Hearing Seraphina's judgment, Faust teased Mephisto inwardly:
"Mephisto, she says veterans are useless. What do you say to that?"
By Seraphina's logic, Mephisto would be utterly beyond redemption.
[Hmm... hard to argue, actually. Among us Fae, the younger ones do tend to have more vitality. Old things should keep their distance they carry a certain odor.]
Faust: "And you?"
[I told you, my name is Little Mephisto obviously I'm very young!]
Mephisto shifted her tone, and the voice she conjured in Faust's mind became that of a bright, spirited young girl.
The very picture of a childlike heart, truly.
Faust smiled, shook his head, and said to Seraphina, "Maybe so, but how would we know without trying? Even if it doesn't work out, it's no great loss and if it does, the rewards would be immeasurable."
"There will never be a second Lord Lian."
Even the Imperial Princess had to admit it was worth attempting, though she sighed before explaining to Faust:
"For a Fae to undergo the Dragon's Fall is no simple matter and not at all like the evil dragons recorded in legend, who descended upon the mortal world without warning or preamble."
"As is common knowledge, Fae have no physical form. To descend into the mortal world, they must first fashion a body of flesh a vessel. Only with a vessel does descent become possible."
"And the crafting of such a vessel cannot be achieved through ordinary materials. It must be capable of containing the Fae's spirit and will. Such a thing does not exist in the mortal realm; it must be shaped by the Fae's own hand."
"Shaped by their own hand?"
Seraphina nodded. "Yes, by their own hand... The problem is that Fae are not permitted to do this under normal circumstances. It is utterly impossible unless it falls within what fate has sanctioned as their appointed duty."
"Ah, an appointed duty... Could it be?"
Faust raised an eyebrow. This was something he had never heard from Mephisto quite the revelation.
He had a theory, and the Imperial Princess nodded, confirming the prince's conjecture:
"After guiding a mortal to fulfill their destined role in the script of fate, a Fae may bestow a blessing upon them. A portion of that blessing can be siphoned off by the Fae to gradually shape their physical form. Only through such accumulation over time can a body in the mortal world finally be completed."
"Lord Lian has been the guardian deity of the Empire since eight hundred years ago. All of us in the imperial line have received her blessings, which is why Lord Lian was able to complete her corporeal form far more swiftly than the evil dragons recorded throughout history."
So that was it skimming from the top at every transaction.
Faust pressed a finger to his chin and nodded steadily. A Fae watching over the Radiance Dynasty would have enormous amounts passing through her hands. Given the frequency with which the imperial bloodline received blessings, reaching the title of fastest Dragon's Fall in legend was entirely believable.
But wait if that was all there was to it, shouldn't Mephisto have undergone the Dragon's Fall long ago?
Even if it killed him, Faust refused to believe Mephisto had ever played by the rules.
[That's not how it is. I am remarkably well-behaved. Besides... the older and more deeply-settled a Fae is, the greater their spiritual power, and the greater the demand placed on the vessel that must contain it. I can't complete the process as easily as Lian did.]
The second half of that was surely the real reason.
Faust's brow creased. He suddenly asked, "Mephisto, have you ever skimmed from my blessings?"
[Faust, words that undermine unity should not be spoken.]
Son of a so all those ages before, you never once thought of stealing from blessings, but the moment you met me, you got ideas? You singled me out specifically as your personal cash cow?!
Faust laughed out of exasperation. On the surface he conversed with Seraphina in perfect composure, while inwardly he had unleashed a torrent of accusations at Mephisto.
Faced with attacks her contractor had no way of broadcasting aloud, Mephisto remained entirely unruffled, and simply offered a quiet explanation:
[Because before I met you, I had never truly resolved to undergo the Dragon's Fall.]
Hmm?
That answer gave Faust a brief pause though to Seraphina, who was watching, it looked like he had been struck speechless by the revelation.
The corner of Seraphina's mouth curved upward.
"Well then? Now that you understand how the Dragon's Fall works, do you still hold to that audacious idea of yours?"
"You are bound to receive blessings going forward. Setting aside whether you could even find a Fae like Lord Lian one who loves humanity enough to willingly fall if a portion of your blessings were being siphoned, you would advance more slowly along the path of cultivation. Can you truly accept that?"
"Not every Fae is like Lord Lian, who began cultivating her following a century in advance."
[Honestly, this is all backwards. Lian's Dragon's Fall was my idea to begin with. Without me, that young upstart never would have had the foresight to plan so far ahead.]
Right, right so this is your doing too, Mephisto. You really are a menace. Utterly unrepentant.
With the full picture now clear to him, Faust exhaled slowly and said, "Thank you for clearing that up. We can discuss the details tomorrow."
Seeing Faust's thoroughly unbothered expression, Seraphina tilted her chin upward slightly.
"Hmph... Fine. Lord Lian said not to interfere with your decisions. If you insist on this, then do as you please."
By now the carriage had reached the royal palace. The capital of Aurum was never a particularly large city, and with a boulevard running straight to the palace gates, the journey was swift.
Stepping out of the carriage, Faust led Seraphina and the rest of the Imperial delegation to his residence.
"The chamber next to mine should still be vacant. I've had the maids tidy it up. It's a humble place, I hope you'll forgive any shortcomings."
Seraphina lowered her traveler's hood at that, and smiled.
"It makes no difference. The descendants of Radiance were not raised to be pampered. Besides, it doesn't matter what accommodations you prepare."
Oh? So she doesn't mind roughing it. Perhaps those rumors I'd heard about the arrogance of the Radiance imperial family were overstated.
Just as Faust felt his preconceptions about the Imperial House softening, that poised and lovely face curved into a smile:
"Because there is no remote little kingdom that could ever meet my standards. To me, it's all more or less like sleeping in a stable or shall we say, a pigsty?"
Right. The rumors were entirely accurate.
Faust suddenly found himself at ease and laughed. No wonder he had sensed something imperious about this Imperial Princess from the very first glance her courtesy and respect toward him were entirely a product of her own Fae's instructions.
Not that it mattered. Faust had no intention of becoming too entangled with the Second Empire. The bond between them was, at its core, forged around the Fae, and nothing more.
As long as both Fae remained, the alliance would hold fast.
Just as the group was about to cross into the prince's private quarters, Seraphina suddenly stopped.
"Hmm? Something here..."
The Imperial Princess let out a soft sound and looked toward the other side of the chambers.
Faust was about to ask what was wrong when a prickling ran across his back a sharp, instinctive warning that raised the hair on his skin.
"Zhing"
The ring of a blade clearing its sheath cut through the air, and for a heartbeat, time seemed to drop a frame.
In the stillness that followed, a sweep of light like a falling silver moon came slicing down from above, and in its wake, a wind so fierce it scraped across the cheeks like a blade.