Reincarnated As The Villainess's Best Friend

"Thane and I were horrified by the sight, but not long after, the red glow in her eyes disappeared, revealing a small pair of pearl black eyes. Beautiful eyes. For the first time, I felt what it was like to be a parent."

The King cleared his throat; he had been speaking for what seemed like hours. The sunlight from the glass ceiling above had dimmed to an evening red, and the temperature in the room, though it was cold, had grown even colder.

Despite the horrific nature of the story, and the burning questions in my mind, I kept silent and listened to the King's story with rapid attention.

"To my surprise, Thane regretted his decision to resurrect the child. He was scared, and rightfully so. In his defense, all he wanted was for the baby to live, but he never expected the child to be tethered to a demon... A very powerful one at that.

"Nevertheless, I decided to raise the child. Thane still protested the decision, claiming it was better for the child to die, than to live with a demon inside it."

"But he's the one who wanted the baby to live, no matter what... Why would he change his mind all of a sudden?"

King Jirel shifted in his seat. "His encounter with the Shadow Queen rattled him. He'd used one of his most powerful spells, but the demon reflected it like it was nothing. Any creature with such power, doesn't belong to this world, he said."

I could understand the rationale behind that, but nothing could ever justify killing a baby. Especially one that was just brought to this world.

"Did he try to kill it?" I asked.

"No, but he suggested it. Our bickering persisted for a while, but I was able to dissuade his fears."

I lifted an eyebrow. "How?"

The King reached forward, picking up the book of forbidden spells. Slouching back in his seat, he flipped over to a page in the middle of the book and slid it back to me.

"A sealing spell," I whispered, staring at the book, my eyes widening. I turned back to the King. "You used a sealing spell on the Shadow Queen?"

"On Lucy," he corrected. "Think of it this way. Lucy is a cottage, and the demon, despite its intense power, is only a visitor. Using the sealing spell, I locked the demon in a room, where it would be unable to affect the room."

I already understood how sealing spells worked, but I welcomed the explanation all the same.

"But, there was a catch, which I refused to tell your father. As Lucy grows older and stronger, the demon within her grows as well. I always knew that one day, the seal would weaken, and the demon within would break through." He leaned closer, placing one arm on the table. "That day has come, hasn't it?"

I nodded. "You sensed it. That's why you summoned me."

The King leaned back on his chair. "I brought the demon into this world. Somehow, the demon is tethered to me as well, which is how I knew, that the seal had been broken."

The light in the room grew dimmer, until I could barely see the writing in the book in front of me. King Jirel stood up, turning towards the door, perhaps to call in the short guard to bring a flame. Before he could take a step, I snapped a finger.

All candles in the room lit up. The Lumi Crystals in the walls, sensing the light, began to glow as well.

"Impressive," the king said, returning to his seat. Despite his age, his movements were calm and flexible. "You must be a powerful mage."

"I was. I lost my affinities after the... reincarnation, but my mana remains sufficient."

"Hmmm... I see." The king placed his elbows on the chair's armrest, then crossed his fingers over his chin. "No wonder you were unable to protect her."

I frowned, my heart clenching. The king's words were true, but I couldn't help but feel offended.

"It's not that simple. Lucy was being targeted by trained assassins. I almost died trying to stop them."

"Impressive," the king said. "I applaud you for that "but a mage of your power, should have sensed the demon's mana releasing, and brought her home."

The thing was, I did sense the demon's mana, but my emotions had kept me from acting sooner. Regret struck at my chest, but something about the King's casual demeanor hit harder.

"You seem more worried about the seal, than Lucy's health. I just mentioned that Lucy was targeted by assassins, yet you seem calm.

The King blinked, his expression unchanging. "Lucy has been targeted by assassins since childhood. It's nothing new."

My forehead creased. How could he be so calm about it?

"So it doesn't bother you at all?" I asked, but the king remained unfazed.

"I assumed you'd figured it out by now."

"Figure out what?"

King Jirel narrowed his eyes, his voice lowering as he spoke. "As long as the demon resides in her, Lucy cannot be killed."

My heart skipped for a moment, the weight of his words pounding in my chest.

Thorn's words echoed in my mind.

"If I could, I would've killed her a long time ago."

During my fight with the Shadow Queen, I had struck her down with Lightning Fury, but she'd recovered soon enough to cast a world-ending spell.

During the tournament, Si Ya had struck Lucy in the chest with her dagger. I'd thought she was dead, but she'd remained alive the whole time, which was the only reason why the Reverse spell worked.

Lucy has used up all her mana to defeat the Wyvern in Greenhold, a feat which should have easily killed her. Yet she recovered her health and mana within a day.

I had attributed all of it to luck, but now I realized the daunting truth.

Lucy was... immortal!

"How did you know this?"

King Jirel paused, and for a moment, I saw what I thought was a faint smile on his lips.

"I've been protecting Lucy ever since she was an infant. Many have tried to assassinate the last heir of Daevalia, and few succeeded. Five times I watched her die, and five times, I watched her wake up like she was merely asleep. Nothing can harm her."

Something clicked in my mind.

"No," I whispered. "I know something which can."

The King leaned forward, his forehead creasing. "Do tell."

I reached for my pocket and pulled out a small object, which I placed on the table between us.

"The Order of the Red Hourglass," Jirel muttered, his eyes widening. He recognized the object.

"They're the ones who sent assassins to find Lucy at the academy. One of them figured out a way to kill the Demon within her... A Direbear fang."

"Hmm..." The king rose from his seat and began pacing around the table. "Direbears are powerful enchanted creatures, but to obtain it's fang, one risks a journey into the Blackthorn. It's... impossible."

"But as long as there's something that can hurt her, she's still in danger."

"Perhaps... but that is not the major concern. At the moment, we are the ones in danger."

I kept silent, falling into my thoughts. My mind raced, my thoughts crashing into each other, as I tried to make sense of this situation.

Lucy had a powerful demon in her capable of destroying the world.

To save the world, I had to remove the demon from her or kill it. Both options would result in Lucy's death, and I could not live with that.

Sadly, the more I thought about it, the more I realised that there was no way I could save both Lucy and the world.

Unless...

"You didn't just call us here because the seal was broken," I muttered, turning to Jirel. "You called us here because you wanted to seal it again."

The King nodded in affirmation. "Now you know the truth. Until a better solution is found, it is the only way to keep Lucy safe, and protect the rest of the world."

I sighed. My mission parameters had grown more intense. In addition to protecting Lucy, I had to find out what the demon in her was, as well as a way to remove it from her without killing her.

I rose from my seat and walked to the door. "When do you want to do it?"

King Jirel paused in his tracks, shifting his gaze to the ceiling above. "Our chance at success reduces the longer we delay. To prevent mishap, we must act soon."

I took in a deep breath and forced out a breath. "She needs a little time to eat and rest from the journey."

"Alright. When do you suggest?"

"Dawn."

"Fine," the king said, returning to his seat. "Dawn it is."

Without another word, I stepped out of the archive, closing the door behind me.

To my surprise, the burning torch outside had been extinguished.

I turned to my right, hoping to find the short guard.

He was nowhere to be found.

Puzzled, I lit the torch again, restoring light to the dim hallway, when all of a sudden, a strange figure, lurched toward me.