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Paved With Good Intentions Chapter 13
🕑 Added 2022-06-01 09:35:58 +0000 UTC~The Worst Outcome~
Eveleena Astaroth has lived for over three centuries and in that time she has experienced quite a lot. At least that is what she thought until three short years ago when she journeyed to the human realm on a mission to carve out a fiefdom for herself. This mission would eventually have her visit a quaint little town that was remote in its location and overlooked by just about everyone. It was in this innocuous place that Eveleena would discover something or rather someone who was for all intents and purposes was a hidden treasure.
His name was Jacob and ever since she first laid eyes on him Eveleena has had a vested interest in the boy. As a Demon Eveleena has the instinctive ability to sense the hidden potential in humans. This sixth sense was directly tied to their ability to make a magical contract which in turn is a mechanism created to ultimately elevate a Demon above their current standing.
Her interest in Jacob started as curiosity for the mere fact that he was able to garner her attention, her, a being centuries old and used to being around individuals with near godlike levels of power. Needless to say it was a great feat in of itself and in a remote town populated by the most mundane humans she had ever come across he stood out even more, like a star amongst the clouds. Her interest was piqued and after taking the time to interact with him her attention was set.
As an individual Jacob was not very interesting, just a then thirteen year old commoner boy from a small town. Yet his innate potential inexplicably drew her to him to the point where she just could not leave him be. It would be a week into her visit to Everguard that her investigation of the area was complete and she was set to leave. She considered taking Jacob along with her or at the very least plant the ‘seed’ for when she would return as he was far too young for her liking but given a few years he would make a fine servant.
She almost went through with it too but before she could something amazing happened, Eveleena received a vision. A Demon receiving a vision was not unheard of though they are reserved for specific circumstances. In all cases the visions occur to Demons not in a contract when in the presence of a human with the best compatibility and the highest potential for greatness. With such demanding prerequisites there are not a lot of Demons who receive visions.
Demons are creatures naturally drawn to power because they are literally power hungry by design and eons of evolution have ensured that the modern Demon was not only able to seek out power but also equipped to nurture said power. All of this was in an effort for the Demon to take said power for themselves. The visions are just another evolutionary quirk granted to them for this purpose.
As for what Eveleena saw in her vision the answer was simple, she saw Jacob’s potential fully realized. It was naught but a glimpse, a single moment but she saw Jacob at the height of his potential and she became enraptured.
That very same day Eveleena put all her plans on hold pending a full reevaluation so as to ensure that she spent as much time as possible close to Jacob. Some may ask why she did not simple use her tremendous power and vast array of spells to not simple take the boy, kidnap him, enthrall him or corrupt him into her servitude? The answer was simple yet complicated at the same time.
The short answer was simply instinct. The same force that let her see Jacob’s full potential also guided her immediate actions afterwards. Eveleena hardly ever hesitated before in her life and she certainly would not hesitate to take someone who could possibly become a very powerful entity in the future if nurtured properly. The fact that she hesitated to do as much only lent to the fact that this was a different game she was playing.
In the moment where she could have taken Jacob those years ago Eveleena felt as if she was being watched. Something of a higher authority had turned their gaze upon her and deigned to allow her to notice. They did not directly interfere but she could feel their judgment as well as the very subtle thread they used to guide her. She did not know who or what this entity was, it could have been the Dark God for all she knew but the message she perceived was clear enough.
DON’T.
And so she abstained from her initial choices to go the more subtle route. Instead of indoctrination through corruption she chose instead to build a rapport with the boy, form a bond with him. It was admittedly a new experience for her to not simply take something she desperately wanted. Even still she barely influenced him beyond her presence which was never amplified through her mana or magic. The most she did was to ‘mark’ his mana so there was no question that he was taken.
The more time she spent with Jacob the more Eveleena began to see that there was more to him than his untapped potential and it all started with his parents. Both of them were only slightly above average in terms of potential however it was their story that piqued her interest. She got the information of their background through private conversations (and in the case of the mother using passive hypnosis) after which it would seem that much like their son there was more to them than meets the eye.
His father was orphaned at a young age and grew up in the slums of the capital city of Wenia. Against all odds he managed to claw his way through adversity and make something of himself as an adult. Eveleena had done enough investigations into Wenia to know that what Jacob’s father accomplished was something admirable even if he was only a mere shopkeeper. Orphans in Wenia do not have a long life expectancy and most of the ones who survive to adulthood have much bleaker prospects than owning a shop in a quaint little town.
Then there was his mother whose past was more akin to the stories one would read in a novel. A former foreign noblewoman born to an aristocratic family of some renown but was on a steady decline. To secure their power they resorted to intermarriage with another noble family and she was chosen and forced to comply. It didn’t make it any better that her would-be husband was a horrid little man. Faced with her options she chose to flee her country to Wenia under an assumed name and arrived in Everguard as a travelling scholar where she met her future husband.
Eveleena thought the mother’s family lineage would provide some insight into why Jacob’s potential was so high but what she did managed to find was nothing too spectacular that would stand out from the typical fair of human nobility. The mother’s family served another kingdom as knights which gave them some standing. She may have been able to find something with a more thorough investigation but she could not spare the resources to do such.
Still despite not being able to find anything of true significance in their lineage the two were more interesting as individuals anyway. The first thing that stuck out to Eveleena was that the parents were not true supporters of the church or the Holy Order. They attended services and prayed to Erestia however it seemed more out of obligation than anything else. Humans like that were rare, especially in a place that was so mired in devotion to the Goddess.
For that alone they had Eveleena’s exclusive patronage.
Other than that due to their past experiences they passed on some interesting values onto their son. For one Jacob too was not very devoted to the Goddess but more than that he has never once considered joining the Holy Order, even as a hypothetical dream. She found it very ironic that the only child who actually had a chance at becoming a knight or even a Hero did not have any inclinations towards the positions.
Eveleena was sure of this not because even without her direct interference he has already began to tap into that potential himself. In just two years Jacob has already separated himself from his peers by being physically and mentally superior to them. There was no other way to put it from her observation.
Even with just the physical effort of playing, doing chores and helping around his father’s shop she put his physical speed and strength around the level of a fully grown adult, at just fifteen years old and it will only increase with time. As for his mental superiority his mother has done him the service of imparting her knowledge onto him as a scholar. It also helped that Jacob himself was naturally curious and sought knowledge for himself something that she has also nurtured through a few loaned tomes from her collection, all ‘safe’ of course.
It would not do for him to develop anti-Erestia sentiments just yet.
Still, for as amazing as Jacob’s growth was it was also abnormal, far too abnormal to be a mere quirk of tapping into his hidden potential. It took Eveleena longer than she liked to figure out exactly what was going on. No that was incorrect for she knew exactly what it was but had to explore all other possibilities before confirming her initial assumption. Eveleena must not, could not blunder in this assumption for the implications were too grand to be a trifle.
Jacob has the Heroic Bloodline and it was very much active within him. Eveleena could not believe her luck, forget Wenia, Jacob was worth more than a mere country. Through him she would be able to ascend into the vaunted rank of Arch-Demon. If she were to return home with him as her contractor then her mother would support whatever endeavors Eveleena would choose to embark on. All the power she could ever want was literally right there in the form of a teenage boy.
She could have chosen to halt her plans for Wenia in order to invest time and resources into grooming Jacob but Eveleena did not do this. She was not just any Demon desperate for power and prestige. She was Eveleena Astaroth, power and prestige were already at her disposal, no, what she wanted was satisfaction. Eveleena would not be satisfied with choosing one over the other and so why should she choose between Jacob and a country when she could have both?
And so she came up with the perfect solution that came in a three phase plan.
The first phase involved her maintaining her presence in Everguard to forge a bond with Jacob. To do this she delegated the investigation of Wenia to her servants while acting as the overseer.
The second phase would have been to solidify her bond with Jacob by evolving their relationship into something more intimate before bringing the results of the investigation to her mother in order to garner support for an invasion.
The third phase would have seen Eveleena reveal her true self to Jacob, remove him and his family from Everguard and continue to groom him all the while commanding the conquest of Wenia.
The plan was complex in its conception and would be arduous in its execution but it was also brilliant. By the end of it all her victory would have been assured. Wenia would be her new Kingdom and Jacob would be taken as her contractor/consort.
Eveleena thought she accounted for everything, she did not fathom there could be unforeseen complications of a large magnitude and she certainly did not see herself faltering. So when she found herself abruptly exposed, defeated and forced to retreat at the expense of both a kingdom and Jacob Eveleena was momentarily at a loss due to shock. Then before she could properly recover her servants arrived to pour salt on wounds of her battered ego.
~O~
Following the appearance of her servants and Ysmeina’s subsequent apology they were all ushered to the healing rooms where they would be treated for any and all injuries. Eveleena was taken back to her room in order to continue her recovery in solitude but for only as long as it took for Ysmeina to be treated, cleaned and changed out of her armor before appearing to give her report.
Her siblings, particularly Aezaris, were very insistent on being present, however Eveleena was able to dissuade them by citing this as her business and wishing not to involve them in it. If there was one thing all three siblings agreed upon it was that none of them would interfere with each other’s business unless the aid was requested or it could not be helped. Considering the nature of what was said Eveleena made the right choice to dismiss her siblings, especially Aezaris, the gossip, at least Sarsea on the other hand knew how to keep a secret.
What she especially did not want for them to know about was Jacob status of having the Heroic Bloodline. Should that be made known her hold on Jacob could become tenuous since she had not ‘properly’ claimed him. From Ysmeina’s report it seems that neither she nor the others are aware of this. That was hardly a relief as Ysmeina explained how she, Caitlin, Roselyn and Riseth conspired to abduct Jacob. How they initially succeeded only to be tracked down by the Valkyrie, defeated in short order and lose him as said Valkyrie retook him.
By far the most important aspect of her tale was how it was revealed that Jacob was being taken under the wings of that accursed Valkyrie to be trained as a Hero. Ysmeina for her part felt deeply ashamed at her failure and as for Eveleena she had gripped her sheets tight enough that her red nail-like claws and ripped through the fabric and was pressing into her palms hard enough to draw blood.
“How…dare…” the Demon whisper growled.
If Eveleena was not currently in a weakened state her power would have certainly thrashed the room. Anger did not even begin to contextualize how incensed she was. Eveleena was absolutely livid. It wasn’t enough that she had been defeated, forced to retreat and literally crawl back home in humiliation but now the Valkyrie would go so far as to conscript Jacob, her Jacob into the Goddess’ crusade.
Make him a Hero?
No they were going to turn her Jacob into a murderer.
‘I cannot allow this to happen!’
Despite her inner turmoil Eveleena’s expression did not betray the façade of calmness she projected.
“Rise Ysmeina” Eveleena intoned to the prostrating Dullahan “the failure of your attempt was no fault of your own.”
Tentatively the Dullahan stood back up, her expression no longer reflected shame but determination “what will you do now my lady?”
If it were up to her she would venture back to the human realm, find and rescue her Jacob and pull the Valkyrie into the deepest pits of corruption. Even with every fiber of her being screaming at her to take this course of action right now Eveleena was not and never was an impulsive woman.
“For now we do nothing.”
“Pardon?”
Eveleena gave a wry smirk “you are still weakened and I am hardly in any condition to travel let alone fight. I will not commit to a plan of action until I am fully recovered.”
Her weakness bothered her very much but she knew it was only temporary and with Caitlin shadowing Jacob it would be paltry to find them once she returned to the human realm. Eveleena had no doubt she would be battling that Valkyrie again, in fact she counted on it.
“For now leave me. You need your rest just as much as I.”
The Dullahan bowed, went to the door, turned back to say something but hesitated before leaving the Demon to her own devices. Once she was by herself the calm façade that had encompassed Eveleena slipped and she got up on her knees turned to her pillows and began punching. It started slow and precise until it eventually devolved into barrage as her blue arms blurred into the soft material. For minutes Eveleena did this, expending her limited energy but not her frustrations until finally ending with the Demon collapsing into the now thoroughly mashed fluff and giving out a muffled scream that would have no doubt been ear piercing otherwise.
“For what it’s worth I believe you made the right decision.”
Eveleena raised her head from the pillow, her appearance disheveled and gave her eldest sister a withering glare. Sarsea was seated on the bed, she had not noticed when she came in and even if she did Eveleena doubted she would care.
“You heard that.”
“Apologies” she didn’t sound very apologetic “I could not risk you attempting to leave in your condition.”
Eveleena gave an unladylike snort “I am not some hotheaded child Sarsea.”
“I know” the elder demon agreed “but most Demons tend to become irrational when it comes to their contractors.”
“Speaking from experience?”
“Of course” Sarsea agreed without missing a beat “that is especially so for Demons in our position with power, wealth and resources to throw around.”
Oh and weren’t those just tales of their century? It was one thing for a lower class no name Demon to act out and do something unbelievable in the name of securing a contractor. It always seemed amusing, uncouth or reeked of desperation in the eyes of the upper class and yet one of the most unacknowledged facts was that those same highborns were just as prone to overreacting.
There were so many stories of highborn Demons doing some truly outrageous things in the name of securing a contractor. Eveleena has heard many such examples: from storming castles to subverting governments, from instigating rebellions to crafting conspiracies and etc. When one has an abundance of literal power, wealth, authority and a lifespan measuring in centuries you’ll find there is very little one cannot accomplish if properly motivated.
In that sense Sarsea was right to worry her sister would become impulsive. Right now if she so desired all Eveleena need do was ask Sarsea for assistance and her sister would storm the human realm with her own servants and a contingent of elite dark knights and present both Jacob and the Valkyrie before her. In fact Eveleena was pretty sure Sarsea wanted her to do this, if for no other reason than she wanted to genuinely help her younger sibling. The only thing preventing Eveleena from doing this however was pride and the idea of appearing weak.
Some would say it was a foolish notion especially considering her current circumstances but to that Eveleena rationalize that the true sign of weakness was giving up.
“Well I am not like most Demons.”
“If you say so~” Sarsea chuckled.
Eveleena did not share her humor “I may not be planning to go after them at the moment but I won’t be spending my time recovering here” that wiped the smile off of her sister’s face “as soon as Riseth is able, we will be teleporting back to my estate.”
Of course Eveleena had her own home, they all did. The Astaroth ancestral home is technically the abode of the matriarch and her consort, in this case their mother and father, and what self respecting high class Demon would still live with their parents after a century? That was bad form and unless it was due to very extenuating circumstances the one in question would be considered a failure at life.
“That’s a shame, I was hoping you would stay for a bit longer. At least until mother and father arrive.”
Eveleena barely managed not to flinch. That was the main reason why she wanted to leave.
“Sarsea I-could you” Eveleena came up short but her sibling seemed to understand.
“Unfortunately that genie is out of the bottle so to speak.”
Meaning that her parents were already aware of the extent of her injuries and there was no way for her sister to downplay it. More than likely she will be expecting either a visit from her parents or a summons to come back home. The only thing she can do now was prepare for that inevitable meeting.
Eveleena let out a calming breath “are they still in the Royal Makai? How long have they been gone?”
“It’s been about four months and they are expected back in a few weeks.”
That explains why Sarsea was here in Qliphoth instead of at her own home. If their parents go out on long excursions then it falls to her to act as steward of the territory.
‘At least I have time’ Eveleena thought ‘if I present myself properly then everything will be fine…hopefully.’
The last thing she wanted was for her mother to think her incapable because then there would be no hope of her resolving this on her own terms. Before she could ponder more on this she was interrupted by a loud commotion. Several moments later the doors were blasted open. The high heel of the thigh high boot lowered and a disgruntled Aezaris gave the two occupants a narrow eyed look.
Sarsea looked mildly exasperated while Eveleena seemed annoyed.
Behind the youngest Demon Vhaara materialized with an apologetic expression “my apologies, she was very insistent.”
Aezaris gave a derisive sniff “as if you could keep me out.”
The Demon sauntered into the room making sure to slam the door into the slime maid’s face with a flex of her magic. The action earned a frown from both her siblings but she could care less.
“That was uncalled for.”
“That’s what she gets for trying to stop me in the first place. Now” she gave the two older Demons a sharp glare while her arms folded “what were you two scheming about in here?”
‘I forgot how much of an entitled brat she is’ Eveleena thought, having not seen her sisters in over a decade since she left home.
“That-” but before she could tell Aezaris to mind her own business Sarsea interrupted.
With a glint in her eyes that had Eveleena feeling very worried the eldest Demon leaned forward “as it just so happens Eveleena was about to tell me all about a potential contractor she met.”
The reactions of Eveleena and Aezaris could not have been more polarizing as the younger sibling lit up with interest the older of the two seemed to sag and become dour. Eveleena shot the older Demon a look of betrayal however Sarsea was unrepentant.
“YOU FOUND A CONTRACTOR!?”
Eveleena’s eye twitched ‘could you repeat that, I don’t think the border patrol heard you.’
Her thoughts came out in mutterings to which her sister replied “WHAT!?”
“…”
In the silence that ensued from Aezaris’ outburst Sarsea was stifling giggles and Eveleena was reminded of her sister’s quirk where the more excitable she got the louder she got. So with that in mind she took a calming breath and ground out through clenched teeth.
“I would appreciateif you didn’t scream that knowledge to the high heavens.”
“Not to worry sister, I placed a silencing ward around the room” Sarsea chirped.
“…of course you did, how foolish of me to presume you would not be prepared.”
Truly with siblings like these who needed a Valkyrie?
“Alright I’ll stop” Sarsea acquiesced only to be interrupted by Aezaris.
“None of that matters!” the younger Demon took her place laying right next to her bedridden sibling and giving Eveleena her full attention “I want to hear everything about your contractor. Who is he? From which noble family does he hail? Is he handsome? Is he a knight or perhaps a Hero?”
And on and on she prattled off leaving Eveleena no room to interject. She glanced helplessly at Sarsea only to receive an amused expression.
‘You’re enjoying this aren’t you?’ Eveleena glared.
“Immensely” Sarsea’s expression seemed to say.
With a sigh Eveleena put a stop to Aezaris’ ramblings the only way she knew how, by giving her a head pat. The effect was immediate as her fingers caressed the younger Demon’s sensitive horns.
“If you would give me the opportunity, I would be happy to speak.”
Aezaris for her part flushed in embarrassment and after a mumbled apology she kept silent as Eveleena spun her tale.
~To Be Continued~
