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The Demon Queen already knew how it felt to die. Usually, she’d wake up back in the Administrator’s Room after what felt like seconds, where she’d watch the world die and heal for the next Loop…
This time, she was supposed to die for good. After using the last ounce of her power to bring Rae Taylor and Claire Francois from the world of quanta to the real one, her consciousness faded into nothingness. To die meant feeling nothing, and in a way, Rei Oohashi longed for the release of her mortal body… Her soul would become nothing, not even quanta…
So then, why did she feel her own lungs stretching beneath her chest? Why could she feel her own heart beat pumping blood in her veins? Why were her eyes struggling to keep themselves closed, when she wasn’t supposed to see anymore in the first place?
Why was she… alive?
She groggily opened her eyes, the image in front of her slowly came into view as her eyes adjusted to the dim lighting in the room. She thought she was somehow looking at herself because she recognized the same expressionless face that the Demon Queen carried everywhere, but it was the presence of Rae Taylor and Claire Francois at her sides that made her realize the person before her was Pope Clarice Répète III, not her reflection staring at her. Her expression was as blank as always.
“Where… am I?”
“The main building inside one of the churches in the Northern Nur Empire.” She talked as if she was stating a fact. The other two at her sides looked at each other, a bit confused, but the Demon Queen noticed they were holding their wands tightly. Just in case she fought back. “Welcome back, Rei Oohashi.”
“Could we not call her Rei?” Claire Francois at Clarice’s right complained, without dropping her guard. “We already have a Rae. We don’t want people to be more confused about this when we tell them she’s back.”
The Demon Queen slowly sat up and looked around the room. It was dark, but the floor she was lying on was surrounded by candles that dimly illuminated it. When she looked down at her clothes, she realized she was still wearing the robes she had on before her death. There was a burnt hole in the robes where her chest was, its outline stained in dry blood, marking her defeat. She put a hand on the hole, but the mortal injury was gone from her body.
She found it a bit difficult to stand up to meet the people around her. With a groan, she sat down on the floor. Clarice, of course, was about to offer her hand to help but didn’t insist, perhaps realizing she didn’t have the muscle strength to assist her after all.
“We could call her Oohashi. I have some complaints about that, but…” Rae scratched the back of her head, raising an eyebrow with an upset expression. “... I suppose I’ve grown used to Taylor by now, but I might end up turning around if someone calls her Oohashi in public. It is the name I had, after all.”
“Ugh.” The Demon Queen pressed two fingers against the bridge of her nose, feeling like her head throbbed all of a sudden. If this was some sort of TAIM-induced dream to ease her mind to the feeling of dying… “What did you three do…? I’m supposed to be dead.”
“Don’t make useless assumptions,” replied Clarice. Her soft monotone voice managed to postpone the other two’s conversation for the time being. “Demon Queen, while your crimes and sins may be considered above redemption, the Spiritual Church believes that change starts within, and that no soul is too damned for forgiveness if they repent honestly.”
“The Spiritual Church was a means to protect the Loop System.” Her eyes darted from one brunette to the other, then stopped when they met Claire’s blue eyes. “Forgiveness and sin have nothing to do with this.”
“Well, excuse us for worrying about you.” Rae Taylor placed a hand on her hip. The Demon Queen’s red eyes locked onto hers, but she didn’t flinch at all. “The truth is that TAIM had some issues when trying to delete your soul from her database. It was a… complicated explanation.”
“Indulge me,” asked the Demon Queen. “I gave my life so the two of you could defeat TAIM, and it turned out she couldn’t delete me after all? Was I fooled once more by your antics?”
“Hey!” Claire stepped forward. The Demon Queen didn’t flinch from that, but she refrained from complaining further. “Neither of us knew that something like this could happen! If anything, it should be you who should make sense of this for us, considering you created it in the first place!”
The Demon Queen took a long, deep breath and let out a sigh. She supposed she was the creator of the Loop System, and she had control of TAIM while she was an Administrator… With a groan, she managed to push herself upward, feeling the cold stone under her feet.
“I created the System, not TAIM. I’m not aware of what she can or can’t delete.” Finally, she faced Clarice, whose blank expression remained unchanged. “If I had to guess, I’d say that my soul has to be stored somewhere TAIM cannot access. Given that she was created by Claire Francois, the original, it must be stored amongst the things that TAIM couldn’t access or modify.”
“That’s actually a very sound, and romantic, explanation, but it’s more simple than that.” The voice echoed in the empty room and a young woman, with one of her red eyes covered by a platinum fringe, appeared right next to Rae. “In reality, your soul is the heaviest amongst the sea of quanta in my archives. Even after all that time had passed since your defeat, I wasn’t done wiping it from my memory when I gave up my Administrator’s privileges. I realized I still held onto parts of your soul in my database during a meeting with the leaders of this Loop. When I inspected these privately, I realized they were corrupted, yet whole, so I brought it up with Clarice, who then brought it up with Rae and Claire.”
“So my soul is… corrupted?” She looked down at her hand as she opened and closed it. TAIM, using Lilly’s voice, let out a giggle. The Demon Queen raised her head back up at her.
“I managed to recover parts of it by accessing data from the previous Loop. It was a very time-consuming and delicate process, but once I finished, it ended up exactly as it was before your life as the Demon Queen started.”
The realization hit her like a brick to the face. She looked down at her robes and stared at her hands, opening and closing them in front of her. She could remember how the dark magic flowed through her veins, but now… she couldn’t even remember how to conjure it. She felt offended, but at the same time… relieved.
“Like I said before. The Spiritual Church believes in second chances,” repeated Pope Clarice. “You helped fight TAIM for the fate of this world, and for Claire Francois’ well-being. In a way, it was faith that brought you here.” She put her hands together and bowed her head down. Rae and Claire looked at each other, choosing not to comment on this for now. “As you are right now, you aren’t a threat to this world… And I don’t believe you intend to be anymore.”
The Demon Queen noticed Rae and Claire had lowered their wands with a smile. Even after all she had done, the two people who fought her against all odds were still here, letting her have a second chance in life… Her eyes turned to look at the silver-haired girl, whose red eyes focused on her.
“I will accept your kindness,” she said, letting out a sigh. “I suppose I should at least try to have an enjoyable life with what time I have left.”
“That still doesn’t answer the question of your name.” Rae frowned, staring at her. “Calling you Demon Queen in public would be akin to admitting we let you live. People are still struggling with the consequences of your actions.”
“I personally think Rei Oohashi is a very cute name,” she commented, making an emphasis on the letter i. “In front of Rae, we could simply call you Oohashi.”
“I second that, TAIM.” Claire smiled widely at her, but the nun’s eyes expressed confusion when she was addressed. “What’s wrong?”
Lilly took a moment to realize what had just happened, before she let out a long, defeated sigh, holding her head by the sides. “Not again… You have to stop doing that without my permission, TAIM…!”
At the very least, one issue was solved, but there were still some things that needed to be addressed now that the Demon Queen walked the land of the living once more.
Even after the Demon Invasion, Philine was still considered inexperienced when compared to the late empress. Although Hildegard was aiding her as she had helped Dorothea in the past, the throne she was sitting on seemed slightly bigger than her, both symbolically and literally.
News of the return of the Demon Queen came as a surprise to the heads of the nations affected by her attack, just as they did for Rae and Claire at first. The group surrounding the table in the middle of the throne room ended up being quite small: Queen Manaria representing Sousse, King Thane representing Bauer, Pope Clarice representing the Spiritual Church, and Claire Francois, Rae Taylor and Lilly Lilium, who, in a way, represented the Demon Queen, after being the ones who witnessed her coming back to life.
If she had to be honest, Philine didn’t know how to start this emergency meeting. She turned over to Hildegard, who noticed her silent plea, adjusted the monocle over one of her eyes and cleared her throat. The echo marked the beginning of their meeting.
“First of all, I’m glad you all could manage to attend, regardless of the urgency of the matter at hand.” She turned around and offered the group before them a bow, which most returned aimed at Philine before sitting down. Clarice was the only exception, who was already sitting down, yet she put a hand over her chest and bowed her head to reply to Hildegard. “It is, after all, an important subject, as well as a prime opportunity for the Demon Queen to respond for the crimes she has committed against Nur.”
“Not to forget what she has done to the people of Bauer,” answered Thane, letting out a sigh of his own. Many eyes turned towards him, silently, so he continued. “She caused mass panic in our lands, turning Bauer’s citizens amongst one another. Not to add the grave damage the people who lived near Mt. Sassal suffered, even if their numbers are small in comparison to Nur’s casualties.”
“I’m sorry I couldn’t do much more to help back then,” said Philine. Hildegard turned towards her with a disapproving glance, but the empress refused to acknowledge it. “While I’m aware panic was unavoidable, I take full responsibility for not being able to aid your land in its time of need like your people aided mine.”
“I don’t think what happened is anyone’s fault but hers,” said Manaria, leaning slightly against her chair. “Why was she brought back to life, anyways?”
Silence fell, as the rest of royalty turned towards each other. Eventually, when she slowly stood from her seat, placing her hands on the table for support, all of their eyes fell on the Pope.
“The Spiritual Church does not wish eternal damnation for souls still capable of repentance. While I’m aware that she instigated terror and hurt innocents, she also helped in defeating TAIM and allowed us to realize what she meant to do with our lives and memories. While I don’t believe these actions make up for the damage she’s done to the people, it shows that she is capable of doing good for them, does it not?”
Claire furrowed her brow at everyone, crossing her arms in front of her chest with a gentle huff. “Our reunion here isn’t to decide whether to punish the Demon Queen or not. She was defeated, and she is powerless as she is right now, compared to when she meant a threat to humanity.”
“Where is she, anyways?” asked Manaria, looking around the room. Her interest seemed to have been piqued. “I don’t really like talking about people behind their backs. And I’d like to see her for myself.” Her eyes stopped on Thane when he spoke next.
“If we weren’t summoned to determine her fate, was it simply to determine how we should proceed?” Thane kept his gaze serious. “In my opinion, I feel the same way as Our Holiness Répète. The Demon Queen did great damage to Bauer and its people, and yet, when compared to the damage we’ve suffered from other nations, like the Nur Empire, I hesitate to say it makes her irredeemable.”
“I apologize for the actions of my rash mother, King Thane.” Philine stood up from her throne and offered a bow, but Thane returned it, not having asked for it. “As for us, the Demon Queen and her minions have ravaged our land since time immemorial, so whatever fate is determined for her, all I ask you is that this happens outside of the Empire. We’re still recovering from the damages, after all.”
“TAIM isn’t physically present here, but I can vouch that the Demon Queen lacks the strength she once had.” Rae put a hand on her chest as she stood up as well to talk to the nation leaders. She was still unused to the attention, even after so many meetings. “She’s as strong as I am, right now.”
“That’s still plenty strong,” answered the silver-haired princess. Rae caught a very quick wink in her direction, but Claire was focused somewhere else to notice.
“The reason we decided to gather the strongest nations in the continent wasn’t to argue ‘what would happen next’.” Claire spoke once more, looking at everyone. Even Manaria turned around to look at her. “Before we decide on future plans for her, I believe we should determine where she should stay. As Empress Philine said, outside of the Empire would be ideal.”
“Excuse me, Claire Francois.” Thane furrowed his brow as he stood up, offering Claire an apologetic bow. Rae and Claire sat back down. “Do you intend to tell us that we… one of us, should host the Demon Queen?”
“H-her name is Rei Oohashi,” spoke a meek voice at Rae’s side. Lilly swallowed her embarrassment and stood up from her chair as well. “While she was the one who used demons to fulfill evil deeds in the past, without her demonic powers there’s no way she can return to where she previously lived. If there’s a place we can offer her, to show that the nations forgive and believe in her…”
A rough voice came from beside the throne. A hoarse laugh that made Lilly stop, but made Rae frown. Even Empress Philine at her side wasn’t able to stop Hildegard from dropping her usually composed demeanor. She cleaned a fake tear off her right eye, before focusing on the silver-haired nun.
“Forgive her? Are you listening to yourself, Cardinal Lilly?” Regardless, she respected her enough to keep her title even in her mocking tone, but that tone was enough to force the nun to sit back down. “Are you suggesting that one of us give away a home to the sole woman responsible for ravaging them in the first place? Just like that, on a silver platter?”
“Like Lilly said,” said Rae, looking at Hilda. “We cannot force the Demon Queen to come back where she was living before, since it was in demon territory. We also cannot allow her to wander the world aimlessly. We’re not here to ask for forgiveness on her behalf. She’ll answer to whatever punishment you have for her once this is settled.”
“Hildegard, I believe Rae is right.” The woman at Philine’s side turned her gaze towards her, but kept silent. “However, while Nur has many empty houses, we’re far too busy rebuilding the towns attacked by the Demon Army. The other nations have offered their aid in this matter, but I would still prefer if the reconstruction of the Empire fell entirely on our hands.”
Hildegard recovered from the blow done by her empress and straightened her back. “Even if we wished to aid in her… rehabilitation, Lady Philine is right in saying we lack the proper funding. Plus, if the people grew aware that we’re hosting the Demon Queen in our lands, opposing the people who lost their homes and/or family members would hurt Lady Philine’s status as their new empress. While she has an image of a forgiving ruler, too forgiving too soon would look equally as bad as a ruthless one, in our current situation.”
Claire groaned. Although she and Rae knew the Nur Empire wouldn’t agree on their plan, she disliked that part of it was to keep appearances for Philine. For her, Philine had already proved that she was a great ruler capable of kindness and forgiveness, and thus, didn’t need to constantly prove it to her people… but she had to agree that barely any time had passed to recover from the Demon Invasion.
“Bauer has many secluded areas she could stay in,” began Prince Thane. “However, we bear the same burden as the Nur Empire in this matter. Many of our citizens would recognize her outright, and we would eventually be unable to stop them from attacking her. She also bears the face of one of the heroes of the Revolution, so passing her as a normal citizen would prove quite difficult.”
“I also bear her face, remember?” Clarice spoke, deadpan. “It hasn’t proven an issue yet.”
“W-well, that’s only because you and Rae are rarely in the same room together. T-to put it simply.” Lilly put her hands in front of her, looking between Clarice and Thane. “But I suppose what King Thane says is true.”
“We would gladly accept her in our household,” suggested Claire, to Rae’s surprise, “but there’s barely enough space for me, Rae and the girls. I’m even hesitant to break the news to them after we were forced to bring them to the fight…” Claire let out a sigh. “Then again, they’ve always been quite smart. They’ll realize it sooner or later.”
“How about the Alpes?” Rae suggested. “I can’t help but realize King William isn’t here. Did he not agree on coming?”
“I was told this was an urgent matter,” answered Philine. “King William wasn’t able to come this quickly to the Empire. However, if neither Nur nor Bauer can host the Demon Queen, I could send a message to ask if he would accept her.”
“There’s still someone you haven’t asked,” she said. Everyone turned to look at the queen of the Sousse kingdom, grinning widely. She put her hands behind her head, confidently. “Our army and people barely suffered from the Demon Queen’s attacks, so as long as she doesn’t create new problems for us, nobody will recognize her. I can make sure she won’t be in danger.”
Rae, Claire and Lilly let out a simultaneous sigh of relief upon hearing Manaria was willing to help them. At the very least, it seemed like they had finally decided where she’d be staying.
“And I’d have no problem with taking care of her as a guest in the palace.” She put a hand against her lips, giggling softly. “Helps that she reminds me of someone else.”
Rae’s brows immediately dropped to frown in disgust. “You never change, do you?”
Lilly’s eyes went wide. “W-what? You wish to keep her in the Sousse Royal Castle?”
“I don’t see why not.” Manaria leaned back on her chair and looked around the room. Neither Philine, Thane or Hildegard had anything against her idea. “Even if she’s not as powerful as we can imagine, she’s still dangerous, and paradoxically, dangerous for her to be around big crowds. Leaving her in the castle as a guest while she gets accustomed to life doesn’t sound like a bad idea, does it?”
Lilly looked around at the other guests, waiting for someone to say something against Manaria’s idea to keep Rei in the castle with her, but not even Rae had something to say in response. Of course it looked like a good idea to forgive Rei’s actions by giving her a life of luxury that only Sousse could provide. But something felt… slightly off-putting in the way Manaria grinned towards Rae during her suggestion. Was she teasing her, or did she truly mean what she was suggesting?
“I-is there no empty household for Rei to live in?” asked Lilly. She took a deep breath when she realized Rae, at her side, glanced towards her. “What if someone recognizes her inside the castle?”
“That’s a risk I’m willing to take. Besides, the Demon Queen barely left her own palace. I doubt she’ll have problems adapting to a life inside mine.” Manaria shrugged at that. “Not that she’s forced to. In fact, I’d really like to show the woman behind the name what she’s been missing on.”
“Uh, unrelated question, but aren’t you living with Eve inside the castle?” Rae raised an eyebrow at her, leaning forward on her seat. Manaria turned towards her with a frown.
“What does that have to do with anything, Rae?” Claire turned towards her wife. “The castle is quite large and Sousse wasn’t as affected by the war against the demons as Nur and Bauer, so funds aren’t a problem. I think Manaria offers a good bargain, all things considered.”
Rae and Lilly looked at each other and shared a brief, bonding moment over Claire’s unawareness. Still, both of them seemed determined to avoid this fate for the ex-Demon Queen.
“As kind as your offer is, Queen Manaria,” began Rae, “we’re merely looking for housing for the original Rei. If she’s bound to the castle walls, I’m afraid it might limit her freedom of choice.”
“The Demon Queen is older than all of us combined,” stated Manaria. “I believe, if she ever feels the need to leave the ‘castle walls’, she’d simply take it. Why miss the chance to give her a life of luxury, if she so wishes?”
“I, personally, would be very against that.” Hildegard adjusted her monocle as she scowled towards the queen. “You would actively host an enemy of the Empire inside your castle.”
“I thought we agreed that she wasn’t a threat to any of us,” said Manaria, barely glancing to the side towards the silver-haired advisor. “Besides, saying that we would become enemies is a bit harsh, don’t you think? I didn’t think the peace treaty would finish the moment we had vanquished the demons from your land.”
“That’s not what we meant,” interrupted Philine, furrowing her brow. “But I don’t think the Demon Queen should be treated with the utmost luxury so openly by a kingdom.” She tapped a finger against her chin, feeling a bit nervous.
“While I understand your concerns with how it might look for the other countries, I believe that, as long as you,” she emphasized, pointing at Hildegard and Philine, “understand this isn’t some sort of threat towards the Nur Empire or the Bauer Kingdom, all kind of gossip can be dismissed by stating the facts: That the Sousse Kingdom merely wishes to help the Spiritual Church by proving the Demon Queen can be redeemed.”
“Oh, you’d be an expert in gossip alright,” muttered Lilly. Rae turned towards her and pinched her wrist. “H-hey!”
“Inside voice!” she whispered. Lilly felt the heat rush to her cheeks and nodded before Rae faced the queen once more. “Manaria.” She turned her eyes once more towards the brunette. “Understand that this is not something you can simply determine on your own. I think Sousse would be a great place to keep Rei Oohashi, but the royal palace is a bit much.”
“And why would you be against that?” Manaria couldn’t frown at Rae, but she could challenge her with a grin. “Don’t tell me you’re jealous. You had-”
“Think about the people that matter to you,” she interrupted, before she took a deep breath. “Are you absolutely sure they'd understand your reasoning behind this?”
Silence fell in the room once more. Lilly looked between one and the other, as Rae kept a serious expression that challenged the queen… And finally, she let out a sigh.
“Fine, but we can’t exactly leave her by herself…” Manaria looked to the side and let out a sigh. “Not that I think she won’t be able to adapt to this world; she’s done that many times before, I imagine.”
“I volunteer Lilly as her caretaker,” Rae replied with a smile, before pushing Lilly gently forwards.
All eyes fell on her now. The king, the queen and the empress alongside her advisor, as well as Rae, Claire and the Pope… She had the chance to refuse the opportunity, but when she thought about the Demon Queen. About Rei Oohashi and her effort to live her life regardless of her past… how could she not relate?
“C-caretaker is a bit much…” she muttered, looking to the side. “But I’d be willing to keep an eye on her, if needed.”
“Since all of you seem to be against a luxurious home,” said Manaria, rolling her eyes. “I could look for a nice place where you two might be able to live together.”
“T-together…?” Lilly immediately had doubts, but Rae patted her shoulder reassuringly. “I suppose I… don’t exactly mind that.”
“I believe it’s perfect.” Clarice put her hands together with a faint smile on her lips, but her gesture wasn’t strong enough to make a sound. “Lilly has been an upstanding member of the Church, as well as a hard worker and amazing listener, so it makes sense that she’d volunteer.”
“I have to agree,” said Thane, who had been silent for quite some time. Lilly felt flustered hearing him. “Besides, if I remember correctly, her powers can limit the Demon Queen in case it’s needed…”
“I-I hope it doesn’t come to that…” Lilly muttered.
With that, now the leaders of the world knew about the Demon Queen’s resurrection, but now Lilly felt like svd had accepted a task that felt… bigger than she imagined. And yet, something felt right in her decision to accept.
As many people imagined, Rei Oohashi packed lightly. Even when Philine and Hildegard insisted on them leaving the Empire as soon as possible, the woman looked as stoic as always.
Lilly appreciated the silence the first day. Without the need to make small talk, she could focus on the road ahead, read a couple of books she picked up in Nur or simply gaze at the scenery in the distance.
However, now that the second night of travel was upon them, Lilly felt she had to make some conversation. The trip all the way to Sousse was going to be quite long, after all, and spending it in silence wouldn’t be wise.
“So…” she began. Rei Oohashi was still looking outside the window, an Empire city in the distance. “Have you truly… lost your power?”
She spared Lilly a glance no longer than a second before she turned her eyes back at the scenery. “I don’t exactly have any reasons to use my dark magic anymore, but even if I wanted to, I’ve forgotten how to use it.”
“Does that mean that… demons taught you how to do it?”
“Not exactly.” She frowned, then the expression on her face shifted slightly with a hint of confusion, looking away from the window for a moment. “I suppose you weren’t exactly there when TAIM explained it, but I’m surprised that AI didn’t fill you in on the details. This body,” she said, gesturing to herself, “was created by me at the start of this Loop, and I gave it the ability to use dark magic.”
“Wait…” Lilly looked up, clearly confused. “If your ‘body’ is the one with magic, shouldn’t you be capable of using dark magic after all…?” The question lingered in her lips for longer than she intended. She thought that was a touchy question, and every second Rei Oohashi took to answer it felt like hours.
“I said I forgot how to use it.” She finally looked away from the window for good to stare at her hands, turning them over as if she could find a better answer on their surface. “Perhaps TAIM locked that part of my mind, or simply took away this body’s ability to cast it.” Her red, dull eyes turned to Lilly’s, and she couldn’t help but jump like a scared cat. “Regardless, you are safe, I assure you. I failed in my mission and, with that, I have no reason to attack any of you in this weakened body.”
“I wasn’t feeling unsafe,” she half-lied, turning away from Rei. “I suppose it’s just… that I was curious. I know it’s not the same, but-”
“Salas experimented on you,” she stated, then turned her gaze back to the window. “He did awful things to your body and mind, risking breaking his daughter’s body, to give you stronger, more useful magic for him to use. He was successful, but it took away your freedom until you managed to find your own way in life. You want to feel empathy for me, but I made this body before I could feel the changes. I chose this path for myself.”
“I’m sorry…” Slowly, Lilly cast her gaze to the wooden floor of the carriage. She still felt like a child being berated by her father for her limited knowledge of the world. You’re such a pitiful child, Lilly…
“Thanks.”
And quickly, she turned her gaze upwards. Rei wasn’t looking at her, but she looked more relaxed than before, while she gazed outside.
“There’s not many who can relate to me, in one way or another. While it’s not the same, I appreciate the sentiment, Lilly.”
She blinked. Rei didn’t turn her head even then, but she still felt… strangely, as if the woman herself was smiling at her. She took a long deep breath, still looking away, as if longing for something that might, or might not be there.
“I just did what I… felt was right.”
The carriage came to a stop. They had arrived at another Empire town to stay the night at an inn before leaving first thing in the morning the following day.
At the very least, the rest of the trip looked like it would be a bit more lively now.
On the fifth night of their trip, the carriage couldn’t reach an inn before night-time. Rei Oohashi stepped out of the car and stretched her arms to the side lightly, while Lilly followed right after, bringing out the portable tents for herself and the driver. Thankfully, they had brought some dried meats and fruits to eat in cases like this, out of princess Philine’s recommendation, of course.
After setting up the tents and a fire to draw the monsters away from them, Lilly took a brief walk around the temporary camp to make sure they would be safe. She knew she didn’t need to, but she had gained some knowledge during her pilgrimage, when she was looking for redemption outside of the Bauer Kingdom. Doing this also made her feel more at ease about sleeping in the open.
Thankfully, the scouting went without a hitch and she was soon back at the camp, placing her swords in their hilts. She heard the carriage driver already sleeping inside one of the tents, so she walked to the other one and found Rei already asleep on top of a large, thick blanket, bundled in some thinner blankets they brought for cold nights.
Carefully, she began taking off her protective clothes to sleep in her robes underneath. She was glad the weather wasn’t extremely cold to seek warmth at night, so she simply undressed looking away from Rei… And once she was finished, she folded her clothes and meant to set them at the back of the tent, but noticed a pair of red eyes staring at her.
“Eek!” She dropped the folded clothes on the ground. “Rei!”
“What?” she asked, monotone. Her shining red eyes kept staring at her, but appeared to be focused on the other’s face rather than her body. “I was waiting for you to come back before falling asleep.”
“T-that’s… really nice of you, but you didn’t need to…” Lilly looked to the side, trying to smile through her embarrassment. “H-how much did you…?”
“Rest assured, Cardinal Lilly.” Rei simply shrugged and turned her body away from her, out of respect for the other. “I don’t care for anyone’s bodies. Sex is… not an interesting topic to me anymore.”
The platinum-haired girl stared at the other as she shifted her body closer to the edges of the blanket, giving her more space to sleep on. She had considered sleeping inside the carriage, but… Well, if she wanted to be in top shape in case something happened, she’d be happier sleeping there. At Rei’s side. Slowly, she crawled on top of her side of the blankets, careful to keep her distance from Rei.
“Is that because of the Loops?” asked Lilly, then covered her mouth right after she realized what she said out loud. “I-I mean, just curious.”
“Yes. Because of the Loops.” She breathed in very slowly, her chest rising very slightly. “Claire has been… the most constant partner. I’ve had other partners, though, especially in modern Loops. There used to be a time where I’d feel ashamed of that, as if I was cheating on Claire, but it stopped mattering.”
Lilly swallowed thickly as she heard this. The concept of a modern Loop was still completely unknown to her, but Rei sounded like she had a lot more experience with relationships of all kinds, unlike her.
“Do your other partners include… people we’ve met?” Lilly thought she was clever, trying to hide the real question behind her wording, but when Rei suddenly turned around to look at her, she felt she had seen right through her. “I-I mean, not like you should tell me, but…”
“I never met you for long,” she stated. “Misha, I believe, once or twice.” She turned her head towards the back of her tent, then at the entrance. “Manaria, obviously.”
Obviously…? Lilly swallowed. She was sure Rei had seen her reaction, but either she didn’t mind it, or she expected that response from her.
“I don’t really remember them much,” she simply said, monotone. “All the experiences are a blur at this point. If I had to choose, I’d prefer to remember my experiences with the Claire from my time.”
“I suppose I can’t compare to her…” Lilly muttered under her breath, turning away from Rei. Once more, she had said something she preferred to keep inside her mind, but it’s not like she expected Rei to feel bad for her. For something she hadn’t said yet. Something she was still unsure about, if she had to be honest.
“Is that your concern?” she asked. Lilly wanted to look back, but didn’t move. She felt a hand on top of her left arm, which didn’t move further to caress her, but the intention was there. Or so she wanted to believe. “It’s nothing but nostalgia at this point. Like I said, they are just a blur.”
Lilly kept silent for a moment. There was nothing else to be said about that, she supposed. Claire had always been the standard she could never hope to achieve with Rae, and being reminded of it by Rei… She supposed she was doomed to repeat the same story once more…
“But you’re the first Lilly I’ve come to meet this deeply,” she stated, before retrieving her hand. The silver-haired girl turned her head around to look at her, but Rei was already turning her body away as well. “At times, I saw you. This you. Like I said before, I know what happened to you and how you’ve suffered. I saw your struggle with romance as well and… in a way, perhaps I felt empathy for you, too.”
Lilly snuggled a bit more on her side of the bed and smiled. There was a faint tenderness in the other’s voice, and sincerity in her words, that made her heart flutter. She felt like a fool for blushing, but perhaps…
“Thank you, Rei. Good night.”
This was a start.
The place chosen to host Rei Oohashi was a manor originally owned by a ruined nobleman in Sousse. The rumors Lilly heard said that he was the one who saw the then-princess Manaria during one of her outings to “ravage” women, and then spread the rumor to hurt the image of the Sousse crown. Eventually, it was found out that he was visiting a mistress in the same district, and his scandal spread much faster than what was originally considered a rumor at the time.
In any case, due to his shame, the manor was now empty and free to take. It was located close to a town near the Northern Sousse Convent, which was recently renovated by a mysterious donor from Bauer who insisted it should be kept for the ages to come. From the manor, it would take about fifteen minutes by foot to reach the town, and an hour-long trip by horse to reach the nearest trading town, but it would suffice.
During their two week-long trip, Lilly had come to learn much about Rei Oohashi: The food she preferred to eat when she was in the “Magic Loops”, how she expressed her emotions when her face and voice said so little, what clothes she liked to wear, the way her body shook just before falling asleep… Perhaps Lilly shouldn’t have paid that much close attention to her, in retrospective.
Regardless, amongst the things she learnt, she realized Rei wasn’t the kind of woman who preferred a life of luxury after all, which seemed strange to Lilly at first, until she asked about the kind of life she lived as the Demon Queen. Her diet usually consisted of scraps of food the demons were able to keep intact when they stole from merchants and travelers. Back then, while she had a room of her own, it was devoid of any potential luxuries or distractions. It almost seemed like she hadn’t chosen to live until now.
As they approached the manor, Lilly could notice the faint hints of curiosity in her eyes as she gazed at it from the window. She rested a hand against it, but when she noticed Lilly staring at her, took a more calm posture.
When they arrived, Lilly stepped out first, as per usual, and helped Rei get off the carriage. She was ready to open the door of the manor for her when she heard a keyring jingle behind them.
“Glad you two could make it!” said Manaria with a big grin, wearing her usual royalty clothes. Not the same she wore when they had the meeting, of course. “I was wondering how long it would take you to get here.”
“B-but…!” Lilly’s eyes went wide and she needed to adjust her fringe over her eyes. “How did you get here this fast? Weren’t we traveling at the same speed?”
“Well, with the help of some magic, strong horses and capable drivers, I managed to get here about three days ago.” Her eyes fell immediately on the Demon Queen, before she squinted them. “I made sure the place is up to your standards, Demon Queen.”
“I don’t remember setting standards at any point,” she replied. There was the faintest hint of a raised eyebrow. “Regardless, I appreciate it.”
“If you so wish, I could give you a tour of the place.”
Manaria offered her hand to her, but Rei simply walked past her, taking the keys off her hand. Lilly followed right behind her, keeping distance between her and Queen Manaria. Rei wasted no time opening the door and looking inside. Immediately, she frowned.
While the walls were devoid of paintings, the wallpaper that covered each room was elegant. The floor underneath them had a large rug that covered the entirety of the bottom floor, the wooden stairs to the second floor shone brightly. Everything seemed new. Certainly, Manaria had made her best effort to show her eagerness to accept the Demon Queen in her kingdom.
And yet, when the queen stepped inside the manor, Rei was already walking up the stairs towards her room. A door upstairs closed gently, but loudly enough to be heard in the silence of the manor.
“A thank you would’ve been nice,” she groaned, placing a hand on her hip. Still, she didn’t seem too angry at this outcome.
“I’m sure she’s just tired,” said Lilly, managing a weak smile despite her own thoughts about Manaria. “Maybe she’ll feel better tomorrow.”
“Dang, I gotta head back to the castle this afternoon, though…” Manaria scratched the back of her head. “I kinda promised Eve I’d come back when I was done with all of this.”
Then you should already be heading home, Lilly thought, and thankfully, she could keep that one inside her head. For now.
“Don’t feel obligated to neglect your personal matters for our sake, Lady Manaria.” Lilly bowed at her, placing her hands together. “If you wish to stay a bit longer…” she dared.
Manaria looked back up for a brief moment, then shook her head. “There’s no need. I think I got the message and I’d hate to beg for attention…” She closed her eyes and sighed silently, her arms falling to the sides. Her feet moved slightly, as if she was about to turn around and leave, but she stopped. “Hey, Cardinal Lilly.”
“Yes?” She pretended she was thinking about something else, not keeping an eye on the Soussian Queen.
“Don’t hesitate to send a letter if you two need anything, alright?” Finally, she showed the other a genuine, kind smile. “I’ll come back to visit within a week… or a month.”
Preferably a month.
“We’d love to have you, once we’ve fully settled in.” She managed to fake a smile convincingly enough for the other to leave. At least, so she wanted to believe.
Now then… Although Lilly was tired from the long trip, she felt the need to make something for Rei Oohashi, as a way to congratulate that their trip was over… And she recalled a recipe Rae had told her, perhaps half a year ago.
With that, she headed to the town to gather ingredients.
The Demon Queen felt tired, but also tireless. She didn’t want to deal with the Queen of Sousse this early in her stay, and while the manor was relatively small compared to the villas owned by higher-ranking nobles, it was still too big for two people with relatively modest lifestyles.
While she had known of Lilly in this Loop, and previous times she’s met her in her past lives, this was the very first time she felt so connected to someone other than Claire. Lilly was genuinely interested in her likes, her experience and her well-being. She didn’t want to admit she felt interested about her, too.
She wasn’t sure if she was ready to step into another relationship, especially one where she was quite sure the other would accept immediately. The possibility was there for her to consider, and if the silver-haired girl wasn’t tired of her short conversations and monotone expressions after their trip, she didn’t think she would get tired of living under the same roof as her anytime soon, either.
A knock on the door roused her from her thoughts.
“Come in.”
“E-excuse me…” The doorknob moved from side to side slightly. The Demon Queen was about to stand up to open the door for her, but Lilly managed to entered right after. She smiled widely while she held a tray in her hands. “Are you hungry?”
The Demon Queen looked down at her belly, then looked back up at Lilly. “I suppose I could be, yes.”
She lowered the plate between the two of them and showed her what she had served. Small rice beds with raw tuna slices on top of them, held together with a seaweed branch. The Demon Queen stared at them for a moment, before realizing Lilly was offering her two thin wooden sticks.
“You made… nigiri sushi?” She found herself staring at them, blinking.
“There was fresh fish in the market, and rice was easy to find. The seaweed… well, the vendors gave it to me for free. They wondered why I was asking for it in the first place and I considered not getting it in the end, but Rae- I mean, Rae, had given me the recipe for these… So I tried to replicate it.”
“How… nice,” she said. She looked back up at Lilly before taking one with her fingers. “Will you be eating as well?”
“I-if you’d have me…”
She was about to sit down when the other raised the nigiri in front of her mouth. Lilly didn’t hesitate to take it by the middle, took a bite and took the rest of it with her hand as well, then pushed it inside her mouth. It tasted differently than cooked tuna, but it was still good. The seaweed, though, was a bit salty…
And yet, the Demon Queen didn’t seem to mind the taste at all when she used the wooden sticks to pick one of the sushi up, then ate it. She didn’t seem to find it extremely tasty, but the fact that she didn’t spit it out immediately after taking a bite was a sign that Lilly had done a good job.
She sat down and ate another. Now that she knew how they tasted, she was better prepared for it, and the Demon Queen seemed to enjoy it a bit more, too.
“Are you going to leave today?” she asked. Lilly almost swallowed the third nigiri whole by accident.
“W-what?” She coughed a bit, holding a hand over her mouth. “N-no. I don’t plan to…”
“Are you staying because I remind you of Rae? The real Rae.” Without a second thought, the Demon Queen took her fourth sushi. This time, she ate the fish first, leaving the rice bed on standby. “While I bear her face, I can’t exactly say we’re the same.”
“No, Rei. You’re… you.” Lilly struggled a bit trying to put it into words, but she still felt the need to be honest. “I think… you are a person who can redeem yourself to the world, in time. You’re not the blood-spilling Demon Queen anymore and you’re not an evil version of Rae. You’re… Rei Oohashi. Whether you bear the soul of the original, or you are a… ‘corrupted’? part of herself, you’re still you. The person who saved humanity.”
“It happened way before your time, though. Millenia.” Finally, she ate the rice bed in one gulp.
“And yet, it happened.” Lilly smiled, before carefully biting the tip of her nigiri. “I get to talk to you now because of what you did, Rei.”
She hadn’t realized it until now, but the way she pronounced her name made it sound… genuinely different from when she referred to Rae Taylor. Or was it that, when she pronounced Rae’s name, she pronounced it differently and she pronounced Rei like she usually did?
Perhaps what Lilly said was true. She was still herself.
“And you are my Lilly,” she said, averting her gaze from the other.
“W-what did you say?!”
“My Lilly. The one I got to meet because I got a second chance in this life. Heh.”
Lilly blinked at that. She almost dropped the rest of her sushi to the floor.
“Did you… laugh?”
Rei didn’t answer, but she was clearly struggling to take another slice of sushi while looking away from both Lilly and the tray between them.
If Lilly tilted her head ever so slightly to the left, she could’ve seen the way she was blushing. For the first time in her new life…
A life with her, it seemed.
“Uunh…” Now Lilly felt like her face was heating up… She didn’t have the courage to look at Rei in the face anymore.
“Hey, so… I know we’re not in charge of this anymore —and believe me, I’d want nothing more, —but what’s gonna happen next?”
“Clarice” raised an eyebrow at the ceiling while she and the married couple walked towards the inn May and Aleah were staying in as well. Strangely enough, Rae and Claire felt the Pope was slightly more expressive when she was being “controlled” by TAIM. Al least Clarice accepted the AI’s control better than Lilly.
“Well, if all goes well, the Demon Queen will be able to adapt to society soon. If it goes really well, I’d wager those two will live a long, long life together.”
“I believe what Rae means to ask is…” Claire looked towards the brunette, who shrugged quickly. Even if she couldn’t phrase it right now, she knew what the other had in mind. “If I remember correctly, Rae here was created by you. The Demon Queen; or, I guess we’d better call her the Original Rei; had a soul that can be… quanta-sized?”
“Processed, yes.” TAIM nodded, before stopping right outside the inn. “I feel you want to ask something very specific. Please, Claire and Rae, don’t hesitate.”
“Well, yes. Does that mean I’m gonna… disappear once my life is done?” The question lingered heavy in her mind, it seemed. Rae felt her heart beat faster by the second.
“All life must end at one point,” TAIM answered, with a slight smile. “People say the longer you think about your death, the less you live your own life.”
Claire frowned and crossed her arms. “You made this mess yourself. I believe you owe us an explanation on what’s going to happen next.”
“I’ve already considered what’s going to happen in the next Loop.” TAIM looked at the sky, blinked a couple of times, then brought her gaze once more back to them. “Rae, with an e, will take the place Rei, with a i, took in the Loops. That means that, in the next one, you two will meet when she’s around her thirties, in the 21st century.”
“Does that mean, then, that the Demon Queen won’t…” Although she was their enemy barely a couple months ago, she couldn’t help but feel bad for her. Thankfully, TAIM didn’t need to hear the end of that question.
“I’ve been considering where to place her. I don’t believe it’ll make a huge difference in history. For the modern Loop, I plan on letting her take her old spot, as a scientist right before the end of the world.” She tapped her chin with her finger. “I’m going to need someone who explains the Loop System to the leaders of the world in the modern Loop, after all, and if she did it once, she can do it another time.”
“And if there’s another Loop… What is she gonna be?” asked Rae. “Don’t tell me you’ll make her a Demon Queen again…”
“No, no. I won’t run that risk anymore.” TAIM reassured her, before the faintest of mischievous smirks reached her lips. “Tell me, Rae Taylor. What would you think of having a twin?”
“A… twin?” She blinked, before pointing to herself. “Me?”
“Yes, I believe that’ll be a good idea. Thanks for your input.”
And with that, Clarice’s shoulders dropped slightly. Rae was, however, still flustered, looking at the sky, as if looking for TAIM’s trace.
“H-hey! What do you mean I’ll have a twin?!”
Claire let out a sigh and rubbed her wife’s arm. That was, thankfully, a problem for another life.