Interest and irreverence

You walk beside Queen Mayella, her strides growing more confident as her mind clears. As you walk, she asks you questions. “So, you are truly the one who defeated the demon lord?”

You nod. “With some help from my family, yes.”

She looks at you quizzically. “Your family?”

Uzume chuckles. “He means us.”

You nod. “Several of the girls were there, and I wouldn’t have succeeded without them.”

Mayella nods. “I see. And you told Lain that he didn’t know what you were. If you don’t mind me asking, what are you?”

You chuckle. “A human, but also a fairly powerful absorption mage.”

Iris shakes her head. “Your highness, he’s being humble. If even half the things his family says are true, he might be the most powerful mage the world has seen.”

Mayella looks at you. “And an emperor as well? Where are your lands?”

You smile. “Essentially everything not covered by your barrier, although some things are still in flux.”

Iris chimes in again. “Not only that, but he seems beloved by the populace as well.”

Sadie giggles. “That’s because Joshie is amazing!”

Maya nudges her. “Hey, we’re with royalty, be respectful and at least call him ‘daddy’!”

You groan and roll your eyes. Mayella looks at you with amusement. “Joshie? Daddy? Are they usually so informal?”

You nod with a sigh. “Yes, although to be fair, Maya has known me since I was a nobody, and Sadie not long after. I usually don’t mind, but…”

Maya grins. “He tries to act all professional! But he’s always just my Josh.”

Iris smiles. “It’s true, Josh is a good man, and a…pleasant companion.”

Mayella looks at Iris questioningly, but doesn’t ask. Instead, she gestures to a doorway, a large iron bound door blocking the way. “I’m sure I’ll want to follow up on all of that, but for now, this is where they would hide.”

You try the door, but it doesn’t budge. It seems to be barred, and you turn to Uzume. “Would you mind? They seem to have locked it.”

Nodding, Uzume gives the door a shove, and frowns when it doesn’t open. Taking a step back, she delivers a heavy kick to the door. There’s a crunching sound, followed by the sound of metal hitting the floor. The door, instead of swinging open, simply falls into the room, the hinges and metal locking bar twisted beyond repair. Small bits of stone are still attached to the bolts which secured it as well. With a smile, Uzume steps aside, gesturing to the now open doorway.

You step in front of Mayella. “I’ll lead from here.”

She nods. “Very well, but I’m staying close.”

Stepping into the room, you see it’s merely a landing for a staircase which descends down deep into the ground. Faintly, you can see an ugly yellowish green light from below. The hair on the back of your neck stands up at the feeling of the magic from below. Like when you freed Mayella, it feels somehow diseased. You take a moment, looking to be sure everyone is ready to go.