"Allison…" Abigail said, taking her sister's hand. "We need to get father."

Allison, who seemed greatly shaken, nodded quietly and then ran away with her twin. Isabella watched the shield with stars for eyes and a crescent moon for a smile. It was almost easier to look upon this face than the gently smiling one she'd been confronted with in that palace of ice. That vision she'd seen didn't seem like an invention… and perhaps it wasn't. Perhaps that was a real place, repurposed to its needs. That seemed to be how this devil functioned.

"What gave you away, you asked? I've heard plenty of tales about devils," Isabella said. "And more than that, I've had plenty of experience with people who want to get something from me by any means necessary. Besides… you're a worse liar than my cousin, I'm afraid."

Balat winced. "I'd be insulted worse if I didn't know her—her talent is enviable. I'm sure that there's other things you're leaving out… but I won't begrudge you your secrecy. That'd make me a hypocrite."

The devil was right about her leaving things out. She'd been alert to the possibility since the moment that she'd heard an inactive relic had come alive once more. At first, she thought her own ability might be related to devildom, but upon hearing her father had come here once before to no effect… her mind had always been looking for other solutions.

Devils didn't give up their prizes easily. They could only have an impact in the world through humans. Though they had great powers—powers far greater than any form of magic could offer, even—they were forbidden from acting on the world personally. They needed a human medium for their actions. Once, devils had ruled over this land almost as personal fiefdoms, but the rise of the Eternal Word had slowly eroded their presence over the years. Most people had forgotten the Eternal Church was meant to fight back against devils because their presence had dwindled so much.

The north had been one of the last bastions of paganism and devilry. She wasn't surprised Balat still clung to power. Besides, the idea of spellcasters being so far beyond Arthur, Igraine, and the Archwizard… it strained credulity. They were some of the brightest people that she knew, and the Archwizard in particularly had both the genius necessary and a noted lack of morals. Perhaps the devil hadn't been lying about Eagaliteh, but she doubted things were as simple as that.

"What is it that you actually want?" Valerio asked it.

"Archduke Felix broke my hold over this family," Balat said. "It's only natural that I would seek to involve myself once again. And Isabella… I think it's only fair you repay me. You owe me your life, after all." That crescent moon smile widened.

"Excuse me?" Isabella asked.

"I told you that I wished you to call me Teacher. I wasn't lying. I taught your father all of the intricacies of his ability, and how it was passed down to the next generation." Balat's eyes fixed on her. "You and all of your siblings owe your life to me."

Isabella couldn't help but inhale sharply upon hearing that. If that were true… then that one simple action had spiraled all the way to this. It had been responsible for Edgar's search for an heir—a journey which escalated into what had become a continent-spanning civil war in her last life.

"You're lying. The Archwizard was the one that helped him discover this information," Arthur spoke up.

"Did he?" Balat asked with a smile to its voice. "Edgar started having children only after he came here and conquered this place. Quite the coincidence, no?"

"Why should anyone believe anything you say?" Arthur continued.

Balat's smile didn't fade. "Believe what you want. Since things have come to this, though, I'll make myself clear. You won't be able to do anything to Edgar without my aid. You were already beginning to come to that conclusion, but this should speed things up."

"We've only just begun searching," Isabella rebutted.

"Do you know how old Edgar is in real time?" Balat asked. "A few millennia, at least. Do you think that someone makes it that far by accident? Chance alone couldn't preserve someone for this long. He has an incredibly robust system to ensure his safety. He's beyond paranoid. He checks for traitors around him once every day, torturing them until they break and then starting again. His ability is so frightening that even I had to act like a meek dog before him… and yet you honestly think you'll find a way?"

Isabella scoffed. "We'd have to be fools to trust a devil, all the same."

"There's mutual benefit," Balat promised. "That's how you know it'll work."

Valerio walked closer to the shield. "You say that to everyone, without a doubt."

"I do want your power," Balat admitted, looking past Valerio to Isabella. "Yet I want it in its entirety. But it doesn't necessarily need to be your power, Isabella. I can achieve what I want by compromising with you. A devil's deal is absolute, don't you know? I can help you… and you'll help me. You could do much with my help. Save the life of your friend, Arthur—that's something you want, isn't it?"

"I'd sooner die now than listen to this," Arthur rebutted, but Isabella listened patiently.

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"Before, I couldn't hope to stand against Edgar," Balat admitted. "One failure, and he'd dedicate the whole of his nigh-eternal life to hunting me down. A frightening prospect, even for a being like myself. Yet by extracting your power, Isabella… the possibility of failure can be eliminated outright. You could easily defeat Edgar. And then… you would give him to me, in his entirety," it said, its voice sickly sweet. "I can assure you that of all the worst fates you might give him, placing him in my hands is the most severe. He would suffer in ways none of your ilk can conceive of."

"I'm sure we all would," Arthur said offhandedly. "Isabella… I'm not sure how it is you knew that the Archduke had this thing stowed away in here, but now that I know the source of the intrusion, I'm confident I can ensure no further incursions. We don't need to entertain this thing."

Balat's smile seemed to grow even larger. "It doesn't matter if you try and silence me. The fact is, I know that you'll come seeking me out. Edgar is the seed that I've raised personally. You won't be able to stop him without getting rid of your pride. And when that day finally comes, I'll be here. Waiting, with starry eyes and a bright smile. So… good night. Good night, sweet children. And good luck."

The shield returned to as it had been before Isabella held the scroll up to its surface. It stood there on the wall, pulsing yet dormant. Even though Isabella had been the one to uncover the ruse, the shock of it still lingered in Isabella's mind.

***

"It's the last desperate effort of a being that is losing power trying to reclaim what was lost to it," Arthur said. They'd moved to another location to discuss this, and were joined by Felix. "Everyone knows it's folly to engage with devils. We should put this incident behind us as an unfortunate lapse in security and continue on as we have been."

"I'm inclined to agree," Valerio conceded. "The moment that we play its game…"

"We already are playing its game, aren't we?" Isabella asked, staring out at the north from the castle window. "It was the one that set Edgar off on the road he currently travels. The timeline aligns far too well. It wasn't until after the conquest in the north that Edgar began his… ruthless drive to find an heir."

"It could be a coincidence," Valerio said.

"Everything could be. But is it?" Isabella returned.

"Even if it isn't, you can't believe a word it says," said Felix, who'd joined them. "That thing… that thing set a specter over my house that lasted for thousands and thousands of years. Once you let it in, Isabella, you'll be consigning yourself to its tyranny, the same as we were."

Isabella looked away from the landscape at Felix and all her advisors. "But is it wrong? Think about what it said. Edgar's system to preserve himself is ironclad. None have ever managed to best him by confronting him head-on, after what may well be millennia of life."

"You're not genuinely considering taking its deal, are you?" Arthur said. He rose from his seat and walked over to her, anger making his words harsh.

Valerio laughed. "You don't know her at all, do you?"

Isabella felt glad that at least one person understood her meaning without her saying it outright.

"The devil is right in one thing," Isabella eventually said. "Edgar isn't someone we defeat by assaulting head-on. His ability was practically designed with that in mind—failing some tremendous gamble, it simply won't work."

"You escaped from his clutches once before," Felix pointed out.

"…that was different. He had a rare moment of weakness after his long period of inactivity, and the mistake had been made days earlier," Arthur explained, walking away from Isabella to stare out the window she'd just been watching. "Things have changed—he's neither weak nor impatient, now. He's back to as he was. Edgar understands his vulnerability more than anyone. He's taken measures to ensure that every way he might be toppled is protected."

Isabella nodded. "As I see it, there's only one way to defeat Edgar for certain, without relying on yet more devils to solve matters. That's to make his downfall his own design. To manipulate the situation so completely that he walks into his own grave." She shook her head. "It's the only outcome that has a proven track record."

"Meaning…" Arthur said, his tone indicating he already knew.

"I've consulted the devil that gave me my first life. Perhaps it's time to do the same for the devil that gave me my second," Isabella said with a wry smile.

***

Bernadetta set down her tea and stared at Isabella for a time.

"Why did you go on that Royal Progress, Isabella?" Bernadetta asked. "Barring all of the other factors at play, it's because you understood a very simple principle. Physical presence in a location allows you to exert proper influence. It can take weeks for news to travel across a nation, and even longer for accurate news. But going yourself, in person, allows you to see things as they happen, and make judgments as they happen." She raised a brow. "Do you understand what I'm saying?"

"I think I do," Isabella confirmed.

Bernadetta sipped at her tea once again. "The only way that I was able to achieve what I did in the royal capital was because I had a personal presence there. Maintaining ties with you was equally important—it granted me access to the royal palace. Simply being inside that building was the difference between a total lack of influence and a great deal of it." She shook her head. "I cannot hope to contest Edgar without physical presence—and after what I've done, there isn't a way to involve myself personally once more without dire repercussions, or extreme leverage. Nor do I think you'd allow me to walk from this gilded cage."

Isabella's eyes went distant, and she sighed.

"But… I don't think you realize some advantages you have," Bernadetta said. "You have one thing Edgar covets, and one thing Edgar fears above all else. You've cured the wasting illness, it seems. That is something he's sought for decades, long before it even claimed him, and it's in the palm of your hands. As for something he fears… you have a power equal to his own."

"Equal?" Isabella repeated. "I'm not so certain."

"Yet does he know that?" Bernadetta pointed out. "Why must you confront him from the shadows? You have an information advantage, Isabella. You know his ability, yet he is clueless as to yours. You could invent a reality. Use it to force his hand. And when his hand is forced… crush him." Bernadetta smiled. "I've done it many times before."

Isabella stared into her violet eyes. "Would you care to do it once more?"

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