-Callen-

  The moment the queen left, I sat back and pulled out the documents regarding the provisionary requests. A small part of me felt concerned about how it would go since I requested more than we would initially need for the initial sum. My reasoning is a mix of pragmatic necessity and humanitarian concern. It wasn’t just us who needed food; the local supply would force the people in the town to flee for better prospects soon, but if the citadel had enough surplus, we could support not just the men marching with us but the town as well. I was placed in charge of logistics, so this kind of decision was technically under my authority, but it was also taking supplies from another location and using them locally under military authority. If the supplies were taken by force, I would be stealing from others, and if the supplies were paid for, it could be argued I’m misusing authority.

  My forehead scrunches up as I contemplate the options, but Callia reaches out to me mere minutes after Karia left. Somehow the negotiations with the citadel had concluded. I stood up and activated the void gate, which Karia wasted no time in dashing through. I blinked in surprise at how quickly she sprinted through; it was definitely not a casual pace.

  “Your Majesty, how did the negotiations go?” She recomposed herself before carefully moving back behind her desk.

  “Full approval; the goods should be on their way soon. Also, I strongly suggest you warn any nobles from passing through that space. It’s a corrosive and evil space; passing through it physically diminishes natural authority.” She pauses a bit, looking at me. “That warning applies to you as well.”

  I’ll admit I don’t fully understand the basis of her warning, but I’ll take it to heart. Minimize time travelling through void gates in the future. My original plan with two doors was to directly link them, but with Nightshade also having a door, I had to separate the two so that any of the three doors could be used. Still, that was a problem to worry about later.

  “Is that all for now, your grace?” With my work done, I gave a bow and asked to confirm if she needed anything else from me.

  “Let me know when you finish your supply delivery to the locals so that we can move on.” I nodded and took another bow on my way out. It seems my adjustments to the requested amounts weren’t as subtle as I thought, but the queen didn’t mind. I reached out back to Callia on my way down to the local granary.

  -Callia-

  An awkward silence settled over the room, and Karia launched herself at full sprint through the void gate, leaving us alone again. I stored the gate and waited for the pope to speak. Incredibly softly, the voice of the pope whispered, “Good riddance.” It was so quiet that the pope might not have even realized he said it. I turned awkwardly toward him, waiting.

  “Well, Callia, it seems your emergency can most definitely be justified. I’ll have one of the paladins below accompany you down to the grain storage, but first, since you're here, I’ll handle your disciplinary ruling for the attack that had you restricted to quarters initially.” He reached onto his desk, carefully tidying up a stack of papers before carefully removing one from the stack. “Throwing stones and assaulting your dorm mother. The requested punishment is service to the mother for the duration of a week for personal rehabilitation.” He hums in amusement. “You have appealed against such a judgement, citing that she might push you to additional violence.” His finger echoes through the room as it taps the counter of the desk. “It’s normal practice to force collaboration between disputing parties to foster understanding, but you are both new here and likely far more opinionated than some of the chosen coming into our service.”

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  A small spark of hope to not get stuck with the hag sparked before being ruthlessly quashed. “Clearly direct service isn’t suitable for now; instead, we’ll have her be your supervisor in the delivery of goods to Queen Karia and her war front. You’ll log everything sent and report to her until the army no longer needs to take its supplies from us.” I let out a small sigh. I managed to scrape free of the worst-case scenario, but I would still have to interact with her for the foreseeable future. However, another thing to note was the faintest twist of anger in the pope's voice at the mention of Karia taking supplies. “That will be all for now, but I welcome you to visit further. New arrivals with your circumstances are remarkably rare, so I would like to offer my hand in helping you get situated to the order.”

  With permission to go, I didn’t hesitate to make my way out. He just smiled as I turned to leave. The disgusting feeling of something sticking to me faded as I made my way down the stairs. I almost couldn’t control the shudder of relief rippling from me. At the bottom of the stairs a paladin patiently waited for me.

  “Ser Callia, I’ve been instructed to lead you to the food reserves.” As we reached the floating platform, I noticed someone familiar arriving; it was the High Priest.” Seeing me, his expression shifted into one of relief.

  “Has our sudden visitation concluded?” The elder asked as he approached. I nodded and smiled back as the smile of genuine relief on his face left a far better impression than the mask of the pope. “A shame. It would’ve been nice to see little Karia again, but I suppose it's best if her business is completed smoothly. Apologies, I have an urgent matter to report, so we’ll have to take time getting acquainted later.” With that he continued on toward the pope while I stepped on the platform, waiting patiently as it drifted down the tower.

  Bargain

  Pope Helod carefully maintained his smile as the girl left. She had been far more observant than he appreciated. The spike in suspicion to even the smallest tells he gave made interacting with the girl extraordinarily frustrating. Even though he felt his face had been far too stiff for the interaction, he had no choice because the girl's perception was far too sharp. That alone would’ve been enough to ruin his mood, but the girl just had to facilitate a spontaneous visit from royalty. The very royalty he had spent nearly a century slowly turning the order against. The queen’s condition passing through that gate and the ongoing war left her distracted enough not to take the opportunity to apply pressure through the sudden. His decision to concede to her requests regardless of the contents was the kind of action he would never normally do, but sitting at a desk filled with demons wasn’t the circumstance to bear scrutiny under. Lightly he tapped on the desk, unsealing his former favorite.

  “Moora, I’m displeased.” Helod’s voice was cold, but the woman still shook in delight and fear. “Threatening my future toys is only permitted after I’ve claimed them. Pull something like this again and I’ll be forced to send you to the pit with the other failures.” This time his threat landed as the demon woman miserably grovelled at his feet, softly begging him for forgiveness. “Even more so, I’m infuriated by that insufferable queen. How dare she pop up from nowhere and make demands like some brazen thief stealing what belongs to me?” His anger spiked, and he kicked the demoness across the floor. He paused as he looked to the doorway. The soft sound of feet running away confirmed an unknown visitor who had just heard or seen his outburst. Without hesitation he grabbed his communicator to the guards below.

  “Seize whoever is leaving, lock down, and arrest all visitors in the holy sanctuary!” He would’ve chased the man down himself, but he wasn’t ready to fight, as all his combat skills had been traded with the demon for administrative and political skills. Rushing an exchange now would mean paying a price he would regret later. As the thought crossed his mind, his partner whispered to his soul.

  “The new girl, promise to deliver her soul to me, and I shall grant you real authority over your pet lesser demons.” Helod's eyes bulged in greed as a smile twisted onto his face.

  “You are never this generous. She must be important to ask like this. I want authority immediately, the girl as a toy, and a promise of cooperation for my grand design.” Without hesitation Helod demanded more.

  “Deal.” Helod blinked in surprise and disappointment as he felt the demon’s satisfaction. It seems he severely underestimated the girl’s worth.