Rule 63 Demons

A fire sparked in Krichevska's eyes. That was a bet she could hardly refuse. She moved forward in her chair, arm leaning eagerly on the table in front of her. "He shall make it inside and be soundly defeated," she replied confidently.

It was for the best, really. This suitor hadn't dealt with the minions with quite as much flair as she would have liked. He could at least have attempted a little more banter than that.

He would not be disappointed, and she would be five dark manjuu richer. They both got something they wanted.

He smiled wider at her response, still gazing up at her for a moment before turning his eyes back to the doors.

In the week that had passed since she arrived, a small trickle of suitors began to show up. At first it was exciting, wondering what would happen, but it soon became apparent that Hild's gauntlet was Expert Mode and the usual men vying for Krichevska were used to Easy Mode. Eventually, Hild didn't even bother stopping whatever he was doing until they bypassed the first illusion.

In between these failed attempts at rescue, life in the castle was quiet. Hild was often away on royal business, heading back to his actual castle to give orders and maintain alliances. But he always returned at the end of the day, stopping by Krichevska's room to talk and tease her and generally make a nuisance of himself until he was finally kicked out.

Hild now toyed with the earring at his ear, staring blankly at the door. He was a very patient man, but he found himself hoping the champion on the other side would hurry up.

It was more than a little embarrassing at first, seeing so many suitors fail to even get past the first illusion. She had thought she had done well with her tower, but now that she thought about it, she really hadn't been too serious with it, had she? She still had duties to attend to at the castle, and she couldn't have her best vassals guard the tower, as that would leave the castle wide open.

That was probably why princesses tended to be kidnapped by other people in those stories, now that she thought about it.

She changes the view to watch her suitor for a moment, and is pleased to see him finally make it to Vin. "My... He looks like he could hardly win against a Prinny, much less a king." It was enough to make her want to root for the poor man, anyway. He didn't have a chance, but he was trying so hard.

Finally, these suitors' visits were getting exciting!

"A king poses a challenge to three of his kingdom's greatest minds: an engineer, a physicist and a mathematician." Vin began his riddle, dry as ever as he stared with white eyes at the man. Meanwhile, Hild cocked his head to listen from the throne. "The challenge is thus: whoever fences off the largest amount of area with the least amount of fence, wins.

The engineer made his fence in a circle and said it was the most efficient.

The physicist made a long line and said that the length was infinite. Then he said that fencing half of the world was the best.

The mathematician laughed at the others and with his design, beat the others.

What did he do?"

The suitor frowned and thought, turning the riddle over and over in his head. His knowledge of math really wasn't all that good, but there was something that he did remember of it, and his exhaustion from his earlier fights wasn't doing much to help him think, but there was one thing that he did remember.

"He built it in the shape of an 'x' and stated that it could stand for any distance!"

Hild chuckled from the throne, chin on his hands. "Hmm~ He's wrong. Looks like you owe me --"

"Correct. You may pass."

"What!??"

Hild shot to his feet, growling. He knew what the correct answer was, being Vin's creator, and that was definitely not it. So why? Why was he opening the door? Gathering his cool, the demon lord rolled his shoulders backwards and sat back down as the stone doors slowly opened with a harsh grinding.

This time, he wouldn't have to pretend to be angry.

Krichevska blinked confusedly at the window, rising out of her seat to get closer so she could watch. It wasn't the answer? Then what was going on?

The suitor limped into the throne room, sword dragging behind him as he breathed in heavy breath after breath. He swallowed to wet his throat and lifted the weapon to point at Hild. "I have made it through your challenges! Now give our queen back!" After all, if it was that difficult, she must surely have been kidnapped for real this time.

The poor boy looked so haggard, Hild might have actually felt bad for him, were he not so irritated. He was not used to surprises. He didn't like surprises. Especially when they came from one of his own creation.

So Hild remained sitting, a dark aura of power radiating off him as he coldly regarded the sword pointed at him. This was such a waste of time...there was no challenge in this beaten pup.

"No," he said simply, shifting to cross his armored legs, placing his chin in his clawed hands. "That I could even steal her to begin with means you're not worthy of her. Turn around, boy, if you value your life."

The young man narrowed his eyes, sweat dripping off his brow. The sheer power radiating out from that aura was enough to tell him that Hild wasn't kidding. This could very well be the end of his life. If he fought now, this would be the end of his life.

The hand holding his sword began to shake and he chewed on his bottom lip. He didn't seem to have the bravado to say any more, but he was clearly rooted to the spot--whether it was out of stubbornness, bravery, indecision, or fear wasn't clear.

When it became apparent the challenger wasn't leaving any time soon, Hild sighed in cold annoyance and rose up out of the throne. His heavy armored greaves crunching on the stone steps, he slowly made his way down to the young man, cold air billowing his feathered cape and briefly giving him the appearance of dark wings. He tilted his head to stare down at hero, eyes faintly glowing with demonic light in the dim, cool lighting of the throne room.

"So you have some conviction after all? Or does fear keep you frozen?" Hild held out a hand, palm towards the boy's sword, and though the point of the blade was nearing his hand, he kept walking. "Either way, hard work should be rewarded. So I won't kill you."

A red glow emanated from Hild's hand, and mere centimeters away, the blade of the youth's sword started to melt like it was made of ice. Looming over him, Hild looked down his nose with eerie, ancient eyes.

"Run, boy. The only thing that can defeat me is love. Your queen stays here until a stronger heart than mine comes to claim her."

The boy stared wide-eyed and shaking at what remained of his sword for several moments, taking in fast, sharp breaths. When he was finally able to tear his gaze away from the sword he stared at Hild, shook his head quickly, and turned on his tail and ran as fast as he could.

Meanwhile, in her bedroom, Krichevska busied herself by clamping a pillow to her face to quiet herself, rolling back and forth on the bed, and desperately trying to stop her heart from beating so fast.

Hild stood for a moment, watching the young demon flee. Once he was sure the boy was gone, he sighed deeply, all trace of dark threat immediately gone. Instead, he merely seemed put upon as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"Krichevska? You can come out now," he called into the empty throne room.

It took a moment longer than usual, but Krichevska soon stepped out, brushing a few locks of hair back into place. The smile she wore felt as though it would never fade.

"As I thought! He made it through after all. I believe I have handily won that bet."

If the demons in Krichevska's realm could see their dark villain now, they'd be amazed. Hild sulked like a little boy, arms folded. "He'd never have made it through if Vin had played by the rules! Vindhlér!"

The door at the end of the hall closed by itself, the stone shifting in its frames. The familiar stone face appeared, as blank as ever. "Yes, Master?"

Hild pouted even more. "Why did you let him through? The answer to the riddle was that the mathematician made a fence around him in a circle and claimed everything outside himself as fenced in!"

"You and the Lady seemed bored. I thought to entertain you with something different."

Krichevska laughed lightly. "I must admit, it was entertaining," she said. "So many of them hardly get to you, much less through."

It was entertaining, seeing the men attempt to make their way through the gauntlet, even if it left her feeling a bit guilty from time to time. But the end, it was no worse than what the Prism Rangers had to go through, was it?

"And you've never gotten to use a line like that before now, have you, Lord Hild?" Krichevska asked. Though her tone was somewhat teasing, a faint blush that had settled around her cheekbones betrayed her thoughts. "I must say, it was quite impressive. Enough to wonder if you had practiced it before."

Hild took his disapproving glare from Vin and settled his eyes on Krichevska, a quiet warmth in them. "Line? It was no line, my lady, but the simple truth. Love is the greatest power, in this world or the next. It makes even the most humble man a king and the most powerful man a slave."

He smiled a small, distant smile. "That's the sort of love you seek, correct? And it's the only power that can make your suitors strong enough to defeat me."

Again she felt her heart beat faster in her chest. That look on his face... Those eyes! Those damnable words! Why? Why did it all have to come together so beautifully like that?!

Hild had a nice, long chance to see her face slowly redden before her body finally caught up with her mind and she covered her face with her fan, turning her gaze to the ground. "Y, Yes. That is the sort I seek."

Suddenly, the flat, inhuman voice of Vin broke the silence between them. "If such a strong-hearted man went through all of this only to find himself at the mercy of a manipulative scheme, being toyed with by his Queen, would that love remain?"

Hild snapped a warning glance at his minion. "Vin, you and I will need to have a discussion later. Until then, make yourself useful and keep an eye on the front door."

She drew back, as if stung. "That's..."

But it was true, wasn't it? All of this... It was selfish and cruel. Who was the true villain in all of this?

Krichevska hung her head, and her voice was barely above a whisper. "I only wanted it to be like it was in the books."

Vin melted away from the stone doors and they were left alone. Hild watched her face in silence for a moment, his expression unreadable. Eventually, he took her hand lightly in his and lead her to the steps of the throne, guiding her to sit with him. When he spoke, his voice was quiet in the echoing throne room.

"Have you ever been in love?" he asked gently, searching her face with his eyes.

She stared down at the carpet, mulling the question over. It should be a simple "no," but... If she were to be completely honest, it wasn't that simple anymore. She had fallen hard and fast, and the way he acted wasn't helping that any. She held out hope that maybe, just maybe one of these suitors would have enough of something to them for her to turn her attentions away from Hild, but the longer this went on...

"I..." It came out strangled, and she found herself unable to meet his eyes. Marller had said Hild had no time or need for love, and Krichevska had no want for something that couldn't be returned.

Taking her inability to answer as a no, Hild looked away and out over the dark, empty room. "Life is not a story, and love -- real love -- is not a game. It's messy and complicated and painful. Half the time you find yourself questioning everything you say and do. Feelings get hurt, you feel embarrassed and insecure, you become a slave to the whims of someone else. Someone who can make you feel like you've captured the sun and stars, and the next moment, can crush you with a few words."

As he spoke, his gaze was distant, as if seeing something worlds away. "Love is selfish, love is kind, love consumes you, love gives you strength. It's not so orderly and tidy as stories would have you believe, my dear...but I would still prefer it over a story."

Krichevska laughed humorlessly. "I wonder if that is why so many demons choose to pretend they cannot feel it." She stood and walked a few steps away, her back to Hild. "I seem to be one of few exceptions in that regard."

A small smile appeared on her face. "So... you have been in love before, Lord Hild?"

He watched her slender back for a moment in silence, lips parted slightly. Then he glanced away, his voice somewhat rough around the edges. "...once. I loved and lost. As it turns out, sometimes love isn't enough to keep two people together. Why do you ask?"

For a moment, she felt a pang of guilt for bringing something like that up for Hild. But at the same time, a little hope began to well up from within. "The way you spoke before... It sounded like something only someone who had experienced it could say."

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