The Forsaken Hero

I quickly grew used to the pace of life at the Divine Throne. Compared to the days spent in the warehouse, it was paradise. Maids regularly attended our quarters, cleaning and replacing sheets, clothing, and even window drapes.

At Soltair’s request, they brought several sets of clothing to replace the simple white dress I wore. Having been too poor to afford anything nicer than rags my entire past life, I quickly fell in love with the personally tailored dresses and coats. Unlike the full-length skirts many priests wore, these dresses were shorter, to account for my tail. Trying on a particularly beautiful dress, I gave a little twirl, enjoying the sensation of the wind in my air and the soft silks rising about my waist.

”Looks good,” Soltair nodded in appreciation.

The dress was nothing fancy, with the skirt at the knee and material flexible enough to allow me to move comfortably. Of course, I knew Soltair liked it because of the low neckline and how it hugged my modest curves, but I didn’t dislike the attention. If only the blouse weren’t so tight, or sheer, for that matter.

As the days passed, the Divine Throne slowly adjusted to my presence. Priests still stared in the hallways, and I often drew offensive remarks, sometimes bordering on violence, but Soltair was quick to step in. After a few weeks, there was hardly any reaction at all.

Each day, I followed Soltair around to his lessons and training. Whenever I wasn’t at his side, I was in the library, studying magic and learning the history of the world. Aside from casual interactions with tutors and mages during training, there was only a handful we were close to. Of the few, like Selena or Jordan, was Trithe.

Occasionally, she’d tag along whenever we went to various lessons and proved to be very knowledgeable about history and politics. Mostly, though, she joined us for meals after training.

On one such occasion, Soltair and I sat around a table, idly discussing the day when Trithe dropped down beside us. The table was meant for two, but the blonde girl pulled up a chair and squeezed in beside Soltair, going so far push my plate further away.

”Hey, Soltair, what kind of spell did you use at the end of our last duel? You know, the one that blasted away the crowd?”

He chuckled, putting down his utensils and leaning back. ”Oh, nothing much, just a spell I recently learned. You might have heard of it. It’s called, ’Sunstrike.”

She gasped, her eyes going wide. ”That’s a fifth-circle spell! Aren’t you a little too strong? Maybe you should slow down a bit before you burn out.”

Although I hated her flattering tone, I couldn’t help but agree. Soltair, who had been capable of just third-circle spells when I arrived, had already progressed that far in only four weeks.

”It’s nothing much,” he said wryly. ”Not compared to Xiviyah.”

”That’s not true,” I broke in. ”You’ve worked harder than anyone.”

His face darkened a bit, filling with a rarely-seen sense of vulnerability. ”I can’t slow down. Too many depend on me. Besides, you’re one to talk. I don’t think you’ve taken a day off even once.”

”Honestly. Trying to compare yourself to a demon like that....” Trithe muttered, shaking her head dramatically.

Soltair frowned, turning to catch her eyes. ”I told you, stop calling her that.”

”It’s okay. I don’t mind,” I said, not wanting to ruin the mood.

Soltair’s frown deepened, but he let it go. We continued in silence until Trithe released a pent-up breath, reluctantly turning her head toward me. Competitiveness burned in her eyes, but there was something more. A hint of anxiety, perhaps.

”Um, so how strong are you?” she asked, idly curling a lock of blonde hair around her finger.

I averted my eyes, lowering my chin. ”Not that strong, especially compared to you two.”

Soltair gave me a look, and I subtly shook my head. There was no need to wait, why was he opening his mouth?

”She can cast third-circle spells,” he said, giving me a wink.

”Hey!” I protested.

”In only a month? How is that possible?” Unexpectedly, Trithe wasn’t upset or angry, her face relaxing in relief. Was she afraid I surpassed her? I rubbed the tip of my horn wryly. Although that was a goal, I hardly expected to do that in such a short amount of time.

”I didn’t do anything special. It’s mostly due to my abilities, and-”

”Are you kidding?” Soltair asked, staring at me. ”You think I haven’t noticed how late you stay up, reading books and casting spells? At training, even Selena acknowledges your efforts. Beyond that, you spend more time at the library than anyone I’ve ever heard of, more than some of the librarians who work there.”

I basked in his praise, but quickly neutered my expression as Trithe’s eyes turned cold. ”It’s not like I can do much besides Fate magic though. I can barely cast first-circle spells of anything else, even with Selena guiding me through it.”

”Regardless, starting from scratch in only a month...” Trithe shook her head. ”What do you like about the library so much? I get tired just thinking of all the dust and paper cluttering that place. Besides, I’ve heard rumors that some of the priests working there are tired of seeing a demon ’plundering our knowledge,’ as they say.”

The table fell quiet for a moment, and Soltair’s eyes narrowed. ”What do you mean by rumors? Is someone after Xiviyah?”

”How would I know?” She said, looking down at her plate. ” All I’m saying is to be careful.”

Her sudden concern caught me off guard, and it took me a moment to respond. ”I will, and thank you.”

”But it’s not like I really care,” Trithe added quickly, tone hardening again. She tossed her hair over her shoulder and turned to smile at Soltair. ”How about we spar tomorrow? I heard there’s a military parade or something, so the grounds should be empty. Without any bystanders, we can test out the full power of your new spell.”

”Hmm, that does sound good. Want to come, Xiviyah?”

I shook my head. ”I think I’ll head to the library. I have a few questions I hope can get answered.”

As the conversation progressed, I noticed Trithe casually inching closer to Soltair. She’d been growing more forward over the past few weeks, smiling brightly whenever he said anything and looking at him with adoration. Occasionally, she’d find a reason to lean over and give him a full view of her cleavage, or wear skirts instead of her typical tights to training. Given her range of movements during battle, that alone was enough to make any man blush.

Today, she went so far as to lean her head on his shoulder, faking a yawn. My knuckles whitened under the table, but I felt powerless. Despite my previous lifestyle, I had no experience with real love. My feelings toward Soltair were jumbled up in my heart, and I didn’t know who he was to me. I was certain we were more than slave and master, but lovers? And how did he feel about me?

Some of my worries must have bled through to my face, and Soltair placed a hand on mine as we stood to go. ”Are you feeling alright? I could drop you off at the room if you like.”

His earnest gaze and warm touch brought a slight blush to my cheeks, making my tongue feel thick. ”I-I’m okay. Just thinking,” I stammered, caught up in his shining eyes.

Trithe’s mouth stretched wide as she yawned, but her eyes never left us. ”Well, isn’t this just romantic? Guess I’ll leave you to lovebirds to it.”

”H-hey!” Soltair complained, jerking his hand back. My tail stiffened as I was startled by the sudden movement, but I quickly forced myself to relax. Despite the time I’d been living in the Divine Throne, I remained instinctively wary of rapid changes, especially regarding hands, which often made my cheek sting with phantom pains.

I ducked my head as Trithe walked off, and my pointed ears twitched as she hid a smile behind another yawn. ”See ya tomorrow,” she said, casting a curious glance over her shoulder.

I followed Soltair as we went about the rest of our day. Putting thoughts of him aside, I was excited for tomorrow. It was just yesterday I’d cast my first third circle spell, meaning I now had enough mana to use the Eyes of Fate. Hopefully, I’d be able to find Lysander at the library, and he would be willing to give me the next step.