Chapter 99

Chapter 99

On my way back to the annex, I found myself going over everything the Blue Madame and I had discussed. She had said something that left me in deep thought.

The power Cassis had been endowed with was truly incredible. Far more than I could have imagined. It was powerful enough to take a life, and likely just as effective at saving one. Of course, I had seen hints of it in action and even benefited from its effects directly. After all, I had seemingly become the sole recipient of his energy transfers, and still remembered the first time my wound had miraculously healed at his touch. Even the way the poison in my system would subside whenever he was near was proof of his ability, but I was under the assumption that had to be the extent of it.

In short, I had found his healing powers to be wonderful early on but had never suspected such a force could do anything supernatural like tip the scales between life and death. This is to say that I wasn’t of the belief that he could actually keep me alive for long. But according to his mother, if he put his mind to it, he could save anyone. I was still left wondering why she had made a point to tell me that though.

When she spoke of her daughter’s breathing stopping, it was obvious that she was implying Sylvia had died, but of course, the young Blue lady was livelier than anyone. I had to question how exactly my sprightly friend had come back to life. Since she said her son had failed, was the Blue master Roussel Pedelian the one who brought her back to life? If so, I was left to assume that Cassis’ power was likely hereditary. Then I wondered if perhaps what he was doing to me wasn’t a temporary measure after all, but...

“Miss Roxana?”

A vaguely familiar voice called out to me softly. I slowly turned toward it.

“Long time no see! I heard that you were unwell, but you seem to be fully recovered now.” Orka smiled at me with unveiled glee. His was a bright, innocent smile that could disarm just about anyone. Anyone but me that is.

“Ah, if it isn’t the White Demon Tamer,” I replied flatly to make clear that he hardly warranted my interest.

Olin was behind me, and Isidore was behind Orka. The brown-haired man was openly eyeing the Fipellion guest with great displeasure. I assumed he wasn’t there to act in the White Heir’s interest, so I took it that Isidore’s purpose was to keep watch over him and stay on his heels at all times. Since the Pandora incident, all pretense of treating him as a revered guest had clearly been abandoned.

“So you know who I am? Ah, but of course! You must have heard the Blue Heir refer to me by that title.” His eyes twinkled as if my knowing who he was delighted him. “Allow me to introduce myself properly. My name is Orka Fipellion, but please just call me Orka.”

“Well... I prefer White Demon Tamer.”

His purpose was obviously to befriend me with that carefree, grinning nature of his, but it was one that didn’t suit mine. Thus, I kept my answer curt and just barely returned his smile. Then his expression melted into one of exaggerated disappointment. “While I realize that I committed a huge faux pas when last we met, I hope you can forget my shameful conduct.”

His act seemed so genuine that anyone who was unaware of the devil hiding behind that innocent face would have forgiven him for just about any sort of transgression.

“So you’ve come here just to tell me not to mind or worry about what happened?”

“Oh no!” he said. “I was just out for a walk myself. Running into you like this must simply be some sort of destiny.”

It really was such an outrageous lie. A person who could grin so idiotically was undoubtedly always up to something. By then I was fairly certain the reason he had been hounding after me so feverishly was due to my poison butterflies. As I recalled the way he had wistfully stared after my tiny demons three days prior, I felt uneasy once again.

“If it’s all right with you, I wonder if just us two... demon tamers might partake in a pleasant and enlightening cha—”

“Absolutely not.”

“Absolutely not.”

Both sentries spoke in unison from behind each of us. Neither of them seemed to care very much to express their disapproval with an ounce of tact.

“I... suppose not,” Orka said.

I highly doubted he had actually thought he’d be allowed to follow through with his absurd request. Isidore and Olin glared his way as they watched his next move. I found it funny how the Blue clan continued to regard me as a helpless damsel.

In a way, it was understandable since I had been rather frail when they first met me. Plus, with Cassis treating me like I practically had a foot in the grave and completely disregarding what people might say or think to carry me around everywhere... Haa... Well, there was also the fact that I never actually tried to convince them otherwise. Perhaps a subconscious part of me felt that I needed their sympathy and acceptance. Still, such overt protectiveness seemed a bit over the top.

“But I’m not experienced enough to be called a demon tamer,” I said. I then began to think I should give my protectors a chance to do some protecting. “I trust you’d find it far more enlightening to speak to Sir Winston there.”

Orka looked surprised, then pivoted to face Isidore. “Sir Winston, you are a demon tamer?”

“I am not.” Evidently, Isidore had misunderstood my intention, so I signaled him by slightly tilting my head to the side.

“Lady Jeanne informed me that you were quite knowledgeable on the subject.”

“Oh... I wouldn’t call myself knowledgeable, Miss.” Isidore began to falter, but once he caught my drift, he looked back at Orka and continued. “But... I suppose I’m well versed enough to discuss the subject if needed.”

Sir Winston finally seemed to realize he’d have to play the sacrificial lamb.

“Uh... No, that’s all right.” Orka was quick to turn down Isidore’s offer with the most comically sour look on his face.

I couldn’t be certain, but it seemed the White Heir’s little exchange with Isidore hadn’t just been for show thus far.

“Besides, my intention was to have a chat with the master of the poison butterflies.” He had finally come clean and confirmed my suspicions. “You see, it’s a mystery to me how you were able to get them to imprint on you.”

However, once he realized my protectors wouldn’t budge on the matter, the Fipellion seemed to have made the decision to put all his cards on the table. This was a man who had been so hot in his pursuit of my butterflies that he had even risked flying over another clan’s fortress wall without permission. I could sense just how deep his obsession ran.

“For one thing, there is about a one-in-a-million chance of locating their habitat.”

If effort had been the only factor, the butterflies would rightfully belong to him, but I had come between them and made the eggs mine before he could find them. If he had learned how I did it, I’m certain the White Demon Tamer would not hesitate to offer me to his demons as supper.

“And even if you do find an egg, it’s a damn bloody nightma— Oops. Pardon my language. I only mean to say that trying to hatch one is a very difficult process. It’s a great deal of work with a very, very slim likelihood of success, is it not?”

I had begun to feel a little sorry for Orka, so I thought I should at least hear him out.

“On top of all that, getting them to recognize you as their master once they hatch and imprint your essence onto them, is like trying to fit a demon monster through the eye of a needle.”

I admit I was very lucky that the butterflies and I were able to synchronize so harmoniously. And fortunate that there was plenty of the poison they required in the Agrece compound. Most of all, I was lucky to be alive rather than have been devoured by them.

“But the most incredible thing...” One thing I will say is the man needed absolutely no invitation or encouragement to continue his monologue, which seemed to drone on and on. “...is that you have already finished raising them to be killer butterflies.”

Then without warning, he guffawed as if he couldn’t hold it back any longer. Then his eyes became like slits, which made him resemble a sly fox. “Miss Roxana, you are aware that each and every one of the past poison butterfly masters eventually disappeared, yes?”

Of course, I was.

“But do you know why? It’s because the butterflies chomped up their own masters.”

I sensed both Olin and Isidore flinch at this revelation. Meanwhile, I stood expressionless before slowly responding to him. “How could I—the master of these butterflies—not know that?”

Everything he had said so far was true. There had only been a handful of poison butterfly masters to begin with, and just about all of them had seen their lives come to an end in a fairly similar fashion. Others witnessed their butterflies devour them, or they themselves seemed to disappear out of existence. And the claims about those who had supposedly just vanished were based on the fact that they were never seen again. Nothing had been proven, but most demon tamers assumed that those other masters must have also been sacrificed to their butterflies, just without the benefit of having witnesses to their deaths.

Poison butterflies aren’t like other demon monsters. There are very few demon tamers who would even attempt to imprint on them, especially when such a gruesome end was a near certainty. More importantly, one couldn’t force the connection. That was why no matter how much Lante had greedily ogled mine, he never once asked to become their sole owner. All of that is to say that Orka was a pretty special character.

After all, in the original story, he succeeds in both hatching and imprinting on the poison butterflies he stumbles upon against stupendous odds. Between his abundant menagerie of top-class demons and being the heir apparent to the Fipellion clan, he didn’t really have a reason to become a host to these creatures as well. Perhaps this sounds absurd coming from me as a poison butterfly master, but what he did was flat-out bonkers.

“My, my. Now that is interesting.”

I could tell from his tone of voice that he was beyond excited.