Return of the Runebound Professor-Chapter 857: Mystery Package

“Oh,” Seleth said.

She sat silently for a few seconds. Then she slowly raised her cup of tea to her lips and took a sip. She set it back down on the table, then interlaced her fingers gingerly.

“Oh,” Sievan repeated. He glanced at Yoru. “I like that. Oh. No panic. No begging for her life or sucking up. Just Oh. How novel. She’ll do quite nicely, I think. And you’ve never much liked the overly talkative ones.”

“It is a better reaction than I was expecting,” Yoru said. “Give her a moment.”

“Surprised, Yoru? You?” Sievan asked. “Spider really did quite the number on you. You’re relying on your runes even less than I thought.”

“I am doing what I can,” Yoru replied with a small shrug. She turned toward Seleth, whose knuckles had turned white from the intensity of her grip. The small demon shook her head. “You may relax, Seleth. He will not kill you. And even if he did, I doubt he’d keep you that way.”

Seleth nodded stiffly, but Yoru’s words went in through on ear and right out the other.

Has anyone in the history of anything ever relaxed when told to?

“She is correct. I’m not of any mind to utilize death magic in the Coral Empire,” Sievan said with an easygoing smile. “The Prophet is a stiff one. She wouldn’t like that much at all. We’ve got a bit of a treaty going. Quite an old one. I agreed to stop trying to break into her territory in exchange for her ensuring to send me every single scrap of death magic that ever cropped up here.”

That seems like a very lopsided deal.

“Is that why you were on your way to greet to her?” Yoru asked.

“It was,” Sievan said with a nod of Tim’s head. “It’s been a long time. I thought I’d introduce myself to an old friend. Though perhaps she doesn’t see me quite the same way. It’s been a long time since we last spoke. That was back in my younger days. I was a more… energetic man, then.”

“He waged a war against the Coral Empire that resulted in the destruction of several hundred cities,” Yoru put in.

Seleth swallowed. “Why?”

“I do believe it was because I was bored,” Sievan replied. He took a sip of tea, then cleared his throat. “But, as I said, I was a different man then. It’s been a long time. Nobody’s youth should be held against them. We do crazy things when we are young. I’m certain the Prophet has gotten over it.”

Seleth sent him a sidelong glance.

Something tells me that she has not.

“If you had reached her, Tim would not have left the palace again in time for the tournament,” Yoru provided. “And the small amount of your presence that is here is not nearly powerful enough to influence that result.”

“Is that so?” Sievan asked. He pursed his lips. “Well. That’s a disappointment. I’d hoped to chat with the Prophet. She was always good conversation. But I suppose that will have to wait. I’d hate to inconvenience Tim after he’s been so graceful to me. That is not how one repays a favor.”

“I’m sorry,” Seleth said abruptly. “But when Yoru said greatest of all demons, was she being—”

“Literal?” Sievan asked. “No, no. Not at all.”

Seleth blew out a small breath of relief. That might have been a bit too much for her to accept, even after everything she’d seen in the past few weeks. “I see. So—”

“No king is greater than his subjects. We are servants to our people,” Sievan said. “I am simply the most powerful demon for the time being. There are a number of new ones with great potential that have emerged in recent times. Yoru is among them. I eagerly await the day that I may pass my title on to them. But until that day comes, I will still remain king.”

Seleth’s relief drained away like water trickling to vanish beneath the scorching sands of a desert. “King?”

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“King. Yes,” Sievan said. “Nobody has quite managed to rid me of that title yet. I do fear it will be at least a few more years before something like that happens. Even Yoru has a long way to go. You cannot be a leader if you do not understand your subjects. And as much as you’ve grown, Yoru, you’re still as dense as a brick wall.”

“I take offense to that,” Yoru said.

“Good,” Sievan replied. “It was an insult. At least you’ve got enough control of your own mind to realize it as such. But a lack of understanding is never something to be ashamed of so long as you are working toward solving it — which you seem to be doing very well. I am proud of you.”

Sievan plopped a hand on Yoru’s head and ruffled her hair like she was a child.

Seleth nearly keeled over and died on the spot. She grabbed her tea and took a sip a little too fast, immediately choking on the hot liquid and doubling over in a hacking cough.

A hand slapped against her back — presumably a waiter trying to keep one of their clients from keeling over in the middle of the restaurant— as she sputtered, trying to maintain what little remained of her composure.

Then her gaze raised again, only to find that the one helping her had been none other than Sievan himself.

Oh, shit. Please don’t tell me this means he’s somehow saved my life. I wasn’t going to die from coughing, was I? Do I owe him—

“Your assistant overthinks things a little too much,” Sievan said. “You should work on that. She’s going to think herself to an early grave. But as much as I’d like to hang around for a little longer, this is Tim’s show. I’m only along for the ride. I’ll be stepping back again. Best of luck with your endeavors. I’ll be watching.”

Yoru inclined her head slightly.

Tim’s eyes shimmered. The darkness behind them evaporated as the good-natured old man’s mind returned to its proper place.

“Well?” Tim asked with a grin. “How was it?”

“Seleth tried to kill herself,” Yoru said.

“I did not!” Seleth protested. “I was surprised! Anyone would be surprised! What am I supposed to do in a situation like that? Are you all making fun of me? Is this just some joke?”

“No?” Yoru tilted her head to the side. “Why would I waste time or effort on something pointless like that?”

More than anything, that made Seleth’s blood run cold.

Shit. She’s right. Yoru couldn’t care less about what I think on these things.

That means that was completely legitimate.

I just met the fucking king of the demons.

Seleth swallowed.

“Oh,” she said weakly.

“It’s okay,” Tim said with a chuckle. “I was quite overwhelmed myself, the first time around. But Sievan is a good fellow. There’s nothing at all to be concerned about. Well, beyond the normal things to be concerned about.”

That doesn’t help at all, actually.

“I see,” Seleth said carefully. “Yoru? May I ask if all of your friends are like this?”

“They are not,” Yoru replied. “Most of them are more deranged.”

“Yoru,” Tim scolded. “That’s rude.”

“It is true,” Yoru said. “At least Sievan won’t accidentally kill Seleth because she asked the wrong question and someone wasn’t paying quite enough attention to their magic.”

“I’m sorry,” Seleth said. “What?”

“Ah. Aylin,” Tim said. “I’m sure he’s gotten a good hold of his magic by now. I wouldn’t worry about it. He’s a good lad.”

Is everyone you know a good something or another? Nobody who kills someone for asking a question is a good lad!

“I suspect Aylin will be very powerful when we next meet him,” Yoru said. “And you can ease your fears, Seleth. It has been a long time since any of us have killed anyone on accident. Just make sure to purchase some dried fruit from a stall at some point in the next few days.”

“Dried fruit?” Seleth asked, her brow furrowing. “Why?”

“Because it will save your life,” Yoru replied. “Now, we must remain focused for the time being. There are more important things to discuss, and we only have around five minutes left here before Seleth and I will have to leave.”

“I suppose that means I don’t have time to tell you about all my other new discoveries. But that’s fine. I’m all ears,” Tim said. “What is it?”

“There is something I need you to do, Tim. I must unfortunately admit that I had more reason to seek you out than simply preventing you from getting stuck in the Prophet’s lodgings for the foreseeable future.”

“Oh?” Tim asked. “I figured you might have had something in mind, finding me instead of any of others. Well, I’m happy to help. Anything that gets us closer to all meeting again is well worth the effort. What can I help you with?”

Yoru pulled a small ring out of her pocket and placed it on the table between them. She plopped a small, sealed letter down beside it. The letter bulged at the seams, clearly containing something a bit thicker than just a slip of paper.

That shape… is that one of those black badges that grant entry to the Tournament?

“I need you to deliver this for me with your spatial magic,” Yoru said. “The envelope as well. Send it tonight. Right after sunset. The exact location is on the back of the envelope so you don’t forget it. And don’t open the envelope yourself.”

“That seems easy enough if you know exactly where it’s going,” Tim said. He took the letter and the ring, studying the envelope for a moment before sliding it into his coat pocket. “It’s inside the city. Another one of us?”

Yoru tilted her head slightly to the side. “No. Not quite.”