Understanding Lucille approved of Habiki, or Keifa, as he puts it, Naki thought he might as well use the opportunity to learn all that he could from her.
"How do you know about my quests - no, don't answer that, Keifa, right?" Naki said
"Mistress Keifa, Naki," she corrected bluntly.
"Apart from the fact she was banished, is she someone I should know?" he ignored the correction and asked
Habiki shook her head in disappointment and took her salve pot away from the table and towards the window pane.
"You received your first mission from Lucille, did you not?"
She asked, settling the small pot by the window as she tried to find a good spot it could get sunlight from
"Yeah"
"Did he say nothing about my mistress?" she asked, curious
"Only that she'll help me understand the devil's mercy system," Naki replied
Habiki's bell chimed and lit up softly in response
"[The devil thinks me his pet Habi, how delightfully ludicrous!]" Keifa sassed
"Ha-ha-ha." Habiki let out a weak chuckle
"!? What's so funny?" he asked, baffled as he couldn't get their private conversation.
"*clears throat*, it's nothing. My mistress tends to be a... comedian sometimes is all."
Habiki said with a smile as she left the pot by the windows and walked towards her study table.
"While it's true, we shall instruct you on the ways of the devil's mercy system and its importance in the development of your powers, " she grabbed a seat and placed it on the wrong side.
"We are more interested in what the devil is up to."
She sat down, placing her hands on the seat to cushion her chin as she let out a charming smile.
"And why's that?" Naki asked, suspicious.
"Because like you, we plan to only deal with the devil for as long as it benefits us," she said bluntly, making her intentions clear to Naki.
"(Again with another change in attitude)"
"(Is she really Lucille's aide, or his potential enemy? Which by extension is my enemy...)"
Naki was deep in thought as he stared at her, trying to get her M.O
"Ha-ha," she chuckled softly, "Don't think too much about it, Naki."
"I give you my word, we are not enemies," she continued
"To me, the value of your word is unfounded," Naki said before sitting up properly
"But I'll allow you the opportunity to establish its worth."
Habiki smiled.
"I appreciate it. Don't worry, thanks to our ...scruffle back then, I am now familiar with the 'concept of trust'"
She teased Naki, who looked away embarassed
"Go-good," he bashfully replied
Habiki chuckled, "Haha, despite first impressions, you can be quite easy to tease," she said
"Shut up," Naki replied casually
"Hahaha sure-sure."
"Anyway, enough with the banter. What's your first mission about?" she asked, getting straight to the point.
Naki cleared his throat and assumed a tense face.
"I'm to infiltrate the hero's party and acquire the will stone of Listeria," he said
"The hero's party...interesting," Habiki said, already thinking about their approach.
Then, her bell glowed softly in response,
"[Isn't the hero a student here?]" Keifa asked
"[Yeah...a...tricky individual as well]" Habiki replied
"Have to say, right off the bat, the devil gave you quite the challenging mission," she said to Naki
"Why's that?" Naki asked
"We'll get to that in due time. What else did he say?" she inquired curiously
"Something about finding details in the mission scroll via accessing my sigil."
Naki said, stretching out his arm and revealing the sigil
"Oh, an interface for communication. The devil really favors you, doesn't he?" she remarked
"Hm? What do you mean, what favor?" Naki asked surprised
Habiki pointed to her bell
"My bell is not just for aesthetics, it's actually how I communicate with my mistress Keifa."
The bell glowed in response.
"With this link, she can also share with me a great deal of her divine powers, similar to how Lucille shares his with you. Like I said, we are kindred."
"At first, I thought your sigil was just a link for power. But, if Lucille indicated you can access the sigil for your mission, there's a very high chance you can also use it as a medium for communicating with him." Habiki said
"Communicate with him?"
"Yes. Do understand, Lucille has never communicated this way to anyone, besides his 4 generals or so my mistress Keifa says."
"(So I can talk to him anytime, not only in the soul plane)"
Naki stared at the devil sigil in his hand differently this time.
Not as a burden or a reminder of his curse.
But, as something he could rely on
"If that's the case, why am I unable to communicate with him even now?" Naki asked
"You probably have to unlock the ability to do so. That'll come when you grow using your devil's mercy system." Habiki replied
Then she moved the chair slightly forward, adjusting her buttocks to remain comfortable.
"For now, let's check out the mission details," she said, eager
"Try connecting with the sigil, and will the mission scroll to manifest" she instructed
Naki nodded and focused on his right arm.
The sigil glowed and spawned the bloodstained scroll in front of them.
"It worked!" Naki grabbed the scroll and took off the seal, eager to see its contents
"Let's see...hm?"
There was a problem, the scroll was blank
"What is it?" Habiki asked, curious
Naki flipped the scroll, showing her the blank note
"It's a dud. That freaking devil lied to me!" Naki said, annoyed
"That's...unlikely."
Habiki grabbed and examined the scroll.
"Huh? Are you blind? He said I'd find details in the scroll, but all I see is blank paper." Naki argued
"If there's one thing for certain about Lucille, it is that he never lies."
"What? Haha," Naki barked a laugh, "you mean Lucille the devil never lies?" he asked, finding it almost too funny.
"It's true. If he said you'd find details in the scroll, then I assure you, they're details in this scroll," Habiki emphasized the point
Naki stared at her, confused.
"(What is she talking about? What am I seeing...what am I not seeing?)"
Then, Habiki's bell glowed softly. Keifa was about to communicate
Naki noticed and looked up to find that Habiki was focused
"[Damn that Lucille, he's just too smart for his own good isn't he]" Keifa said
"[huh? What do you mean, Mistress Keifa?]"
"[LIke you correctly pointed out, the details does exists. However, to access it, we need to develop Naki's powers. Which means we will have to instruct him on how to use the devil's mercy system]," Keifa explained
"[Wait, doesn't that mean-]"
"[Yes. For us to obtain the knowledge he promised we would by fulfilling these missions, we must develop, or 'feed' his vessel as he puts it]"
"[Wow, two birds with one stone eh]" Habiki commented
"[That's Lucille for you. An extremely shrewd, silver-tongued and forward-thinking person]" Keifa admitted
"[Exploiting the terms of his deal will be difficult as it stands. Nothing good can ever come from doing the devil's bidding, but for now, we will have to play by his rules and train the boy if we want to make headway]," she continued
"[Understood. The world's fate can't rest on our indecisiveness. I'll draft up a plan and go on from there.]" Habiki said
Naki noticed her focused expression relaxing.
He suspected her discussion with Keifa had ended, and thus posed his question
"So, what have we learned?"
"The devil has sealed the details of the mission," Habiki responded
"Sealed? Didn't we take off one seal already?"
"We did, but it appears the first was just a formality," she replied
Habiki got off her seat and walked towards the window to check on the salve
"My mistress discovered another seal, which can only be unlocked by evolving your powers."
"Oh...I see now. Hah, smart move, Lucille," Naki responded, almost proud his 'master' is no slouch
Habiki sighed and checked on the salve.
"I was really hoping we'd handle this part of your training during the mission, not before. But I suppose that is no longer possible," she muttered.
"Don't feel too bad. If it's any consolation, I'm also eager to get this over with as quickly as I can," Naki said, doing light stretches.
Habiki smiled, "Then I won't be going easy on you."
"I'd expect nothing less," Naki returned her smile
Suddenly, there was a knock on Habiki's door
"Hey, pres! Instructor Samantha is requesting your assistance," a muffled girlish voice said from the other side
"!? administration before, now Instructor and pres? Wait, are we in a school?" Naki asked, surprised and curious
Habiki sighed
"Honestly, these instructors can sometimes be so...intolerable," she murmured.
"Pres? Are you in there?" the voice called again, seeking confirmation
"I'll be right there!" Habiki replied loudly
"Okay! I'll let her know right away,"
They could hear her leaving; her footsteps echoed in the distance.
"I'm sorry, Naki. I'll explain later," she said, leaving the windows
"For now, I have to go. I am still a student in this school after all," she continued
"Sure. Anything I can do in the meantime?"
"Umm...yes!. The salve, please watch the salve. Once it turns deep blue, take it away from the sunlight."
Habiki was approaching the door.
"Don't let it stay too long after that, or it'll turn ox-blood, that'll make it no longer soothing, but poisonous."
"Got it." Naki nodded
"Cool, I'll be out for but a moment, so umm...make yourself at home in my chambers of magic, haha," she said playfully and left.
Naki watched the door.
As soon as he could no longer feel her nearby, he left the bed and walked to the windows.
"Alright, why don't we find out where we really are..."
As soon as he got to the window, he couldn't believe his eyes at the fantastic view that met his gaze
It was the highly magical, architectural marvel of the most prominent establishment in the entire kingdom of Listeria, the Listeria Magic Academy