Blue Rose (4)
* * *
The second Tower Master Conference had passed.
Dolores now had exactly one month left.
With no significant progress, Reed headed to the Hupper Kingdom.
It was to meet the Saintess.
He was always cautious when meeting the Saintess.
Although they had decided to cooperate, everything had to be conducted discreetly.
It's because they shouldn't give any room for speculation to hide the fact that Isel, the saintess of meditation, is a demon.
The place they would meet was the capital of the Hupper Kingdom, Cohen Castle.
It was a big enough place for them to make an alibi.
Reed entered the pub pretending to be an adventurer.
As it was daytime, the unique bustling atmosphere of the pub had subsided.
"Over here."
At the sound of a soft voice, Reed turned his head.
There sat a woman dressed as an adventurer and a nun from the Althea Order.
If they didn't recognize her as the saint of the Althea Order, they looked like just pretty twin sisters.
"A blind nun... and an adventurer dressed as a thief?"
"A thief, you say? This is actually Rachel's battle uniform."
Her shoulders were exposed, and she wore tight-fitting tights that clung to her whole body.
It was the attire of the Althea Order's Sword Master, who overpowered opponents with swift movements.
"Why a pub, of all places?"
"It's the only place to meet quietly during the day. Speaking from experience. Let's have a meal."
"I guess we should."
Reed ordered something simple to eat.
There was nothing in front of Rachel, but in front of Isel, there was a half-eaten piece of cake and a cup of black tea.
"You said we'd be surprised by the news, what is it?"
"I've secured a means to distinguish demons."
As expected, Isel and Rachel were surprised and focused on Reed's story as they looked at each other.
He casually handed over the information as if it was a light conversation that could be overheard.
Isel and Rachel made uncomfortable expressions.
"I see... It was the stone flower."
The Althea Order regarded the stone flower as an ominous sign.
It was said to be a flower that feeds on blood and flesh and blooms on corpses, symbolizing dark death.
As the Althea Order expanded, they uprooted all the stone flowers, making it difficult to find them across the continent.
"It's ironic that the flower we considered ominous is used to distinguish demons... What a humorous situation."
"I have one piece of information, and I need to gather one more, so I want to ask for your help."
"What kind of help do you need?"
Reed took out a pouch he had kept in his pocket and handed it to Isel and Rachel.
"Rachel, what's this?"
"..."
"It looks similar to black tea leaves... It seems to be dried stone flower petals."
"That's right."
"If you brought it, then you mean for us to try a cup? Understood."
Isel, who became a demon to destroy demons, had no hesitation as a Saintess.
Rachel started brewing the stone flower petals.
She brewed it slowly and gracefully, then poured it into Isel's teacup.
Isel slowly savored the scent and took a sip.
"Umm... Ugh..."
Her smiling lips twisted, and she began to moan in pain.
Rachel watched her condition with furrowed brows.
"Ra, Rachel..."
Rachel took Isel's outstretched hand.
Leaning on Rachel's shoulder, Isel swallowed the pain.
It took her 10 minutes to calm down.
Rachel wiped the sweat from Isel's forehead with a handkerchief.
"Phew...Phew...Rachel, would you like to try a cup too?"
"..."
Rachel quietly took the teacup Isel offered.
The remaining burn marks on her mouth. Unlike Isel's tempting pink lips, they were grotesquely distorted.
It was a sacred trace left from swallowing the blazing holy flame.
Although her body could now produce the holy flame at any time, she lost her speech and taste as a consequence.
Rachel, realizing Reed's gaze, covered her lips with a cloth.
"A lady's covered parts are not to be looked at casually."
"...I'm sorry."
Isel reproached him with a smile, and Reed apologized to Rachel.
With her face flushed, Rachel avoided Reed's gaze.
After trying a cup herself, Rachel calmly handed the teacup back to Isel.
"It seems that there is no problem for ordinary people to drink... It's definitely a tea that only affects demons." [T/N: Did he just casually did human trial for a drug?]
"Was it painful?"
"It wasn't pain. What tormented me was pleasure. As my body grew hotter, my desire as a demon grew more intense. The lust. The endless lust for humans. It took a little effort to withstand it."
"It seems to be a kind of aphrodisiac for demons."
Reed recorded all the conditions of the Saintess.
This was one of the few data that could be obtained only from a cooperative demon.
"Rachel, please prepare another tea to help us recover."
"I'll use the one I brought."
Reed took out a pouch of black tea leaves he had prepared.
Receiving the pouch, Rachel stared blankly at Reed.
Isel spoke with a delighted expression.
"Now I see why the Tower Master is popular with women."
"Don't talk nonsense."
"Hehe, being so evasive makes you even more attractive."
Rachel brewed a new tea, and Isel elegantly sipped it like a noble lady, then smiled again with a calm expression.
"I'll have to suggest it to the Althea Order once we've confirmed its effectiveness on demons. It would be good if we could break the notion that it's an ominous flower."
"It doesn't seem easy since they're conservative."
"For the benefit of humanity, it's best to give up such stubbornness. You're planning to cultivate it, aren't you?"
"Yes. But since the stone flower itself is said to be poisonous, we need to find a way to neutralize the poison first before spreading it."
"That would be the alchemists' job. I'll let the Althea Order's alchemists know."
Reed handed them three pouches of the same color as the one containing the stone flower petals.
"I'll give you more supplies. Test it on a disguised demon, and contact me after testing it."
"Yes, we will do our best to help you as soon as possible."
Reed pushed the empty plate to the side and wiped his mouth with a napkin.
"There's sauce on your hand too."
"Where?"
"I'll wipe it for you."
Isel took a napkin from her side and carefully wiped Reed's hand.
Her small, soft hands wrapped around him.
"Tower Master."
"Hmm?"
"Are you nervous?"
Isel's hands were folded as if praying.
"I'm nervous, but not enough to worry."
"It's a matter involving the life of someone precious. I wouldn't be able to endure it alone either."
Isel wrapped Reed's hand, and Rachel placed her hand on top of theirs.
"May our prayers give the Tower Master a little courage...."
"Doesn't God dislike magicians? Can you pray for a magician?"
"Even if God dislikes them, there are moments when everyone needs light."
"Then, shouldn't I pray to God?"
Isel shook her head.
"In such cases, there's no need to pray to Althea."
"Then?"
"Pray for your precious person. Pray that they can endure this hell."
At her words, Reed closed his eyes.
As she said, he prayed for her to endure this hell.
