Wreath of Lilies, Cauldron of Poison

Chapter 59

The Slime who Seeks Defeat

“What should we do?” Illumca readied her dagger as she took a peek from a corner. She saw Nick slashing at it, shaving off a large piece of the slime. The slime shook him off and suddenly sprung forward.

“Mistress! It’s coming for you!”

“Connie! Get back!”

The slime landed in front of the counter, hundreds of tentacles appearing from its surface.

“Playtime’s over, I guess,” Connie’s hands emitted purple haze, ready to strike.

But out of the blue, the small Golden Silkworm jumped out from inside her body and stood bravely on top of the brick counter, standing on its many hind legs.

The slime’s attention turned towards the small but brave little critter.

“Yao-er?”

One of the tentacles gingerly touched the little creature before backing up quickly. It then slowly reached out and brought Yao-er up, as if examining it. The silkworm danced a bit before jumping on top of it. At which time the giant slime shrank until it was almost the size of a normal slime.

The slime retracted its appendages and the initial feeling of danger suddenly subsided, confusing everyone around them. They were transfixed by the surreal scene.

“Eh, what’s that?”

Connie bent down to look at her little friend who was jumping on top of the dark purple slime.

“Yao-er?” Connie bent down with a puzzled expression. “What do you mean?”

“What is she doing?” Martell asked Illumca, who answered simply. “I don’t know.”

“It wanted to…be my Contracted Beast?”

Connie of course could not speak with Yao-er. The silkworm had the intelligence of a 5 years old and could not speak. But they could communicate their intents onto each other because their souls were linked.

“Connie, what are you doing?!” Ethel shouted. “That thing is dangerous!”

“Sshh. Wait,” Connie reached out to touch the jiggly monster and felt a familiar sensation.

“It is minuscule, but I can feel it. The faintest trace of a Dao Seed,” The girl began to say. “I see. I understand a bit now.”

“You…are confused, aren’t you?” Connie slowly exclaimed. “You ate and ate and ate, but the hunger remains. That husk of a body could only satisfy your stomach, but not your soul. Yes, once you have tasted a piece of immortality, you cannot help but hunger for it. Desire it. Reach for it. And to once again taste that immortality, you fight again and again. Not caring how many times you were defeated.”

Yao-er bounced on the slime’s surface, slipped, then climbed on top of it once more. The jelly-like substance accepted the silkworm’s body as it bounced a few more times before settling on top of it.

“A contract?” Martell asked.

“This isn’t normal. Only Beast Tamers or Heroes can tame a monster,” Ethel scratched her head. “Then again, these days, I’ve stopped wondering about what’s normal with you.”

“Nonono! Who’d ever heard about a monster offering to be a Summoned Bea – wait, a Contracted Beast?” Nick cried out. “A-and it just ate a human! It ate, uh…who was that guy’s name?!” Nick was about to ask but when he remembered the condition the man was in, he knew better. “…on second thought, never mind.”

Connie ignored the bewildered veteran and asked the monster through Yao-er.

“Do you want to taste immortality and chase the Dao?”

Yao-er wiggled a bit and the slime responded with an excited jiggle.

“Very well. Then I have to give you a name that fits you. Qiubai!” Connie laughed heartily. “Qiubai, in common tongue means Seek Defeat. For something that desires defeat for the sake of becoming strong, nothing could be more fitting.”

“Eh?”

“Huh?”

“Mistress…I think when you’re naming something, you should use a cuter name, you know. You are a girl after all.”

“Cute? What does cute have to do with anything?” Connie raised the question with a shrug.

“You know, Sen would like it if it’s easier to say the slime’s name,” Martell said again.

“Is that so?" Connie rubbed her chin while regarding the jiggly monster before her. She shook her sleeve arrogantly. "Eh, fine. You are Chen Qiubai from now on! You can call it Chen.”

Connie shook her sleeves and perform a few mudras, starting from Apana Vayu Mudra and Prana Mudra with both hands. She then made a sword gesture which emitted a dark red light that pierced into the slime. A bright light came the moment it reached the center, blinding everyone.

Inside Connie’s subconscious, an orb, smaller than the others appeared. The Poison Core released a tendril of Energy to it and bound it to itself. On the orb’s surface was the name ‘Qiubai’.

Once the process was finished, Chen excitedly ran around before stopping in front of its new master.

It then turned into a translucent snake which wound itself along Connie’s arm. Though translucent, the slight dark purple color on its body were still there, giving it the presence of a jewel-like skin. It gave the others a warning hiss before slipping into her robe.

“Where did it go?” Martell asked Connie.

“Inside my body. You see. Contracted Beasts, unlike Summoned Beasts, can enter the body of their Masters,” Connie explained.

“Ugh…I need a drink,” Nick groaned as he sat down tiredly.

“Oh, quite the wild one, this guy,” Connie commented. “He said that you guys were too slow. The monsters in the forest were faster. Seems like this guy got stronger by fighting against the monsters in the forest. That’s why there are less monsters when we went there yesterday.”

“That part is fine. But to think that that slime has higher level than us just because it fought the monsters in the forest does not make me feel good,” Illumca replied with a strange expression. Not knowing what to feel.

Connie clapped her hands once. A final dot at the end of the night’s event. “Anyway. That’s that then. Let’s clean this up and rest for tomorrow. By that I mean…Martell, clean this up.”

“Eeh? Why?”

“No buts. You are my youngest disciple now. You need to learn to work properly.”

Illumca handed a mop to Martell. “Better start now if you want this to finish this before midnight.”

“Eeeeh…just my luck,” Martell groaned as he took the mop. He was also feeling sluggish from having expended so much mana and Energy to use his skills and techniques. But now he knew. He can use both in conjunction.

Connie then gestured to Nick.

“By the way, Nick. I need to talk to you about tomorrow.”

“Alright, what do you need?”

“I want you to stay in Cairula.”

“What?! But you need me in the Capital!” Nick said in surprise. Connie brought him aside and spoke softly.

“Look. I know that you want to get down and the dirty to find my mother’s killer. But it’s not going to be a fast process. And right now, I need you here more. Did you see the people coming into the store recently? I expect some disturbances to visit us in the near future, especially if any of the new Alchemists started selling my products. I’ll give you some money to hire some people you can trust to help you keep the peace.”

Nick could not hide his displeasure and glared at her. He held his stare for a few seconds before backing down. “Alright. But you will keep your promise, right?”

“Of course. I do not break my promises. I’m not going there for fun, you know. I need to…get reacquainted with the high society if I want to make some headway with that.”

Connie smirked sardonically.

“Also, who knows. I might end up liking the high society in the Capital.”

At the same time, just a few kilometers from where Martell was made to do chores, a hunched figure holding a skeleton cane was smiling in a mansion in the Noble's District.

It took him a few days, but he had finally decided on a move. With his wrinkled finger he moved the horse to a spot diagonally in front of the Queen protecting the King. A taunt, a needed sacrifice. A double-edged move that would turn the game to his favor if the opponent took the bait, or one that would destroy him within 10 or so moves. He knew it, and he was confident that the man in the next continent knew it. Of course, the bait itself was merely a part of another, larger bait. A response to his opponent’s aggressive move.

Just like how in chess the king ran his half of the board, so would a king run a kingdom. But the king could not move by himself. He must be guided. And the Master had done so for a long time.

“Make a record of this and send it as usual to our friend, dear.”

“Yes, Master.”

The middle-aged maid who had been tending to a small tub by the fireplace responded and moved over to the chess table to record the move. She did this by stamping onto a specially ordered checkered handkerchief. She then placed it into an envelope along with a letter indicating the Master’s action.

While she was doing so, the hunched old man suddenly commented.

“Did you know that this game was brought over to our country by a Hero?”

“I did not, Master. It was long before my time.”

“It was exactly the Second Hero after The First King who brought it, if I remember my history.”

“A very long time ago, then,” the maid folded the envelope containing her Master’s next move, sealed it with blue wax and stamped with the old man’s crest. A stag’s head upon 2 swords. “But it was said that the expedition along with the other 7 countries to kill the Demon King succeeded?”

“Hahahah! You could say that. At least, the historians did write that down. And what is written by those bookworms will become…truth,” the man laughed sardonically as if laughing at a private joke. “Anyway, after him came the second one. He was summoned as a deterrent from those very same countries,” The old man said, as the maid brought over the small tub that had been heating over the fire. In it was medicinal water that smelled of mint and spices.

The maid took a towel from her waist and soaked it into the water. She squeezed out the excess water before using it to rub the old man’s legs. They froze up on cold nights.

“The Kingdom had summoned more than 20 heroes from the time it was founded. A loophole in the Gods’ blessings. They did not say that a Hero could not be summoned if not during crisis. The ingenuity of humans, I suppose. You had had schoolings, right? Did they teach you this at school?”

“I’ve learnt some histories from the teachers. But why the sudden interest, Master? I thought you dislike them.”

The old man groaned. “Because one of those very Hero had been making a mess of the balance of power in the Capital.”

“Lord Sakagami Akira?”

“The very same,” the old man rubbed the bridge of his nose with a sigh. “Haah…whether we like it or not, our culture, our very way of life is intertwined with the existence of Heroes. Even politics. They brought many good things with them, and bad things.”

The maid poured warm olive oil over his legs and began massaging it with great care.

“I am sure you will make it work, Master.”

“I will, of course. Nevertheless, I could not help but be rather…angry at this unexpected development. I have to redo my calculation,” The old man leaned back on his chair and let out a groan as he slowly closed his eyes to enjoy her maid’s soft fingers easing his stiff muscles.

“Enough of my problems. Any report from Gregory?”

“Yes. He had found the infiltrators while tailing the Maiden of Water,” the Maid said as she squeezed hard on a particularly stiff muscle.

“Hmmh…I see. How is he doing?”

“He has reflected, Master. I made him eat only hardtack and water for two days before the mission,” the middle-aged woman said with a level tone. “He will return to his lecherous ways, of course.”

“It doesn’t matter to me what he does on his free time. As long as he does not do it during a mission,” he let out a comfortable sigh. “And the result?”

“He’s currently mending his wounds, Master. He had gotten injured while following the Maiden of Water. We are still pulling shards of pottery and from his chest and face.”

The Master grunted. “He is strong, but too rash for his own good. Tell the healers to take their time with treating him.”

“Yes, Master.”

She then reported about what Gregory the Assassin saw. The ambush and kidnapping of the Maiden of Water. The arrival of Lady Cornelia Asterium Steelheart and her party. The chase in the forest, and finally the appearance of a Named Demon.

At this, the old man gripped the handle on his chair so hard his knuckles went white. “Demons?! Behind the frontline?!”

“Yes, Master. Gregory followed the Maiden but was hurt by an explosion. It broke most of his ribs and shards of pottery and cutlery got stuck in his body. He ran away with his life, he said.”

“What do you mean, pottery and cutlery?”

“Forks, knives, and bits of broken pieces of vase. Some were quite pricy, Alastor said. Though I must commend that the shards hit his front. If it hit his back, we might need to reeducate him.”

“How nonsensical. What happened in the forest in just a day?”

“I could not say, Master. The man in question ran away as soon as he saw his health bar in the red. But he did manage to notice that the leader had the looks of an Ylagos islander."

"Ylagos? I see. Do as you should with this info."

"Understood. Then we shall continue investigating."

“Ah. Then again... it is unfortunate for that country to be involved…” the old man tapped his finger on his cane. “…and yet, the Maiden of Water and the Greenfield girl both live. That means that the Named Demon either spared them or was killed.”

“Yes. One of our people in the Guild saw her taking out a demon’s body with its head cut off. She was apparently strong enough to pierce through its body with her bare hand.”

“She…defeated a Named Demon…” a complicated expression, rare to even the loyal Maid, appeared on his face.

“Would you…like to start surveillance on the Lady?”

“…no,” The old man began after a moment of deliberation. “She is inconsequential. There are a lot of Knights here who can win a fight against demons. Hers was not much of an achievement other than finding one that had entered our kingdom. Although a question then comes to mind. Which country is hel - !” the old man stopped speaking as he began coughing. He waved the maid off when she tried to help.

After the brief coughing fit, the man drew himself up, as far as you could call a hunched man standing up. “The coming…aah…festivities…might come to be more complicated than expected. However, it rather is a shame that she managed to save the Maiden of Water.”

“Master?”

“Religion…” he coughed and asked for a sip of water. After taking one, he continued. “Religion…should stay as religion, there is no use for them in the secular world. The hunger of the people cannot be alleviated by prayers alone.”

“Let them rot in that place they call their Cathedral. We ill need them in these times,” Again, the Master stopped. He gazed at the direction of the Capital from the ornate window.

“The nobles are drunk on their own shit while the knights are drunk on the deeds of the Hero. A foreign power had infiltrated our country by aiding the demons, treating it as their playground. While this is happening, the Royal family indulged themselves with balls and parties,” The Master gritted his teeth. “There are too many things to do. Too many factors. We need to put some pressure on them to keep the pot from overflowing too soon.”

“How about the people from L’organization, Master?”

“Leave it. Those people have nothing better to do than watch the little show the fools in the Capital are putting.”

“But they have sent hostile agents after us. Are we to let them go like that?”

“You overstep yourself, Bertin.”

“I-I’m sorry, Master!” the Maid stepped back and bowed deeply.

“…they are just unfortunate men with unfortunate fate. But true. Indentured though those things are, they are still a threat. They will be dealt with, as soon as I find out who their master is.”

The old man then shook his hand and ordered her to step back.

“Prepare the magic circle. We will leave for my Townhouse in the Capital tomorrow afternoon. After that, prepare my clothes for the Ball.”

“Really, Master?” the maid was surprised. Her Master was not one who liked the crowd. Especially not a Ball. Even though his position would warrant his attendance in almost all important events.

“At times, we must do even what we most dislike for the sake of progress.”

The old man tapped his cane once as a gesture for the Maid to prepare the coal for his bedchamber.

“Although, I do confess that I am looking forward to seeing that woman’s daughter.”

When he said this, a trace of sorrow could be seen from his reflection on the glass window.