I am the real Cyrus in this world? I let that heavy statement from Lilith settle.
"Me?" I finally said it, shaking my head and smiling. "I'm not Cyrus… I'm just a barista in here… I'm not interested in that field…"
"Thou mayst not be interested, yet what will befall if the long-lived creatures are interested in thee?" Lilith asked with a little smirk on her lips.
"If that happens, maybe I will do like Cyrus…Just watching…"
She glanced towards Orla…"Hooo? 'Just watching?'" Lilith purred. "Methinks thy 'watching' hath already begun. And thou hast already drawn the gaze of others. 'Tis not thou who art watching, but everyone is trying to watch thee…"
Her eyes met mine. "If humans are trying to watch thy every step, may I do that too, Darya?"
"You are a demon lord, Lilith. You must be watching my every step from far away. Your ring, that gift to me, may be the evidence of it." I asked.
Lilith chuckled. "Oh, my dear Darya, I am always watching. But sometimes, 'tis more fun to watch from up close." She winked before turning her attention back to Orla. "Haply I shall release that pervert bat to help thee in this shop."
"You don't need to do that…" I said, "The last time she was here was a bit too much…"
"However, Darya…Is't not fair that thou dost allow humans to watch thee every step, but not others?" Lilith's words sent a chill down my spine; it felt like she didn't want me to be watched by others.
"Allow?" I said, letting out a short, dry laugh. "Lilith, I didn't allow her to be here. She was... a condition of my departure from the human realm. Orders from her Lord."
"Condition or not… Letting their commander learn and watch thee every step. That's a bit extreme, dost thou not think?" Lilith raised an eyebrow, her expression unreadable.
"So, do you want to appoint Chis to act the same as Orla?" I asked…
"If the human's realm did it, so I must do it, must I not?" Lilith said with a low tone…
"What will happen to other long-lived creatures if you make Chis in here?" I asked, trying to gauge the potential loophole.
"What art thou trying to say?"
"I mean, if you make Chis stay and watch me, imagine the demon lord appointing her best commander to watch a lesser human. What do you think will happen to the balance of power among the long-lived creatures in this world? What will Elves think?" I continued, "They will try to appoint their commander to stay in here too…
She leaned back. "Thou art right. 'Twould be a dreadful bore. Muranu makes one move, so I must make one… And then the elves would feel obliged to make their move; after that, the Saintess of humans would feel obliged to make her move too.. Thy little shop would become a shelter for spies…"
Suddenly, her eyes were sparkling with a new chaotic light. "And thou sayest that… as if 'tis a problem?"
"Of course… My home will be full of spies wit
h different races…" I said.
"'Tis exactly what I wouldst call it!" Lilith laughed as she clapped her hands together softly. "Imagine it, Darya! Muranu's little commander," she gestured to Orla, "and elven priestess, and perhaps e'en one of Saintess' little puppets… All trapped in thy little box, unable to draw spell or sword. Thou wilt be the Cyrus of this world; thou canst be watching all these creatures and learning it."
I looked around my shop as I imagined what would happen if a vampire lord, a human, an elf and maybe a dryad – all the long-lived creatures in here. It would be like a game or even like a DND campaign. However, I was inside the game in this world.
Will it actually be okay to let all these creatures in here? The first problem is rooms; I don't have many rooms…
"You have an amazing idea, Lilith…However, this shop couldn't accommodate more people, because it doesn't have any rooms…"
"Well, 'tis not a problem for Chis…She could just summon a portal to her own chamber. Or perhaps thou couldst just make her be inside a ring… Thou seest? Thy little problem is no problem at all."
Is it really okay, though? To accommodate all these creatures in here… In imagination, surely it would be okay…
"These conversations…" I needed to find a distraction, as I was thinking about the idea. "How about some drinks and some cakes to fill our mouths and minds…"
"Yeah… sure… I want the same as before…" Lilith said…
I looked at Varania. "What about you?"
"Same…" Varania said…
I prepared the drinks, cappuccinos, and chocolate cakes, trying to push away any doubts about accommodating all the creatures. I placed the orders in front of them.
Lilith took an excited sip of her cappuccino. "Thou art so efficient, Darya…"
"Efficient, huh? I just do my job…" I looked at Lilith. "Your idea about this place was a great one…"
She paused with her cup in mid-air. Her eyes narrowed with keen and genuine interest as I said that. "Continue…"
"So…How about…a neutral ground?" I said…
"A neutral ground? Interesting… Continue…"
"It means this place will be a hub of other races…A place where other races could evaluate and see what others do and think…"
Lilith's eyes lit up with excitement at the thought of a neutral ground. "So, thou art not thinking of it as a shop full of spies, but a shop full of thoughts from others?"
"Exactly…"
Her smile widened as her eyes sparkled with light. "A 'neutral ground'…" she mused with a soft voice and was delighted about it. "A 'shop full of thoughts'. Where 'mountains' can truly speak, huh?" She looked at me with her sharp and analytical gaze. "Thou art truly the real Cyrus, aren't thou? You are trying to find the 'fault lines' not just in me, but in the entire world."
She laughed, a genuinely delighted sound that made Orla flinch in the background. "'Tis a marvellous idea, Darya!"
"Well, if you're that interested in the idea," I said…"I already have the first…let's call it 'exchange of thoughts' ready to go."
Her expression sharpened instantly. "Hooo?"
"As my visit to the human realm," I said, "it wasn't just to meet Muranu." actually thought it meant to meet Muranu…However, it costs to arrange the meeting…
"And what else didst thou do in the human's realm?"
"I met the Saintess, Cera."
"Ainur's apostle?" She continued. "And what didst thou want with her?"
"Actually, I, the one who wanted to see her…" I replied.
"What?"
"Because of my 'association with demon' like you, Varania, and Chis. The human realm already knew my whereabouts and those rumours. They came here with their battalion, tried to besie—"
"Besiege?" Lilith cut in…
Her playful smile was replaced by a cold, flat stare. The amused, sparkling light in her eyes turned sharp and icy. I saw Orla in the no-shoes area, flinch, and instinctively pull the pillow closer.
"They sent their battalion… to besiege thee?" Her voice became dangerously soft. She let out a short, sharp laugh. "How… droll. How utterly insolent."
"Well, of course, they couldn't besiege this shop and the tree… So…" I glanced towards Orla, "She came to the shop with her guards."
Lilith and Varania immediately gazed towards Orla, and it made her pale and hide behind the pillow. "Why did she come to thy shop?" Lilith asked in a low tone.
I said, "She came just to tell me about the purpose of the siege…"
"Which?"
"The Lord of the Realm wanted me to meet him…"
Lilith's cold stare was still fixed on Orla, who seemed to shrink behind the pillow.
"So," Lilith said, "They failed to besiege thee… and so they sent their Lord's little commander to summon thee instead?"
She continued with a little chuckle. "And thou didst… obey? Like a hound to its master's call? As you are human, so you obey your lord?"
"It wasn't like that," I said quickly. "I don't have any Lord, for your information. As she couldn't take me in the hard way. The siege became louder as the armies thought she was being held hostage. I didn't like that… She and I didn't care about the siege becoming longer. However, I was intrigued by the human realm. I wanted to know the place… So I struck a deal with her… To summon Cera, the saintess…"
"Why dost thou need this saintess?" Lilith asked.
"I needed her protection in the human realm, as the saintess is at the top of the human power. It meant Muranu couldn't try to do anything as I was in the human realm. With the rumours, surely the human realm wanted my flesh. However, this protection needed a deal between me and Cera…"
"What is this deal?"
"A deal where I arrange a meeting between you and the saintess, Cera, in here…As this place is a neutral ground between you and Cera, and a neutral ground of power…"