritted his teeth, and looked around, spying a head-sized rock. He ran at it, and kicked it across the throne room with all his might. Sharp pain shot up his foot as the rock tumbled along the floor.

“FUCK!” he yelled into the night sky. “FUCK YOU, AURA!”

* * *

Aura and her companions had been stalled in this field for over a month now. The way to the South was barred by a large barrier stretching into the sky, impossible to fly over, and going around would require a significant detour, not to mention crossing the sea. Aura had first turned to Mitternacht, however it seemed that her fellow Sage was not capable of accessing the lands beyond this barrier via Schwarzhalt; an interesting development Aura made a mental note of for later. Understanding Mitternacht's magic would be helpful if they had a disagreement in the future.

Luckily, the group had Solitar with them; while this barrier was not crumbling like the one outside Graf Dach's domain, Solitar's strange fascination with human magic would allow her to slowly erode it. Not so luckily, this would take at least two months of constant work. Upon hearing this, Mitternacht immediately returned to her fortress, not even bothering to offer to bring Aura with her. Linie and Lugner had been spending time sparring, leaving Aura to do, well, nothing.

She was a patient demon, but sitting in a field for a month was a bit much.

Solitar lowered her palm from the barrier, and the chaotic gold patterns that had become a near-constant presence faded from view. Aura perked up; perhaps Solitar had managed to finish early.

“I require a break,” Solitar said, dashing her hopes.

“... Why?” Aura asked.

“We've been travelling together for slightly over fifteen months,” Solitar answered.

Oh.

Solitar began to cast that nameless spell that all female demons knew. Dark clumps of mana clustered around her, intermingling with bits of what Aura had left in her over a year ago. The clumps grew gradually grew darker, coalescing into the shape of small demons. As colour flowed into their bodies, the newborns looked around, glancing at Solitar and Aura. Linie and Lugner had also paused their match, drawn by the spectacle.

Aura wondered if these newborns would be more powerful then Linie's; were the children of two great demons more powerful than others? She really had no idea, and had never given it any thought before. The newborns, a mix of Solitar and Aura's features, took their first steps, wandering around the field and approaching some of the party. It really was a fascinating process in a number of ways. Aura began mentally picking out specific newborns who resembled either her or Solitar more; it was at least a break from the monotony.

Then, as one, they all started talking.

Not that they were saying anything meaningful, of course. Just random nonsense, incoherent statements, meaningless questions. Not that different from Solitar herself.

“Why is your hair that colour?” “Why is that grass longer than this grass?” “There's a bee near those flowers.”

Aura felt a twitch in her brow.

“Those seeds float through the air. Perhaps they are related to demons.” “Why are you taller than me?” “Why is the sun so bright?”

The constant din continued as the demon children babbled at each other, at the group, at inanimate objects... Aura realized to her horror that she may have just added sixteen more Solitars to the world. Losing her patience with the noisy things, Aura drew her sword, and rushed towards them, attempting to scare them off faster. However, the newborns barely moved out of her way, scattering around the field in response to her charge. They continued to pepper her with questions.

“Oh my,” Solitar said. She took out her sketchbook. “This is a different sort of scene, but worth capturing... What a fascinating look into demonic ecology!”

Aura halted her random rushes back and forth across the field, feeling her cheeks grow heated. Newborns should be silent and invisible! When she was a newborn, she had behaved properly, and immediately walked off into the night. Or, at least she's fairly sure that's what happened. Demons today are hopeless!

Killing the newborns would obviously be an utterly nonsensical act, yet she was feeling herself sorely tempted. Only a few would survive anyway, so the outcome would be the same if she slaughtered one or two now. Yet, when she tightened her grip on her sword, the newborns immediately withdrew, wandering off over the plains, talking endlessly to each other and every blade of grass.

Finally, some quiet.

“Aura, after Linie gave birth, I asked you how many demons you had encountered in the previous year,” Solitar said. “I would like to ask that again.”

Damn it.

“You should be focusing on the barrier,” Aura replied.

“I'll need a few days to recover to the point where I can continue,” Solitar said. Her mana was indeed nearly depleted; it was frankly surprising she was still standing. “Thus you may as well answer my questions. Would you rather go back to doing nothing?”

Aura was torn on that.

“Fine,” Aura said. She pondered for a moment. “... About fifty?”

“A higher number than last time,” Solitar noted. “Likely a result of Mitternacht's presence cutting down on our travel time significantly. Another question, Aura. How many demons were in the Demon King's Army?”

She was caught off guard by the question. She thought back to those days.

“I suppose if you ignore beasts... Perhaps two thousand?” Aura offered.

Solitar was silent for a few moments, offering her usual unreadable smile. Aura caught sight of a shift in her gaze, and felt a chill pass down her spine; she remembered Solitar giving her this same feeling shortly after Linie gave birth. She reflexively tensed her muscles, yet Solitar relaxed almost instantly.

“We are a fairly uncommon species, after all,” Solitar said. “Aura, are you aware of how many demons you have produced since you set out from your castle?”

She hadn't really thought about it at all. Typically demons produced between ten and twenty young from each pregnancy, depending largely on personal whims. She wasn't aware of any correlation between the power of the demon and number of young, so perhaps considering fifteen to be the most common number...

“I suppose nearly...” Aura mentally counted. No, that had to be wrong. Yet it all seemed to add up, regardless of how many times she repeated her math.

“... Six hundred?” she offered.

“Indeed, Aura. In the span of two years, you have produced a number of demons equal to a quarter of the Demon King's Army at its height,” Solitar said. “Even if only a handful from each group survive, it's still well over a hundred adult demons in only twenty-five years.”

Aura blinked. A hundred... That was half the garrison of Ende!

“But they are all in the North, which has yet to be repopulated by humans since the Demon King's death,” Solitar continued. “Given sparse habitation, it's far more likely that a larger number will reach adulthood, and that the humans won't properly observe or respond to this until several years after the first group do so. Do you know, if your condition remains uncured, how many demons you will have produced in thirty years?”

Aura didn't bother counting; this line of conversation was making her nervous.

“I calculated approximately ten thousand. Of course, this will only accelerate if we continue, as the density of mature female demons will increase massively as they reach adulthood,” Solitar said. “Among other life forms, mating with one's own offspring typically comes with severe disadvantages; this does not occur with us. The humans may not notice a preponderance of demon children in a remote area, but I assure you, they will notice this.”

“Surely this problem will be self-containing, the humans will...” Aura started.

“Precisely,” Solitar nodded. “The humans will consider this an unprecedented crisis, and launch into a campaign to annihilate us far surpassing the previous war. This would likely be inconvenient for me, so I considered killing you to prevent it.”

At least Solitar was speaking some level of sense now. Aura tensed her muscles again, meeting her gaze. She briefly considered how to handle this, then smiled slightly.

“And yet you didn't kill me,” she said.

“No, I still find this fascinating. Besides, you don't pose much danger to me,” Solitar said. “Your magic is a very poor match against anyone who exceeds your mana.”

“And yet, as you are right now, you have almost none,” Aura stated. She kept her voice even and direct.

“Oh, you're right!” Solitar nodded. “Ah, I suppose this is my downfall then. Done in by my bad habit of talking too much.”

Aura stared at Solitar. She could use her scales on the older demon right now, then finish her off and guarantee she doesn't change her mind in the future. Trying to control her longterm would be far too dangerous. That would of course prevent her from getting through the barrier, which would be a nuisance, but more than that, she still couldn't quite read Solitar's face.

No, something felt off. Or might be off. She relaxed.

“Perhaps I should be the new Demon King?” Solitar said, continuing as if their brief clash never happened. “I am likely one of the oldest demons alive, and with a rejuvenated army, I imagine I would be quite successful...”

Aura sat down on the field, allowing Solitar to ramble on pointlessly. She kept a close eye over her for the next two days, then continued to do so as Solitar resumed her work on the barrier. As predicted, it took her another month before the magical weaving came undone, creating a wound in the field large enough for the demons to pass through.

Mitternacht had not returned. Unfortunate, given the conveniences her magic provided, but not a major inconvenience, given her magic apparently couldn't transport them deeper into the South. Now that she had left hiding, it would likely be easy to find her again when they returned.

She'd better not die with my soldiers still in Schwarzhalt...

The group, sans Mitternacht, passed through the damaged barrier and spent several weeks travelling to the South. Solitar took the lead; Aura had never been this far South in her long life, and had no idea where Qual was supposed to be. Solitar seemed completely confident in these lands, however, and knew exactly where to go, including detouring to avoid human villages.

Eventually, Aura spied a massive figure perched at the top of a grassy hill. Drawing closer, she got a clear sight of the petrified form of Qual, Elder Sage of Corruption. So Grausam hadn't lied, for once in his life. The party approached, walking up to the towering demon.

“I suppose this will take several months?” Aura asked.

“Oh no, I can undo this seal almost instantly,” Solitar said. She walked forward and raised a palm. Steam started to rise from the statue as colour returned to Qual's flesh.

Aura raised an eyebrow. Solitar's knowledge of the South was surprising enough, and yet she also knew exactly how to undo this seal. What all had Grausam told her, anyway? Her musings were interrupted by Qual's booming voice, as the demon rose to his full height.

“Solitar... And Aura, as well,” Qual said. “A curious pair. How many years has it been?”

“Nearly sixty,” Solitar answered.

“And how fares the Demon King?” Qual asked.

“Dead, the Hero Himmel and his party killed him,” Solitar said.

“I see...” Qual stroked his beard, briefly lost in thought.

Aura suddenly recalled the reason she had even gone along with this trip to the South. The painful welts and wounds from the amateurish Zoltraak beams had long since faded, yet the memory of them rose to the top of Aura's mind.

“The Demon King isn't important right now!” Aura blurted out. She stepped forward. “We're here because of your stupid spell!”

“My piercing magic?” Qual turned to her. “What of it?”

“Because you had to go and make the 'most efficient' killing spell possible, always so proud of how 'basic' and 'easy' it was, the humans managed to learn it!” Aura said. “Now everywhere we go, every mage is firing Zoltraak at us! Do you realize how much of a mess you've made for everyone?!”

“The humans learned my spell...?” Qual turned to Solitar. “Is this true?”

“Yes, it is. Not only have humans learned your spell, but they've developed a simple counter as well,” Solitar said. “Both are nearly ubiquitous in human magic of this era. Although a great deal of the work was done by Frieren, from the Hero's party.”

“Hey! I'm talking to you, you oversized oaf!” Aura yelled.

The Sage of Destruction stepped forward, raising her hands, however Qual simply placed a pair of fingers on top of her head, holding her back as he continued to talk to Solitar.

“Frieren... Yes, if any could do it, she could,” he said. “Her magecraft was quite impressive.”

“In fact, she has developed a modified Zoltraak dedicated specifically to killing demons,” Solitar said. “Quite the adaptive spell you made.”

“Yes, after all, I've never heard of another demon's unique magic being learned by humans,” Qual said. “To think that I would make Zoltraak so efficient that even those simple creatures could perform it... I truly am a genius.”

“You're not supposed to be proud of it!” Aura insisted. “You've created a constant irritation for the rest of us! You've utterly ruined the fun of battle.”

“Hmmm... And yet, there was a time long before yours, before the mage Flamme, when humans could barely perform magic at all,” Qual said. “How do you think the demons of that era reacted to the sudden emergence of human mages?”

“... We're not talking about some ancient-” Aura began.

“They adapted, Aura,” Qual said.

Aura stared at him.

“Skill issue, Aura,” he added.

Aura clenched her fists in rage, and moved towards him, yet Qual simply flicked her with his gigantic index finger, sending the great demon tumbling head over foot down the hill. Linie moved over to her, and silently offered a hand, which Aura slapped away. Lugner barely tried to contain his smile, and Aura's sudden glare had little effect.

“A fascinating world I find myself in, Solitar,” Qual said. “I have much to consider... Oh, Aura, why is it that you are attempting to hide your heat?”

Well, of course he'd notice.

“I'm... Well, you see, if my state were to be known, then...” Aura tried to fumble together a lie.

“She's stuck in permanent heat,” Solitar said. “Even though she's successfully mated dozens of times, she remains in this state. She's been travelling about trying to 'control' it, or so she says.”

“Unbelievable,” Qual stroked his beard again. “I have never heard of such a thing happening to a demon, not even the slightest rumour that such a thing would be possible. And yet...”

Righting herself, Aura perked up. Her anger over Zoltraak and Qual's mistreatment immediately retreated to the back of her mind. If the Elder Sage had some theory about her condition, then he might be the first ray of hope she'd had in years!

“This may be the funniest thing I've seen in my thousand year long life,” Qual said.

“I know, right?” Solitar added.

DAMN IT!

“It persists through pregnancy?” Qual asked.

“... The Hero Himmel remains alive, and as he no doubt wishes to hunt me down, I can't risk a pregnancy if I suddenly need to defend myself,” Aura said.

“So you have solely mated with female demons then?” Qual said. “Then perhaps a pregnancy would end it?”

Aura paused. Her mind cycled through possible refutations, coming up with nothing that sounded good.

“Oh, great thinking! Aura, you should mate with Qual,” Solitar said. “I'm not sure how my readers would react to that type of scene, however Qual could essentially use your body as a handheld sex toy!”

Aura did NOT like the sound of that.

“Wait, 'readers'?” she turned to Solitar.

“Well, I can spare the time,” Qual said. “I suppose I should offer some thanks for freeing me from my seal.”

“No thank you,” Aura stated.

“If you prefer. I'd best find a way to improve Zoltraak to bypass this 'counter' Solitar refers to...” Qual mused. “A new name may in order, if the spell has become pedestrian... 'Zoltraak Two', perhaps.”

Aura stared in response.

“Zoltraaker... Zoltraaga...” Qual proposed increasingly awful names. “It will be all... 'Boom'! Or maybe a... 'Woosh!'”

Qual made various sounds with his mouth while gesturing with his hands. Aura continued to stare; she often forgot about this particular side of the Elder Sage. Qual turned and lumbered off down the hill, continuing to make explosion sounds with his cheeks while ignoring the group. Aura watched him wander away, not really feeling like chasing after him; in hindsight this entire thing had been a complete waste of time. Nothing more to do than head back North; the South was far less friendly to demons these days.

“Lady Aura...” Linie perked up without warning. The small demon swerved around and looked behind her.

Aura turned as well. She quickly scanned the treeline, eyes darting between possible hiding places. She saw a bush move slightly. Perhaps the wind, or an animal? Taking a moment to focus her mind, she reached out. With effort, she picked up the slightest trace of mana coming from near the bush, so weak she thought it must be a human, and not a mage at that. But no, the mana had a distinctly demonic twinge.

Drawing her sword, Aura advanced towards the newcomer's hiding place. She had only taken a few steps when the bush shifted far more obviously, and a black-haired demon stumbled out into the clearing.

Aura relaxed her guard. This demon had simply been trying to hide her presence, but had done such a clumsy job of it that Aura mistook her for something else. However, taking a closer look at her, Aura recognized this demon. This was the same girl she had encountered shortly before meeting Solitar, she had clearly also given birth, as she showed no signs of pregnancy.

How did she get here? Aura's mind wandered. She couldn't have gotten past the barrier, so she must have taken the sea route then?

“I wasn't trying to sneak up on you!” she said, raising her hands, as if she could pose a threat anyway.

Aura stared at her. She was an utterly weak demon; projecting her mana normally made that perfectly clear. Aura doubted she'd be a year over fifty. Aura recalled her first meeting with this demon, and realized she never learned what type of magic she used. Not that it was likely to be impressive.

“What is your unique magic?” Aura asked.

“I can appear in multiple places at once,” the demon answered.

She demonstrated, conjuring two copies. Any mage would instantly know they were illusions, and Aura was certain even humans could cast more impressive spells. This demon had failed to match even her very low expectations.

Although, taking closer look at her, Aura spied the line along the bottom of her short, frilly skirt, where a thin strip of milky-white skin was visible just above her black stockings. Aura turned her head slightly, taking a close look at how her stockings pinched the skin of her thighs. She had left them intact in their prior encounter, despite tearing the rest of the girl's ensembles to shreds.

It occurred to Aura that due to this fruitless quest to chastise Qual, she hadn't had the opportunity to satisfy her urges in months, and they were certainly growing. Maybe this demon's unexpected appearance was an unexpected blessing.

Aura smiled.

“You won't resist,” she said, advancing towards her target.

It wasn't a question.

“... I am happy to serve, Lady Aura,” she said, nervously stepping back a pace or two.

Aura shoved the young demon to the ground, before pouncing upon her. Solitar took out her sketchbook, circling around the pair for a good angle. Aura resolved to enjoy herself; she'd been putting up with a lot recently.

She deserved a reward, damn it!

Chapter Text

One year before the death of Himmel the Hero...

Lauern sat on a stone staircase leading to one of the many multi-story buildings that densely packed the fortified city. A constant stream of humans passed in front of her; there must have been over a hundred on the street at this moment alone. Some moved about in small groups, others alone, most constantly speaking, to the point where a flood of voices filled the thoroughfare.

A stout-looking middle aged man carrying a sack over his shoulder passed by the staircase. He happened to glance to his right, and Lauern looked right at him. His eyes seemed to slide across her, and he kept walking, oblivious to the fact that he'd just locked eyes with a demon. Not that anything else was expected; the last time a human noticed Lauern when she didn't want to be noticed was well over a century ago. She hadn't seen a double take or the briefest pause in decades.

She continued watching the humans, observing their daily routines while training her magic. She spied a girl in a rather drab cloak, carrying a basket filled with plants. The girl had long, messy brown hair, thick glasses, and a downcast demeanour, slouched forward while stepping through the streets with an unusual gait. Lauern was intrigued; this one might be interesting. She got up and followed behind the human.

Lauern enjoyed watching humans. It was a strange hobby, she admitted, one she had picked up from the infamous Solitar. But while Solitar had to converse with the things to satisfy her curiosity, Lauern's Sinnesloschen – Sense Deletion Magic – allowed her to observe them up close, in their most natural states. She had spent the past few weeks with a group of five of them, something the humans call a 'family', trying to understand their relationship. She watched them play with their offspring, prepare meals of mixed vegetables and meat, pray to their Goddess, and many other confusing acts. The adults would even sleep in each others' arms, when they had no intention of mating.

She found the last particularly odd, and had watched by their bedside for several nights in a row, assuming she had missed something.

Lauern followed the girl to an apothecary, and soon learned she was the owner's apprentice. So that is what the plants were for. The girl spent much of the day, until the sky turned red, preparing medicines, barely speaking. Lauern examined the devices she used and the way she mixed the herbs together, but found herself becoming bored. Plants were far less interesting than humans. Nevertheless, she would at least follow the girl home; she hadn't observed many solitary adult females.

As the sun set, the girl bid her master farewell, gathered her belongings, and left. Lauern followed close behind her.

She hoped this girl would have a more interesting private life. The humans of this city had started to become boring, and Lauern toyed with the idea of dismissing her magic in the middle of the marketplace, and announcing herself as Lauern the Silent, Sage of Destruction. She imagined they would have quite the reaction to that.

But no, she was still happy letting the humans believe the Hero of the South had slain her, at least for a little longer. Lauern was a cautious demon by nature, and things had not yet truly stabilized since the Demon King's death to her satisfaction.

She followed the girl home, to a small, second floor apartment, watched her prepare and eat a modest meal of fish and bread, then study a tome of medicinal herbs by candlelight. It seemed solitary human females live exceptionally dull lives. Lauern considered simply devouring the girl. Yet, she found her interest piqued again when the girl put the tome away, and moved the candle to a small table next to her bed. She had a strange, nervous look in her eyes as she changed into a long, white nightgown.

Lauern watched as the girl reached under her bed, moving slowly and deliberately. The girl briefly glanced around her bedroom, and Lauern's jaw nearly dropped. But no, this girl wasn't a mage, it must have been a coincidence. Some sound she heard or play of her mind; humans are a prey species after all, they're skittish.

The girl pulled out a thin, paperback book, and climbed into bed with it. Lauern spied the cover; to her surprise, it had an illustration of her fellow Sage, Aura the Guillotine, pushing another demon over an altar, palming and groping at her body. It bore the title, 'Mating Habits of the Northern Demon, Volume II' and boasted a total of twenty-four full-page illustrations, apparently an increase from a previous sixteen.

The girl opened the book to the first page. Lauern was truly fascinated now, not just about the girl, but also this strange text. She climbed into bed with the girl; she depressed the mattress and their bodies touched. The girl shifted to accommodate her, not consciously aware of the act. Lauern read alongside her, quickly grasping the nature of the text. The narration sounded... Human, almost, and she imagined any human, and most demons for that matter, would assume this to be written by one, but Lauern was fairly certain she knew better.

Solitar, this was you, wasn't it?

“Ah... Lady Aura... Please, devour me...” the girl said aloud, shifting in her bed. She held the book open on an illustration of Aura pinning a much younger demon to the ground.

Lauern sat up on her elbow, staring at the girl's face. This human wishes to be devoured by a demon? Now that was something she had never encountered once in her long life. The girl slide her hand under the covers, and began stroking herself between her legs. Lauern carefully studied her activities; from everything she had learned about humans, deriving sexual joy from the thought of being attacked by a demon, and one of the same sex at that, would mark this human as an unforgivable deviant.

For the second time today, Lauern considered dismissing her spell. She had a very similar build to Aura, and suspected humans would find they had the same appeal. Her black hair, tied into two braids that she typically let wrap around her horns like buns and hang off her shoulders, was far more modest than Aura's, and her tiny, downwards-curled horns barely looked like more than bumps on the side of her head. She had a round face with big green eyes, and typically held a practised expression of shy curiosity. In the past, when humans did notice her from time to time, she found this gave them the most pause, far more than anything else, be it threats, tears, or pleading.

Lauern wondered how the girl would react to her, if she found Aura sexually enticing. But that experiment could wait; first she'd learn all she could about this human who wants to give herself to demons. She lay back down, nuzzling in close, and read along with the girl.

* * *

“It seems Mitternacht has caused quite an uproar,” Solitar said.

Upon returning to the North, Solitar had briefly split from the rest of the party. Aura wanted to find Mitternacht, fearing she might lose access to her restored army again. Solitar had helpfully offered to gather information from nearby human settlements, something her odd pastime made her uniquely suited to.

“The humans have a concept they refer to as a 'first-class' mage; these seem to be an elite fighting force under the command of a larger organization called the Continental Magic Association,” she continued. “Mitternacht has done everything she can to openly challenge them these past months, assaulting villages and cities under their protection, and has killed at least six of these mages.”

Aura rolled her eyes. Killing humans is only natural, but Mitternacht tended to obsessively annihilate the creatures.

“She'll be easy to find then,” Aura shrugged.

“Most likely, but we should move quickly,” Solitar said. “There are rumours that the mages have asked the Magic Association's leader to assist them. It would be inconvenient for you if she died.”

“Another mage?” Aura said. “A lone human mage can't possibly challenge a Sage of Destruction.”

“Hm, is that so?” Solitar mused.

Well, it was so, regardless of Solitar's smirk. But if this 'Magic Association' was a large and powerful organization, they could coerce an entire party to accompany their leader, perhaps another Hero. Were there still Heroes? For that matter, how did a human become a 'Hero', were they simply born that way...?

“I suppose we'd best find her,” Aura said.

The party of demons spent the next few weeks combing through the Magic Association's territory. Evidence of Mitternacht's attacks were frequent; she was rapidly carving a path through human settlements close to the seat of their power; even a demon couldn't leave that unanswered for long. Luckily, her assaults were so frequent that tracking her was as simple as following the trail of destruction. It seemed she would launch attacks separated by mere days; even under the Demon King, she showed more restraint than this.

The group fanned out regularly to search for traces of demonic mana. Solitar had an uncanny ability to analyze the residual traces of mana left behind on a battlefield, and could reconstruct its precise ebb and flow. Aura had asked why she bothered to learn such a thing, which Solitar found very funny, and refused to elaborate on why, much to Aura's irritation.

However, in the end, it was Linie who first picked up distant echoes of demonic mana, and alerted the others. Aura focused on the distant tremor past the horizon; this was certainly Mitternacht, and making no attempt to hide her presence, but she felt something else, too. Either Mitternacht had made great strides in her magic in the past months, a disconcerting thought, or she was with other demons.

She had likely gained followers, Aura decided, much like she had pressed Lugner and Linie into her service. Oh, and the other one as well. Draht. The group flew towards the source of the energy.

The demonic mana emanated from a drop off the edge of a cliff. A set of ancient stairs carved out of white stone led down the side of the cliff; certainly intended for use by humans, as any demon would simply fly down. Cresting the edge of the cliff, Aura spied a large stone balcony jutting out over the edge, in front of a large, ornamented structure built into the stone face. Mitternacht was below, along with three other demons. Her mood soured when she saw who the others were.

Fucking Revolte.

Sturm and the male were present as well. The four looked up as Aura and the others descended to meet them. Revolte lowered his head respectfully as Aura landed, meanwhile Sturm, that same dumb smile on her face, tried to get her attention. Aura ignored her. Both of them were still wearing those stupid blindfolds.

“We are honoured by the presence of Aura the Guillotine. To think, we would encounter two survivors of the Sages of Destruction on this most auspicious day,” Revolte said. “And the legendary Solitar, Death's Lonesome Blade, accompanies them.”

Solitar raised an eyebrow. She rarely showed any emotion beyond her obnoxious levity and unreadable smile, however her face made it very clear that she was displeased to have received a title, having long prided herself on keeping a low profile. Revolte didn't seem to notice that his attempted sycophancy had offended the most powerful demon present. Maybe you should take off that fucking blindfold, then.

“Hello, Aura,” Mitternacht said.

“What are you idiots doing here?” Aura asked, turning to Revolte's group.

Revolte frowned briefly. “We have come here, to this dungeon, unconquered by human hands, to master the art of combat. My army has rested on its laurels far too long, caring for my formerly pregnant follower Sturm. Our blades grow rusty, and we must renew our training.”

Aura smirked. Maybe she should impregnate Sturm again before leaving.

“... This place, the Ruin of the King's Tomb, contains a beast of legend, the Spiegel, from the mythic era,” Revolte continued, irritation creeping into his voice. “The Spiegel's magic allows a warrior to train by facing the most fearsome opponent possible – oneself. We shall plunge into the depths of the dungeon, and face this ultimate challen-”

“Mitternacht, we should resume our travels,” Aura said. “Qual was no help at all, and you've attracted too much attention. We should move to a different region.”

“I've attracted exactly as much attention as I want, Aura,” Mitternacht said. “And I'm intending to join Revolte's training expedition.”

“Lady Mitternacht follows the path of the warrior,” Revolte said. “You and your entourage are of course welcome to join us in thi-”

“No. This is idiotic,” Aura said. She could almost feel Revolte's glare through his blindfold; it was quite amusing. “We'll wait out here until you come to your senses, Mitternacht.”

“Actually, we'll join you,” Solitar said.

What.

“What... Why would you... I don't understand...” Aura babbled.

“There's two perfectly valid reasons for joining them, Aura,” Solitar said. “The Spiegel operates by creating magical clones of those who enter the tomb. If Mitternacht is alone with Revolte's forces, her clone will by far be the most powerful entity in the dungeon. This leaves only a fifty percent chance that she survives, as none of the others will be able to assist her against it.”

“Unlikely,” Mitternacht interjected.

“And secondly, Omniscient Schlacht once told me that, if Aura the Guillotine approaches the Ruin of the King's Tomb while in heat, I should make sure she enters it and reaches its depths,” Solitar said.

Aura blinked.

“Schlacht... Said that?” Aura asked.

“Yes, very clearly,” Solitar answered.

Aura stared at her. Solitar's stupid, unreadable smile was back, of course. Aura was at least seventy percent sure Solitar was lying, there's no way Omniscient Schlacht would have said that. Still, she seemed strangely committed to it, either way... Refusing to enter might lead to a confrontation with Solitar, now without a pregnancy to slow her down. Aura sighed.

“Fine, I'll go,” she relented.

Revolte smirked. Aura shot him a glare.

“... Lady Aura, do you intend for us to enter alongside you...?” Lugner asked. He was standing some distance back with Linie.

“Of course, you're my Executioners. You go where I go, unless I order otherwise,” Aura stated. Linie had given birth to her second litter, and Aura had yet to make use of her a third time, so she felt no need to leave her somewhere safe.

Lugner blanched. He clearly didn't enjoy the prospect of doing battle with a clone of one of the Sages of Destruction, or Solitar for that matter. Even Revolte would be too much for him, if Aura was being perfectly honest. Though Lugner was definitely the smarter of that matchup.

“Then the eight of us will enter together,” Revolte said. “Remember, to overcome yourself, all you must do is exceed the limits of your unique magic, then and there.”

“I'll enter on my own,” Mitternacht announced. “The rest of you can stay out of my way. I hope your clones keep me awake.”

Mitternacht walked to the far end of the stone balcony, then turned, picking an entrance at random, and strode into the dungeon. Her echoing footsteps quickly faded.

“I'd like to get a closer look at some things in the dungeon, so I'll be entering on my own as well,” Solitar said. She walked towards a different entrance, turning back to the remaining six at the threshold. “Aura, if you see a clone of me, run away, OK? I've got a lot of pages left to fill in the Aura Observation Journal!”

Aura rolled her eyes as Solitar entered the ruin. She tilted her head towards Revolte.

“We're not going in with you either,” she said. “Lugner, Linie, follow me.”

Aura approached the closest entrance without looking back once, quite satisfied with herself. Revolte's group was certainly the weakest of the four; there's no way he could fight a Sage of Destruction, let alone Solitar. Aura wondered if she'd ever see him again, and smiled wider. She entered the stone tunnel leading into the ruin, followed closely by her Executioners.

The Ruin of the King's Tomb was, frankly, a bore. Aura wandered through the pointlessly complex structure for hours, encountering trivially weak beasts who fell immediately to her or her Executioners' magic, if they didn't flee in terror, and a variety of basic traps. Aura would be embarrassed if any of these were installed in her castle. One can simply fly over most of the trigger plates!

It was only after the demons had descended several stories into the depths that Aura first caught sight of one of the alleged 'clones'. Down the hallway, swaying back and forth and as it approached the party, Aura spied a dark, shadowy copy of Revolte emerging from the darkness. It really was quite the uncanny sight; the clone moved and looked exactly like him, and its mana felt identical, on top of that.

Oh well.

“Auserlese,” Aura produced her scales. No point in wasting time.

And then... Nothing. The Revolte clone kept moving, and neither Aura nor its essence emerged to be weighed. She glanced towards her scales as the copy closed in on them. She understood a moment later; this was not an independent creature, with a mind, will, or soul of its own. It was simply an echo, and thus there was nothing to weigh; no contest to resolve. This would be irritating to deal with.

* * *

As the clone reared up to strike, Lugner fired several twisting, jagged spears of hardened blood towards it. He maneuvered them in a zigzagging pattern, attempting to weave a path under the false Revolte's guard. And yet the clone, twirling its four blades as if they were light as a feather, effortlessly repelled all of them. Lugner felt a gust of wind from the motion, even as far behind Aura as he was. He stepped back further.

Linie dashed forward, weaving around Aura to charge at the clone. She conjured a massive battleaxe in her hands as she leapt into the air, before Lugner could cry out for her to stop. Left with few options, and with Aura apparently content to enjoy the breeze, Lugner reached out with his mana and took hold of the blood now in the air, a trick he'd been working on recently. He used it to create a shield in front of Linie, just as her axe struck one of Revolte's swords, now with overwhelming heft. The axe shattered along with the shield as Linie was flung back and slammed into the wall. Lugner was certain she'd be dead if he'd been a fraction of a second slower.

The Revolte clone raised its swords again, this time taking aim at Aura. Aura grabbed her thick-bladed sword in one hand, and swung in a wild arc to meet Revolte's attack. Despite Aura's utterly brute-force attack compared to Revolte's expert swordsmanship, not to mention the demon general's significantly greater bulk and ability to seemingly change the weight of his swords at will, the raw power of Aura's strike overwhelmed the attack. One of the copy's swords shattered, Aura's attack crushing its defenses and cleaving – no, more ripping – its hand off.

Lugner was suddenly reminded that Aura was one of the infamous Sages of Destruction. He felt he had forgotten what that meant recently.

Linie slowly rose to her feet, and Lugner called out to her. “Linie, we're falling back!”

The young demon glanced at Aura briefly, as the Sage had another brutal exchange with the clone. She nodded to Lugner, and the two swiftly retreated down the corridor. A confrontation between a demon general and one of the Sages of Destruction was not a battlefield they had any place on. Any misplaced swing, from the Revolte clone or Aura herself, could cleave either of them in two.

The crashing sounds of the battle faded into the distance as they weaved through the dungeon's corridors. Lugner came to a stop when he felt certain they had escaped, yet his relief was short lived. Revolte was not even close to the most terrifying things they could encounter in this dungeon, and now they were separated from Aura.

Auserlese failing against the clone suggested it lacked a will of its own, and yet it had the power and skills Lugner would expect from a general as infamous as Revolte. This implied the clones were largely autonomous, and yet behaved as the originals would. Therefore...

“Linie, we will conceal our mana completely while navigating this dungeon,” Lugner said, turning to the younger demon. “We will rely solely on our physical senses so long as we are on our own.”

“But, without mana detection, the clones will be far harder to find,” Linie said.

“A mage must always adapt to the situation at hand, and right now, we face opponents far beyond our skills and capabilities in every aspect,” Lugner explained. “Mana detection itself can be sensed, and if we are perceived, it will be our doom.”

Furthermore, if the clones behaved like the originals, this may be a blind spot. Concealing one's mana for longer than an ambush or swift retreat was a very unusual thing to do – something Lugner was banking on. He had to admit, it was a distasteful act; he felt like a rat scurrying through the walls. But better to live as a rat than perish otherwise, he supposed.

The pair made their way through the labyrinth, hoping to run into one of the more powerful demons by chance. They emerged into a large, open chamber lined with stone pillars, peeking around the corner as carefully as possible.

Lugner spied movement in the shadows between the pillars and the wall, and immediately pulled Linie back into the entryway. He watched in horror as a clone of Mitternacht emerged from behind one of the pillars, crossed the room, and sank into the shadows on the other side.

He only started breathing again a full minute later. Had the Mitternacht clone noticed them, there would have been no escape.

Lugner took Linie's hand, and led her quickly out of the chamber, weaving through the passages of the Tomb. Luckily, the intense focus demons learn when developing their signature magic allowed him to keep track of all the twists and turns of this floor, and he was certain Linie could retrace their steps if necessary.

What worried him now is the silence of the dungeon. He had expected the other demons to have encountered clones, either their own or others, and following the sounds of battle might lead them to a more powerful companion, provided they waited at the periphery until the match was decided. Solitar would be optimal, of course, but even Revolte would provide significant protection against the Spiegel's clones. Or at least a distraction.

The demons slowed as they entered another large chamber.

“Lugner...” Linie said, staring into the darkness at the far end of the room.

“Yes, I see it,” Lugner replied. He readied himself for battle.

A pair of clones emerged from the darkness, one of himself, and one of Linie. He breathed in deeply. At least they would be perfectly matched, yet he dreaded the possibility of a battle of attrition being interrupted.

He thought for a moment. Aura had confirmed that these clones lacked souls, and had no will of their own. And yet, the Revolte copy had fought in the same manner as the original. Lugner felt his demonic blood heat as a path to victory formed in his mind.

“Linie, you will engage my clone. Do not attempt to attack, only defend; recall carefully our sparring sessions,” Lugner instructed. “I will destroy yours, and then reinforce you.”

Linie nodded, silently acknowledging his instructions. The two demons charged forward at each others' copies, crossing each others' path as they moved to the end of the chamber. Lugner spied his clone launch a barrage of bloody spears at Linie, however, not missing a beat, the young demon conjured a pair of massive iron tower shields and absorbed the impact. He would need to trust Linie to follow his instructions, as he turned his attention towards her copy.

The Linie clone leaped through the air towards him, pulling a massive battleaxe from the ether as she recklessly attacked him. A foolish move, and one the flesh and blood demon had learned recently to avoid against him. Lugner called on his Balterie, and wrapped his arm in a thick bracer of blood. He raised his arm to deflect the axe, letting its full force slide off to his right, as he weaved a spear of blood from his left, angling it towards her.

His hopes of a quick victory were dashed, however, when the axe vanished in an instant, and the Linie clone kicked off his bracer, throwing a half dozen knives at him. He had no choice but to shift his attack into a second shield, catching the blades from the air.

Linie was indeed a capable warrior.

Without missing a beat, he pushed his arms forward, sending a thick spear of blood towards the copy Linie's torso at a startling speed. And yet, much as the real demon had done, the clone created a tower shield of thick steel and absorbed the impact with both arms.

The Linie clone pulled a pair of curved swords out of the ether. Lugner raised an eyebrow; he had never seen Linie create these specific weapons before. But what demon would reveal all of her secrets to potential rivals? He would need to be cautious – if Linie had concealed this attack from him, it was likely she believed it had the best chance of overcoming his defenses.

The false Linie began to stumble, as if a drunken human, weaving back and forth before surging towards him. An obvious ruse – whichever warrior Linie had copied this from must have perfected unusual movements to throw off enemies. As expected, the stumbling copy lashed out with the two scimitars in a series of confusing, twirling attacks. Lugner knew he had to keep her at bay; he envisioned a multi-headed snake, and created a whip of blood emulating its lashing strikes. He weaved it through the air, the threat of its gnashing heads keeping the clone's chaotic movements at bay.

And yet, he found he was forced back to the far side of the room. The rapid pressure of the clone Linie's strikes, each appearing stumbling and uncoordinated on the surface, yet veering at vital points at the last second, were too lethal to challenge directly.

As he was forced further back from the real Linie, he spied how her battle was going. His clone was employing the new technique he had spent the last years developing, surrounding Linie with hovering orbs of blood, that shot like daggers towards her at every angle. And yet, Linie had found a novel way to defend herself – her body was clad in fragments of heavy, steel armour, isolated to exactly where the bloody daggers would strike. Lugner recognized the heavily engraved armour; it was one of the suits Aura most treasured while they hid in the castle.

So Linie had copied Aura's soldiers, and avoided expending mana by only creating the pieces she needed to defend herself in the moment. What a brilliant defense!

Linie's strategy gave Lugner an idea. The clone's whirling blades were primarily a threat to an unarmoured opponent; such weapons were far less effective against heavy armour. This would be a gamble, but if it worked, it would certainly give him the upper hand.

Lugner caught himself smiling. Perhaps Revolte was right, this was a stimulating way to train.

“Balterie – Armour of Blood.”

Lugner forced his magically animated blood to the surface of his skin, forming an elaborate, tight-fitting suit of red armour, covering his body. Each of its plates would be at least as durable as thick steel, capable of repelling slashing weapons with ease. Of course, this limited his capacity for attacks, so all he could create were a set of three bladed claws on his hands and feet.

He charged forward to meet the Linie clone's advance, allowing its swing to deflect harmlessly off his new armour. He used the bought moment to close in, and lashed out with his short claws; he felt them strike true, and although the clone immediately leapt back, minimizing the damage, he had wounded it. He had the advantage, now he just had to press it.

Steel danced off of hardened blood as he turned the momentum in his favour, forcing the Linie clone back as he scored another handful of strikes with his hands and feet.

Yet the battle was not decided. Linie herself could not hold out forever against his clone, nor could he maintain his new Armour of Blood for long. He would need to decide the duel as quickly as possible, and reinforce Linie before-

A loud explosion resounded through the chamber, originating from near Linie, on the far side of the room. Stunned, he turned his attention to it, to see his clone disintegrating to nothingness, blasted to pieces. The Linie clone turned its attention to the unexpected sound as well, before six swords flew out of the darkness, cutting it to pieces in a flash.

His eyes darted around the room, and locked on Solitar, who stood in the center of the chamber. She smiled as she often did, not seeming to have exerted herself at all.

He was relieved to see her, of course. Solitar was by far the best companion for the pair, and yet the fact that she had effortlessly destroyed both of their clones unnerved him.

“Hello, Lugner. Hello, Linie,” Solitar said.

“Lady Solitar,” Lugner half-bowed as he pulled the blood making up his armour back into his body. He stumbled briefly as he did so, feeling lightheaded.

“Those were interesting applications of your unique magic,” Solitar said. “I expect they'll serve you well in the future!”

The two demons were too exhausted to offer anything other than a basic acknowledgement.

“The core of the dungeon is down that passage,” Solitar pointed. “Keep to the left, and you should reach it soon enough. I have something I need to take care of, but I'll meet you there eventually. I suspect none of the others will enter the final chamber before I arrive!”

“... Lady Solitar,” Lugner started. “Perhaps we could accompany you?”

He didn't want to lose track of her, and risk travelling through the dungeon alone again.

“... Very well,” Solitar smiled. “In fact, I expect this will be far more amusing with you present!”

* * *

Aura stood over the fallen Revolte clone. She raised her sword in both hands, and brought it down on the fallen construct over and over. It wasn't the real Revolte, of course, but it still wore his face, and thus was satisfying to pulverize.

“Take off that stupid... Fucking... Blindfold!” Aura's sword cleaved through the clone's head. It faded away to nothingness.

Aura smiled and glanced around the hallway. It seemed Lugner and Linie had fled, and she couldn't sense their mana anymore. She didn't think the Revolte clone had killed them, so either they were hiding, or had been destroyed by another of the Spiegel's creations.

Who cares.

Maybe Revolte had a decent idea; after all, she had a chance to experience butchering him. Maybe she should do it again when she finds the real one.

Aura resumed her casual trek through the dungeon. This floor was largely devoid of even the minor beasts that guarded the upper levels, and few traps lay about. Perhaps none of the beasts dared approach the Spiegel?

She suspected this dungeon was particularly large, as she couldn't sense any spikes of mana, nor hear the sounds of combat echoing through the hall. Nothing to do but keep walking, she supposed. She wondered which clone she'd encounter next, if any. Sturm, perhaps? Or Mitternacht. Although that would pose a problem, given Auserlese didn't work on the clones at all. Not to mention Solitar's clone.

Aura slowed her stride. No Auserlese, and no soldiers... How would she deal with either of those? Maybe she shouldn't have entered this place to begin with...

No, best not to dwell on that. She'd keep her guard up, and flee if necessary. In the worst case, she was confident she could collapse one of the dungeon's passageways to block pursuit.

As Aura wandered down another dark corridor, she sensed another of the clones approaching from ahead. She tensed, gripping her sword tighter, as it emerged from the darkness.

It was neither Mitternacht, nor Solitar, much to her relief. Rather, it was her own clone, walking forward confidently, holding a copy of her scales and sword. The clone slowed its approach about ten paces away, and the two stared at each other.

Aura was unsure of how to proceed. Neither of them had any soldiers by their side, and if the clones were unaffected by Auserlese, then they would have nothing to weigh against her soul either. Besides, their mana should be exactly equal... Although that isn't precisely true. A strange thought crossed Aura's mind. She had been desperately concealing her heat for years now, and quashing any possible instability in her mana. This likely made her appear less powerful than she truly was, and if the clone couldn't pierce that veil, it would certainly use Auserlese if possible on her, sensing a certain victory.

That would be ironic. Not that it mattered with the clone unable to use her magic.

Aura supposed this would simply turn into a match of brute force. A boring, drawn-out battle. She frowned.

“Hello, Aura,” Aura heard Solitar's annoying voice from behind her.

The smirking demon emerged from behind her, a very worn-out Lugner and Linie in tow.

“Solitar,” Aura thought for a moment. Solitar might be a pain, but this is a solution to her current problems. “This is an inconvenient opponent for me. Would you dispose of it?”

“Apologies, Aura, but I'm quite curious to see how this battle proceeds,” Solitar said. “I imagine it will answer several questions I've been mulling over about how the Spiegel functions, as well as other phenomena.”

Fucking Solitar, of course she won't help. Aura turned her attention back to her clone, readying to deflect what would certainly be a monumental first strike.

To her surprise, the clone tossed both its scales and sword aside as it charged towards her. She was stunned by this utterly nonsensical action, and failed to counter in time, allowing the clone to tackle her to the hard floor. Her sword clattered away.

Why would it do such a thing? She never fought unarmed, though she supposed she'd be capable of pummelling most opponents.

Her musings were interrupted by the clone's second assault, as it pinned her left arm to her side, then grasped the lip of her corset with its right hand. It yanked down, tearing her top and letting her right breast bounce free.

Oh.

Oh damn it.

Solitar smiled, walking to the side for a better angle, and took out her sketchbook. Lugner shook his head, sighed, and motioned for Linie to back away with him.

The clone's assault had left Aura's right arm free, and she used it to grip the clone's horn, attempting to push its head back and away from her chest. The clone struggled and rubbed against her, driving a knee painfully into her groin, grinding against her. Aura yelped at the unexpected sensation, and her hand slipped, letting the clone bring its face to her chest. It bit her nipple, hard.

Really hard.

Aura cried out in pain, flailing to escape the clone's grip as it continued to tear at her clothing.

“Why the Hell is doing this?!” she cried out.

“It seems these clones mindlessly attack, following the established patterns of the original,” Solitar said, craning her neck to sketch specific details. “In essence, raping female demons has become such a core part of who you are that the Spiegel's magic has misfired, interpreting it as a preferred form of 'attack'.”

“Get it off me!” Aura demanded.

“I'm afraid I can't do that, Aura,” Solitar said. Her pencil dashed across the sketchpad. “This provides me with a unique opportunity to witness you having sex with yourself. In fact, this was half the true reason I insisted you enter the Tomb to begin with.”

“So, Aura,” Solitar stared at her. “Fuck yourself.”

DAMN IT!

She grabbed the clone by both of its horns, letting it rip at her already-shredded outfit, trying to get its teeth away from her chest. A female demon's nipples were actually quite sensitive! In fact, she quite enjoyed making her partners touch them, though softer than this.

In the midst of her flailing, a thought crossed Aura's mind. This clone was just 'attacking' her according to how the Spiegel's magic functioned. It's not like it actually wanted to have sex with her, or felt any level of lust or desire for control. She considered what she typically did to the females she encountered, and a thought crossed her mind on how she could gain more control over the situation.

Abandoning any attempt to push the clone away, she instead gripped it by the horns and led it downwards. As she suspected, it stopped trying to bite and resist her when she ceased pushing it away, and instead instinctively led kisses down her now-exposed stomach, towards the remnants of her skirt and the thin layer of fabric covering her most sensitive place.

She felt a tingle as the clone licked her bellybutton. This seemed to be working; the pain faded from her chest, and she felt herself getting excited.

On second thought, she might actually enjoy this.

Quite a bit, in fact.

She forced the clone's head between her legs, guiding it with her firm grip on its horns. She thought back to that first night with Linie, where she had the young demon grip her horns in the same way. She smiled, recalling the pleasures of that night; Linie had certainly enjoyed herself, and now Aura would get to experience her own technique. Not a bad thought, at all. Her mind drifted away from Solitar's obnoxious voice and Revolte's stupid 'training camp', as arousal flooded her thoughts.

The clone obediently tore away the remnants of her skirt, and the thin strip of increasingly damp fabric covering her pussy. It wrapped its arms around her hips, and plunged in, licking deep, pushing its tongues in between her folds.

Aura leaned back, her horns lifting her head and upper back off the ground. She gripped the clone's horns, desperately pulling it in deeper.

Aura had made Sturm, and a number of her other partners, eat her out. And yet aside from Solitar, who had clearly studied it in perverse tomes, none of them were nearly as experienced with the act as Aura herself had become over the past years. Feeling her own technique was... It was amazing! Jolts of pleasure shot through her body as the clone lapped up her dripping juices, letting its tongue slide deeper into her, only to pull it out and tease her clit.

Her face twisted from one of struggle to a satisfied smile, as she pleasure built. She moved her hips against the clone's tongue, losing herself in the sensation as it plunged in deeper and deeper.

“Interesting, Aura,” Solitar said. “How does it feel to be serviced by yourself? Is it more or less arousing that seeing someone else's face between your legs?”

“Aaah, it's... It's incredible!” Aura gasped.

All sense of dignity was long gone as her mind drowned in pleasure. She looked down at herself, shadowy echo or no; if anything, she wished it was her real, blood and flesh face staring back at her. The clone continued to service her to the best of its abilities, groping her hips and ass as it did so, with no consideration for itself. What a convenient lover!

She wanted to... No, she was going to stain her own face with her juices! She'd squirt all over herself! Yes, any moment now!!

Aura moaned and cried out, grinding her hips against the clone's face, feeling the pleasure build to its apex. She let out a final, shameless cry as an almost overwhelming orgasm surged through her body. She felt her face and chest flush as her pussy gushed, spraying her clear fluids onto the clone's tongue, cheeks, and up to her eyes and nose. It closed one eye reflexively; even sexier! The clone swallowed as much as it could, as Aura let herself collapse onto the stone floor, barely feeling the rough surface over the cloud of pleasure cradling her.

This would usually be where she'd impregnate her partner, and yet, there was no way to do that here. The clone was nothing more than a magical simulacrum; there was no real way to end the encounter. In the haze of arousal clouding her mind, Aura realized that could be something of a problem, but for now, she was simply happy there was no need to stop.

She let go of the clone's horns. As expected, it continued to obediently service her, its tongue running over her entrance, lapping up the mess from her orgasm. She felt the blissful pleasure build again; no need to stop it. She groped her own chest with her free hands, teasing her nipples and loving the feel of the fabric of her gloves against her bare skin.

Aura allowed the clone to service her for long enough that she lost track of time, letting multiple waves of orgasmic pleasure surge through her body. The waves came closer and closer together, as she descended into a fog of lust and joy. Her guard was completely down at this point, and she was dimly aware that Solitar and her servants continued to watch this debauchery, but it felt so good that she truly didn't care.

In fact, she was beginning to regret her inability to impregnate the clone; that had its own pleasure. Also the shadowy nature of the clone was far less visually-pleasing than the peachy skin of her previous partners...

Ah, of course.

“Lini-eh... Come here~” Aura slurred her words, beckoning to the younger demon some distance back.

“Are you serious?” Lugner said.

“Shaddap Lugner... Yesh... Come here... Take all your cloafes off...” Aura reached out to Linie as she approached.

Linie obediently walked over to Aura, stripping off her dress and tights. Aura smiled at the sight of the girl's ethereal skin and peachy nipples. She pulled Linie down, having her lay next to her as the clone continued its endless service. Aura kissed and groped Linie as the girl return the favour. Yet another orgasm rocked through her body.

“Does this interest you at all?” Solitar turned to Lugner, pausing her sketch. “I'm surprised you've been around this for so long without going into heat. You could probably have either of them right now. Or both.”

“No. I am not interested,” Lugner stated. “And I will be keeping my distance. I want nothing to do with that... Mess of mana.”

Lugner glanced back to Aura, Linie, and the clone. Aura had buried two of her fingers in Linie, and the younger demon was suckling on her previously-wounded nipple. Aura moaned shamelessly towards another crescendo.

“If I were to go into heat, I would be left in an... Inconvenient state. Aura will impregnate Linie, and she would never assent to it herself,” Lugner explained, before adding sarcastically, “Unless you were interested?”

Solitar thought for a moment.

“Very well,” she said. “If you go into heat, I'll let you fuck me. You can do whatever you want with my body.”

Lugner's eyes widened as he stepped back. Solitar took a few steps towards him.

“You seem hesitant,” Solitar smiled. “I'm much older than you, I should therefore be quite desirable once you're ready, considering how demon sexuality functions.”

She continued to advance.

“It's very unlikely you'll have the opportunity to have sex with a demon four times your age ever again,” Solitar said. “It may be an interesting experience. If you walk over to them, I imagine it will send you into heat rather quickly. What do you say?”

Lugner backed well away from Aura and the others, also putting more distance between himself and Solitar. She was certainly just being... Herself right now, however some small part of him did find the idea intriguing; obviously that meant he was standing far too close to Aura. One of many things demons hate about their heat is the emotions it makes them feel. Lust, desire for another... Emotions a human feels. And right now he felt human in another way, as the look in Solitar's eyes made him feel like prey.

Thankfully, Solitar dropped her pursuit moments later, and he breathed a sigh of relief. Aura let out another undignified cry, alongside Linie, as she impregnated the younger demon for a third time.

Solitar returned to Aura, and raised her hand, annihilating the clone with a burst of magical energy.

“Hey... I wash ushing thaht...” Aura babbled.

“You've been using that for almost two hours,” Solitar said. “It's time to get moving. The others have almost certainly reached the core of the dungeon, though I doubt they have entered the final chamber.”

“You coulda joined too...” Aura whined.

“Hmm, you're not going to be happy that you were talking like this later,” Solitar said. “But that embarrassed Aura will be enjoyable as well! Come on, let's go, up and at them.”

Solitar pulled the panting and flush Aura to her feet, and supported Linie as she started to rise alongside her mistress.

* * *

Some time later, the four demons reached a chamber just outside a large pair of double doors. Mitternacht, Revolte, and Revolte's minions were locked in an intense discussion at the side of the room. Solitar waved to them as she entered, leading the group; rather than taking point, Aura was standing some distance back, unusually quiet.

She wasn't in the mood to talk to the others right now.

“Hello, Mitternacht. I assume this is the core of the dungeon?” Solitar asked.

“Yes, it is,” she said.

“Why haven't you entered?” Solitar tilted her head.

“We're deciding how to deal with that,” Mitternacht's shadow stretched out towards the doors, its elongated palms reaching up to the door and pushing it open.

Inside was a large, circular room, with a far more ornate set of doors at the far end. Standing before them, motionless, was a clone of Solitar, staring across the room. It made no aggressive motions, clearly positioned for defense rather than attack.

“Ah, yes, that is a problem,” Solitar smiled.

“I am impressed, Lady Solitar,” Revolte lowered his head. “I had no idea you were so skilled in this many magics.”

“What do you mean?” Lugner asked.

“The clone has cast a protective spell on the door,” Mitternacht said. “Getting through it without destroying the clone is essentially impossible. It appears to be a spell that seals the gate with the power of the caster's life.”

“I do dabble in a number of human magics,” Solitar said. “Why not just go around, and breach the center from another chamber?”

“That is also impossible, because an extraordinarily elaborate, anti-demon barrier surrounds the innermost chamber,” Mitternacht added.

“Well, I do know some barrier spells,” Solitar admitted. “I must have picked something up after breaking through them.”

“No, Solitar, you did not 'pick something up',” Mitternacht stepped forward. “I have seen that barrier before. It is almost identical to the spell that currently seals Macht of El Dorado. A complex barrier made from incomprehensible human magics, powerful enough to contain one of the greatest of the Sages of Destruction for decades. You did not 'pick it up', and this is not a result of 'dabbling'. How the Hell do you know how to cast that?!”

Solitar smiled and shrugged. She clearly wasn't going to answer that question. Mitternacht tightened her fists, but Aura noticed that her usual arrogant expression was tinged with fear; clearly she didn't want to challenge Solitar, with what she had learned of her power.

“I suppose we have no option but to destroy the clone,” Solitar said.

“And how do you propose we do that?” Mitternacht asked.

“Hmm...” Solitar thought for a moment, before turning to Revolte's male minion. “I know, you should flood the room with fog, then yourself and Sturm can attack the clone while it's disoriented.”

“Are you joking?” he said. “It would easily sense us, and we'd last seconds.”

“Yes, but you'll provide the rest of us with a valuable distraction,” Solitar said.

Revolte's minions were immediately unnerved; yes, it is likely that Solitar, along with Mitternacht and Aura, could overcome the clone if they used the lesser demons as a distraction, but...

“I must protest to sacrificing my minions,” Revolte said, much to their relief. “Replacing them at this time would be challenging.”

“Linie is not in a state fit to battle,” Aura said.

Mitternacht glanced at the recently-impregnated Linie, clicked her tongue and rolled her eyes. Silence hung in the air as the group considered their options. Perhaps withdrawing was the best option? Revolte was surely done with his little training expedition at this point; there was no need to throw themselves against this clone.

“... An idea comes to mind... Yes, I've never actually tried it myself, but if the clone is mindless, it should work...” Solitar mused.

Solitar opened up her over-stuffed bags, pulling out a number of magical knickknacks she had gathered while moving through the dungeon, placing them in a pile out of the way to lighten her load.

“Why do you have that garbage?” Mitternacht asked.

“If we're raiding a dungeon, I thought it would be interesting to gather as much treasure as possible,” Solitar said. “That's what human adventurers too. And some of it may be useful.”

Mitternacht clearly did not agree with Solitar's reasoning, but simply shrugged.

“What's the plan?” she said.

“It's much like what I said earlier,” Solitar said. “Everyone other than myself does need to distract the clone, at least briefly. I will dispose of it, though I will likely only have a single opportunity.”

Mitternacht hesitated. “... If you abandon us, then-”

“I have no reason to abandon you,” Solitar said.

None of the demons trusted her, of course. Then again, Solitar had never behaved aggressively towards any of them.

“Be careful, especially you, Aura!” Solitar smiled. “My clone may attack in... Unexpected ways, and it would ruin my fun if you died. Keep your guards up!”

The demons continued to hesitate, and yet Revolte and Mitternacht slowly moved towards the entrance. Aura carefully followed.

“Place a barrier of fog on the entrance,” Solitar instructed. “I will remain out here with Linie.”

Revolte's male follower raised his hands, conjuring a solid barrier of opaque fog covering the entrance, and the six demons, led by Mitternacht and Revolte, entered the central chamber.

The Solitar clone glanced between them as they spread out, the lesser demons remaining as close to the entrance as possible. As expected, a set of magical swords appeared around her, before darting at high speeds towards the group. Lugner formed another bracer of blood, preparing to deflect the first attack. The tip of the sword glanced against his defenses, barely grazing him, and yet the monumental force behind it nearly crumpled his guard.

Three swords darted towards Revolte's minions; Lugner dismissed them as dead and prepared to defend himself again, as Mitternacht and Revolte charged towards either side of the clone, parrying or avoiding the bulk of its attacks.

“Medrozbalt – Second Form: Gale!”

Rather than projecting a whirlwind from her sword, Sturm wrapped it around her legs and body, using it to propel herself towards the Solitar clone's swords. She slammed into the first blade, knocking it to the side, before turning instantly in midair towards the second. The swordswoman's prodigious speed allowed her to cut all three weapons out of the air before any of them could reach the duo; Lugner was impressed.

The Solitar clone raised its palm towards Sturm, and a familiar mana began to coalesce around it. Lugner gaped at it.

No, it can't be...

Before the clone could complete its spell, however, Revolte crashed into its flank, quickly joined by Mitternacht. The clone conjured more swords and used it to repel their assault, deflecting Mitternacht's shadowy blades and Revolte's storm of strikes with both them, and its bare arms. Lugner knew Solitar was powerful, but to have such a powerful barrier of raw mana around her...! This was suicide; they had to flee.

Aura charged towards the clone along with the other great demons, but paused near the center of the chamber. What was she going to do here? Auserlese wouldn't work, though Auserlese wouldn't work on Solitar anyway. She supposed she could attempt another brute force attack, but unlike with Revolte, there was no chance of overpowering Solitar, and she had no idea how to defend herself properly in a sword duel.

While Aura pondered her options, Mitternacht and Revolte weaved around the clone, launching a barrage of attacks that would surely rip any other opponent, except perhaps for Rivale, Bloody God of War, to shreds, and yet the Solitar clone continued to defend itself. Finding a gap, the clone released its swords, letting them fly freely, and gathered an immense amount of mana in its hands. It reached out to either side, and unleashed a raw blast of sheer magical might to either side.

Mitternacht and Revolte defended against the attack, yet both were pushed back to either side of the room, Revolte quite wounded from the look of it. Much like Lugner, Aura was beginning to consider retreat the best option. The clone quickly moved to conjure more swords and regain its guard before the great demons could resume their attack.

Aura felt what happened next before she saw it. A surge of mana that seemed to sizzle in the air shot past her at an incredible speed, from the fog-covered gate towards the clone. A white beam of highly dense, narrow mana cut through the air, piercing through the clone's chest and striking the sealed door at the far end of the room. Aura was horrified.

Was... Was that Zoltraak...?

It felt... Close to Zoltraak. Something like Zoltraak, but far faster, denser, and more powerful than any version of it she had ever felt. The taste of the mana in the air made her feel sick; defending against such a thing would be almost impossible, even if she was aware of it. As it was, Aura was certain that she would have been killed instantly if it had struck her.

In fact, it would probably have killed both her and the clone, which was quickly dissolving on the floor.

Solitar walked through the fog-covered gate, Linie in tow. The six demons simply stared at her.

“What... Was that...?” Mitternacht asked, her eyes wide.

“Zoltraak,” Solitar said. “Closer to the human version of it; I picked it up some years ago.”

So she wasn't going to answer, as expected. The demons continued to stare at Solitar; they each had known that fighting her would likely a losing battle. She was significantly older and more powerful than even the Sages of Destruction amongst them, but to have it laid out so plainly that Solitar could have killed any of them at any time she chose, and with another demon's spell...! It was insanity.

“Come on then! The last room is just ahead, and the barrier is down!” Solitar smiled.

The stunned demons slowly followed her.

Inside the final room were heaps of worthless gold and jewels, along with a few magical items that might have some use. Rising above the center of it all was a gleaming magical diamond; from its feel, Aura sensed that this was the Spiegel. In a rage, she grabbed it.

“Stupid fucking thing!” she yelled.

Aura tossed the Spiegel against the ground. One of its corners cracked and it emitted a surge of distorted mana as it bounced along the floor.

“Aura, you should impregnate the Spiegel,” Solitar said.

Aura turned to her.

“You already had sex with your clone, now you can finish properly!” Solitar smiled.

Mitternacht and Revolte, even through his blindfold, stared at Aura. Mitternacht didn't even look disapproving, she was simply shocked. Damn it...

But no. There was a limit. The Spiegel was a beast; true, beasts and demons are related creatures, both made of materialized mana, and it may be possible for them to reproduce, but... There was a level of indignity Aura could not tolerate. Beasts were not truly sapient; they never developed proper thought, or the ability to speak the human language. They were a lower form of life. Reproducing with a beast was a sickening concept.

“You don't need to rub it between your legs or anything, Aura,” Solitar said. “Just force your mana into it. It will accept it.”

“No,” Aura said flatly.

“Half the reason I brought you into this dungeon was to see if you'd wind up having sex with your own clone, and I was delighted to watch you do exactly that!” Solitar said. “The other half, is because Omniscient Schlacht said you must. It won't hurt you or anything, Aura.”

“No!” Aura yelled, stamping her foot. “I won't do it!”

“You keep vaguely hinting towards Schlacht saying this or that, but I know you're just doing this for your own entertainment!” Aura ranted. “You follow me around, drawing pictures of me, talking about your 'readers', and then you cast that... That thing, and after making those barriers?! I'm not going to do it! What the Hell are you, Solitar?”

“Can't a girl have secrets?” Solitar asked. “And I might have even more secrets. I think you should do what I say.”

Aura rounded again, preparing to some sort of retort, but Mitternacht spoke first.

“Aura,” she said calmly, keeping her eyes locked on Solitar. “Do what she says. This isn't about dignity or perversion. We shouldn't anger her.”

Aura hesitated. Solitar didn't look angry at all, she still wore her constant, stupid, annoying, meaningless smile. And yet...

“FINE!” she yelled.

Aura walked over to the fallen Spiegel, picked it up, and forced her mana into it. As Solitar had said, it simply accepted it with no resistance. She tossed the thing into a pile of coins.

“Thank you, Aura,” Solitar said. “I'm going to pick up my things, then we can leave. I've never conquered a dungeon before! Isn't it a fascinating experience?”

The other demons silently stared at Solitar as she retrieved the knickknacks she had left outside the central chamber, then perused the treasure horde, picking out a handful of other items. Solitar announced she was done, Mitternacht created a gate of shadow that brought the group to the entrance of the Tomb.

“... Aura, I will leave your army in your castle,” Mitternacht said, still keeping her eyes on Solitar. “I think I will remain in Schwarzhalt for a time.”

“We shall return to our campaign,” Revolte bowed. “It has been an honour, Lady Solitar, Lady Aura, Lady Mitternacht.”

“Shall we get going as well, Aura?” Solitar asked.

Aura nodded hesitatingly, and the demons went their separate ways, Solitar happily following Aura's group as if nothing unusual had happened.

Days later, the Spiegel flickered to life in the empty dungeon. Its magic flared in an unusual way, and it created a small demon child, of solid colour, unlike one of its clones. The newborn demon wandered out of the dungeon, and into the wilderness.

Chapter Text

One year before the death of Himmel the Hero...

“The Graf is deeply grateful for your help in this matter,” the man said. “This contains all the information the guard has managed to gather on the case.”

He handed the white-haired elf a scroll. Frieren unrolled it, and began reading.

“There are more disappearances than I expected,” she said.

“... My apologies, Lady Frieren,” he bowed. “It was never our intention to downplay the severity of the situation. We are simply trying to avoid panic. If you desire, the Graf can offer a greater reward for your-”

“The grimoire is enough,” Frieren said, carefully reading the list.

She looked around, taking in the sights of the thoroughfare. The city seemed peaceful enough, and yet there was less activity than she expected for this time of day. Clearly, news of these strange disappearances was having a toll on the residents.

“No connection at all between them?” Frieren asked. She continued to walk alongside her escort.

“In some cases, yes, but there is no overall link we've discovered,” he official said. “A family of three, two of the guard, though with little connection beyond that, a blacksmith, a jewel merchant, several day labourers...”

Frieren continued to review the list. At least thirty people had gone missing over the past year in this city, vanishing without a trace, and none of the mages the Graf had hired had found a trace of mana; no investigator a single clue explaining any of the disappearances. The people in question simply seemed to vanish into the ether, and even more curious, in most cases, little fuss was made about them for some time. How could a man's brother disappear completely, and yet it not cross his mind to report it to the authorities for months?

The Graf was right to seek her out. This city was protected by a barrier, but Frieren sensed demonic hands at play here, though the idea of a demon operating within a city for years was both bizarre and terrifying.

“I will need to speak to any mages in the Graf's employ,” Frieren said. “As well as any of the guard who investigated this.”

“Of course. I shall set up meetings with all involved immediately,” the man replied.

Frieren felt the hair on the back of her neck stand on end. She stopped in her tracks, and turned around. She carefully scanned the street behind her. The sun had passed behind the buildings, leaving the market square in shadow as evening progressed. A man selling vegetables was negotiating with a pair of women some distance away. Some men drank beer outside of a tavern. A few townspeople were wrapping up the day's errands, making haste rather than stopping to chat. The merchants were beginning to pack up for the night. Nothing out of the ordinary.

“Is something the matter, Lady Frieren?” the official asked.

“... No,” Frieren slowly turned back to her escort, and continued along, taking one final glance behind her. “I will also need to speak to anyone related to the victims. There may be something your investigators have missed.”

“I shall coordinate through the guard,” he nodded.

* * *

Lauern stopped in her tracks, her green eyes shooting open as the elf suddenly turned and locked eyes with her. She almost attacked on instinct, but even though the elf was a mere three feet ahead of her, the mage seemed to gaze through her, rather than at her. The elf scanned the street slowly, her guard heightened. Lauern could feel the mage's mana detection wrapping around her Sinnesloschen, and yet it held true, and the elf, though unnerved, eventually turned her attention back to the bespectacled male.

Lauern followed, though a few more paces back this time. She must have made some mistake, something that the elf picked up on subconsciously. She was both afraid, and excited; she wanted to learn what mistake she had made, and continue using this elf mage to train her unique magic.

But this wasn't any mage. This was Frieren, the mage of the Hero Himmel's party. Frieren the Slayer, who has killed more demons than any in history. It was much too dangerous to use her as a training dummy, as much as Lauern longed to develop Sinnesloschen.

Maybe I should kill her.

Lauern never cared much for reputation; she had assumed the mantle of Lauern the Silent, Sage of Destruction, solely at the Demon King's behest, and had done everything in her power to keep Sinnesloschen's secrets known only to her. But killing Frieren would send a clear message to any other demon to respect her, not to mention insuring Frieren is never a threat again.

How should I kill her?

Sinnesloschen lacked any direct combat capabilities, and Lauern wasn't much of a warrior. But she was still a great demon, and possessed immense strength. When she killed, she would simply strike with her bare hands, crushing her adversaries in a single motion while they were defenseless. With humans, she preferred snapping their necks in their sleep before consuming them, but it wasn't much harder to kill an unaware human who was awake.

Frieren was a powerful mage, but mages don't have any special durability. Lauern could simply clap her hands together against the sides of Frieren's head, and it would burst like a grapefruit. If she wanted, the man with her wouldn't even notice she was gone for hours, and she'd have time to utterly consume the body. Lauern advanced closer. Frieren didn't flinch, continuing to discuss things with the male.

She could do it. She was certain. If she wanted it, Frieren would die instantly.

But what if it's a trap?

Lauern backed off again. No; Lauern was a peaceful soul; she hated conflict, and her unique magic allowed her to avoid it whenever she chose. She had no intention of doing battle ever again, now that the Demon King was dead.

She had slipped through the city's barrier years ago. She'd do the same thing tonight, and leave this place behind her. There would be more humans to observe somewhere else.

She'd just need to wrap up her current business first.

* * *

Aura had spent the last several months on her usual travels, satisfying herself with any female demon she stumbled upon. She had less to worry about than before; Mitternacht was no longer raising quite the ruckus, and Aura's army was safely garrisoned in her castle. Draht seemed dissatisfied during her brief return that he would have a significantly larger number of soldiers to tend to, but he wouldn't dare disobey her.

Solitar, for her part, had more or less acted as though events at the Ruin of the King's Tomb had never taken place. She settled back into her usual behaviour, not mentioning the strange barrier magic her clone had used, never mind the terrifying Zoltraak she herself had unleashed. Aura could never truly relax around her to begin with, however with no change in her behaviour, the tension gradually left the group.

Lugner and Linie had been working to perfect the new applications of their magic, and Aura had to admit she was impressed. Lugner's Armour of Blood had grown much more efficient, and imitating Aura's soldiers was a stroke of genius on Linie's part. Not that she'd ever admit Revolte had a good idea or anything, but pushing them to their limits had led to breakthroughs for them both.

With recent events fading into the background, her preoccupation returned to her condition.

She was no closer to any sort of understanding of what was wrong with her than when she started her journey. By this point, she was confident that mating would not resolve things, though it did allow her to cool off, so to speak, and she had grown... Accustomed to her permanent heat. It no longer clouded her mind the way it had that first night, at least while she wasn't in the act. Qual offered nothing, Solitar had no clue (or none she would share), and her fellow Sage was no help either.

The only thing she could think of is some issue with her wound from the Hero, though by this point she had fully recovered otherwise. She was beginning to come to terms with the fact that this may be permanent, as difficult as that was to accept.

She had started considering longterm solutions. She was generally in an acceptable state after a month without a mate, so if she were to recruit fifteen female demons to her army, then she could simply cycle through them on a monthly basis. No – thirty, and mate every two weeks. At that rate, she'd feel more or less herself most of the time. She began considering the demons who didn't actively irritate her. And were enjoyable partners, for that matter. Linie, Sturm was appealing enough if removed from Revolte's influence, that black-haired girl she'd run into twice...

It would be an odd life for a demon, living with a harem of mates in her castle, but it wouldn't be all bad. She'd need to aggressively expand her territory, however, as a surge in the population of demons would attract adventurers. Her restored army, particularly Caelric and Mornog, would assist with that, at least.

This meant she would need to continue living this way until the Hero died, but that may not be so long now.

She considered her plans for the future, and felt... Satisfied, for the first time in a long time. It would be undignified in a way, but who cares? She's a Sage of Destruction, and soon enough would have an army of her own offspring at her command. Even Lugner would come around, once she rebuilt the ruined castle and controlled vast swathes of land. Perhaps one day, she'd start calling herself Demon King Aura...

Linie called out to her, interrupting her idle fantasies. The girl had sensed demonic mana some distance away. Aura reached out and felt it herself; though distant, it had a rich feel to it. Likely a great demon; if female, Aura would be in for a treat. The group veered towards the source of mana.

They were in a particularly remote region of the North; a mix of humid lowlands and rocky terrain covered in rugged forests, nowhere humans would typically be encountered except in very small numbers; certainly far from any of their fortified cities.

Such areas did have a demon population, of course, consisting mainly of those who enjoyed solitude and had little interest in doing battle with humans or consuming them en masse, tending to focus more on perfecting their unique magic. Far more passive, submissive demons, from Aura's experience.

The group moved towards the source of mana, making no attempt to conceal themselves; it was certainly a great demon, and would have sensed them by now. It made no attempt to flee.

To Aura's surprise, as she crested a hill, she saw the remains of human buildings in a low-lying area, along with felled trees. Little more than a cluster of abandoned log cabins and the like, but still unexpected for this area. She looked down at what was likely an old village square, and saw a demon sitting on a tree stump, staring up into the night sky at her group.

As Aura drew closer, and got a clearer view of the demon, she was happy to see it was indeed a female, and quite a pretty one. She had tanned skin, and light blonde, nearly white hair, quite short, with a pair of braids hanging somewhat longer by the sides of her head. She wore a thin, elegant white tunic and flowing leggings that seemed to glow in the moonlight, along with a jeweled choker. Aura and her companions landed near her, and the demon made no attempt to move or speak.

“Hello, Tot,” Solitar said.

“Soli-chan,” the demon, Tot, returned the greeting. “And I assume this is Aura, and... Some others.”

“I am Lugner, Lady Tot,” Lugner offered a polite bow. “And this is Linie.”

“I don't really care,” Tot said.

Alright then. Lugner thought to himself. He had no need to make this demon's acquaintance if she wasn't interested. He motioned for Linie to follow him, and they moved away from the square, into the long-abandoned village. Perhaps they'd find somewhere to spar.

“Yes, I am indeed Aura the Guillotine, survivor of the Seven Sages of Destruction,” Aura nodded slightly, standing as tall as her small frame allowed. She had learned recently there were quite a few survivors, but whatever.

“Good for you,” Tot said.

Aura's eye twitched.

“Soli-chan, what brings you out here?” Tot asked, ignoring Aura. “You won't find any humans to talk to for days of travel in any direction.”

“I've been travelling with Aura and her minions,” Solitar answered. “I've made a number of interesting observations.”

“I can't imagine what could possibly be interesting about that,” Tot said.

Aura frowned.

“Tot, I'm surprised to see you near human ruins, given how much you avoid them. Isn't there a chance they return?” Solitar asked. “Though I wasn't aware of any villages out here...”

“This place was once called 'Kanata', according to some old books I found,” Tot answered. “It's been abandoned for a long time; only an insane human would try to live in a swamp that's frozen for half the year, after all, so there's no real chance of them returning. Still, the house I've been using does offer me some shelter from the elements. Even with my constitution, the biting cold can be uncomfortable from time to time.”

“It must get quite cold indeed, if even a demon can feel it,” Solitar said.

“Yes, it does,” Tot smiled. “If there's nothing else, would you mind leaving? There's nothing for you here, and I'd rather you not attract any attention to me.”

“Most demons would be honoured to host one of the Sages of Destruction,” Aura said.

“Well, I'm not,” Tot said. “You and your minions are bothersome. Find somewhere else to be, if you would, Aura-chan.”

Aura grimaced. This demon was pissing her off. She'd heard once or twice of a 'Tot, Saint of the End', but had assumed the demon was long dead or irrelevant, given she'd never done anything noteworthy. Frankly, Aura wasn't sure where the title even came from.

“... I do, in fact, have business here,” Aura said.

“Do you like looking through old rubble?” Tot asked. “No wonder Soli-chan likes you. Weird demons are always such a pain.”

Aura was increasingly filled with the desire to wipe the smirk off Tot's face, and teach her a lesson in manners. She seemed Aura's age, however, and Aura had no idea how her magic worked. Without the ability to safely use Auserlese, or her soldiers, attacking her would be a bad idea.

“I do not like looking through old rubble,” Aura said, keeping as calm as she could. “I am looking for female demons, and have been for some time.”

“I'm not interested in being your follower,” Tot said. “I don't like getting chummy with weirdos. I'm getting tired of this, can you just leave?”

“Tot, how long until your curse covers the world?” Solitar asked.

“Perhaps as little as thirty years,” Tot answered. “I have made progress on my magic in seclusion, unwelcome visitors notwithstanding.”

“You have a curse that will cover the world?” Aura asked.

“Yes, and I prefer not to be interrupted while developing it, so leave,” Tot said. “I'm not good in a fight, and have no interest in humans, so there's no reason for you to pester me.”

“You heard that, Aura,” Solitar said. “Tot's no good in a fight. She can barely defend herself.”

Well. That was good news. Aura smirked and started walking towards Tot, who quickly stood up, stepping back from the stump she had been sitting on.

“What the Hell are you thinking?” Tot demanded. “Even the weirdest demon around wouldn't attack another of our kind for no reason. If you make me desperate, I'll unleash my curse on you, and you alone! Back off, Aura!”

Tot stumbled back further as Aura continued to advance. Her calm expression was gone completely, replaced by an increasingly fearful look as she feigned bravado. Aura enjoyed seeing it.

“Aura has a reason to attack you, Tot,” Solitar said. “Aura's in heat.”

“What?! No she's not!” Tot insisted, eyes darting between them.

“She is, she's been in heat for years, for some reason it won't fade no matter what she does,” Solitar explained. “Aura's been hiding the instability in her mana for years now, to the point where it's become second nature.”

A worried expression crossed Tot's face, as it slowly dawned on her that she may have made a very serious miscalculation.

“... Why would you do something so stupid and pointless?” she asked.

“It was embarrassing, being in heat all the time,” Aura said, smiling wide. “I'm less embarrassed now, but I suppose the habit stuck.”

“Apologies, Lady Aura,” Tot raised her hands, her tone changing completely. “I don't really want to get pregnant right now. You see, that would slow down the development of my magic, and the timeline of my curse, and I-”

“I don't really care,” Aura said.

“... Perhaps Solitar would be more interested in-” Tot offered.

“I've decided on you,” Aura continued. “You can resist if you want, it won't matter.”

“A-Alright!” Tot relented. “Let's head back to the house I've been using, at least there we could-”

“No, I think forcing you down in the dirt where you belong will be far more rewarding,” Aura said. “It will remind you not to underestimate the Sages of Destruction in the future.”

In a panic, Tot tried to take flight, but Aura leapt at her, tackling the demon to the ground. Her pure white clothes were immediately soiled in the dirt as they tumbled over each other. Not that they'd last much longer anyway, but Aura enjoyed the image.

“No, stop! Get off me!” Tot struggled as Aura gripped her wrists, yet her strength felt like that of a far younger demon. Aura easily pinned her arms to her sides as she squirmed in vain.

“Soli-chan, help me!” Tot cried out in desperation.

Solitar walked over the tree stump previously occupied by Tot, and took a seat. She pulled out her sketchbook.

“What are you doing?!” Tot demanded.

“As I said, I've made a number of interesting observations,” Solitar said. “Aura's condition has allowed me to observe demon sexuality far more extensively than at any other point in my life.”

“Are you insane?!” Tot protested. “Surely you've observed her do this plenty of times, help me! I'm a great demon!”

“Few demons have your skin tone,” Solitar said. “This will provide excellent new material.”

As Tot's struggles weakened, Aura released her right wrist, and used her free hand to tear Tot's thin tunic off her chest, freeing her small breasts.

“Pink, interesting,” Solitar noted, continuing to sketch.

Tot started crying.

Aura paused for a moment, looking down at the dirty, half-nude demoness. She had seemingly given up completely on any real form of resistance.

“You're aware I'm not human, right?” Aura asked. “There's no point in crying.”

“I'm not crying because I want to, you bitch!” Tot yelled, rage twisting her tear-stained face. “Fuck you, Aura! I hate you! I'll kill you for this!”

Aura shrugged.

She pulled the remnants of Tot's tunic free from her chest, followed by her leggings, leaving the tan demon nude, aside from her sandals. Aura pried her legs open, then plunged two fingers into her completely dry pussy. Tot cried out in pain and flailed, trying to escape. She desperately kicked at Aura's head, unable to push her away.

“I-I'm sorry!” Tot cried out. “I'll never disrespect the Seven Sages of Destruction again! Please forgive me!”

“I don't believe you. You'd say anything to get me to stop,” Aura said.

“Fucking of course that's what I'm doing!” Tot switched on a dime back to anger. “What do you think we are?!”

Tot aimed a series of weak kicks towards Aura's face, getting one of her sandles caught on Aura's horn in the process. The strap quickly snapped, leave her right foot bare. Aura pushed her body forward, pinning Tot's legs uselessly over her shoulders, and rendering Tot's struggles completely ineffectual.

“I'm glad you got angry suddenly, Tot,” Solitar said. “Some of my readers might have felt bad for you otherwise!”

Aura paused for a moment, and looked at Solitar. There it was again. But no, she'd deal with that later. Tot had to be educated first. Aura started moving her fingers, plunging them in and out of Tot, who continued to scream and struggle. Tot balled her hands into fists and uselessly pounded on the top of Aura's head.

She really was astonishingly weak for a great demon. She must have put absolutely everything into that 'curse' of hers. How unfortunate for her.

Aura continued to move her fingers inside Tot, whose struggles slowly ceased. She started twitching with every movement Aura made as she explored her pussy. Despite Tot's protests, Aura felt her fingers gradually grow damper, as Tot's mana began to destabilize.

Although come to think of it, this was a rather unsatisfying position. Certainly, Aura was enjoying punishing Tot for her previous behaviour, but it's not like she got anything out of this, and Tot's surrender made it less and less exciting.

“Solitar, you still have that 'strap-on' from earlier, correct?” Aura asked.

“Of course!” Solitar pulled the oversized device out of her bags. Tot's eyes widened.

Aura stood up, pulling Tot to her feet, grabbing the torn remnants of the demon's leggings off the ground. She moved Tot over to a nearby tree, and looped the torn piece of fabric over a low-hanging branch.

“What are you doing?!” Tot asked.

Aura pulled the white cloth taught, bending the branch downwards, and tied it tightly around Tot's wrists. She then released her hold on the branch, leaving Tot's wrists bound over her head, as the tan demoness was pulled to her toes, stumbling about. Her other sandal came loose, rolling along the ground next to her, leaving her completely naked.

“Creative, Aura. Here you are,” Solitar offered Aura the strap-on.

As before, Aura tore away the thin strip of fabric that served as her panties, inserting the short end of the phallus into herself, and tightened the bindings around her hips. The wooden device jutted out twenty centimeters in front of her, curving upwards. Tot stared at it, horrified, still unable to find proper footing on the ground or free her hands.

Aura walked over to the half-suspended Tot, gripping her waist. She lifted Tot up slightly, then lowered her onto the phallus, letting gravity push it deep into her. Tot let out another cry of pain and anger, although Aura thought she heard a little something else in there too.

Aura began thrusting into Tot, enjoying the sensation of the tan demon squirming on her as Tot tried to regain her balance, causing the other end of the strap to shift unpredictably. She felt Tot try to take flight more than once, but couldn't find the necessary focus as Aura increased her pace, leading only to more exotic sensations as Tot tried to dismount the phallus, only to fall back onto it. Each time, Tot let out yet another cry.

Aura sped her thrusts up, enjoying Tot's reactions as much as the sensations from Solitar's sex toy. She felt a warmth build in her core, and sped her thrusts up, leveraging her grip on Tot's hips and the unbalanced demon's weight to plunge deeper into her, now sliding in and out of the girl with ease.

She felt pleasure and lust rapidly build, and increased her pace, leaning against Tot's body and yanking her hips down, as the tan demon continued to lewdly cry out in pleasure. Aura let out a guttural moan as she climaxed, forcing her mana into Tot.

She finally withdrew from Tot, leaving her hanging limply from the tree branch overhead, twitching and moaning, shivering in the cold night air. It felt good to teach the obnoxious girl some respect, although Aura had to admit, that wasn't her most satisfying encounter. Submissive servants to her pleasure were far more enjoyable, she decided. She removed the device from herself, and returned it to Solitar, who wiped it down before putting it back in her pack.

“That settles things here,” Aura said. She turned and called out. “Lugner! Linie! We're leaving!”

Lugner and Linie emerged from the darkness, Lugner raising an eyebrow at the sight of the bound and nude Tot, but said nothing on the matter. As the group gathered together, Tot perked up.

“Wait! You're not just going to leave me like this, are you?!” she called out. “Untie me!”

Tot struggled against her bonds; a great demon should usually be able to escape such thin fabric with ease, yet she seemed unable to tear it.

“I'm pregnant with your offspring!” she said. “What if a human finds me like this and kills me?!”

Aura looked to her group, and then back to Tot. “... You'll be fine.”

The group took flight into the night's sky, as Tot yelled a series of threats at them, promising to kill Aura for this, that she'd make sure she'd pay, and other, irrelevant condemnations of the powerless.

“None of this matters!” Tot yelled, fading into the distance. “My curse will cover this star in thirty... Thirty-five years! Then you'll see! You'll all seeee!”

* * *

Lauern retraced her steps through the city streets, careful to not let Sinnesloschen fade for even a moment. She carefully felt for any sign of mana, any indication that Frieren was following her. Only once the sun had gone down completely did she relax, confident that she wasn't actively being tracked.

She should just leave. She knew that. But she had been studying the girl who wanted to be devoured by demons – Melody, she was called – for some weeks, and didn't want to abandon such an interesting subject. Lauern returned to Melody's humble apartment, finding the girl studying her herbal texts, and yet she already looked distracted as darkness crept in, her eyes darting about.

Seemingly unable to restrain herself, Melody blushed, and closed her texts, ceasing her studies early for the night. She stood up and undressed, folding her clothes at the foot of her bed, not bothering to don her nightgown, keeping nothing on but her spectacles. Melody had become increasingly obsessed with Solitar's texts since Lauern's arrival, and more elaborate in her self-pleasuring rituals. Melody's mentor had observed the change in behaviour, and suspected she had found a lover, to explain her distracted nature in the past weeks.

If only she knew.

From Lauern's understandings of human aesthetics, Melody was surprisingly beautiful, all things considered, and would be quite desirable to many humans. She was tall, relative to Lauern, standing at least a head above her, with large, full breasts, and soft, thick thighs. Female demons trended towards a lighter build, but Lauern knew this was more to portray weakness and vulnerability; human males had no issues with more endowed women. The way she stood, the drab clothes she wore, and her unkempt hair did her no credit; if Melody dressed and groomed herself as a demon did, she would be turning heads constantly as she walked through the streets.

Lauern undressed as well, and placed her clothes next to Melody's, before joining her in bed. As usual, Melody moved over to accommodate, having no idea Lauern was present, and yet she let out a small gasp as Lauern's nude body pressed against her. Lauern had been becoming more and more daring with Melody. Though her Sinnesloschen didn't allow the girl to consciously process her presence, Melody's increased lewdness was almost certainly a result of Lauern's touch.

Well, she'd be far more daring tonight.

Melody retrieved the first volume of Solitar's text, turning to a sequence she regularly enjoyed, as evident by the frayed pages, where Aura pushed a young, black-haired demon down on the grass by the side of the road. This particular vignette featured Aura's minions observing the action, something Melody seemed to enjoy.

“Ah... Lady Aura, no... They'll see...” Melody spoke softly.

She could be far more loud if she wanted; none of her neighbours would hear her.

Lauern smiled, reading along with Melody. She was not in heat, and thus her activities were fuelled by curiosity, rather than lust, however, she suspected that if she was, and Melody was a demon, she'd be quite attracted to her. A pity there was no way to test that.

Lauern snuggled in close, pulling the covers up over the pair, as Melody began to lightly touch her sex. Lauern gently kissed her neck, pressing her chest against Melody's side. She reached an arm under the girl's neck, Melody unconsciously moving to accommodate, and lightly stroked her nipples from the other side. Melody let out a whine of arousal, shifting her hips under the covers.

Time to take some risks.

Lauern let her lips drift upwards, brushing them along Melody's cheek and nibbling at her ear. Lauern let her other hand drift downwards, stroking Melody's soft waist and plump thighs. Melody removed her hand, sticky with her own juices, from her pussy, letting Lauern plunge a pair of fingers into her.

“AAAAAH!” Melody let out a piercing cry, her body tensing up.

Melody quickly brought a hand to her mouth, freezing. She was likely listening for any footfalls or sounds of her neighbours having heard that. Breathing rapidly. Lauern froze as well, carefully observing the girl. Sinnesloschen held; Melody still had no idea Lauern was present. This was, in fact, an excellent way to stress-test her unique magic.

Melody was soaking wet. If Lauern moved too quickly, the girl would climax in an instant. Instead, she decided to take things slow, to give herself more time to observe Melody. She left her fingers unmoving in the girl.

Time to take another risk.

Letting her lips tease Melody's earlobe, she whispered in her ear. Sinnesloschen would prevent Melody from consciously hearing her, and yet, if tuned just right, she'd still understand.

“Lick them. Taste yourself,” Lauern whispered.

Melody removed her hand from her mouth, satisfied that nobody heard, and looked at it, seeing her glistening fingers. She turned a deeper red, hesitating, before putting them in her mouth, licking and sucking her fingers clean of her own fluids.

Lauern began to move her fingers, very slowly, as Melody resumed reading Solitar's book.

“You're going to cum once I'm done counting back from thirty,” Lauern whispered. Her tongue flicked along Melody's ear. “You can be as loud as you like. Nobody will hear you.”

Lauern began moving slightly faster, as Melody continued reading, one hand holding her book, the other gripping the bedsheet.

“Twenty-five... Twenty-four...” Lauern said. Melody writhed in pleasure.

Melody turned the page, focusing on one of the illustrations of Aura pinning her partner to the ground. Lauern picked up the pace even more; she wondered if Melody would climax before her countdown.

“Ten... Nine... Eight...” Lauern kissed Melody's neck. The girl gasped, letting out a mix of half-slurred pleas and denials.

“Three... Two... One...” Lauren pumped her fingers in and out of Melody. “And... Zero.”

Melody let out an utterly shameless scream of pleasure, she gripped the bedsheets and arched her back, as Lauern felt dampness surge over her fingers, staining the mattress. If not for Sinnesloschen, there was no way the other humans living in this building wouldn't have heard her, though Lauern suspected they'd know exactly what Melody was doing. The girl collapsed, panting, pulling the covers tighter, ignoring her own juices staining the sheets.

Lauern smiled, satisfied with herself. Of course, she'd never touched a human in this way, and was glad her unique magic could be tuned precisely enough to influence Melody's subconscious without her questioning a thing. Still, Lauern had to leave tonight, lest Frieren find her, and that meant wrapping things up here.

She knew what she should do. Her arm was already under Melody's neck; she simply had to close it around the girl from behind, and a few seconds of pressure would crush her spine. Doing what she was thinking of would be an unnecessary risk, and yet... She thought of what Solitar would do, and curiosity got the better of her.

Lauern crawled on top of Melody, who continued to bask in her afterglow. She placed a hand over Melody's mouth – not that anyone would hear her anyway – and stared into her eyes. She then allowed Melody to fully perceive her.

Confusion shot through Melody's face as she locked eyes with Lauern, followed by terror. She let out a muffled cry and struggled, trying to throw the demon off her. Of course, no human could overpower a demon, never mind one as powerful as Lauern.

“I am Lauern the Silent, one of the Seven Sages of Destruction,” Lauern said. “Do you know what that means?”

Melody began to weep, tears poured down the side of her face.

“I am going to remove my hand from your mouth. Please don't scream. I wish only to talk,” Lauern said.

She removed her hand from Melody's mouth. The girl did not scream, though she continued to sob, staring at Lauern with fear-stricken eyes.

“Why are you crying?” Lauern asked.

“B-Because...” Melody choked out. “Because you're... You're going to kill me...”

“I'm not going to kill you,” Lauern smiled gently.

It was true, at least in the short term, if Melody was compliant. Lauern wanted to observe her more, and then, if all her plans worked as expected, the girl would become a gift.

“B-But demons... A-Always kill us...” Melody shivered, despite the warmth of the blankets and Lauern's body.

Lauern looked away, feigning regret. “It's true, for a thousand years, we did little more than that...”

“Melody, few know this, but we demons cannot defy the Demon King,” Lauern locked eyes with the girl again. “Most of us only want to be left to our own devices, or to coexist with humans, yet the Demon King forced us into conflict. Everything the Sages of Destruction did was at his orders. I'm actually grateful to Himmel the Hero, for ending his reign. He saved humanity, but... He saved demons, too.”

In part, this wasn't a total lie. Lauern disliked being forced into combat, and was relieved the Demon King had been slain.

Melody's sniffles slowed, though the girl still looked unsure.

“If we truly wanted to harm you, would slaying one demon, powerful as he was, have changed anything?” Lauern asked. “True, the Demon King still has some fanatical adherents, but isn't the world peaceful now?”

Melody stopped quivering as much, and thought for a moment. “... Wh-What do you want, then?”

“This book was written by a demon sage. I'm one of her followers,” Lauern said. “I'm sure she wrote it to bring humans and demons closer together. I've been observing you for some time, but now I have to leave, tonight.”

“Would you like to come with me, Melody?” Lauern asked. “I'm certain this sage would love to meet you. Maybe you can be the one who truly brings about peace.”

“But I'm just a normal girl...” Melody said.

“No, you're special, Melody,” Lauern said. “Most humans hate demons, but you see the truth. And I... Like you too...”

Lauern forced a bashful, shy expression. The girl's arousal would help calm any doubts.

Melody thought long and hard, calming her breathing. After some time, she slowly nodded, hesitating at first. Lauern smiled.

She let Melody take her time packing, and led her out of the city in the dead of night, feigning that they needed to move quietly and keep their heads down. She'd explain some lesser version of Sinnesloschen to her at a later point, simply to facilitate ease of travel, but even though the girl's escape was next to impossible, there was no point in telling her more than she needed to know.

She was sure Solitar would love her gift!

Chapter Text

Less than a year before the death of Himmel the Hero...

Heiter sat across from his old friend, the two of them occupying an out of the way table in the corner of a warmly-lit inn. He had suggested they simply meet at Himmel's house, however Himmel had insisted they visit an inn, 'just like the old days', so the two old men had to venture out into the night, despite the inconvenience.

That certainly matched what he remembered of their journey. He smiled.

He had hoped to meet with Himmel earlier, when his suspicions first formed about the... Unusual book, but work kept piling up, and then there was the incident. Somehow the Elder Sage of Corruption, Qual, had escaped his bonds. As expected, Qual immediately returned to his old activities, spreading mass devastation and death in his wake. Despite multiple expeditions by the King's army, the Church, and the Magic Association, the Elder Sage continued his rampage to this day.

Despite the dire business of his visit, Heiter was determined to enjoy this reunion. He had given up drinking some time ago, but who could fault him for sharing a glass or two with Himmel?

“Hmm..” Himmel lowered his gaze, placing his glass on the table.

“I hope you aren't blaming yourself,” Heiter said.

“... I examined the seal on Qual each year. We knew it wouldn't last forever, and yet it was in fine condition when I last checked,” Himmel said.

“You aren't a mage, Himmel,” Heiter added..

“But Frieren...” Himmel's voice caught on the name. “She was the greatest mage I've ever known. She would not have made a flawed seal.”

“Then someone must have undone it,” Heiter said.

He placed the two thin books he had brought on the table, face down. The covers could inspire some... Odd looks from the other patrons of the inn if they spied them unexpectedly.

“This is the novella I mentioned in my letter last year,” Heiter said. “And its sequel. These books have become quite popular, it seems.”

Himmel picked up the first, barely reacting to the cover. He thumbed through it. Any eroticism was clearly lost on him, but that was unsurprising; Himmel hated Aura, far more than nearly any other demon they faced on their journey. More than once over the years, he had expressed a desire to finish her off, yet she never re-emerged, and they were well past the point in their lives where a long, aimless journey suited them.

“You believe this is written by a demon?” Himmel asked.

“I do. I explained the presence of this 'Lugner' figure in my letter, however more evidence has emerged to that end since,” Heiter answered. “For one, this first volume ends with a reveal that Dread Mitternacht is somehow alive, despite being slain by the Hero of the South. And a year ago, after it was published, she reappeared in the North, launching an attack on the Continental Magic Association. Not to mention, sightings of juvenile demons have been on the rise these past years in the same region.”

“It would be best if we could ask Frieren about this,” Himmel said, thumbing through the text. “Have you... Been in contact with her?”

“From what I've learned, Frieren has been forced to divide her attention between Qual's re-emergence and Mitternacht's assault, which began only weeks after Qual was unsealed. Qual apparently modified his curse to overcome standard defensive magic, and Frieren has been developing countermeasures,” Heiter said. “Last I heard, the Graf of a fortified city in the North sent messengers to find her regarding some sort of matter, believing she was in the area; I sent a letter to the city, but I fear she'll be gone by the time it arrives.”

“Weeks after... So, you believe Mitternacht unsealed Qual,” Himmel said.

“It adds up. The confrontation between the Hero of the South and Schlacht is shrouded in mystery,” Heiter nodded. “If Mitternacht had simply been wounded and gone into hiding to recover, she may have seen Qual's release as a way to cover for her activities.”

Mitternacht had a reputation as a truly brutal demon, leading armies on vast campaigns and crushing entire kingdoms. She had a tactical mind, and was quite willing to work with other demons to accomplish her aims.

“However, I doubt she wrote this text,” Heiter said. “Unless there is a side of Mitternacht humanity never learned of, she would not produce something like this. Although, she did frequently work alongside Aura.”

“Then, another demon,” Himmel added. “Perhaps one of her followers?”

“Perhaps, though I imagine there are few demons who could be responsible,” Heiter replied. “Though trusting a demon to act consistently is risky, Aura seemed particularly proud of herself, and this text portrays her as a laughingstock. Whichever demon wrote it must be of comparable power, or it would risk her wrath.”

Himmel thought carefully. Few great demons remained, to humanity's knowledge. He had heard of a Tot, Saint of the End, but she seemed to be an obscure figure. From Eisen's description, Rivale, the Bloody God of War, had a strange levity to his behaviour, yet the idea of Rivale writing something like this was comical.

But there was one final demon that came to mind, one Himmel and Heiter could never tell Frieren about, and had not truly seen themselves. One powerful enough to fight alongside Rivale and Grausam, yet clearly content to lurk in the background.

“The only ones that come to mind are Tot, Rivale, or the demon who controls swords,” Himmel said. “Assuming it isn't an unknown entity, or another unexpected survivor.”

Heiter nodded. There wasn't enough information to speculate on the identity of the author with any certainty.

“Well, if my letter doesn't reach her, we should see Frieren again soon,” Heiter said. “The Era of Meteors is in less than a year. I doubt she'd forget that.”

“Yes,” Himmel nodded. “Frieren will be there for sure.”

* * *

Lugner followed at the rear of the group. They had ceased flying for the day, as Linie's third pregnancy was slowing her down; at least she seemed to have acclimatized more than the earlier cycles. The group continued to make its way along a forest trail as the late afternoon threatened to change to dusk.

The last few months of travel had been largely uneventful; aside from the encounter with Tot, no other great demons had appeared, and it seemed as though Mitternacht was keeping a lower profile recently. Solitar had learned in one of her excursions away from the group that Qual had regained some of his infamy, but that was far in the South, beyond the great barrier. Aura simply continued to find mates as she had for the last three and a half years.

Linie glanced to her left ahead of him. Perhaps she had noticed something. He asked her what it was... Or he thought he did. He couldn't hear his own voice.

No, it was more than that. He hadn't said anything.

He stopped walking and spoke louder. Again, despite wanting to ask if she had noticed something, and feeling his throat and mouth form the words, he heard nothing, and felt like he hadn't actually spoken at all.

Something was very wrong here.

He sped up. He'd get her attention with a hand on her shoulder. And yet, as soon as he started moving, the world spun, and before he knew it he was on the ground. Had something struck him? No, he simply lost his balance. He quickly tried to stand up, and yet he stumbled again. No matter what, he couldn't orient himself; he tried flying, yet he couldn't tell which way was up, and simply pushed himself along the muddy ground a few paces.

The other three demons were getting further away. None of them noticed his unusual movements, nor heard him fall or struggle. They were clearly under attack; he had to take drastic action. It was a risk; Aura might get angry, yet surely she'd forgive him once she understood the situation. He called on his Balterie, and fired a lance of blood towards her back, just enough to scratch her.

The blade of blood slashed along Aura's shoulder blade, cutting through her corset and leaving a thin red line. A minor injury, but enough to get her attention. And yet, to his shock, she simply kept walking.

Before he could think of something else to do, the world went black. He reached out with his mana, sensing the other three, then they vanished too. He still felt the grass and mud around him, yet he couldn't speak, couldn't see, couldn't sense mana, and couldn't stand no matter what he tried.

He attempted to cry out again. In his panic, he wasn't sure if he had said nothing yet again, or had lost his ability to hear as well.

* * *

Linie heard some noise. She turned her head. A small black animal with a bushy tail leapt through the trees. Lugner had said this animal was a 'squirrel'. It wasn't dangerous. She ignored it.

She was tired. But not too tired. She couldn't fly any more today. But she could walk. She could walk until the sun went down. Then, she'd have to stop. Lady Aura would let her stop. Then, they'd rest. They'd fly again tomorrow. Then, they'd walk.

The sky turned red. She had to stop soon. Aura was ahead of her. Solitar was ahead and to her left. Lugner was behind her.

Except Lugner wasn't behind her.

She stopped and stared. She couldn't see Lugner. She couldn't feel Lugner's mana. She turned back to Aura.

“Lady Aura, Lugner's gone,” she said.

Aura kept walking.

“Lady Aura, Lugner's gone,” she repeated.

Aura kept walking. Maybe she didn't hear her. Maybe she didn't care. Linie thought about going back for Lugner. But she was pregnant. She had to stay close to Aura and Solitar.

Linie saw that Aura's top was cut. Aura was cut as well. She was bleeding. Aura was hurt. She didn't seem to notice.

“Lady Aura, you're hurt,” Linie said.

Again, Aura said nothing. Linie sped up. She didn't want to get left behind. Lugner got left behind. Maybe Lugner was dead.

“Lady Aura, you're hurt,” she repeated.

Her voice sounded different. She was upset. She caught up to Aura. She reached out to her. Lady Aura wouldn't be upset that Linie touched her. Probably. Linie reached out. She closed her hand on Aura's shoulder.

Her hand closed on nothing. Lady Aura disappeared. She looked to her left. Solitar had also disappeared. Lugner was gone too.

Linie thought for a few moments. Something bad was happening. Or it already happened. She reached out and tried to sense their mana. All of them were gone.

Linie stopped. She walked over to a tree. She sat down. She hugged her knees. She tried to figure out what happened. They must be under attack. A mage or a beast had done this. Lugner was probably dead.

Linie was about to die. She held her arms over her neck. If it was a beast, it would need to bite through them first. Maybe she could strike it then.

Maybe she already died. She didn't know what happened when a demon dies. Maybe she was fading away. That might be why Lady Aura couldn't hear her. And now Lady Aura disappeared, and she couldn't sense mana. She'd disappear in a moment too, in that case.

Linie was alone.

Linie was scared.

* * *

The sun started to sink below the horizon, as the red sky turned to purple. This was far enough for the day's travel; Linie would need to rest.

“Linie, Lugner, we're stopping here,” Aura turned to face them.

And yet, they were gone. She paused for a moment, then looked back to Solitar, only to find that the chatty demon was gone as well.

Aura stopped in her tracks, thinking very carefully. To make sure, she tried to sense her companions' mana, and felt nothing. This was surely an attack of some sort. Her first thought was a mage, perhaps one of the 'first-class' mages Solitar had mentioned earlier, but she quickly dismissed the possibility.

Whatever this was had removed all of her companions from her sight, and from her mana detection, without her, a great demon who has lived for over five hundred years and one of the Seven Sages of Destruction, noticing anything was wrong. If the humans were capable of such magic, demonkind would have been annihilated centuries ago.

That left two possibilities. Either this was an attack from another great demon, though Aura couldn't imagine why another demon would attack her. Alternatively, it must be some beast from the mythical era, similar to the Spiegel. Whatever it was, if it had isolated her, it was likely to attack, and Aura expected she wouldn't be able to sense its approach any more than she could her companions.

She let her long-honed survival instincts take over. She'd likely have a single chance to defend herself, when the creature attacked. She glanced to her sides, feeling with her predator instincts for any sign of movement or aggression. She couldn't sense a thing, so she'd need to guess, and rely on the element of surprise.

In a sudden movement, Aura grabbed her sword, and swung it in a wide, circular arc around her. A gust of wind surged away from her, blowing through the nearby trees. But she felt no resistance; she had missed. The sword disappeared from her hand; she couldn't feel it anymore. She looked down. Her hand looked like it was gripping something, and yet...

Everything went black. She couldn't see a thing, and couldn't sense any mana. She balled her hands into fists and raised them. If this beast was going to attack her, she'd make it pay for it. She readied herself for a desperate defense; she would not die here.

“Hello, Aura.”

Aura wheeled towards the feminine voice, her heart pounding. When nothing happened, she caught her breath, and realized she recognized the voice, though she had heard it only a handful of times.

Lauern, the Silent.

The Demon King had ordered the Seven Sages of Destruction, when he conferred the title upon them, to explain and demonstrate their unique magic to one another. Most had been loathe to do this, and had held back as much as possible. Of course, Aura had no need to do so, given the absolute superiority of her Auserlese. Lauern's Sinnesloschen, to Aura's understanding, allowed her to render herself invisible, inaudible, and undetectable to mages. A very useful ability, though Aura remembered thinking she didn't seem worthy of being a Sage.

Obviously, she had held back significantly.

“What do you want, Lauern?” Aura asked, keeping her guard up.

“You're in heat,” it wasn't a question. “That's what I want.”

Lauern seemed to be circling her, and close by. Aura decided she should keep her talking. If she made an aggressive move, Aura would have a chance of striking her. She doubted she could knock Lauern out with a single punch, but it might disrupt her magic long enough to escape.

“You want... To be in heat?” Aura asked, confused. “Or are you saying you want to... Have sex with me?”

“You've had sex with more than enough demons,” Lauern said. “The former.”

Lauern knew what Aura had been up to. Maybe she's been following them around? Her magic would let her evade detection almost indefinitely.

“You've been following us,” Aura stated.

“No, I read Solitar's book,” Lauern said.

What?

“Oh... You don't know,” Lauern sounded very close that time. “Solitar's written a pair of novels about your sexual escapades, complete with pictures. They're quite widespread and popular amongst humans.”

W h a t.

“You're permanently in heat. I want to be in heat too, and being near you will lead to that,” Lauern said.

“... If you want me to impregnate you, Lauern, I will,” Aura said. “Stop doing this, first.”

“Weren't you listening?” Lauern asked. “I want to be in heat, I don't want you to impregnate me.”

“I don't see why I should do what you want,” Aura said.

This was her opportunity. She took a swing, where she was certain Lauern was standing. She couldn't see her, or sense her mana, but Lauern had run her mouth enough that Aura had a mostly clear idea of where her fellow Sage was and how she was moving. She lashed out with a closed fist... Then tripped and fell. She felt her head hit the ground, horn first, yet she couldn't tell which way was up and which was down. She reached out into the darkness, placing her hands on the ground, and tried to push herself up, struggling to get to her feet.

“Aura,” Lauern was standing above her, Aura presumed, though she wasn't certain which direction 'above' was. “You don't understand how my Sinnesloschen works. As the name implies, it deletes senses.”

Aura tried to lash out with a punch, with a kick, with anything she could muster. She was probably flailing like an imbecile in the dirt at this point.

“I can erase myself from someone's senses, or erase something else from them,” Lauern said, much closer this time. So that would be why the others had disappeared. “Or I can completely remove someone's senses, like I have your sense of sight, and your sense of mana.”

“Just tell me what you want!” Aura demanded.

“I already told you,” Lauern said. “Now listen. Humans think there's only five senses. Demons and mages tend to think there's six, but there's a lot more than five or six. When you tried to hit me, I erased your vestibular sense. That controls your sense of balance and orientation. That's why you fell down, Aura.”

Aura let out a cry of frustration, flailing and kicking towards where she assumed Lauern was standing. She hit nothing. Suddenly, she felt... Wrong. She couldn't tell where exactly her arms and legs were anymore; her body felt like jelly. She could still feel the ground, the grass, herself, yet she couldn't tell her left from her right.

“And that was your proprioception, Aura,” Lauern said. “Your ability to sense your own body. You look really pathetic right now, you should probably stop struggling.”

Aura tried to make a fist, to lash out, but she couldn't do it. She felt her fingers touch her palm. They couldn't find each other, and she couldn't ball them together. Aura felt nauseous, as she lost even the ability to struggle. She could feel herself twitching, but nothing happened.

“That sense was called efference copy,” Lauern said. “That lets you sense the result of your own actions. Now you can't orient yourself, you can't sense where you own body is, and your brain doesn't know what outcome any action will produce.”

Aura stopped moving. Resistance was pointless; she was utterly helpless. There was nothing she could do, and Lauern could take her life, or anything else, any time she wanted. She might have been crying; she didn't know. She tried to speak.

I'm sorry, Lauern! I surrender, I'll do anything you want, just, please, stop this!

Her mouth didn't form the words. She heard some sounds that might have come from her, but they were some strange mix of clicks, gurgles, and moans; she didn't even sound like a demon anymore. Suddenly, Aura couldn't feel the ground.

“I didn't erase your sense of touch, Aura, don't worry,” Lauern said. Aura didn't know where her voice was coming from anymore. “I just don't want the feel of the ground to distract you. For you, there's only your body, and my voice.”

Aura floated in the darkness, making small noises she didn't recognize, until she realized she couldn't hear herself anymore.

“You were so full of yourself back when we first met. Bragging about being able to weigh souls on a scale, and control the bodies of your targets, when your magic wouldn't have worked on anyone else in the room,” Lauern said. “The Demon King didn't choose the Sages for their strength, he chose them for their ability to wage war. None of you can do a thing to me. Macht, Bose, Mitternacht, they'd all be lying on the ground the same way you are now.”

Aura could do nothing other than listen to Lauern. She couldn't offer any argument, or try to reason with her. There was truly nothing she could do.

“I could leave you like this, forever,” Lauern said. “Or at least until something stumbles along and finishes you off.”

No, please! Not that! Anything but that!

Aura thought back to when her heat first hit her, and how it filled her with unfamiliar emotions, more akin to what she imagined a human felt. She decided that she felt another human impulse in this moment. There was a limit, apparently; Aura felt that she could never subject another creature to this. It was far too hideous, too unimaginable, not to mention utterly pointless.

“I won't, though, Aura, don't worry. I just wanted to prove a point to you,” Lauern said, much to Aura's relief. “I want to help Solitar write her book. She can't see us right now, but I'll describe it to her in detail.”

Aura felt herself move. Her clothes moved against her body, as Lauern, she assumed, peeled them off piece by piece.

“You see, Aura, with fewer senses, the ones you do have, are magnified,” Lauern said.

Aura felt Lauern gently touch her body, a single finger, perhaps, leading from her waist up to her cleavage, gently teasing her nipple, then further, to brush her throat. She couldn't feel a thing other than Lauern's gentle touch; her body immediately started to heat up.

“Did you like that, Aura?” Lauern asked.

Lauern sounded like she was whispering in Aura's ear. Aura felt soft flesh press against her side. She could make out every contour of what she assumed was Lauern's figure, feel the slight heat of the girl, every bead of sweat, the rise and fall of her breath. She had no idea what Lauern would do next, and felt a mix of fear and growing excitement at the prospect.

Something soft and wet touched her earlobe, then her neck. She assumed it was Lauern's lips. She wondered what she would kiss next, only for Lauern's fingers to brush her inner thigh. Aura might have yelped or writhed; certainly, she would have if she could.

As terrifying and humiliating as it was to be completely at Lauern's mercy, a growing part of Aura's psyche yearned to be touched more, to feel Lauern's fingers in even more sensitive places.

“It seems that you do like it, Aura,” Lauern said.

Aura felt a wet sensation from her chest. She assumed Lauern must be licking or sucking on her nipple; lurid images of what the girl might be doing started going through her mind. She felt Lauern stroke between her legs, gently parting her folds. Every inch of the motion reverberated through her body.

The sensation lingered, and lingered longer. It lasted for minutes, hours, days, a hundred years. Aura had no idea anymore.

“That last one was your chronoception,” Lauern said, at some point in the mist of ages. “Soon you'll be nothing but pleasure.”

Aura's body was on fire. She couldn't speak, couldn't move, couldn't do a thing; she felt Lauern's fingers slowly enter her, every centimeter felt like it took agonizing hours, and yet she couldn't catch her breath between each motion.

She couldn't fight back, so she presumed her plan to not get pregnant had come to an end, Lauern could do what she wanted. She didn't really care, though, she needed to be touched more, and didn't spare a thought for what happened next. The Hero was certainly long dead anyway, it had been a thousand years since Lauern captured her, she was fairly sure. She only barely remembered being a demon.

Every slight motion of Lauern's fingers echoed up through her core, surges of arousal shooting through every single nerve in her body. She felt Lauern's touch in places she didn't even know existed. Her arousal built higher, and higher, towards a crescendo that would last for years, decades, forever! She'd be beaming with bliss, moaning and screaming, begging for more, if she could only move.

And then, Lauern's touch vanished.

“That's enough. I'm in heat now. I'll leave you like that,” Lauern said.

No.

The last rational piece of Aura's mind was relieved she couldn't speak, as she would have promised anything, debased herself in any way, begging Lauern to bring her over the edge. At least her fellow Sage wouldn't be able to hold that over her later.

“I'll be back in an hour or two, you'll probably survive,” Lauern said. “Though it may seem like a lot longer for you!”

Damn it! Fuck you, Lauern!!

* * *

Solitar felt an odd sensation. She continually pushed mana out of her body, to the point where it had become subconscious, providing her with a low-level automatic defense against any form of magical attack. She realized she was doing this more than usual, suggesting she was repelling some form of assault, and yet nothing had happened.

How curious.

She turned and looked behind her. The entire group was gone; Solitar couldn't say she was surprised, whatever had done this was able to attack her without being seen. Given that the others had vanished outright, it logically held that this was some sort of mental or illusory magic. Solitar had paid a great deal of attention to the progression of human magic, and was quite certain that no human mage would be able to do this.

Due to her particular circumstances, she was quite familiar with great mages often overlooked by demons, such as Serie, leader of the Continental Magic Association, and the infamous Minus. While Solitar was not nearly arrogant enough to imagine her and Aura stood a chance against either of them, she suspected they would be more direct in their attack.

Thus, by process of elimination, this must be a great demon. Solitar was quite familiar with all great demons; she would be very surprised if one had eluded her knowledge. Given the nature of the assault, this was almost certainly Magnificent Grausam, or Lauern the Silent. Both were quite capable of deceiving all the senses perfectly. However, Solitar suspected if this was Grausam, she would have suddenly found herself in black lingerie, on a plush bed with red sheets, incense candles burning around her.

After all, that's what had happened after the Goddess Monument incident.

In conclusion, her attacker was most likely Lauern the Silent. So long as she kept shielding herself with mana, Sinnesloschen would be unable to erase any of her senses, though Lauern was clearly able to conceal herself. Further, it seemed as though she was able to hide the others from Solitar, even through her autonomous defense! Lauern had improved! Solitar looked forward to chatting with her about that.

Solitar observed that she had placed her book bag on the ground at some point, for no discernible reason. More to the point, she was holding her arms outwards, and standing at an odd angle. Thus, by inference, Lauern was currently touching her.

Solitar considered her options. A number of spells would likely rid her of Lauern, including her simple Mana Strike, although she was unsure of how durable Lauern was, given the girl's avoidance of open combat. She had no desire to kill Lauern, or seriously wound her. But what to do, then? She tried to imagine why Lauern was touching her, and what she might be doing. She was clearly very close.

This was quite the pickle!

* * *

My Solitar my Solitar my Solitar my Solitar my Solitar

Lauern rubbed her body against Solitar's, hugging the older demon tightly under her arms. She kissed and pecked at Solitar's cheeks and neck, delicately tasting her. She wished she could taste her, devour her, and yet she'd never, ever consider harming her Solitar.

Mine mine mine mine mine mine mine mine mine mine

Lauern always liked Solitar, and enjoyed their conversations, however after going into heat, her infatuation had suddenly grown out of control. Most demons would consider this a problem, but Lauern was certain it was the most perfect and correct thing possible.

Aura was permanently in heat. Maybe that too had spread to her. If it had, she'd wear down Solitar's defenses, and make it so the curious demon could sense nothing but her, and a log cabin in the woods where they'd live together for the next ten thousand years.

Oh, and Melody; she had worked so hard to bring Solitar her gift. But Melody was a human, and Lauren wasn't certain that she wanted the girl spending too much time around Solitar. Solitar was very interested in humans, after all, and Lauern only wanted Solitar to be interested in her.

She should kill Melody.

But that would be breaking Solitar's precious gift; no, Melody was allowed to live, because she was meant for Lauern's Solitar. She could live with them, and Lauern would get a new Melody when she died or Solitar got bored of her. But Melody was an animal, and animals can't live in the house.

Melody would have to sleep outside.

Lauern decided she would leave Aura as she was. It was what she deserved, for spending all this time with Solitar. Solitar would have a Lauern Observation Journal going forward, and they'd both forget about Aura forever.

Lauern felt Solitar's mana begin to fluctuate and distort as the older demon went into heat.

* * *

Ah, I see.

Solitar understood what Lauern was doing as the emotions of arousal and lust suddenly returned to her. From an academic perspective, the idea of Lauern invisibly rubbing herself against her body to set off her heat would serve as an excellent vignette in her third volume, although she'd never write herself in as a character. She'd just pretend it happened to Aura, or perhaps Linie?

But as desire flooded through her mind, she had a far more primal reaction. She remembered how Lauern looked, with her bright green eyes, rounded cheeks, and her adorable little horns, and immediately wanted to fling her to the ground and pounce on her.

“Lauern, I'm going to get upset if you keep doing this,” Solitar said.

The odd urge to keep her arms raised immediately vanished, and Lauern appeared a few paces in front of her. Lauern looked delicious, despite her loose-hanging black outfit. At least her thighs above her tall boots, and her shoulders were bare. Solitar was going to test every single toy she had on her, and make extensive observations.

“Did you kill Aura?” Solitar asked.

“I didn't, but maybe I should have,” Lauern said. “Why do you care about her? I'm much better.”

Interesting. Demons reacted in different ways to entering heat, true, but the desperate, needy look in Lauern's eyes was a new one. Luckily, Solitar had talked to more than enough humans to understand what jealousy and envy were; it was an emotion demons could come close to feeling, generally when faced with another demon with far more effective magic. She had an idea on how to handle Lauern; a human text she had read referred to a girl behaving this way as a 'yandere'. Now Solitar could include a 'yandere' in her third volume. How convenient!

“I don't care about Aura, I just find her interesting,” Solitar reached out and stroked Lauern's head. “I'd much rather be with you.”

“Ah, Solitar...” Lauern stepped forward, leaning against Solitar's chest. She looked up at her, her eyes wet.

This is definitely an unusual reaction.

Solitar took hold of Lauern's hands, and led her to the side of the path. Aura was always so forceful with them; it would provide far more novel observation material if Solitar took a different approach. She gently lowered Lauern to the soft grass, and began slowly removing her clothes, starting with her tall, heeled boots.

Lauern was quite small, even by demon standards. Standing next to Aura, the two would seem to be of similar height, however Lauern's boots added a few centimeters to her stature. Solitar moved to pull Lauern's loose black tunic off, lifting the baggy article over her head and pulling it free, revealing a figure that even Solitar and Linie's modest endowments exceeded. Solitar observed that Lauren had a nearly flat chest topped with tiny brown nipples. She wasn't certain she'd be able to test all her devices on Lauern; they might not fit.

Heavier objects fell free with a slight thud as Solitar moved Lauern's tunic to the side. She glanced towards the sound, and spotted copies of her own books. She smiled, picking up the first volume, and flipped through her own work.

“Which part was your favourite, Lauern?” Solitar asked.

“... All of them,” Lauern answered, smiling.

Lauern obviously wasn't fond on Aura, so that wasn't entirely a surprising answer. Furthermore, she likely wouldn't have found the book enthralling when not in heat.

“The scientific method involves observation and replication,” Solitar said. “Therefore, I'd like to repeat my observations with you, Lauern. Let's start with... This one.”

Solitar flipped open to the start of the first volume, showing Aura's legs interlocked with Linie. She pulled her own dress off, and shifted her weight to interlock her legs with Lauern's. The needy Sage was soaking wet, and gasped the moment Solitar made contact with her.

First-hand observation was indeed helping her better understand demon sexuality; she understood Aura's desire to claim her mates the way she did. Lauern's small body being entirely in her thrall was a major distraction, and Solitar felt her own arousal rise. She pulled out a notepad, and jotted down a few comments on her current state, both mental and physical.

“S-Solitar... Please...” Lauern begged.

Solitar smiled, and began moving her hips, grinding her sex against Lauern's. It occurred to her that she had never engaged in this particular act with Aura, and indeed, it had been many centuries since she had performed it. She wrote and underlined the word 'tribadism' in her notebook, finding her hand somewhat shaky. A pity she was so far from her laboratory!

Lauern gasped and moaned with pleasure, saying Solitar's name over and over again. Solitar felt herself grow more and more aroused, as each shift of her hips sent jolts of pleasure up her body. Lauern was adorable all messed up like this!

Solitar leaned over to her notepad, and wrote down a few quick phrases. 'Slippery'. 'Excellent view of partner'. 'Tantalizing'. 'Want more'. She bit her lip, her arousal building with her own writing. She decided that 'tribadism', while quite pleasurable on its own, lacked the sort of deep sensations her devices provided, thus it would likely be best employed to start an encounter. Yes, she was just getting started.

Solitar shook her hips more, and Lauern writhed in the grass. Solitar tried to sketch a view of Lauern's body from the first person, but found her hand utterly incapable of keeping still; she'd have to take more detailed notes after orgasm.

“This is quite... Pleasant... Isn't it, Lauern?” Solitar said, breathing heavily.

“Aaah! AAH! Y-Yes! MORE!” Lauern babbled.

Solitar picked up her pace, grinding against Lauern. She felt the heat build more and more, forcing her to grind harder and harder against the smaller demon, until a flood of orgasmic pleasure surged through her body. Solitar arched her back, tensing in bliss, as Lauern screamed her name.

Lauern made no attempt to impregnate her; obviously she expected Solitar to do that. And Solitar would. In time.

“... Lauern...” Solitar said, after catching her breath. “My observations suggest consuming the sexual fluids of a more powerful demon is not only highly pleasurable for the recipient, but potentially empowering.”

Solitar slid back and spread her legs. “Lick me clean, Lauern.”

Lauern obediently sat up and crawled forward, nestling her head between Solitar's legs. She tentatively licked the mess on Solitar's pussy and thighs from their earlier activities, her eyes widening as she dug in deeper. Independent verification of prior observations is always so... Rewarding!

Solitar lay back on the grass as Lauern's tongue pushed into her. She picked up her notepad and wrote another heading, 'Cunnilingus'. She made a few more notes. 'Highly pleasurable'. 'Intense'. 'Deep'. Solitar let out an unconscious moan as Lauern desperately explored her, seeking to lap up anything she could.

Solitar placed a hand on Lauern's hand, stroking her hair, and the girl looked up at her with her lovely green eyes. She returned to her notes as the pleasure grew. 'Tongue is highly nimble'. 'So wet'. 'Short-liv-'.

The word was cut off as Solitar's pen slipped, she let out a cry of pleasure, and came in Lauern's mouth. She pulled the girl's head in further, the orgasm rocking through her body. She dropped the notepad on the grass, a long line of ink accidentally scrawled across it.

She didn't impregnate Lauern yet; she had so many more observations to make.

“S-Solitar...” Lauern looked up. Her mouth and chin were covered in fluids. Solitar grabbed her sketchbook and tried to capture the sight. “I brought a gift for you...”

“Oh? What gift did you bring me?” Solitar asked, her hand darting across the page.

“A human,” Lauern smiled. “A human who loves your books.”

Solitar stopped drawing. She returned her attention to Lauern, her dazed smile fading to a more serious expression. That was the last thing she had expected to hear. She enjoyed speaking to humans who had read her book on their opinions of it, of course, but to actually attempt to bring one with her...

“Where is this human?” Solitar asked.

“She's staying at an inn in a small human town, about a day's flight away,” Lauern said. “I told her you wrote this to bring about coexistence between humans and demons, and she wants to meet you. This human wants to be devoured by demons; surely she'd be interesting to speak to?”

Solitar suspected the meaning of 'devoured by demons' that the human intended may vary slightly from Lauern's interpretation. The idea of entering a human city to rendezvous with a human who knows what she is was a dangerous prospect, by Solitar's reckoning. Still, she couldn't deny it would be interesting, if not for the human's sexual interests, then for the fact that she had seemingly accompanied Lauern for some time, and was alive...

“I'll bring you to her,” Lauern smiled.

“... I'd like that, Lauern,” Solitar smiled. “But first... I have many more observations to make!”

* * *

Ages later, Aura's mind, drifting in near madness from her constant arousal, fell back to reality. The endless tides of time subsided, and Aura quickly realized it had not nearly been that long as her sight returned; probably a few hours, from the look of the night sky. She felt the grass around her, and began to stir. She could move properly again, thankfully, as well.

She was in a small clearing some distance away from the road, deprived of her clothing. Linie and Lugner were lying in a heap near her. Looking up, she saw Lauern and Solitar standing over her, Lauern now very pregnant.

That posed a problem. Linie was already carrying, and Aura really felt the need to knock someone up to unwind.

“Solitar,” Aura said. She glared briefly at Lauren. “... Lauern left me in a state. Perhaps you'd like to-”

“Sorry, Aura! Can't get pregnant right now,” Solitar smiled. “Maybe in a year or so?”

Well that was unfortunate. There was no way Aura could possibly force her.

“I'm sure you'll find a girl sooner or later,” Solitar said.

Hopefully sooner.

“I hope you're not thinking of bringing her with us,” Aura looked at Lauern.

“No, I'm not. Actually, I won't be accompanying you for some time,” Solitar said. “Apologies, Aura, you'll need to make do without me! I'll catch up later, you follow an alarmingly predictable path.”

No I don't!

Well, whatever! It's not like she'd miss Solitar. The overly talkative demon was nothing but a nuisance, not to mention constantly getting the group into trouble, such as with Qual, the Spiegel, and her stupid book...

Her book.

“Solitar!” Aura quickly stood up. “Why, in the name of the Demon King's horns, would you write a book, about me, and let the humans read it?!”

“Oh, I suppose Lauern told you,” Solitar said.

“Sorry, Solitar!” Lauern smiled. “I was upset with her earlier.”

“Shut up, Lauern! Fuck you!!” Aura yelled. “Why?! Why would you EVER do something like that?”

Solitar's expression turned serious, and Aura stepped back. She realized she was still nude, and quickly conjured her clothing.

“There's three main reasons behind me writing these books,” Solitar said. “First of all, I'm actually many human writers. Us demons are not particularly good about preserving and reproducing knowledge, due to our lack of an integrated society and individualistic natures, so I allow the humans to do so for me. In fact, I am multiple natural philosophers, scientists, and rhetoricians over the past centuries. In this case, I am preserving my observations on demon sexuality.”

Aura blinked, and stared at her, trying to figure out if Solitar was making fun of her.

“Secondly, it's been nearly two full generations since the Demon King was slain,” Solitar continued. “Literature that presents us as attractive, comedic, or otherwise likeable has the net effect of, in a peaceful era, priming humans to be less guarded and more cooperative with us. Thus, our deceptions are likely to be more effective, improving my longterm survival prospects.”

“That I can understand, but why write it about me?!” Aura demanded.

“Well, because you aren't me,” Solitar said. “I don't want humans to know who I am, of course.”

Fucking Solitar!

“There's one more reason, however, and honestly, it's likely the most important one,” Solitar said.

Aura tensed up. Was Solitar about to say that Omniscient Schlacht had ordered her to write these books? Was this part of Schlacht's plan as well?

“It's really fucking funny,” Solitar said.

DAMN! IT!