“I’m not sure this pink robe is much better than the maid dress.” Zeke looked embarrassed.

  “You’ll live. Besides, that robe was a gift from a goddess.” Alex smirked. “Maybe, be a little more respectful.”

  “Fine fine, this is only temporary.” Zeke shrugged. “If the town is okay we should be able to exchange something. My family has some of my clothing but I don’t think it’ll fit me anymore.”

  “Do you have any shoes?” Trudy asked. She wore the outfit Alex used for crafting. The farmgirl had a simir build as Alex.

  “Sadly, I’m not great with shoes. One of the reasons I came to the barony was to trade with a cobbler.” Alex made a pcating gesture. “Is there anyone here that does that?”

  Trudy nodded. “Yes, there is a family that runs a shop in town.” She paused. “I’m a little worried about the future though. The kingdom will see this action as rebellion and I’m worried what that means. We might not have a future.”

  Alex hummed. “What should we do? I don’t want to run away and leave you all picking up the pieces.”

  “I’m not sure what to do other than beg for Lady Yvne’s mercy.” Trudy let out a tired sigh. “The only options are bad and worse. There is no noble that will accept us in a neighboring county. The river is too dangerous. The swamp is too dangerous. Only adventurers go there. No one has a combat css unless they are in a demon’s party.”

  “I know about all of that. But let’s say perhaps the situation is not completely hopeless, just for argument's sake.” Alex talked slowly. “What if some of the things people collectively assume are true are in fact lies spread by the demons?”

  “I don’t doubt that the demons are just making up stories to keep us under their heel. But even so, it is not like we can do anything to get free.” Trudy looked to Zeke for support. “And even if we could, without nobility to use their skills to make the nd better we’d just be farming wastends that are depleted.”

  “It sounds like step one to freedom would be to follow that nasty mistress.” Alex looked to Fufi for support.

  Fufi approved of this course of action. “It is a start. I don’t think you can get the demon out of her though. It is a tier two demon. It is a sad day that Catalina’s purity csses are all but gone now. She gave the best exorcism skills.”

  “Well, we’ll do what we can.” Alex gathered up the three dolls and tried to ignore the demon-defeat-counter that the hero doll kept wrapping up. “Rose, Lily Edelweiss and I are going into the mansion. Are you two staying here?”

  “Are those your dolls Alice?” Zeke sounded concerned about Alex’s sanity. “I don’t think dolls are a weapon. Maybe you should just escape. I don’t think they’ll kill us but if you have a pce you can escape to then now might be a good time.”

  “We are not leaving anyone behind. If what you say is true then more demons than ever are going to be heading this way as soon as word spreads.” Alex pointed to the blocked out sun. “Though I think the sun going dark is going to tip off everyone that something just happened. Anyway, I’m heading inside you can come if you want or stay out here with the demon remains.”

  Alex walked up to the front door and tried to open it. Much to her surprise it wouldn’t open. “Locked, darn it. Possibly barred.” There wasn’t anyone around to use as a dance partner to become superhuman and jump up to the second floor. Alex decided to do the most obvious thing and knock on the door.

  Knock Knock

  “Who’s there?” A female voice answered.

  “Alice.” Alex answered, sticking with the fake name because she didn’t want to expin it.

  “Alice who?” The dy cautiously spoke.

  “Alice Parker. I’m trying to find Baroness Yvne.” Alex raised her voice a little. “Is she in there?”

  The door cracked open. “The mistress is out. She ran down a hall, a portal appeared and she vanished into it. Her st orders were to keep the demons out and protect the maids.” A maid spoke in a clear voice but her unsure stance betrayed that she wasn’t comfortable with the situation.

  “Can I come in?” Alex tried to be polite. Gncing back, the pair of former-maid-trainees were still warily observing from the stables.

  “Mistress’s orders were to keep the fire cn out and the maids safe from the fighting.” The maid considered. “You three are the st of the trainees. The rest have finished their training.”

  Alex frowned, not happy that of all the people that needed saving only two didn’t get transformed. “I don’t think we’ll be doing any more training. We have other pces to be.”

  “But mistress…” The maid started.

  “Nope, not going to happen. We are going to leave before more vengeful demons show up.” Alex cut her off.

  The maid looked over Alex’s shoulder. “Are all the demons dead?”

  “I think so?” Alex pulled out her phone and checked the logs, no new defeat notifications had popped up in a while. “I think the hero got all of the ones in town and around here but I haven’t checked.”

  “No need to curse Alice.” The maid chided Alex. “We don’t use that word in polite society.”

  “Eh? What word? I didn’t cuss.” Alex furrowed her brows.

  The maid leaned forward. “The H word.”

  “Hero?” Alex asked.

  Putting a hand on her hip, the maid gave her a disappointed look. Just what kind of society was this kingdom? Fmingos were banned and hero was a curse word.

  The maid led Alex inside. “So, shall we continue your training?”

  “I don’t want to. Besides, even if I did, all three of us have removed the cursed maid outfits that we were forced to wear.” Alex’s voice was a warning tone. “Where is everyone?”

  No one but the single maid was in the hallways. There should have been a couple dozen.

  Alex checked a few rooms and looked puzzled. “Where is everyone? Did only Ynve leave?”

  “All of the imps went outside to fight the fire cn. Us maids all went to the basement because there isn’t anything fmmable down there.” The maid pointed downward.

  Alex headed down and the maid used a key to open a metal door at the bottom of a stone-work stairway. “Hello?”

  There were some magic lights on the ceiling of the dreary area. Some stone walls along what would have been the exterior foundation made alcoves that stored various things. A gaggle of maids were busily cleaning the area up, trying to make it look nicer.

  One of them came forward and addressed the maid Alex was with. “Any word from the mistress?”

  “No, she left abruptly and didn’t provide any instruction for her absence.” The earlier maid frowned, not looking sure what she was supposed to do in this situation.

  “If Yvne becomes indisposed what are the pns?” Alex asked.

  “Well miss Alice, if what happened to her poor husband happened to her then she had two heirs in the capital.” The maid put a hand to her cheek, not happy about the possibilities. “They are getting trained at the academy. The st time they graced us with their presence was at the baron’s funeral.”

  Alex felt that keeping them as hostages might be a better term. “That is a bit grim. Anyway, I’m going to leave. Would any of you like to come with me?”

  “Where would you go?” One maid in the group from the door asked. “Also, you haven’t completed your training yet.”

  “Somepce outside this backwards kingdom.” Alex grimaced at yet another mention of maid training. “It’ll not be safe here once word gets back that hundreds of demons are missing.”

  “I’m going to head to the docks and see if anything can be figured out to transport people.” Alex pointed in the direction of the river that made one end of the town.

  “The waters are not safe. Terrible monsters will sink any ship that tries to travel.” The maid from behind Alex stated matter-of-factly.

  “That is what the demons would have everyone believe. It is the demon invaders that the water folk have a problem with. If ships are getting sunk it is because they are in league with the demons.” Alex huffed. It got old fast how brainwashed everyone was.

  “Not finishing your training is unthinkable. Yvne’s maid training school has 100% success rate.” One maid said with a determined tone. “We can’t abandon our duty.”

  Alex worried that meant the maids would try to detain everyone and gripped the three dolls, visualizing some dance steps.

  “We’ll have to go with you and make sure you don’t neglect your training.” Another maid spoke with determination. All the others nodded in unison. It was a little creepy. “Half of us are sted to go to other lords and dies anyway.”

  “Fine. Let's go.” Alex didn’t really want to be leading around a bunch of brainwashed maids but if they could find a way out of the kingdom with all of the humans that would be the best case scenario.

  Alex, Zeke, Fufi, and a couple dozen maids made their way through the carnage of the town. Luckily, it was all demons. Oddly enough the bodies seemed to be evaporating.

  “Do demons just turn into mist when they are killed?” Alex asked Fufi, striding down into the main square.

  “You are assuming they are dead. Demons are summoned creatures. At least most of them. When a summoned creature is defeated they are banished from this pne and sent back to their home pne.” Fufi walked beside Alex, getting some unfriendly stares from people peeking out from their windows.

  “Are there demons that are from this pne?” Alex asked because magic was weird.

  “It has happened before. But it generally is that someone gets transformed.” Fufi sounded a little uncomfortable about the subject.

  Alex noticed a familiar doll ying, armor smoking next to a pile of red-skinned imp corpsed. “Oh there you are, sir hero.”

  One of the following maids wouldn’t let the chance to correct Alex pass. “Miss Alice, nguage please.”

  Alex picked up the doll, dusted off the embers and soot and held him up. “Why would that be a bad word?” Alex didn’t think before she spoke.

  The maid didn’t sound impressed at Alex’s response. “It should be obvious, all of this is his fault. It has been a curse word for as long as I’ve been alive.”

  “Oh.” Alex should have seen that coming.

  They headed south to the waterfront when an old man came out and stood in their path. “Excuse me. Are you Lady Yvne’s envoy? What happened?”

  A maid stepped forward and addressed the man. “Vice guild master Cecil. You forget your manners.”

  “Excuse me, I saw something disturbing just now and feared the worst. The guild master was killed by a burning doll along with every demon in the guild.” The old man bowed. “It is an emergency.”

  The maid looked at the doll then at Alex, putting two and two together. “Care to expin?”

  “I told you that doll was cursed but you kept it anyway.” Fufi nudged Alex, her tone smug. She ignored the shocked faces of the people who didn’t think she could speak.

  “So maybe the fire cn’s attack triggered a bit of a response that was out of proportion on accident.” Alex rubbed the back of her head, grinning innocently.

  “Why would an idol of the betrayer do anything against the race that he betrayed humanity to.” Vice guild master Cecil raised an eyebrow at the doll. Luckily after Alex’s cleaning the bckened armor the doll looked half-way presentable again.

  “Well if someone pulls the string, music starts pying and the doll…” Alex made a gesture that didn’t look like it was understood by the crowd. “Maybe mistakes were made.”

  Fufi shook her head. Even though she didn’t think Alex should have taken the doll, she looked proud of the results.

  “Why were you not the guild master and only the vice guild master?” Alex wanted to change the subject. “You look to like someone who has enough experience to run a guild.”

  “Well that is obvious. Like only demons can lead an adventurer party, only a demon can run the guild.” The man sounded like he was just staking a fact.

  “Was the guild leader an imp?” Alex prodded.

  “Yes.” The old man said cautiously.

  “Do you think it's better in combat?” Alex continued the line of questioning.

  “Well no.” The man frowned. “But that is not the point. Like parties, guilds need to be led by demons. Because we are so remote, only tier 1 demons come out here. We take what we can get.”

  “It sounds like you just got promoted to guild master.” Alex smirked.

  “Young dy, you obviously don’t understand what kind of disaster just befell us. Such treasonous talk will get you in big trouble.” The old man acted like he was scolding an unruly child. “If the demons think we are starting a rebellion then they are going to come down on us very hard. We need to get dy Yvne to go to the capitol and mitigate the damage.”

  “Lady Yvne is indisposed at the moment. She quite abruptly vanished when we were being attacked.” The same maid who was talking before spoke clearly.

  “That is why we are getting a pn together to evacuate everyone.” Alex straightened up. “Are there any boats we can send up the river?”

  “That’s your pn?!” The old man huffed. “You are going to get everyone killed by river monsters.”

  “That’s what she said.” Alex pointed at the maid. “But I say any who break ties with the demons won’t be harmed by the water.”

  The old man continued to fuss while they made their way to the docks. The port did not look in good repair. Most of the boards for the docks had been removed, likely to be used for cultivation fires for the fire cn. There were rocks and pilings sticking up out of the water.

  “Well, first things first.” Alex took out the card and threw it into the river. The burning carriage hissed and steamed but the fmes were quenched quickly. She waded into the water, touched the carriage and turned it back into card form. The picture now showed a bckened, damaged but no longer burning carriage. “That worked quite well.”

  A familiar watery woman popped out of the water. “Hey Alex, you sure made some waves.”

  Alex facepalmed. “You don’t know half of it.”

  “Oh, sounds like some juicy gossip. It looks like your pn to get them to break the accords worked.” Aqua gestured to the eclipse. “Everyone thought that the pn to sneak Fufi in and get demons to attack her was a really bold one.”

  Alex gaped. “Huh?”

  “Why else would you create an item to hide a fmingo and bypass the king’s barrier?” The nymph giggled.

  Alex groaned and tried to change the subject. “So um, can you help with evacuating the vilgers? We need to get everyone out of here.”

  Aqua giggled. “The calvary is already on the way. The story of your quest kept getting grander with each retelling back in the forest. The st time I heard the gossip people were saying you were going to tackle thousands of demons alone. The tribes’ pride wouldn’t let them stand idle so they’re almost here with those boats you were making.”

  Alex looked to the guildmaster and the maids standing on the shore. “So, how many people live in the barony?”

  “I think we are down to a little under a thousand now.” She gave her best guess.

  “Everyone lives in this town, are there outlying farms?” Alex asked.

  “All the non-combat cssers are nearby. Only those set out on adventures are absent.” The guild master shook his head. “Some idiots went to try to do the quest to get the 100 year old ginger from the forest again. They are likely dead.”