Blade Over Magic

Uninvited Guest

’You seem torn about something.’ Aubrey was the first one to note, and Xander hesitated before sighing.

’Just... the reason I met the princess in the first place. I’m considering whether I should tell you guys about it.’ He closed his eyes and took a breath.

’I’ll tell you what. After the Ball where things calm down at least a little, I’ll talk to you guys then. I don’t feel comfortable keeping what I think is a sensitive from you all when you trust me so much.’ He said slowly, and there was a period of silence.

’... If you’re gonna tell us later, why not just do it now? Not sure if now or later makes any difference.’ Surprisingly, Keir was the one to make this suggestion, and Xander paused before giving a dry laugh.

’Ha, well. Maybe I’m procrastinating so that I don’t have to do it yet.’ He sighed, then he rubbed his chin. ’Well, that’s only half of it. Believe me when I say it’s something really sensitive, and whether or not it’s inherently bad depends on how you guys interpret it. Either way, with everything going on in the ball right now, we already have many things to think about and consider, so I don’t think it’s entirely wise to reveal something that will make us even more on edge while the Ball is going on...’ Everyone watched with a wry smile as Xander, despite obviously being worried about revealing something clearly very important to him, still reverted to his analytical self as he considered the logistics of a secret.

’Haa, this guy.’ Aubrey shook her head. ’Alright, we’ll trust you on this again. The fact you even told us when you plan on explaining says something, a lot of others might have simply kept silent if there was something as sensitive as what you are alluding to.’ Curtis nodded in agreement.

’Yup.’ Xander let out a small sigh of relief, though he felt guilty for feeling relieved. He almost felt like he was deceiving them, even though he technically wasn’t.

At that moment, a soft chime rang through the entire ballroom, and everyone took that as a signal that the dinner had started.

A small magic circle lit up on the center table, and before everyone, a projection of images and words could be seen, showing off different delicacies and a brief explanation about them.

’Magic is so convenient though.’ Xander sighed as after scrolling through, he made his selection. The others made their shortly after, and they watched as on the table, the food they had picked just appeared.

"This is what magic should be used for." Falael joked as she grabbed her plate, and the others just chuckled. It was times like this that they were reminded, magic wasn’t only used for combat, and it was in fact a part of every day life and used to do all sorts of things, like deliver food remotely.

As he began to eat, Xander glanced up at the lounge right next to theirs, and he saw Xavier was there with his two daughters, their maids, and the guards. His eyes were closed, and whether he was meditating, sleeping, or speaking to someone telepathically, he wasn’t sure.

What he was sure of, though, was the fact that Theresa and Claire were glaring at him very hard.

He quickly hid his face behind a cup and looked away.

’Right, danced with the princess. Ugh, why do things need to be so complicated?’ He groaned internally.

***

Eventually, the King gave his closing speech, and under the guidance of the palace servants, the ball attendees were led to the residential wing of the Palace of Defiance. Yes, it had an entire wing solely for this.

Xander looked around at the rows of doors, and he was suddenly felt like he was in a very classy hotel.

"As you are all part of the same entourage, your rooms will be placed next to each other." The servant bowed as she gestured to a row of five doors side by side.

’Yeah, fuck these guys. Your father and half-sisters were definitely taken to something like a suite where they could all stay in together. That’s why they aren’t here. Saying we are in the same entourage and then placing us in separate rooms. That’s some bullshit if I’ve ever seen some.’ Falael didn’t even try to hide the distaste on her face.

’Bear with it for now. Isolating us still remains one of their priorities, it seems. And I have no doubts that these walls are very durable, so if something happens to one of us, getting to each other won’t be easy. Hm...’ Aubrey frowned when the servant went away after giving them their keys, which were really just cards with their mana signatures.

’... In the end, if it’s something we can’t deal with, Mia and Keir are here. And Mary is just in the room over.’ Xander said after a moment. If there was one thing he was confident in, it was the fact that Mia wouldn’t allow any harm to befall them if it was something they were incapable of handling. Add Keir and Mary into the mix, and realistically, attempting to assassinate any of them was a terrible idea.

’I apologize for being unable to stay in your room with you, Milord. I will leave it to Miss Mia.’ Mary bowed, sounding genuinely apologetic, and Xander smiled.

’It’s fine.’ He sighed and looked at his keycard. ’Well, no use waiting, people are already staring at us. We should try to get SOME sleep at least.’ Without wasting any more time, he unlocked his door and stepped inside his room.

’Everyone stay safe.’ He said one last time.

’Right back at you ×3.’ They all replied.

Xander closed the door, and he watched as the invisible figure of Mia walked over and jumped into his bed with Keir. The dragon rolling around.

’Hey, this is pretty soft!’ The dragon exclaimed, and Xander looked around, his mouth twitching.

’I understand that they put us in these rooms to sort of look down on us... But this is legit almost as big as my room in the Lowell Residence. How extravagant.’ He sighed and took out some more comfortable clothes to change into.

Once he was done, he placed Abscinde under his pillow where it could be drawn at any moment and lay down on his back.

As soon as he did, Keir positioned his small body on his chest while Mia moved against his side, both of them basking in the heat he naturally gave off.

’Three days of this, huh? There really is so much to do and think about. Both short and long term.’ He looked down at Mia and Keir who were already sleeping and sighed. He wished he could just turn himself off at the drop of a hat.

With how much was going on in his mind, he’d be surprised if he even got more than three hours of sleep.

...

Or so he thought.

Surprisingly, not even ten minutes later, his chest rose and fell as he entered a deep state of slumber, his body no longer tense. It was so quick, almost... oddly so.

A few minutes later, Mia suddenly opened her eyes and calmly sat up. Without making a fuss, she grabbed Keir and pulled him off Xander’s chest.

This jolted the dragon awake, and he opened his maw to say something, only for it to get pinched shut as she shifted off the bed and walked to the side of the room. None of this causing Xander to stir.

It was then...

"Phew, finally. So much energy just to make one guy sleep? How much willpower does he have? Now I need some sleep after that." A whisper, annoyed, yet if any normal man heard it, their legs would instantly go weak.

From the shadows, a figure manifested, and with her appearance, the whole vibe of the room changed.

Keir gave Mia a questioning look, like ’why aren’t we doing anything?’. But she ignored him and just stared ahead as this figure moved forward.

She was dressed scantily, her clothes only covering the most sensitive parts, and only barely. Her skin was pink, and her figure, well, calling it perfect would have been an understatement. The sheer fullness of her curves were magnetic, her stride making these even more emphasized.

On her lower back, two bat-like wings were folded, hypnotic patterns moving along their surface, and a thin, whip like tail swayed behind her.

On her head, piercing through her silky pink hair which reached her waist, red horns rose proudly as an adorable face that paired devastatingly with the killer body pouted slightly.

"Seriously. It took me so much energy to remain hidden in this place controlled by an Archmage. Now this? Ugh. Well, since he’s one of the main contributors in messing up our plans in the military town, he should be capable of this mu— Oh hey, why’s he kinda..." The entity suddenly moved closer, her eyes which showed irritation suddenly becoming interested as her hands... began to roam his body, and as they did, she gasped.

"My goodness. S-Such a sturdy frame! It’s not like those other guys who strengthen their bodies with magic or just focus on bulking up. Looking at these firm muscles. I could feel these for-e-ver." She emphasized the last word as she seemed utterly enraptured, then...

"Wait, no! Focus girl, you have a mission!" She pulled her hands away and gently patted her soft cheeks.

Keir looked up at Mia again, but he no longer seemed worried. Just... confused.

Even Mia’s calm gaze had turned deadpan.

"Ehem. Anyway, let’s see. Xander, huh? You’ve been causing quite a ruckus recently. Throwing a wrench in our plans and all that," The seductive figure leaned down and whispered into his ear, her voice taking on an ethereal tone, her hand gently stroking his forehead.

"But... you’re definitely useful. If I can turn you into one of my thralls, them maybe... we can make things more convenient for ourselves." A small, almost imperceptible connection was formed as she whispered once more.

"So... be a good boy and open up your soul to me." When she said that, her consciousness shifted.

It delved into this connection, and a moment later, she found herself in another place.

"Great. That was easier than I expected. Now to just... huh?" She blinked and looked around.

She found herself in... a garden?

’... Calm down, some people have odd looking souls and... are those swords?’ She became even more confused when she saw that, in the field of flowers, swords could be seen sticking out of each flower.

’... Okay, now this is really weird. But... whatever. I just need to find his soul body and ensnare it, then—’ She suddenly froze as a cold voice sounded behind her, the sharp edge of a black blade pressing against her throat.

"Who are you?"

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