NOVEL NEXT 51 – It’s a tragedy!
Cody wasn’t sure what the fuss was about at first, but when Salem officially announced that two new generals had been named, he couldn’t help but smile and feel a bit of relief.
Jessica had made it, then.
As soon as she returned, she gave a little speech in front of all the gathered minions. It was quite good. Half the minions felt fear and the other half awe. Something about her felt different. Her expression, her posture, her presence. Gone was the snarky conspiracy leader they had come to know and love, replaced by a demon general just like Salem.
Cody and Max knew better, though. Underneath all that bravado and toughness, Jessica had an undercurrent of worry and unease. Moreover, Cody was a member of the same drama club, so although Jessica’s act was top notch, she still had her tells and habits that Cody knew to look for. He knew this was all part of the act.
After the speech ended and the other new general began his, Cody and Max immediately left the venue and went to the administration to request transfer to Jessica’s – or Tepes’ now – newly formed division.
With that done, they wasted no time finding Jessica’s fancy new demon general office in the part of the castle that belonged to her division now. It used to belong to Forneus, apparently. Kinda funny that she had essentially kicked him out and replaced him.
They were the only ones in the entire division right now, so it was pretty easy to find Jessica between her office having the biggest and fanciest door and Max being able to sense her magical signature.
“Hey… How was it?” Cody asked as the two entered the big fancy room.
“You two,” Jessica acknowledged with a nod after she lifted up her unmasked face to look at them while gesturing with her hand to close the door. “I’ve been expecting you.”
As soon as they closed the door, Jessica dropped the act, and deflated on her expensive-looking desk with an exhausted sigh.
“Are you okay…?”
“Peachy,” Jessica grumbled.
Cody and Max shared a glance as they walked closer.
“So… I’m guessing they told you the truth now…?”
“Yup.”
“And…?”
Jessica lifted her eyes and studied the two for a second before seemingly coming to a decision as she closed her eyes and lifted her head from her desk again.
“It’s… complicated.”
“Yeah, I figured…” Cody commiserated with a wry smile.
“Long story short, it’s an infohazard for the magical girls somehow and we don’t know how, so the full truth is restricted to the demon lord and the generals.”
“Infohazard?” Cody and Max exchanged a look.
“Yup. Can’t let them find out or it will cause problems. Oh, and the threat of world destruction is very real.” She grunted. “In other words, I’m disbanding this whole conspiracy, we’re not betraying the demon lord, and the magical girls are our ‘enemies’ again,” she stated, making air quotes at ‘enemies’.
The two minions stared.
“That’s…” Max started.
“Unexpected,” Cody finished.
“Is it really?” Jessica shrugged. “It makes sense in hindsight. With the way the generals attack, they don’t mean to really cause harm or beat the magical girls, just keep them on their toes, make sure they stay in good shape to fight evil and crap.”
“So… What is the threat then? Who is the real enemy?”
“Well, demons.” Jessica crossed her arms on top of her desk and lay her head on them. “Different demons. You know the rogue demons the magical girls were talking about, yeah?”
“Right…”
“... I fought one the other day,” Max admitted.
“... What?”
“Umm… I found the magical girls fighting one of those rogue demons and they were getting overpowered by it so… I kind of… stepped in and helped?”
Jessica stared.
“Right… Well, they are the enemy. The rogue demons. They are from the old kingdom before the demon realm got leveled by the fifth weapon prototype and they want to get revenge by stealing the magical girls’ weapons to cause armageddon. Oh, and by the way, the first Pretty Flame is hidden somewhere in this castle and she is the true fifth weapon somehow.”
“What?!”
“Huh?!”
“Yeah, I know. Like I said. It’s complicated.” The newly appointed general sighed. “Anywho, what is this about helping the magical girls? I hope you didn’t accidentally reveal anything to them?”
“Err, well…” Max shuffled his feet. “I… kind of… talked to them… and unmasked to them… and invited them to my home… after the fight…”
Jessica stared harder.
“Riiiight…” She sighed as she leaned back on her chair and stared at the ceiling. “You realize that as a general now, I should have you fired for that, right?”
“I… I know… But! They were losing to that thing! I couldn’t just sit idly! Not to mention the demon attacked me and I sort of retaliated automatically… And, err…”
“It’s fine, it’s fine,” Jessica assured him with a wave of her hand. “I’m not gonna fire you. But if you’re in contact with the magical girls now, then I’m afraid I’m gonna have to keep you in the dark for now. Just in case.”
“... Alright.”
“So!” Jessica clapped her hands. “With that said. Here’s the current situation.” She finally straightened up, cleared her throat, and her eyes sharpened. “The whole talk about the world ending was a ruse!”
“Huh?!” both minions exclaimed.
“Its entire purpose was to mislead poor Jessica into taking the trial after the demons discovered she was a traitor!” She stood up from her chair as she gestured wildly with her hands. “The piss easy trial was in fact a trap! It changed poor old Jessica! Made her evil and cruel! Turned her into Tepes, the enchantress! The two of you tried to bring her humanity back! Make her remember! But she was far too gone!”
“Jessica… what the fuck?” Cody mumbled.
“She didn’t even remember she had started a rebel army! Forgot about her right and left hands Cody and Max! What a tragedy! What misfortune! You had no choice but to keep the rebellion running yourself while staying in contact with the magical girls now!”
She somehow ended in a pose, one hand on her chest, the other outstretched to the side.
“Oh…” Max blinked.
“That’s your plan? Are you kidding?” Cody said doubtfully. “This is getting seriously convoluted.”
“Well.” She stood straight again and shrugged. “I’m gonna be working closely with the demon lord in the meantime to figure out a solution to the entire mess, so don’t worry. Just do your part and pretend I’m evil now.”
Cody and Max shared another uneasy glance.
“Right…” Max agreed, clearly worried.
Cody narrowed his eyes as he looked at Jessica. She could pretend all she wanted, but he could still tell that she was looking forward to playing the role of an evil general.
