Into the Palace

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"Uhn..." Rumia felt Komyo's theories difficult to understand. Aren cared for her, he wanted to fulfill her carnal desires, he was interested in her like lovers do, but did he use Tenny instead of himself? It all didn't make sense. The succubus wanted to retort back at him, but decided to listen further, it seemed Komyo wasn't finished. Aren's back was covered in oil now, Rumia didn't feel he needed more massage so she got off from his waist then simply sit at the bed's edge, cleaning her hand with a nearby cloth. "Your way of carefully choosing words and riddling expositions reminds me of scheming demon nobles back home, Komyo." The succubus sighed, she wasn't fond of all the political bullshit, but she could do so if needed, she wasn't an heiress for nothing. With Komyo, Rumia felt the need to put up the 'regal princess' mask she used when participating in her father's balls and banquets.

"Huh, i-is that so?" A rather poor mask actually, she noticeably tensed as the mage spoke about charms, Aren was charmed? By whom? It seemed no one in the room knew, not even Aren himself. Rumia wasn't capable of such high-level mental enchantments yet, her mother was another story though, but it couldn't be Mama, she wasn't the only Elder Succubi out there. "Well, the solution is clear isn't it? Remove the charm! You can do it, can't you?!" She was definitely eager, standing up then took a few steps towards the mage, "H-hmph... even as a Succubus myself, I wouldn't do that... much..." She mumbled off, "A-anyways! You're a powerful mage, you beat an Abyssal just with cards! Surely you can do this." She was already jabbing at his pride in an effort to coax Komyo's assistance, making it very obvious how much she wanted Aren.

"..." The two proposals were both hard, but she had to admit, the latter was more tempting, she could have Aren all to herself, he would just lose a small part of him, demons made that kind of contracts all the time, why would she be any different? "Pfft..." The succubus snorted, crossing her arms, "Do you think I'm stupid?" Rumia raised her chin as her slitted eyes narrowed at Komyo, looking at him as if he's a sly snake, "I'm still a demon, mage, I deal with ambiguous words, double-talk, and deceptions my whole life, do you think I can't see pass your illusion of choice?" In truth, Komyo was good, really good, Rumia was actually taking - an almost - blind gamble, she wasn't really sure if the mage was doing this, but her gut instinct - hone by years of literally living in Hell - told her it was the case. "You really reminded me of one Archdemon Brenhir, a calm bastard he was, fooled a lot of people, demons and mortals both." Rumia shook her head,

"Still..." she sighed, fidgeting with her fingers, "I ran away from home for a reason, I'm tired of that life... I want honest people who truly loves me, I... I'm tired of having to put on a facade with everyone I met." Why was she telling her life's story to him now? Well, she hoped Aren could hear it, she didn't have the courage to directly tell him. "There was no choice in the first place, isn't it? We'll find this demon and tell her to remove the charm... or else..." Hell hath no scorn like a succubus denied of her true love.
 
It went without saying that Komyo made a mental note to work on his schemes. By all means, he did not think that Rumia was stupid, but he did not expect her to see through it. Or maybe she didn't and just wanted to make sure not to trigger his anger. In any case. She took the right decision. "I guess you could say it is in my nature, so I apologize if I sound rather demonic with my choice of words. But let's not worry about that. Whoever this person is is very strong. Most probably around the level of an elder succubus. As you two are now, you will not get far when this person decides to fight. Especially if she uses the already existing charm to turn Aren against you." He assumed that she knew that this was a very possible option. After all, she was a succubus as well, who must have made experiences with her charms and how they can change people to do her bidding. Should it come to this case with Aren, she would go down like a shot bird. "To get to the point: I would like to train you." With Komyo as teacher, Rumia's arcane powers could skyrocket to a new level. Komyo has already proven his strength, and with that his worth as mage. "And before you ask, I do not want something in return yet. Let's call it an investment, and say that you owe me a favor." As much as Komyo knew and how strong he was, certain abilities were beyond him. Some included things only a succubus could do, and having one as an ally could prove to be a huge benefit on some special situations. Investing time into her would make her stronger now, which will be useful for the both of them in the future.
 
Rumia sat back down on the bed's edge, putting one knee over the other while keeping her arms crossed, "Well, other races like the Drows also likes this kind of talk, it's not just demons." She idly wondered why Komyo did it, maybe he was testing his rhetoric skills. Who would be a better practice partner than a full-fledged demon, a succubus to boot? It wasn't important though, she had bigger priorities. "I'll not be surprised if she's indeed an Elder Succubus, in fact, I wondered why I could meet Aren in the first place, why he of all people who picked me up after I was stranded? Surely it's not just mere coincidence..." The girl wasn't so fond of the concept of Fate, being an heiress who was actively defying her father's wishes, but this whole chain of events were just too... 'orchestrated' for her liking. "I know how strong it is, my mother is one, I will be one when the time comes." Oh yes by that time, no one would be able to tell her what to do.

His proposal was quite peculiar, there were a few obvious issues regarding the prospect of him training her. First, he was not a demon, Rumia still didn't know what Komyo actually was, but he appeared human. Second, he was a male, he should be training an Incubus. Third, they barely knew each other, but Rumia was quite sure even though he's very powerful, there were some things only a Succubus/Incubus could do, he clearly wasn't either. If he was talking about her fire & frost magic though, it's another story. "I'm not sure you can hone my succubi skills, but if it's my elemental magic then... sure, I'd like that. Anything to protect us from harm." As a demon herself, she always expected the other party demanding something in return, even Aren wanted her to help him explore the dungeon, so Komyo's philanthropic offer surprised her... well, not really, he did want something in return, just in the future. "Alright... but not anything ridiculous, got it?" She gave the mage a small smirk, "Where should we begin?"
 
For someone in her position, being the currently second weakest , she was quite the smart ass. Another note was made for the back of Komyo's mind. 'Mildly punish her for that later'. Komyo's interest towards races was just near zero. Only a few races caught his interest, and succubi happened to be one of them. It may be kind of sad or ignorant for some, but when you lived long enough and were a nephilim, you've seen enough to not care about many details. What he also knew was fate. "Fate is a strange thing. It can't be proven, some can change it which denies the riles of having a fate, and yet happens. Make your own opinion on it."

Now he had to actually think on what to teach her. He had seen her unleash her barrage, which gave him a perfect impression of her current maximal damage output. And since he was no full fledged incubus, he doubted he could help her with a succubus abilities. Her elemental magic was another matter. Now let's see. What to ask for in return? Hehe. He had a naughty idea, given away by his smile, but it was short lived as she made clear she did not want to do something ridiculous. "Spoilsport. But alright. Let's get out first. We will need space." Komyo got up from his chair and led the way. First down some stairs, and then out of the main entrance.

The sun was already rising as they got out. Early morning. Such a bothersome time when one had slept through the night. The grass was still a bit wet from the night's dew, which would probably help her ice magic. Komyo thought while walking, and found the proper thoughts on her. "Alright. For what I want to teach you, you lack a lot of mana. You need about 8 times more than you currently have. Now since there is no way to increase your mana pool instantly, we will link you to one to make up for that. And this little fella will help you with that." The slime that previously carried Aren on his back moved to Komyo and Rumia. "This here is Mortimer, though I sometimes call him Monty. As your first task, you have to defeat him and make a pact. And before you complain: Do not judge him by his rather adorable exterior. Mortimer is immortal, and possesses more mana than you. Fortunately for you, he does not use it, making him a perfect partner for spellcasters like you." Komyo walked to the tree and sat down, leaning against the hard bark while watching the two. He wondered if her first idea would be to attack him, or if she would try to talk with Monty instead. Said creature on the other hand remained passive, not doing much aside from moving its boneless limbs slightly, curious what was going through this little demon's head.
 
"..." Honestly, she was truly taken off-guard when Komyo confirmed he did think of something wicked. Rumia was just behaving like her usual tsundere self, her threatening behavior was simply a ruse to hide an easily embarrassed girl. Now that the mage himself admitted it, she was suddenly relieved, good thing she did that. She didn't go with him immediately after he left the room, simply staring at Aren's sleeping form. "Ehm..." It'd be a shame to just leave him like that so Rumia turned him on his back again then paused. After looking left and right, the girl leaned down to slowly, carefully, peck her lips on his forehead, quickly drawing back with her cheeks flushed. "Ehehe..." A small giggle escaped her lips as she hovered away from the bed, exiting the room with a rather sheepish smile on her face.

It was early morning, usually the succubus would about to go sleep, but ever since running away from home and meeting Aren, her sleeping patters became haphazard. Succubi were nocturnal by nature due to their role, sleeping through the night and waking up in the morning wasn't meant for her. The pink-haired demon let out a long yawn as she rubbed her eyes, twitching slightly at the soft morning sun's rays. She was still rather tired, but she couldn't afford to wait, a powerful alchemist-wizard was about to teach her and her circumstances allowed no reason to delay. "Alright... *yawn* what do you need me to do?" Listening to his assessment of her powers, Rumia crossed her arms as she huffed in annoyance, "Yeah yeah, I know you're really strong and all that..." Her voice trailed off at the end, she didn't have anything smart to say.

"A slime? Seriously?" Oh wait, she did. Rumia put her arms on her hips as her face curled into a scowl, he would be training her with this blob of viscous liquid? As far as Rumia knew, slimes were the weakest type of monsters in many stories and card games. Throughout all races and cultures, slimes were the lowest of the low, this... Mortimer possessed more arcane energies than her? Ridiculous. "Ha! So this is your idea of training, eh?" Rumia sighed as she shook her head slowly in arrogance, complete with her shoulders shrugging. "Alright, I'll humor you." She confidently smirked then faced Monty in a mock apologetic expression, "I'll try to not hurt you too bad, but~ if I did, blame your master."

Her form started to glow blue as she charged up her frost magic, her clenched left fist shot forward then opened, "Freeze!" She cast a simple, but effective, spell to trap Monty in a block of ice. Silmes were made of liquid, freezing them would be most effective. This done, Rumia would follow up by throwing a couple of ice shards at him, her aim was to shatter Monty to million pieces. She was confident he wouldn't die... slimes might be weak, but they were resilient.
 
Monty shattered to multiple bits, just as Rumia had planned. And oh boy she would be in for a surprise. She would know that something was not right by Komyo's expression. When she looked to him, he pointed to the shards, which became liquid again and started to gather. "I think I forgot to mention something. Mortimer is not a wild slime. I created him as part of a research project." The ice melted as the slime made contact with it, giving Monty access to more liquid. "I was not kidding you know? He is immortal, which is why he could train like a berserker. Having no physical muscles has advantages after all. Oh and instead of looking at me-" Komyo pointed back to the slime, which by now took a rather unusual form.

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Standing about 2 meters tall, with muscles ready for a weight lifting contest, and with bare feet big enough to crush melons as a whole, Monty was ready for battle again. And he did not look happy. "My turn!" A dark voice came from him, which was a surprise in itself. Slimes were not supposed to talk. But this was the last thing she would have to think about now because Monty came at her like a freight train. Ignoring ice walls and fire spells, he kept on moving until he was close enough to grab her whole chest with one hand, and throw her across the ground like a doll. What Monty lacked in mana control, he made up with simple brute strength. Rumia would roll until hitting a tree. Komyo was pretty sure she felt that one, but doubted it would be enough to take down this headstrong girl. But to be fair, her spells caused minor damage. Mortimer had a couple of burn marks in his brute form. This could mean he was not able to constantly regenerate while like this. Probably the price for creating slime muscles. Komyo only hoped that she wouldn't try attacking again. That plan would not work against someone who ran through attacks like they were nothing. At least Mortimer did not continue his assault. It only paid back for the freezing.
 
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The shattered slime gathering again wasn't a surprise to her, she expected it. He might be just a slime, but it'd be a shame if Monty died, he looked like Komyo's favorite pet, angering him would undoubtedly prove foolish. Her arrogance was still oozing from her petite body as she craned her head at Komyo, "An experimental slime is still just a slime," She smirked, obviously enjoying being in power for once, "You should've created another monster species." Like Tenny perhaps. Her words might a bit too harsh, but she was convinced Slime lacked higher thought process, Monty wouldn't be offended, if he even knew the concept of 'being offended'. Komyo's second statement was the one which quirked her interest, "Berserker?" She tilted her head, this puny blobby thing shattered by a couple of basic frost spells, it couldn't even beat a decent orc warrior like that, the mage as just messing with her.

"*Sigh*! How long this is gonna ta-... ooooh..." Her words trailed off when she turned back at Monty, who was now a hulking two meter-tall blue giant with muscles that wouldn't look strange on an efreet. "H-how... how does... haha, you're kidding right?" Rumia's right eyebrow twitched in confusion and rising panic mixed into one. To make matters even more perplexing, the blue giant spoke, she never heard a slime spoke before, they lacked higher thought process and with it, the ability to form comprehensible words. No time was given for her to think as Hulk Monty charged at her like an efreet, only water not fire. "Hi?!" Her pink eyes shot open as her self-preservation instinct took over, Rumia didn't bother casting fancy spells anymore, just throwing at him with whatever she's got, just like what she did to Valenas.

The magical barrage didn't even slow him down, soon her small body was picked up by a gigantic hand, "Aaah!" then he threw her like a sadistic child playing with a rag doll. Her head was spinning, dizziness topped off with a massive amount of pain as she crashed to a tree, the force of the throw causing the plant to shake, sending some of its leaves floating down to the ground. "Uuuuh..." Rumia groaned in pain as her whole body twitched, "W-...why... you!" Her hands clenched into fists as she forced herself to get up, coughing some amount of blood, she stumbled a couple of times, using the trunk behind her for support. Her slit pupils were burning with fury, "You'll pay!" This outrage would not go forgotten. Rumia forgot about the test, she wanted to teach this slime just where he belonged, at the bottom of the food chain!

"Ha..." The demon girl's form glowed with both red and blue aura as she placed both of her hands in front of her. The fact that Monty didn't continue his assault, giving her a chance to charge up her spell went over her head. Her hands made clawing motions as her lips mumbled an obviously destructive spell. "Take this!!" She snarled in anger, baring her fangs, "DIO-ORBANT BLAST!!" a huge arcane wave of heat and frost launched out from her, heading straight to Monty. The elemental beam was large enough to cover Monty's whole body, going through him and also damaging the environment along its path, trees were frozen and burning here and there. The large spell lasted for about six seconds before it quickly dimmed down due to its caster running out of mana.

"Ha... ha..." Rumia was obviously in no shape to continue, she just launched everything she had on that attack, just one night after her encounter with Valenas too and without her horns. "Unnh..." The girl slumped down on the ground, her back against the tree, "Heh..." she still managed a smile, Monty wouldn't survive that, "Looks like you have to... eh... make another slime, Komyo..."
 
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Monty waited for her next move, just crossing his arms and looking at her movements. She looked angry, and probably had the right to it as well. But who was she to judge who deserved anger here? If Monty would be asked, he'd say that he had more right to be angry at her. He didn't do anything, and she suddenly freeze-crushed him. The nerve. And it didn't look like she was about to stop either. Monty watched as she charged her next spell. Heat and cold at the same time. This girl didn't know anything about slimes, did she? To be on the safe side, Monty went down on his behind, crossed his legs, and increased the size of his arms to use them as shields. A good idea since now his arms took the most damage, which by the way was not much.

While the environment steamed from the sudden change, Komyo kept observing the fight calmly. A quite impressive attack, but he didn't look worried or angry at all. "I don't think so. After all, who needs 2 immortal slimes?" The steam still was somewhat thick, but a pair of yellow eyes shone through it. "Slimes take temperature changes very easily. Adaptable as they are, Mortimer takes it to a whole new level, so temperature based attacks do only anger him." The steam was cleared when a gust of wind blew it away, and Monty stood up, only to start digging a hole. A random rock he found was put at one side of it. No doubt about it. This was a grave, and all it lacked was a body. A look to the little succubus gave away who would lie down there shortly.

Using the moisture in the air from her own attack, Monty began to regenerate as he walked slowly towards her. Heavy steps approached the now drained spellcaster, and she would do well in thinking of something. A good moment to backtrack. Monty did not initially attack, and only seems to react. When she freeze-crushed him, he threw her against the tree, probably leaving a few marks on her body. So if a hostile action caused a hostile reaction...
 
"What...?" Komyo's explanations were certainly worrying, Rumia closed her eyes for just a moment, One brief moment where she truly believed she had won and the mage was just messing with her. A moment soon shattering to pieces, along with all her hopes and dreams, when she opened her eyes, graced by the a pair of angry yellow blobs. The steam cleared out, revealing the awful truth in full view in front of her, Monty was barely damaged considering he just took the full brunt of a spell that would eradicate an Orc Chieftain. He was obviously pissed, the hole and rock certainly weren't for Rumia's benefit. "Im... impossible... how?! How?!" She winced, holding her arm with her other hand, she was scared and angry, most of her experiences in the surface world were just proving how small and insignificant she was outside the comforts of her family's estate. In Hell, she was Lady Rumia, daughter of Lord Somnion, Heiress of the Xezbesh household. Here? She was just a little succubus who couldn't do anything, failing even at what her sub-race did best.

"Kuh..." Rumia sat down on the ground, whimpering each time Monty's steps shook the ground. She was running out of options, her mana was drained, she couldn't rely on her succubi talents due to her opponent being a slime. Komyo told her to defeat Monty yet he gave her a hopeless fight... wait, that must be his intentions since the very beginning. He was getting back at her for knocking him off Aren's lap, he must've think of her as an ungrateful little bitch then decided to punish her. "Ah... by Satan," Rumia craned her head back, "You wanted this, didn't you?" She sighed in despair, there was nothing to do now, all that's left was to submit. "I'm... I'm... S-..." It was hard, so so very hard to admit her mistake, it meant begging for mercy to this man, reduced to a sniveling wretch, she'd rather choose death.

"Aaaaaah!" Her loud desperate scream echoed in the clearing as Monty grabbed her right leg then used it to slam her small body on the ground like a fish, to his left, to his right, spinning her above him before tossing her bodily to the hole. Jackpot, Rumia landed in the centre, now she was literally below their level. Her clothes were ruined, body bruised, blood ticking from her mouth, eyes blue, but even after it all, she was still alive. Monty peered down the hole, yellow eyes waiting in anticipation on her next move. "D-d... damn it!!" Rumia wailed, more to herself than anyone, "Alright! Alright, I get it!! *Cough* I... kah.. S-... I'm sorry!! Okay?!" She panted as if gasping for breath, "Y-you win... by Efreet, I can't... do anything right..."
 
Witnessing this scene was quite painful. While it was not his intention of her going through such a punishment, Komyo knew that in the end, she would learn something. This was the outside world. Her protector, who was probably handling people in her place, was out. She now was the one to deal with the problems and challenges of the real world. No more guardians, or special laws that kept her safe. Her status didn't matter, and neither did her live to her future enemies. Defeated as she was, Monty lowered himself, crossing his legs again and moved his hands down to her. They dissolved into slime, covering most of her body, while leaving her face free to breathe. The slime rose below her slowly, bringing her back to the surface, where Monty turned his hands back and carried her to Komyo, who now got up. Before talking again, which would surely annoy her this time, he decided to heal her first. Reaching for her with one hand, he cast a neutral healing spell on her, quickly recovering her body, even fixing her dress, but not her mana.

When she was fine again, Monty kept his hands on her forming them to a confy sofa. Komyo didn't smile for the first time they knew each other. This was not a joking matter after all. "For what it's worth, I am really sorry. Even I did not expect for Mortimer to go that far, but there is something you just have to realize. I am fully aware of who you are, Rumia Xezbesh. This is one of the reasons why I decided to help you. But you should realize 2 important things. Your name means nothing in the world beyond your father's reach. You are just a little succubus here, and while you are strong for your age, you are not a strong fighter in general. If you keep using your fists instead of your mind, things will end quickly for you, and for Aren as well." He wondered what her past looked like. Always being protected by her father's name, being told that she was the rising star in her family. Maybe something like that. If it wouldn't be for her will, and with that for her denial of marrying another demon she didn't even know, she would keep on living in that illusion. "And one more thing. I believe that there are things you can do right. Aren as example, supports you because he likes something about you. And I, even if not on the same level as him, like you too. You have a good heart. So don't just give up. Use your head, not your spells." Monty listened to the whole conversation, and while he still had this monstrous face, he didn't look angry. He still remained passive, but there was also something more gentle in his eyes than before. Now would be a good time to try something without her magic. Charms were still out of question, as well as damage spells.

In the back of his mind, Komyo also hoped she would not be too mad at him for luring her in such a trap. He was the one who told her she had to defeat him after all. If he did that mistake on purpose? Who knows? What mattered was the result. And that result was that the hopefully understood she dealt with a sentient being, not a brainless monster. Mortimer had feelings too, even if he currently didn't look like it, and desires and dreams as well. She just had to play her cards well. Maybe just ask, or negotiate. She wouldn't let herself contracted without a deal as well after all.
 
Out from an Abyssal's jaw into a Slime-Hulks crushing fists, there was no shortage of misfortune for her. Rumia expected Monty to finish the job already, she was getting used to this feeling, the feeling of her life at the complete mercy of her opponent. First with Aren, then Emilia, Tenny, Valenas, and now with a freaking hulk disguised as a slime. Her pride was time and time again crushed to bits, her psyche tried to rebuild what was left each time she survived the encounters, only for it to crumble within a matter of days. "Huh..." She sighed in acceptance as the Monty covered most of her body, why was he doing this? He was probably trying to drown her, gave her the most humiliating death possible.

When Monty carried her with gentleness not expected of someone who just beat her to a pulp, her expression turned into that of someone who wanted to lash out but lacking the energy to even scream, so exhausted she was, her mind refused to be angry. Right now, she wanted to just close her eyes and sleep. Oh great, the mage decided to restore her strength, probably just to gloat on how his mere 'slime' defeated the oh-so-mighty heiress. Though her body was restored, Rumia's mind was still exhausted, she didn't want to move, simply laying there on the makeshift sofa, a scowl on her face... with a tinge of regret. By now, she didn't know what to expect from the mage, she couldn't read his voice, she didn't know if he was truly apologizing or merely mocking her. Exasperated, Rumia decided to just listen.

He knew about her, that was surprising, if he just knew her family's name or her father then it wouldn't mean much, a mage worth his occupation would sooner or later brush the topic of demonology. Komyo though, he specifically knew her full name and who she was back in the underworld. His words stung, she knew about it yet hearing someone explicitly said those words really hurt. "...n-not that I need my father anyway..." The succubus mumbled as she looked away, "I... I was... doing fine... until..." She stopped, she wasn't doing fine, the strings of events leading her here certainly couldn't be labeled as 'fine', well she met Aren and all, but generally, she was shit out of luck.

Speaking about Aren, Komyo was right, to think someone who was not her father's soldiers or her bodyguards would risk his life in a hopeless battle, an Elf to boot, a race known to hate demons with a passion. Now that she knew he was charmed, Rumia thought perhaps things could've been different. "Eh?! Y-you?!" His confession - if it could be called that - came out of the left field, Rumia's cheek reddened, "C-come on... d-don't joke around." Komyo didn't sound joking though, she could feel the sincerity in his voice in that one sentence. "..." A demon being labeled 'good' was like a scholarly orc, highly unlikely and here she was, being praised for the goodness in her heart. All these years, she was carefully bred to be the perfect manipulator and seductress, she was tired of it, perhaps... defying her family's vision of a proper succubus ended making her 'good' in the eyes of these surface dwellers.

His last advice struck a chord in her, now that she thought about it, she was the one who attacked Monty in the first place where as the slime was minding his business. She could use the excuse that Komyo told her to defeat Monty, well what did the mage expect? Defeat, that sure as hell meaning to best someone in combat. Perhaps he wanted her to think outside the box, she was a succubus Satan-damn it! She wasn't supposed to think like an Infernal Knight. "I see..." Rumia mumbled, Succubi defeated their enemies through seduction and charm, perhaps... she could try that with Monty. Would it really work though? No harm trying. "W-well, Monty, uh..." Rumia scratched her cheek, still not believing she was about to do this with a slime, "I uh... I kinda l-like you and uh... y-you're strong so... uhm... w-will you..." Come on, come on, say it! "W-will you be familiar?!" Oh no, that was not charming or seducting, it was a straightforward request, no going back now, "But... i-it's okay if you don't want to..."
 
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Monty looked to Rumia as she timidly spoke up. It looked really hard for her to do, which he couldn't understand. Was asking for something really so difficult? But at least the answer she got was simple. Monty nodded and gave her two gentle pats on her head with its ...hair? This single tentacle could only be called as such, unless someone actually wanted to call it head-tentacle. But back to the matters at hand. "Condition. Tasty food. Meat, sweets, fruit, bread." A rather simple condition, which still needed some explanation though. This is when Komyo joined the conversation again. "Allow me to explain. Mortimer has a sense of taste, and he just loves eating. It also supplies his body with nutrients, which he needs to keep his strength up. One time in a month, with about 3 Kilogram of food, should be enough. If you don't feed him, his power will drop. Think of him as a fighting pet if you like." 3 Kilogram of food equal about 6.6 pounds, making it a quite big meal. But since it is only once a month, it should not be that difficult to keep Monty fed. And it certainly was rewarding. More mana and a freight train on the front lines.

Komyo usually would proceed with giving her a pact object, but there was something he wanted to clear out first. She also still had her mana at low levels. 2 things he wanted to fix in one go. There were sweets in his satchel, from which he took one. It was wrapped in white paper, and looking like a blue block. "And one more thing. I think I said it before, but let me repeat it more clearly." He took it out of it's packaging and took it in his mouth, but didn't chew yet. Komyo suddenly moved closer to the slime couch, went down on one knee, and came a bit too close to Rumia than she would have expected. Next thing she felt were his soft and warm hands on her cheeks, followed by him pulling her just an inch towards him as he leaned forward. Their lips connected, his hands held her chin now instead of her cheeks, a warm feeling coming from the breath and touch of the other, as well as the taste of something sweet on Komyo's lips. He didn't hesitate to use the first opportunity at which she opened her mouth to have a taste of her tongue as well. Whatever strength was left in her was just gone for the duration, and when he pulled back, leaving her tongue hanging out of her mouth a little, he took his hands away again. "I would never make fun of a girl's feelings. Not before, and not now. So when I say I like you, I mean it Rumia. Understood? If not, I can be a lot clearer next time~" Komyo not only left her with a sweet color of red on her cheeks when he got up again, but he also left the blue candy in her mouth. She would find it under her tongue quickly, and notice what it actually was. More than sugar and taste, since chewing on it seemed to bring back her mana. Probably a candy version of a mana potion.

Komyo gave her a moment to process what just happened, and she was not the only one who was grateful for that. Monty was still there, curious what just happened and why Rumia was suddenly warmer. Still. They had things to do. "Now then. Ready to learn how to summon your familiar? You will need a pact object first. The most common thing is a ring, but you can use pretty much any other object too." Aren used an amethyst ring to summon Tenny (which by the way would go better with Rumia's clothing rather than Aren's green attire). A fitting stone for Monty would be a sapphire. He just happened to have this type of jewelry, and did not mind to give it away. He still considered Rumia and Aren an investment, and he had no use for them.
 
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Rumia eyes widened while her jaw dropped slightly in agape, did she hear it right? Monty accepted her bumbling request, even after all she did to him, he agreed to her just like that where any other person would not only refuse, but kill her for such audacity. "B-but... I-I-I... I didn't... Y-you..." Her lips failed to make any comprehensible words as she looked down to her knees, hands clasped between them, fidgeting in embarrassment as he patted her head. Monty could certainly feel the steams rising from it. His condition, as further explained by Komyo, was not that hard either. Ideally a Succubus required daily intakes of cum - just like a normal human would with meals - to be at her peak physical condition, but Monty just required sustenance once a month, just like snakes or crocodiles. Three kilograms of food per month? Very easy. "A-a-alright!" Rumia stuttered between her blushing cheeks, "I... I can do that." She nodded thrice in quick succession. Was that all? She couldn't believe it, she gained a powerful familiar just by asking, a simple courtesy triumphed over arcane prowess.

"E-eh? What is it?" She tilted her head at Komyo as he spoke further. By now, she was calm enough to take steady breaths. Her respect for both Komyo and Monty had grown enough, she was willing to listen without any smartass remarks or condescending gestures. She did quirk an eyebrow when he put a small blue cube, it was... a food of some kind? Rumia didn't know about it, but the fact that it went inside Komyo's mouth certainly supported the theory. Not expected of someone who just put a food in his mouth, Komyo didn't appear to chew it, he simply held it in his mouth then approached her. "W-what are you doing?" She blinked twice in confusion as he came close, much too close for comfort.

"E-eh?!" Rumia tensed as warm hands caressed her cheeks, then before she knew it, the small gap between their lips was closed. "Mmmph?!" Rumia's large eyes shot open wide as her mind spiralled in panic, trying to comprehend what was happening. He was kissing her, no doubt about it, but why? "Mmmh~!" A muffled moan of pleasure snaked out from her vocal cords as the fingers holding her chin gently guided her mouth to open. Rumia was too overwhelmed resist, her mouth opened then a divine sweetness turned her brain to mush. "Hafmmh... mmh~" She closed her eyes, surrendering her thoughts to the pleasure. Their tongues wrestling together for a few moments before he pulled away. "Hah... ah... nah~" She didn't realize the kiss had ended until about five seconds after Komyo broke it. "..." His statement brought her mental faculty back down in full force as she looked down, face in full blush as she refused to look at him, only mewling whimpers occasionally sounded from her pink lips. She absentmindedly chewed on the gum to get her mind off what Komyo just said.

It took her a full minute to muster the courage to slowly look back up, "Y-y-you are serious, b-but, I... I ah... no..." Rumia put her hands on her cheeks in a mix of dilemma and fear, "I... I like Aren, h-he's... t-the one for me, b-but... but... h-he already has s-someone, I-I'm trying t-to get his c-charm off, d-does that mean... ah... I-I don't know!" She was basically speaking her wrecked mind out loud. Her point was that she couldn't deny the rising affection she had for Komyo, but she still thought Aren was the one for her, but he already had someone as evident by the charm placed on his soul, so she was already trying to take him away from that whoever the demon that put it. Considering this, Komyo would be a better option since... he already liked her, he seemed single, and she... found herself liking him back. Rumia felt like a whore, which was rather ironic considering her sub-race were among the best whores in the whole known world. Going like this from a kiss, she felt like an incompetent succubus.

Deciding to save herself by moving on with the topic, "W-well, I uh... have this hair brooch..." Rumia took the horned ghost-shaped pin from her left hair ribbon. She looked at Monty then back at Komyo, offering the brooch to him, "W-will this do?" In the back of her head, she was still fighting with herself regarding choosing between Aren or Komyo.
 
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My my~ This was a lovely reaction to his kiss. Even Komyo didn't think it would turn the usually oh so headstrong Rumia into a blushing little mess. It has been a quite long time since he was in a relationship, so he assumed he had lost some of his... talents. Fortunately, this was not the case, and he could successfully please her with his lips. His mind drifted away for a moment just how pleased she could be with a full relationship, but it was meant to remain only a little fantasy for now. She really liked Aren, which made it impossible for her to choose right now. Only a cruel person would force her to do that now.

Komyo looked at the ghostly ornament, but shook his head. While it would work, it was easy to lose something like that. One bad dodge could result in her hair being cut, and this would cost her her pact object. A ring however was probably having a too big impact though. What to do... Komyo had an idea and looked at Monty, who as reaction, let some of his slime drop into Komyo's hand. Komyo then put his hands around her left wrist, smiling, and while he worked his magic, there was some time to talk. "It's okay Rumia. No one expects you to choose, and I prefer for you to be happy rather than being stolen. If you feel attached to Aren, explore these feelings. You owe it to yourself and to him to know what there is between you two. I don't mind remembering our meeting as a little flirt, but in case it doesn't work out, feel free to keep me in mind." Komyo took his hands away again, and the slime turned into a solid, red-violet, bracelet. It was not that solid, more like rubber, but it would not only not attract attention, but also restore itself. It was a part of Monty after all. "There. All done. I assume you know how to summon a familiar, but allow me to explain it so I can practice explaining. All you have to do is to focus your mana through this bracelet, and allow the created summon spell to go to your hand. This will create an orb, from which you can call Mortimer directly, or throw it at a surface to spawn him there. If you mess up at one part, the spell will just cancel itself." Summoning magic had no defined difficulty. It depended on the familiar, the kind of summoning, the arcane potential of the user, and sometimes on the environment and extra conditions. Monty didn't had extra conditions and was a simple familiar, but Komyo figured that Rumia needed some practice. Even if it was only to make it look stylish. "Now how about you practice a little? I'll go look after Aren. He should be awake soon enough." While it certainly would be cute to let her be the first thing he sees, Rumia had to practice her new spell. The quicker she got a hang of it, the stronger would her link to Monty be. Once it was completed, she would be able to access his mana and learn magic that was beyond her level. But on the other hand. Was it a good idea to leave Komyo alone with Aren again?
 
Rumia gave a small pout as Komyo disagreed with her, what was wrong with the brooch? She liked it and it was one of her favorite accessories. If he was concerned about her forgetting the item, then he'd be wrong, but Komyo was a smart man... there must be something else, something she wasn't aware about. There must be certain requirements for an object to hold a pact, maybe Monty wasn't compatible with the brooch, it was made in Hell after all and Monty wasn't a demon. Rumia wasn't too worried about this however, she was sure Komyo would think of something. The demon girl watched with interest as Monty literally gave a piece of itself to Komyo then he took her wrist, Rumia blushed a bit, expecting him to kiss her again, which caused her to shake her head in denial.

N-no... I-it's not like I want his kiss... i-it's just... it felt so good... So caught up in her thoughts, by the time she came back to her senses, he was already working on wrist, idly talking to her. "Mmmh..." She pursed her lips, of course he'd talk about that. The pink-haired succubus went back to a whimpering little kitten as she tried to make herself as small as possible. Komyo was just trying to explain his view on the matter, she knew about it, and yet... his words stung, she felt unworthy of his affections. Komyo was so mature, she was a spoiled little brat. He already gave her so much, demanded nothing in return, now he was willing to stand in the sidelines, to be a second choice. If she was in his position, Rumia was sure she wouldn't be so tolerant, she'd try to take the person for herself, such was the way of the succubi (and demons in general). Rumia was considered tame considering how one of her race's work method was to charm her way into a household, breaking down a family from the inside, then after making the male lose everything and completely obsessed with her, she'd drain his energy completely then left his corpse to rot. In fact, she technically already did with Aren, he was obviously taken. Despite all this, she was a demon and though she disliked the role her family put upon her, she wasn't exactly opposed to all of their methods. She'd try to find out more about this demon who placed her charm on Aren, then... then she'd decide what to do with it.

"K-komyo, uh..." She must say it, even if he possibly already knew "you must know that I am a succubus, a demon, we aren't exactly... loyal partners, i-in fact... I am taught to exploit a man's feelings until the last drop then toss him away, unless if you are a demon then I can take you as my husband. K-knowing this... would you still want to be with me?" Rumia was stomping at her own chances with Komyo, but it was for the best, she didn't have the heart to impose such a fate upon him.

When his hands retracted from her wrist, a new accessory was placed there, a pretty reddish violet bracelet, quite fitting for her image. "Thank you..." She said sheepishly, her eyes examining the bracelet. As a succubus, Rumia already knew how to summon a familiar or being summoned as - temporary - one. Still, she listened to him, perhaps there were differences in summoning a slime compared to a demon. As it turned out, it was quite different, usually to a summon a demon, one would have to draw a demonic magic circle on the ground then offer a sacrifice in the form of blood, then chant a ritual. Summoning Monty was a lot simpler, she guessed it was the very purpose of the pact object, simplifying the whole process.

"Unh..." She nodded at him, standing up, beginning the praci- wait, what did he just say? Look after Aren? "J-just wait a minute there!" Rumia's wings flapped in her usual crankiness as she stomped her way in front of Komyo, "J-just because y-you k-k-k-kissed me... a-and m-me liking it, t-that doesn't mean you c-can v-violate Aren again?! I still don't forget what you did back then, p-p-pervert!" She crossed her arms, blushing and fidgeting, sure she liked Komyo but for the moment, Aren was still her - soon-to-be - significant other. "I-if anything... I should come with you, j-just in case..." She put her index fingers together, making it rather clear than her true reason was to see for herself if Aren's already awake.
 
Everything she said and did seemed to make Komyo smile. Mostly her easy to read denial, combined with subconscious want for pretty much everything about Komyo. It went so far with her that she already thought about marriage, even though she barely knew him. As cute as the thought was, as things stood now, he would sadly not willingly marry her. Chances were high that this was just a crush she had right now, and as much as he wanted her around for now, he didn't want her to regret it. What he wanted for her was to be happy, which is also why he didn't mention that there were no problems with their races. After all, he knew too well that they were at least half compatible. "Honestly? I do, but I won't talk you into it. And besides. If you aren't loyal, it just gives me plenty of reasons for punishments, so it's a win-win." With a smile, he rose from his kneeling position and walked aside, leaving her personal space.

Just when he was about to head in, his path was blocked by a nervous succubus with wildly flapping wings and a red face. Quite the accusations she had, and for once he had no intend of doing something naughty. He just wanted to check on him, but now that he had the chance to make her even more nervous, why not use it? "Who? Me? I wasn't even thinking about this. About taking of his clothes and collect rare elven fluids for potions desired by..." As much as he wanted to keep teasing her by putting naughty images in her head, especially those of Komyo extracting fluids from Aren, there was one thing he had to keep in mind. She was worried about Aren, her current love interest. "...Apologies. If there is one who should check on him, it should be you. Go ahead. I'll prepare something for your training while you're gone. Oh but do not mention the thing about the charm. It's just an assumption, but I think it has a defense mechanism for the case he realizes it. Better safe than sorry. Feel free to check on him now, but don't have too much fun in my house. I'm the type to get jealous quick you know?" It was just a theory, but whoever put the charm on him was powerful. As a strong alchemist, he had a thing for putting safety locks and nasty surprises on long term spells, which were not that uncommon for those past a certain mastery of the arcane arts.

They both went in, but their ways parted in the main hall. While she went up to Aren's room, Komyo headed to the library. Fire and ice were easy elements, but very potent as well when one knew how to use them. All it took was the correct spell, which Komyo had conveniently written down in his private spell tomes, hidden in his library. Once opening the door, a visitor would see how bookelves towered other bookshelves along the walls, making it look as if there was near no end of reading material. From the bottom of the tree, all the way to the top, were nothing but books along the walls. Well and exit doors too, making the library the secondary stairway. But enough of that.

Meanwhile in Aren's room. Unlike Rumia, Aren slept quietly through the night and early morning, having no dream to remember. He opened his eyes by the time Rumia blocked Komyo's way, and not knowing the room didn't really calm him. The last thing he remembered was how he was defeated by that demon. How pathetic. He wasn't able to hold up for even a full minute against her. Was he really that weak? Anger sparked in his mind when he thought about this event. He was not just unsatisfied, but straight out disappointed by himself. Wait. Where was Rumia?! Not in this room, that's for sure, and with that there was nothing to hold him here.

He rushed out of the room, leaving the door open as he pretty much ran through the unusual place, only to find the stairs and run down too fast to stop when something suddenly was right in front of him. Right during the crash, he noticed the familiar height of the thing he crashed into and wrapped his arms around the slim figure as they fell down the stairs. At the bottom, he was on the ground, holding his head while keeping one arm tightly around the one demon he did not want to hunt down. "...You're safe." He was relieved to know she was alive and well. For now he was just quiet and kept an arm around her, hugging her to his chest.
 
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"W-what?! N-no... you can't possibly..." Once again, Komyo exceeded her expectations, she didn't think he'd still want to marry her after that little revelation. Not only he maintained his interest, he even made an actually plausible counter-plan. "You can't punish me! It's our way! I'm doing what's right, i-it's your fault for marrying me!" Rumia exploded, attempting to get back at him. It was by then she realized that she basically just told him that she considered him a suitable partner to tie the knot. "Eeek?!" Which caused the demon girl's pink head to steam like freshly-cooked bun, "F-f-f-forget what I just said! I... I didn't mean it! I-it's just a thought, n-no... I don't want to marry you! Y-you are not a demon, I... I won't! Y-your loss!" She pursed her lips, looking away, face full of panic. She just had to dig a deeper hole for herself and all for what? An empty far-fetched theory. Aaaagh! I'm so stuuupid!!! Not even her demonic arrogance could stop her from realizing how this one was entirely her fault.

Fortunately, they moved on with the topic... Unfortunately, the following topic involved Komyo speaking atrocities like 'extracting fluids' from Aren, what utter nonsense! If anything, she should be the one doing that, not him. She was the succubus here for Satan's sake. "Komyoooooo!" Rumia's wings flapped like a hummingbird as she used both hands to repeatedly pound the taller mage's chest, "You can't! You can't! He's mine! Only I can do tha-... I... I mean! N-no one can do that, unless he gives permission! W-which I'm sure he won't, e-except me! ...eventually..." She crossed her arms, giving a loud "Hmph!" as she looked away from Komyo, one of her blushing cheeks pouting in annoyance. "You're just messing with me... right?" The naive girl still believed that at least some part of Komyo's statements was serious. At least, she could be sure the last bit regarding the charm was indeed serious. "I know... I'm a succubus, I can do that!... once I gain enough power." She hovered away, might or might not be deliberately ignoring the mage's warning regarding 'fun'.

Rumia entered Komyo's house before the owner, the custom of letting the host entered first was alien to her, succubi were specifically taught to break into homes uninvited after all. She quickly made her way towards Aren's room, her face clearly showing worry, she hoped he recovered with no permanent defects on his body and/or mind. So caught up in her thoughts, she didn't notice the footsteps echoing in the corridor heading to Aren's room, then of the figure running straight towards her. "Kyah-?!" Before she knew what was happening, her petite form was already laying face-first on something... soft and warm, her upper body also wrapped with the same warm material. "H-huh...?" Rumia opened her pink eyes as her nose caught a certain familiar smell. "A-aren...? Aren!!" Rumia tried to get up but he hugged her tight so she wiggled forward instead, making her shorter form on eye-level with the green-haired elf. "Aren... o-oh~ you're alright... please tell me you're alright..." She gave him a sad smile, a tear falling down from her eye. Her left hand reached up to caress his cheek, "I-idiot... don't worry about me, I'm okay, a mage named Komyo slew the Abyssal." A soft giggle escaped her lips as she gazed into those green irises, basking herself in them, "U-uhm... i-if you don't... mind..." Screw the charm, she just wanted a kiss. Rumia leaned down, closing her eyes as she positioned her small pink lips to press against his.
 
-Komyo-
In his search through his books, Komyo looked for 2 special spell tomes. One that fused fire and ice into a new hybrid element capable of wounding even the most powerful hellspawn, and one that described the essence of both elements, granting its reader a more complex understanding of the elements. These tomes, combined with Rumia's new strength given by Monty, would raise her level as spellcaster. She would still be not a match for very experienced fighters, and he couldn't predict how strong she would become, but he had no doubt that she could wound an abyssal once she completed her training. He found the tomes quickly and left the library again in search for his guests.

Finding the two of them didn't take long either. They were in each other's arms, or at least one being in the others, and it looked like Rumia was about to make her move. He couldn't blame her. The opportunity was pretty much perfect. But unfortunately for her, Komyo didn't feel like letting her have her moment. Using a levitation spell, he let the little succubus float up. Smiling as usual, he approached the hovering and disappointed/angry mistress, as well as the elf who used the chance to get up. "Now now Rumia. I thought I made it clear that I am an alchemist, and not just a mage. And you must be Aren. My name is Komyo von Kyoku. It's a pleasure." Komyo really was glad to be able to talk to Aren now. As interesting as it was to study him, it was crucial to talk to a person to gather more information. There were still a couple of unanswered questions.

-Aren-
As cute as the moment was, Aren couldn't go with the flow of things. The moment she decided to use her chance was also the moment he started to feel a bit uncomfortable. His heart sped up, a blush came to his face pretty much instantly when he realized what she was up to. But there was no space to escape. Even after he took his arm away, her whole body was still on top of him, which would make moving away useless. She suddenly hovered up though, which as confusing as it was was also very welcomed. Aren used the moment to get up on his feet and knock some dust of his clothes.

In the next moment, he noticed that someone approached. Great. Another person he couldn't feel, which meant he was beyond his league. Upon hearing his name, he realized that this was the mage that Rumia mentioned. Even as ally, he had something dangerous about him. "...Likewise." Aren couldn't guess what type of person Komyo was yet. The calm ones tend to be more dangerous than the angry types. The reason? You expect an angry person to erupt like a volcano. But the calm ones tended to be a lot more surprising when something angered them enough. They were the literal 'calm before the storm'.

-Komyo-
After Aren gave a rather little response, Komyo released Rumia from the levitation spell. It was still early in the morning, and they would do well to use the early hours. "Alright then. Let me give you a sum up of what Rumia and I talked about. There is a special person Rumia has to meet, but said person is most probably very strong. This is why I offer my help to train her in the arcane arts. It will take about 1 day for her to learn what I have in mind, and a couple of more days to master them. During the second part you can be on your way of course. Now I know you have more questions, and I will gladly answer them, but could I ask you a favor first? You have little cuts on your hands, so I guess you know how to use a kitchen knife. Would you be a dear and make breakfast?" Even alchemists have to eat, and so do elves. Making breakfast for everyone made sense to Aren. Besides. Even though she didn't had to eat, he wanted Rumia to have something healthy in her stomach besides cum. "Alright. Just point me to the kitchen." After being shown where the kitchen is, Aren went there, leaving Rumia and Komyo alone again for the next half hour.

Komyo turned to Rumia again and held the two tomes to her. "I'm sorry for interrupting you back there, but this is not the time to have fun with your friend. The sooner you take care of this problem, the sooner you can have him all for yourself. Make that your motivation. These are spelltomes which I wrote a couple of years ago." The first few pages gave away what they were about. The tome about the essence of the elements was probably rather boring for Rumia. After all, she was capable of using fire and ice already since a longer time. But the second one. Komyo had a feeling that this would catch her interest. It was a spelltime that would teach her the hybrid element frostfire. A flame which froze everything it touched into thick ice. Infernal demons feared it for a good reason. The temperature change was drastic, and if not put out, it could freeze a flaming demon in a thick block of ice with relative ease. Why relative? Because such an element was rare for a reason. Stories spoke of mages that froze themselves and died because they could not control what they created.
 
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"Wha-?!" Again, her plan was foiled. First, it was Aren himself who broke off her magic like it was nothing, second, it was the sudden arrival of that winged bitch Emilia, and third, it was the alchemist-mage who stole her kiss not too long ago. By Satan, Everyone and everything seemed to get in her way when she's about to make her move! "K-komyoooooo!!!" Rumia screamed then pouted in extreme annoyance mixed with surprise as her body suddenly floated up, she tried to fight against it, but the mage was on a whole different level than her, leaving the succubus powerless. Her fanged teeth was gritting and wings flapping angrily as she refused to listen to anything they said, Aren was obviously not going to help her anyway. She did notice his fidgeting, but his blushing cheeks urged her to continue... until Komyo arrived, Satandamn it!

To make matters even worse, Komyo sent Aren away, oh the damned Elf was more than glad to leave much to Rumia's chagrin. Due to her wildly flapping wings, Rumia stayed hovering even after the levitation spell was gone, only it was out of her own volition this time. The succubus turned her head away as she crossed her arms, pretending to not listen. though in truth, she was very interested at the prospect of being stronger. That way, she could be ready for anything, even facing the demon who put the cursed charm on her lovely elf. Oh he shall be hers, no matter what.

After Aren left, the succubus slowly turned her head at Komyo, starting at the tomes. "....Hmph." She couldn't say much, Komyo's reasoning was logical and this was his home, he held authority here whether Rumia respected it or not. For the record, she didn't, she was a succubus, other people's personal space and privacy weren't her thing. "Alright..." She couldn't deny that it'd make a very potent motivation indeed. Rumia took the tomes then paused, hovering in the air as she fidgeted for a bit, then she muttered a "Thank you..." then quickly pecked Komyo on his cheek before bolting away from him with steams coming out of her head. "I can't believe I just did that!" was the thought wracking in her mind.

Entering the room she previously used, Rumia slammed the door behind her as she panted, hugging the tomes close to her chest. "Uuuunh..." She shuddered, gathering her thoughts together as the succubus landed on the ground, then walked towards the desk. "I... I should be studying... y-yeah." To get herself comfortable after the exhausting fight with Monty, Rumia put the tomes on the desk then went into the bathroom. She took a short warm bath first, then came out with only her frilly underwear, she didn't feel like wearing her dress at the moment. With a confident nod, Rumia went to her desk as she began studying, her left hand holding a quill as she began to take important notes from the tome Komyo wrote. She was a lefty just for additional information.

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The first tome, she merely skimmed it, she already knew most of the things written there, she was not a beginner in wielding fire and frost, but when she got to the second one... oh boy, her eyes went wide. "Oooh~ Frostfire..." Yes, yes! Nothing would stop her now, mwahahahahaha!
 
Reading through the books was sadly not as simple as reading a story. There were instructions on how exactly to improve the finer details on fire and ice based magic. The changes were subtle, but would improve speed, charge, and duration of various spells. Frostfire itself however was on a different level, which didn't mean it was going easier. Learning this hybrid element was more like learning an entirely new element, rather than just combining the 2. Without a doubt, it would take Rumia some time to master this kind of magic. It was still a matter of question if she could even learn it until tomorrow. But this shouldn't stop her. She had a good reason to push herself.

While Rumia studied, and Komyo was left alone with Aren, the two of them began to talk. Komyo made sure not to spill any details about the research he had made on the elf, and yet they had some interesting things to talk about. While Aren cooked, Komyo observed and learned from him, asking questions and suggesting improvements for the rather unique recipe he used. They also had their interest for nature in common. Aren had it because he was an elf and hence had a stronger connection to his environment. Komyo on the other hand used the resources around him, but always made sure to plant seeds for every plant he took, and keep the natural population regulated and safe. With time, Aren warmed up to Komyo, even if only a bit.

Rumia was not the only one who was motivated to train. Using the same motivation he did for Rumia, minus the assertive assault, Aren was motivated to go out and learn from Komyo's tomes, who in the meantime would bring the little succubus her meal. The alchemist couldn't deny that this cum meal idea was as weird as it was smart. How would her body react to wide pallet of nutrients, rather than a simple died all succubi shared? Another thing he would research when the time would allow it.

Knocking on her door, he waited a bit before coming in with a covered silver platter. "In case you are hungry, a certain elf made you a meal." Her table had more than enough space, so Komyo put the platter on it and took of the lid once he had her attention. This time the meal was not a soup, but chicken nuggets. Rather simple looking, although they looked a little paler. "His ideas sure are strange, but they have a meaning. You made a quite interesting friend." There was a single for on the platter, and while she looked at the meal, Komyo took a look at which pages she was. Interesting. For someone who was probably not used to this level of reading material, she did quite well. He sat down at the side, took the fork, pierced one of the nuggets and held it to Rumia. "Mind if I feed you?" If he wanted to tease her again? Of course. But he also wanted to spend some time with her again. After all, she and Aren would leave tomorrow if everything went as planned.

Whenever she would allow him to spoil her a little or not, Komyo would take a look at the result of her studies. The number of the page she was at in each tome, as well as her notes. Guessing from what he saw, she was making progress. He had to admit that he underestimated Rumia. She didn't seem like the type to take in such complex materials, yet she actually did. "Consider me impressed. It seems I misjudged you. Do you even get this part here?" Komyo pointed to a spell circle, and the formula below it. From a first look, one would think that it had to be drawn in order to work. But in fact, one had to form it with magic. A free moving spell circle so to speak, which served as scope to acquire a long range target.
 
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