Curiosity, which is rewarded

Sofia gave a curtsy when she saw Natalia. Then she went to return to Elise.

“How may we assist you my Lady?” they asked together.

“Honestly, I am just curious. I wanted to see the stables.”

Freya’s face showed a huge smile. “Happily my lady.” She opened the door to said stable and I followed along with her. I could hear many different animals inside. “We have the standard ones you might imagine, chickens, pigs and sheep. Also two horses. I’d like more on that front but it is a bit much for just me to care for.”

I paused. I heard a familiar chirp. I turned to the stall where it was coming from. “What is in here?”

“Oh, our hawks. We use them to sends messages to various cities to arrange supply orders,” Freya said.

She opened the door and I glanced around. It did appear there were five hawks, but my ears were not so easily fooled. I began channeling mana into my fingertips. “Which one of you is not a hawk?”

“Huh?” Freya asked.

Natalia stood closer to me as I spoke.

One of the birds shimmered for a moment.

“Edo,” Freya said. “What is he?”

“You said he was a messenger hawk? Does he obey you? Please call him to your arm.”

Freya hesitated for a moment. “Yes my lady. Edo, twut twut,” she chirped.

Edo landed on her arm. I smiled and walked over to him. “He is a beautiful boy. But not a hawk,” I said. “He is a phoenix or at least part phoenix.”

The two girls gasped. “You me, like the legendary beast?” Natalia asked.

“The immortal bird of fire?” Freya added on.

I nodded as I began petting Edo. “I can show you,” I said as I began flowing mana into my fingertips. The mana sparked against Edo’s feathers. He leaned into my hand and the sparks increased. “Oh boy, does that feel good? You must have so much mana chocked up in your feathers.”

“Beautiful,” Freya said.

“Do you collect dropped feathers by chance?” I asked.

Freya nodded and we left Edo with the other birds as she took us to a room with a bunch of feathers. She showed me the ones that he dropped. I began examining them. It took a bit, but I eventually found one. Sort of. The full feather wasn’t of much use but one vane was. I carefully plucked it from the rest and showed it to Freya.

“Do you see?” I asked.

“It is shimmering a bit?”

I nodded. “Phoenix don’t mate with other phoenix. They mate with normal birds. When a phoenix successful mates, they pass their immortality to the new bird. But it begins as only 1% of its body. As it grows and lives, it slowly transforms into the firebird you know. I’d say Edo is probably around 4-6%. This feather’s single vane has the vibrant rainbow expected of its species. If possible, I’d like you to collect these for me.”

Freya gave me a curtsy. “Yes my lady. May I ask though, how do you know so much?”

I smiled. “I read a lot of books. Actually my mentor was especially fond of phoenix bird. So I remember the small difference in their chirp.”

She gave a pout. “To bad we don’t have a book like that in the castle library.”

I titled my head. “Victoria just received a book containing information on the pheonix bird recently. I was at this library this morning and can confirm.”

“Oh my. I shall have to visit the library soon then. Thank you for the information,” Freya said.

“So are phoenix vane’s valuable?” Natalia asked.

I nodded. “Yes, but you’d likely not find a buyer. I imagine a normal collector would assume they are a fake. And unless about half the feather is showing phoenix traits, anyone but an expert would struggle to use them for anything. And I’d rather not advertise we have a baby phoenix.”

“So, what do you plan to use it for?” Natalia asked.

I smiled. “You guys wanna accompany to the garden? I can show you, right now! Actually best to do it while the vane is still fresh.”

“Absolutely!” Freya said.

At the garden, Iris was cutting some plants, Celeste was writing something and Lillian was on her knees praying before a bowl of leaves covered in a paste. Three of the five leaves vanished.

“My lady,” Lillian said as she knelt before me. “I have tried three times, but I cannot get all five leaves to be accepted. And the goddess doesn’t speak to me as she did with you.”

“Hmm,” I said as I glanced down at the failed leaves. “The color seems off. You probably didn’t mix it properly. Let me handle the next batch. Can you hold this. Please be careful, it is very important.”

I handed Lillian the vane and she seemed very nervous to be holding something so small I called important.

I began mashing the leaves that were left behind, adding a few more ingredients to them. They wouldn’t be worthy of a goddess but they could still be sold as a different type of potion. Once I had a full bowl of it, I set it aside and began gathering the ingredients for the recipe that Lillian was trying to make.

I glanced at Lillian. To have gotten about 60 to 70% of hers accepted after only seeing the recipe once was impressive. She was a brewing natural. I could probably even teach her how to use the phoenix vane. While the mixture was still in a bowl, I got up and took the vane back.

“Here we go!” I began flowing mana into the vane and it was sparking and unleashing lightning like flashes as it began a swirling mass of majesty like mana. I began swirling that mana in my hands forming a ring with it. Slowly I brought the ring into the mixture for the goddess. The bowl of cream began to glow as it rocked back and forth and eventually the vane was gone and the process was complete.

“Wow,” Freya, Lillian and Iris said together.

“I think a test is in order, Celeste, do you mind?” I asked.

“I do not mind my Lady,” she said as she approached me.

Celeste was a natural beauty. There could be no doubt, but on closer inspection of her face, you could see spots of her skin that were beginning to show signs of her age. She certainly wasn’t old. This cream would be great at slowing down the effects of aging, but since it was now infused with the very essence of the immortal phoenix, it could do far more than that. I rubbed the cream against her face. And even spread. I then flowed a bit of mana into it. In a flash the cream vanished and with it, ten years from Celeste’s face.

“Wow!” Natalia said. “Head maid. You look… just like you did when I first arrived at the estate.”

Celeste touched her face and Iris rushed to grab a mirror for her. As she looked at herself, a tear formed in the corner of her eye. “Oh my. This is…”

“You have been such a supreme help to my adjustment here. I am happy to return the favor head maid.”

She gave me her best curtsy. “I am honored my Lady.”

“So who gets the rest of the cream!” Natalia asked, clearly hoping to be next in line.

I giggled. “We have the supplies and shouldn’t have issues gaining more phoenix vanes. I think we should give it to the goddess of beauty.”

Lillian clapped her hands. “What a marvelous idea! I bet with such a wonderful offering she would grace us with her voice again! More of us could hear true divinity!”

I gestured to Lillian and she stood before the glowing mixture and began praying. The mixture vanished along with the bowl this time. Then a ball of light appeared before us.

“My my my. Someone is trying very hard,” the voice of the goddess of beauty said. “This mixture is truly divine. I have not sampled something so wonderful in centuries. I assume you seek a favor?”

Everyone looked at me. “Sort of,” I said. “To be honest, I just enjoy seeing your follower Lillian smile. I also enjoy the prospect of earning my Master a divine blessing. But if you would honor my request. I do have one.”

“Speak it.”

“I ask you bless the mixture in this bowl,” I said referring to the one I made from Lillian’s failed offering. “So that the women that apply it to their breasts would find their breasts swelling and becoming more sexually appealing in your name.”

Celeste pressed her hand against her forehead. She seemed to have likely guessed who wanted this.

“Hmm… it is done. Now then, you are the one behind both these recent high quality items. Will you become my follower?”

“I must decline,” I said.

“Oh my,” the voice said. “So fast. I would grant you and Lillian my name. Is that not a rather notable exchange?”

“Drascilla,” I said.

The voice was quiet for a long moment.

“Is that?” Lillian asked. I nodded.

“Curious. I suppose I should not be surprised. You are quite learned. Yet I don’t smell the divine within your soul. This means healing magic is beyond your abilities. As is enhanced combat magic. Would you not better serve your Master with these? I can provide them.”

“Agala, Lilium, Drewchel.”

“Ugh, of course those harpies would be responsible. Hmm… are you against me taking to them?”

“I would never think to interfere with the divine,” I said.

“Then Lillian, I grant you permission to use my name. I also task you with defending this maiden whom has been assisting you.”

With that, the light moved to the remaining mixture and it began to glow.

“Just me, or did all that go completely over my head?” Iris said.

“Not just you,” Freya added.

“I know when something is above my station,” Natalia said. “But our Lady seemed to handle it just fine.”

Celeste was silent, just writing stuff down.

“Drascilla, the Goddess of Beauty. To think I would be blessed to know the name of two gods. Though, I can hardly take credit for the second,” Lillian gave me a curtsy. “Please lean on me whenever you may need my Lady.”

I rubbed the top of my head. Well, I wasn’t entirely sure how that conversation was going to go. But I got the one thing Elise asked for that I can’t make myself. So overall I was happy.