Chapter 3
Lotus shook her head with disdain, "If you simply let them recover and they hear about us taking the blame, they would simply try it again. Next thing you know, the one who did not start the trouble ended up being known as the troublemaker. Riddle's magic has always kept others away from this line of thought. So, this has never been a problem for him. Malleus's reputation as the strongest magician and background has kept others from acting out of line. The two has been able to keep others in line without needing to be present in the dorm. Everyone has the ability to keep others from acting out. However, what if that center of power is gone?"
Lotus took another sip of coffee and sighed, "If I released them so easily, won't they not just try another scheme? Or do you think I will believe that these guys don't have the time or energy to try something that stupid?"
Hearing this, Jamil realized that she must've had the antidote much earlier than she had stated or maybe she had it all along. She simply just wants the guys to feel the suffering for what they did. A sadist, really...
Perhaps, even bringing the antidote here was also her plan to buy time for the others to continue to suffer the indiginity as animals.
Riddle sighed, "Fine. Unfortunately, they can only wait for us to return."
"You should really have stopped this." Malleus shook his head in disgust.
"I will be going then." Lotus put down the cup, "I am still waiting for this escort to show up, but, since nobody has appeared... Looks like they are rather short-handed today. Thanks for the coffee!"
As she walked away after putting down a piece of paper, Malleus curiously took the paper and scoffed, "Again?"
He burns the paper away.
.....
Lotus walked along the street when she noticed a familiar looked image. She approached the window and retrieved a small plastic bag from her ring—the logo on it matched the one on the glass.
"I don't want it. You should have it if it's your favorite day." She grumbled in dismay as a bag of crossaint was shoved into her hands. She sighed as she took a bite reluctantly. It was buttery, flakey, and slightly salty. It was good.
"How is it? Do you like it?" Her teacher laughed, "It was good, then?"
"It's… good." She nodded reluctantly.
"That's good." Her teacher slowly sat down on a chair across from her, "It is good to eat good food with others. When doing so, the food would taste that much better. The food we eat, the people we meet-"
"Are the gift of god." Lotus muttered with a tired sigh as she took another big, "Yes, yes."
"So, you should take this chance to explore this new world." He smiled.
"Got it." Lotus nodded wearily.
The croissant was warm. Buttery. A little too soft on the inside, just how she used to like them when she was younger.
"Good food always tastes better with others," her teacher said, smiling gently across the table.
Peony looked down at the half-eaten pastry in her hand, then out the window at the busy city street. "Others," huh? Back in her world, faith didn't come from gods. The so-called deities were just cultivators who climbed too high and forgot how to fall.
Gods? She had met them. Fought them. Bled for them. They broke her and called it divinity.
Her sister would've had something poetic to say. Something about Buddha and humility, about gods who never asked to be worshiped. She used to babble those stories like bedtime tales, even when Peony was too jaded to believe.
Peony took another bite and muttered, "Still better than a lecture."
"What was that?" her teacher asked.
"Nothing," she said with a sigh. "Just remembering someone annoying."
She was dragged out of her thoughts as her teacher suddenly patted her head. He smiled, "Then, it's a confirmation? Good! I'll assign you your summer assignments while you go visit Queendom of Roses!"
"Wait, what?!"
With that, she was dragged to Queendom of Roses against her will. Lotus huffed, "For someone who is studying law and into justice, Master is such a sly person. To think, he was able to do something so deceptive…"
She sighed and tossed a couple bags of freshly baked crossaints into her ring. Suddenly, she heard a familiar voice ringing information into her head. Listening to them, she raised a brow, "The tower? Hmph. About time. I guess it's time I pay master a visit."
She vanished in a flicker of light, reappearing atop the familiar tower in the heart of the city. The wind tugged at her hair as she surveyed the rooftops below, lips quirking in thought. Azul had mentioned something odd about the gargoyle up here… She drifted toward it, eyes narrowing. Even now, the stone looked as lifeless as ever—yet the hum of mana pulsed underneath, thick and old like something long buried in stone.
Peony crouched beside it, elbows on her knees, chin resting lazily on her palm. "You know," she murmured, voice light, "artifacts that leak mana like this usually don't go unnoticed. They're temperamental little things—leave one lying around and it starts warping the mood of everything nearby."
Her gaze wandered over the still, quiet city.
"But this place? Not a whisper out of place." She tapped the stone creature's wing with a soft clink. "Even you are doing a convincing job of being a glorified garden ornament."
She leaned back with a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "Makes a girl wonder what's being hidden so neatly under all this normal."
The other gargoyles were perfectly set in their position as though they had been their entire life. Lotus sighed, "Such a powerful and ancient city, I wonder what would happen if I bring even a tiny match here. But just a match isn't fun… hm… Ah! Got it!"
She cheered as she pulled out a pink jester doll, "This should spice things up!"
She stepped off the edge as her foot landed upon one of her strings. With a sneer, she cutely made her way up the top of the tower. Once she reached the top, she gently placed the doll on top of the tower, "Once the festival in the city reaches its peak, this will release a firework much bigger than what these newbie magicians can do! Oh! I can wait! Whoa!"
She jumped away as something rushed through the place where she had stood and snapped the strings as it came through. Lotus landed on another stable string next to the doll as she smirked, "Oh my. How rude. Attacking someone who is just offering some nice decor to their house."
"AS IF!"
Before her, the gargoyles were glaring at her angrily as Peony blinked, cocking her head, "Whoa, talking gargoyles? Cute. Took you long enough—I was starting to think you were just really committed to the whole statue act."
With a mischievous glint in her eye, she suddenly appeared inches from one of their faces.
"Was it fun? Playing dead while a guest rolled out the welcome mat? I'd say you nearly made the poor baby dragon tear up. Now, wasn't that precious?"
"You witch!" One of the gargoyles hissed, "There are people living in this tower, and you're just thinking of blowing it up?!"
Bingo…
Peony blinked innocently, "Huh? What do you mean? Can't you just build another launcher after this one's used?"
"What about the people living below-! Ah!" The gargoyle covered his mouth in shock. Lotus smiled as she suddenly appeared before the gargoyle and patted his shoulder, "I'm sorry. I didn't hear that. What did you say? Well, I guess it doesn't really matter."
She disappeared before them much to their horror. Unfazed by her sudden disappearance from the top to the lower floor, Lotus carefully made her way down the stair case as butterflies flew out from her in a frenzy. She was almost there! Just a little more!
She could hear the entrance on top of the tower swing open as Lotus hurriedly rushed down the steps. Suddenly, Crystal replied, "Master! To your left!"
Lotus turned around and saw a door. She hurried to it and noticed the shiny doorknob. She swung the door open and rushed in, "Master!"
Inside the room, numerous machines were lined up around the walls of the room with wires and tubing lined towards a single bed next to the small window in the room. Under the cover. a frail and small old man with a distorted face laid there, breathing with the aid of the tubes and his hand held by a gargoyle by his bedside. She could see the chaotic flow of spiritual energy within him. Alarmed, she rushed forward and took his pulse.
Shocked the gargoyle was ready to attack her, "Who are you-"
"His symptoms flared up again and his spiritual flow is in disarray. These stupid machines are just making things worse!" Lotus glared at the machines and lightly tapped the gargoyle's shoulder as she stepped towards the machine and quickly made adjustments to them. Once she did the same to a few other machines, she returned to her master and gave him a tiny pill. Slowly, her master's eyes began to open as she called out to him, "Master, how do you feel?"
His eyes which had been staring up to the wall slowly came down upon her as a small and weak smile graced his lips. He touched her hand and said cheerfully, "My, Princess Peony. Crossdressing again? What did I tell you about playing tricks? You didn't scare someone half to death again, did you?"
His slow words stopped the incoming gargoyles in their tracks as they watched in disbelief, but it also warmed her heart and calmed her.
"I've barely saved you from death and the first thing you do is scold me." Lotus huffed reluctantly but she was internally relieved.
"Haha…" Her master laughed, "It's because I know you can do it. Just as you were able to find me. Come now. I wish to see how mature our princess has become. If it will make you feel better, this old man shall throw you another birthday party here in Flower City. I apologize for breaking my promise."
There was a loud growl that echoed in the air.
"Stupid old man." She humbled in disdain and snapped her fingers. Before the two, a young woman in bright red and purple sash stood before them barefoot. Her long red hair flowed down to her hips as she magically brought out a tray with a bowl of warm cottage cheese and placed it in front of her master with a huff, "If you're really sorry, get better quickly. You made mother and father worry half to death when you suddenly disappeared!"
"Look at you. You've grown into such a beautiful young lady. Haha…" Her master gave a warm laugh as she helped him slowly adjust his bed, "My dear gargoyle friends, let me introduce you all. Peony, these people are my childhood friends. They guard the tower and the city from evening to dusk. Everyone, this is my youngest personal student, Peony Xue. "Peony Xue. She is the daughter of Fairy Kingdom's royal family…"
The gargoyles stiffened. The tension in the room snapped like a string pulled too tight. One of them hesitantly glanced at the puppet still clutched in his claw.
"I hoped she did not trouble all of you with her arrival, but it seems that wish was a pipe dream. Ha…"
"This…" The gargoyle hesitated and brought out her puppet.
"Why, isn't that the puppet I gave her when she was little?" Tropin looked to the puppet with a hesitant look.
"She put it on top of the tower and called it a bomb and said fireworks." The gargoyle hesitated.
"PEONY!" Tropin took a wooden stick from his bed side and swung it around, "Didn't I tell you time and time again to stop it with these silly antics of yours?! Why, I-"
"Yes, yes." Peony sighed before taking the stick from her master and hand feeding him the food, "Since you're acting so lively, it looks like you are perfectly all right. We can talk about the specifics after you get better."
The gargoyles looks to one another as they nodded in relief. For once, they agreed with her.