448. Empath

Helena Warshade’s mind reeled. It was starting to become an annoyingly common occurrence today, but the normally calm and collected Archmage’s demeanor broke. Her mouth didn’t bob open like a confused fish, nor did she stutter in utter shock, however there was a moment where her eyes went round and she didn’t believe what she was hearing.

“The reason is simple: it’s because I am a Demon too.”

Salvos spoke simply. The effects of [Truth Divination] were still there— the Archmage felt every emotion the silver-haired girl did as the words rolled off her tongue. There was no hint of a lie. Helena felt it in her heart.

This was the undeniable truth. This was who Salvos really was. This was what Salvos had been hiding the whole time.

That she was a Demon.

Helena Warshade had speculated— she had wondered what Salvos truly was. After all, the silver-haired girl wasn’t a Human. There had been a myriad of possibilities to choose from. The Archmage had considered everything from a Vampire to a Spirit to a Dragon, but the only thing she didn’t consider was the fact that Salvos was a Demon.

It made no sense. The Archmage had briefly entertained that idea briefly before quickly dismissing it. First of all, no [Changeling] transformation was that perfect. Salvos’ Human form was more akin to a [Druid] carrying out their shamanic shapeshifting, rather than a [Changeling] wearing the skin and face of a Human. When Salvos bled, she bled red blood. Human blood. Not the black blood of Demons.

But even if there was a chance that Demons could perfectly shapeshift into a Human form, that didn’t explain Salvos’ other actions. The silver-haired girl had built a reputation for killing Demons. First in Silvergrove, then near Warrington. Again after that in the Inoria Empire— Faith, the Fallen Queen of Elutra, had said that Salvos had slain dozens of high-leveled Demons there.

So it was clear Salvos was a kind of Demon Slayer. That was why Helena Warshade had surmised that the most favorable possibility was that Salvos was a Vampire— perhaps a survivor from the Slydrift Family after their downfall a hundred years ago. Either that, or Helena thought the silver-haired girl was a Spirit with a vendetta against Demons. A shapeshifting [Fairy] or a [Kitsune] of sorts.

But it was none of that. Salvos was a Demon. An Archdemon. One who’d been disguising herself as a Human this whole time. One who’d infiltrated the top of Humankind’s ranks with her deceit.

That finally registered in Helena’s mind. She raised her staff as she started.

“You—”

“Wait, calm down Helena!”

Salvos raised a hand as the crystal staff glinted. Next to them, Belzu just chuckled and watched on with an amused look on his face. The Archmage gritted her teeth.

“You’re a Demon. You tricked us this whole time.”

“I didn’t want to trick you guys! But you Humans hate Demons for no reason! Just look at what you’re doing right now!”

The silver-haired girl… Demon… pointed back at Helena Warshade. That statement made the Archmage pause for just a single moment.

“That’s…”

“You know I don’t want you to be my enemy. You can feel it. Don’t do something we’ll all regret.”

Helena bit her lower lip as Salvos warned the Archmage. Meanwhile, Belzu leaned back casually with a smile.

“Whatever happens, I doubt I’d be regretting anything today.”

Neither women acknowledged the Primeval Demon’s remarks. Instead, Salvos sighed and shook her head.

“Look, I am a Demon, yes. And I am disguising myself as a Human right now. But if I could, I’d much rather wear my own skin. I’d much rather just be myself. However, I can’t. Every time I’ve revealed myself to someone, they get mad at me. They attack me. Even my companions and my closest friends.”

The silver-haired girl looked morose, Helena Warshade felt her melancholy— it hurt Salvos that she’d always have to fight for who she was. The Archmage lowered her staff slowly as her vision blurred for just a single instant.

For a moment, the Archmage recalled a memory from a long time ago. The memory of a little girl, ostracized by her peers for her dedication to her spellcraft. It wasn’t the same thing. Of course not. Yet, and perhaps it was due to [Truth Divination], Helena Warshade felt herself sympathizing with the literal Archdemon.

“Now imagine if I revealed the truth to a hundred people— no, a thousand people? What happens, then?”

Salvos spoke, closing her eyes. The Demon girl lowered her head as she asked her question. It was entirely rhetorical. She knew the answer to that question. As did Belzu and Helena Warshade. The Primeval Demon simply snorted, but the Archmage felt a pang of guilt.

After a moment of hesitation— a moment of silence where not a single word was said— Helena asked the question hanging in her head.

“Who else knows about this?”

Salvos blinked, looking up. She glanced towards the Archmage. There was still some hostility there. But not as much as before.

“...Daniel knows this.”

“The [Hero]?”

Helena raised a brow. Belzu paused, and Salvos nodded.

“Yep. So does Edithe and Saffron and Willy. Orgaf knows this too.”

“Even Orgaf?”

The Archmage frowned. If Orgaf knew about Salvos being a Demon, then he’d be the first one to have killed her. After all, while Orgaf was a rather belligerent individual, he always had what was best for Humankind in mind.

“It’s all Belzu’s fault. He’s the reason why Orgaf found out I’m a Demon.”

Salvos harrumphed. The Primeval Demon simply shrugged.

“I see.”

Helena nodded slowly. She took her time to process this rather than jumping to conclusions. The Archmage had cooled enough that she wasn’t going to make any brash, drastic action anymore.

She returned to her normal calculated self. Some would call her aloof, but she knew that it was best to not let her emotions drive her judgment. If it did, she never would’ve gotten this far as an Archmage otherwise.

“So what is your plan then, Salvos?”

The Archmage inquired as she finally dropped all hostilities.

“Why do you propose we should work with this Primeval Demon?”

“I mean, I already said as much, right? To beat a Primeval Demon, we should use a Primeval Demon.”

The silver-haired Demon answered simply.

“I am not simply a tool for you to exploit, Archdemon.”

Belzu snapped back. Salvos waved a hand off dismissively.

“Don’t worry! You’re using us too!”

She said it as if it made the situation any better. Salvos stepped back as her clone nodded in agreement.

“We all have a common enemy. We want to stop this ritual from happening. We want to stop the Mortal Realm and the Netherworld from merging. It’s stupid and dumb and it’s not something any of us wants to happen.”

“I agree.”

Belzu nodded, albeit begrudgingly.

“Regnorex is a fool. His plan will lead to nothing but destruction and death for Demonkind. For his slaves that follow his reckless pursuit of mortality.”

Helena narrowed her eyes. Reckless pursuit of mortality? She wasn’t sure what that meant, although she didn’t press it much. Instead, she turned to Salvos.

“Perhaps such an arrangement would be beneficial for us all, Salvos. A necessary alliance. But that begs the question: what happens after?”

Salvos scratched the back of her head.

“I, um, didn’t really think that through.”

Both Belzu and Helena Warshade stared at the Demon girl. Salvos laughed.

“Well, we’ll figure it out later. For now, we have a common goal. We can work together, no? Just for a little bit.”

The Archmage stared at Salvos. Helena Warshade knew that the silver-haired girl was a Demon, and yet, for some reason, the Archmage trusted the Archdemon. Perhaps it was [Truth Divination]... but no.

Helena Warshade would’ve sensed if this was some sort of mind magic spell that influenced her thoughts. It was simply trust. Because the Archmage knew what it was like to be ostracized. She knew what it was like to have the world against her. A single chance— a single opportunity— changed her life. She never should have gotten accepted to Mavos Academy, but the Headmaster at the time— Clayton’s predecessor— gave her a chance. And thanks to that, she was who she was today.

“Very well.”

The Archmage nodded.

“This is risky, but it seems like this is the best course of action. Even if you have not thought things through.”

Belzu just clicked his mandibles together.

“Do I have any other choice?”

“Nope! You don’t!”

Salvos cheerfully replied. Helena Warshade just murmured to herself.

“Demons and Humans working together. Never in my wildest dreams have I ever considered such a thing to be possible.”

The silver-haired girl stepped forward and patted the Archmage reassuringly on the shoulder.

“Don’t worry! We’ll kick the Demon King’s ass all the way back to the Netherworld!”

“I hope so.”

The Archmage replied with a small smile. Salvos grinned back. Then she paused, tapping a finger on her chin. She glanced over at Belzu and asked hesitantly.

“By the way, should we tell the others about him?”

That made Helena Warshade hesitate. She looked towards the Primeval Demon as Belzu waited expectantly.

“That… now that I do not know.”