Refusing My God’s Advances

Once all the demons were in the warehouse I went to go see them all with Shelli. I had asked them to separate the single female into her own room. So, when we got there, five guards were watching over the males. According to Shelli, three others were watching the female.

I was about to start asking questions when I heard yelling coming from the back room. I rushed over with Shelli just in time to see one of the guards holding the female by the hair with his dagger at her neck.

Time nearly stopped as I felt my anger boil up, but I gripped my consciousness tightly as I moved like the wind. Before anyone could react, I was holding the guard against the wall by the neck, and his own dagger, still in his hand, but with the point almost touching his eye.

"I am pretty sure that I spoke very clearly when I said not to lay a finger on the prisoners besides transport," I said in a very low and dangerous voice.

"I-I-I-," the man tried to say, but I pulled back the dagger we both held, slamming it into the wall beside his head.

I let go of the idiot as liquid pooled under him, and a foul smell rose up. Without saying a word, I picked up the demon woman, who had tears in her eyes and looked at Shelli.

"Find us another room. I don't want to have to smell that mess," I said, my tone softening so I did not scare Shelli any more than I already had. She looked white as a ghost.

I let Shelli go first, but I turned back before leaving the room, looking at the two nervous guards still standing. "Deal with him, but I suggest that you find a different job for him. Anyone that can keep his head cool or follow orders doesn't deserve his job."

With that, I left the room and then went to the room on the other side of the hall with the open door. Shelli was waiting for me and she let out a sigh of relief when I came in.

"Good, I thought you were going to cause more trouble," Shelli said with relief, and I narrowed my eyes at her, making her flinch back. I really had to work on my face, but that remark annoyed me.

"Do you really think that I caused the trouble here? Or was it that you never even told them to keep their hands off them?" I asked, and Shelli stepped back in shock.

"Of course, I told them what you said!" She declared, and I nodded along.

"Then what trouble did I just cause? I am pretty sure I was just dealing with..."I said, pausing. I was about to say client, but that wasn't right. "The guard that didn't follow his orders."

"but you moved so fast! It was just like before!" Shelli exclaimed, and I nodded again.

I was about to try to explain myself, but then stopped, closing my mouth. Why was I explaining anything? I was already wasting time with this when I should be at the blacksmith. While I was glad I came here first, I was getting really tired of Shelli questioning me.

Each time she did, I got a flash of the Idiot God in my mind. I was getting really tired of trying to figure out if I could even trust Shelli. To the point where I wasn't sure if I should even keep her around. We hadn't even gotten through the entire first day, and I was worried about going to sleep with her around.

"Leon?" Shelli asked slowly, but I shook my head. 

"Leave the room while I question her," I said, making Shelli wince again.

"Leon! I am sorry if I made you mad, but do you think that is really wise?" She pleaded, but I glared at her.

"I think you don't want me to question her because that idiot of a god doesn't want me to," I said, making her back into the wall with a worried look on her face.

"Leon... Why don't you trust me?" She asked in a very small voice.

"Because you haven't given me a reason to trust you. In fact, you have almost only done things to make me wary of you. If you can't even see that, then this is a bigger problem than I think," I said, and tears started to form in Shelli's eyes, but my mind was set.

Even if I was wrong. Even if she hated me. Nothing mattered if I let go of the few shreds of control I had. I needed to be cautious, and if that meant cutting ties with Shelli, then so be it.

"Leon, I... I don't know what to say. I just wanted to help," Shelli stammered, her voice shaky.

"I appreciate the help, but I can't afford to be naive in this situation. I need to question the demon, and I need you to leave the room," I said my tone firm.

Shelli nodded reluctantly, wiping away a tear, and left the room. I closed the door behind her and turned my attention to the demon woman who was still sitting on the floor, looking frightened.

"Alright, let's get some things straight. Who are you, and what's going on with these attacks?" I asked, trying to keep my voice steady.

The demon woman hesitated for a moment before speaking. "I am Princess Lyra. We were forced to attack the town by the Dark Sorcerer. He has control over us through a cursed mark. If we disobey, he can inflict unimaginable pain on us."

"Dark Sorcerer? Cursed mark? Sounds like a classic villain setup. Why would he want you to attack the town?" I inquired, my mind racing to make sense of the situation.

"He seeks to sow chaos and fear. The more chaos, the more power he gains. The cursed mark ensures our compliance, and we have no choice but to follow his orders," Lyra explained, her eyes filled with desperation.

I sighed, rubbing my temples. This could also be a trick, but unlike with Shelli, and the events that surrounded her, my gut told me that this little one was telling the truth.