The Villain Wants to Quit

Afternoon Tea (2)

"I also wanted to inform you that everyone who knows your identity took an oath to never reveal it," The queen said.

Theo grimaced.

He loathed the idea of people making oaths on his behalf.

"And if you feel up to it, I would like to invite you to dine with the royal family tonight," The queen rose, returning to her seat. She drank her tea as if she hadn't just witnessed Theo on the verge of a breakdown and discussed murder.

Scourge followed suit, gnawing on a cookie, but gave Theo anxious glances as he chewed.

"It will be a much more pleasant meal than your last one with us," Queen Lisbeth laughed.

"I will admit the king, and I were being slightly dramatic for the sake of our wayward children." She shook her head. "I still cannot believe the things they did behind our backs."

Theo awkwardly smiled but didn't answer whether he would join the royals for dinner.

Instead, he steered the conversation back to business.

"What do you think our next step should be to kill Dullahan?" Theo asked.

"Since Stabby believes we have at least a couple of years before Dullahan's body is mended enough to be a disastrous threat, the king and I believe we should start by sending you to the Magic Research Center and Institute," The queen said. "They may be able to run some test to analyze what ritual Dullahan performed to steal your mana – and if it can be reversed."

"We should vanquish Dullahan before his body heals instead!" Scourge suggested.

"We are creating a squad to track him, but who knows how long it will take," Queen Lisbeth explained, refilling Theo's teacup. "Owen Audie was our first spy to successfully infiltrate Dullahan's base - and even he was compromised."

"I agree that we should study the ritual," Theo said.

While the thought of becoming a test subject made him apprehensive, to say the least, he couldn't leave Dullahan with his mana.

Moreover, he was unsure what would happen to his mana if they killed Dullahan before it was returned.

Going to the magic tower was a necessary plan.

"I was thinking of sending Vin and Marie with you," the queen said, sensing Theo's nerves.

Theo relaxed a little at that.

"Can we have Giselle, too?" Scourge asked the queen.

"Unfortunately, I can't spare her," Queen Lisbeth scratched Scourge's chin as she spoke. "I want her on the team to find Dullahan. He may be sloppier at hiding his trail if he's wounded and lost his base, and her sprite friends are great at finding tracks."

"I'm not sure," Theo shook his head. "I don't think Dullahan ever kept me at his actual stronghold; I'm willing to bet he has plenty more places to hide."

"Why do you say that?"

"For one thing, Dullahan didn't trust me," Theo said.

He pulled aside his shirt collar, displaying the scars from his oath.

Queen Lisbeth winced.

Theo was likely the only human who had an oath with so many amendments.

"It took years of perfecting this before I was allowed anywhere without an escort. Dullahan knew I was a rebellious, ticking time bomb.

In the beginning, I tried to destroy the base a couple of times, so even with the oath perfected, Dullahan still didn't completely trust me."

Theo paused as he recalled the first time he got a good attack on Dullahan.

He managed to wipe out about a fourth of the base before Dullahan could stop him.

"There's no way someone as cautious as Dullahan would have brought me to his true stronghold. Plus, the base was always too small for the scale of havoc he wrecks. I know he has more followers."

"Do you have any ideas of where we could start looking?" Queen Lisbeth asked.

"Dullahan never spoke about his background," Theo said, "but he wore a golden ring with a family crest I could never recognize. It could be something he stole, but he never took it off, unlike his other jewelry that he changed frequently."

"Would you be able to draw it?" Queen Lisbeth asked.

"Mortal Theo is a horrendous artist," Scourge said.

"You saw me draw in mud," Theo countered. "I'm not nearly as bad if I'm using actual pen and paper."

Scourge shook his head at Queen Lisbeth.

"Ask Giselle if you want a picture," the dragon whispered. "She is a lot better of an artist than Mortal Theo."

The queen waved a servant over and had them retrieve paper and pen.

"Try your best to recreate the crest, and we will look into it," Queen Lisbeth said.

When Theo finished the drawing, her practiced smile faltered.

"I'm sorry," Theo said, taking the drawing back and adding detailed labels and written descriptions. "Maybe this will be more helpful."

"Thankfully, Vin has a well-connected information network," Queen Lisbeth said. "They often perform miracles as long as I don't ask too many questions about their methods."

Theo wondered about Vin's background but decided it couldn't be worse than his own.

"When do I leave for the magic tower?" Theo asked, turning the conversation back to mana research. The queen would probably want him to leave immediately after dinner.

"It will take at least a week to liaison with the magic tower," The queen said. "We could pressure them to move faster, but then they'll be less cooperative. They're a little...sensitive... as a whole at the tower."

Theo raised an eyebrow. He was thinking of a certain magic tower researcher and wasn't sure 'sensitive' was the right word for her.

Regardless, the thought of wasting an entire week made him anxious. He absentmindedly rubbed his neck.

"A week is a bit..." Theo started.

"You can train with the King's Guard if you feel too restless," the queen said. "My son claims you have yet to scratch the surface of your potential."

Theo nodded.

It was true.

"I would also like you to get a full medical exam; it sounds like you have been denied basic medical care."

"I'm healthy," Theo protested. "I always was healed eventually."

"I will not force you," the queen said, "However, there is a big difference between eventually getting just enough treatment for your body to semi-function and actually being healthy. A healthy body is crucial for mana regulation, something I hear is preventing you from reaching your full potential."

"My blood is-"

"I intend to have some healers take the same oath as my knights," Queen Lisbeth said.

Theo avoided eye contact with the queen.

"Moreover, I'm sure Dullahan is doing everything he can to strengthen his body while you neglect yours."

Theo flinched. He didn't enjoy seeing healers.

"Mortal Theo, you are not going to avoid checkups while you make appointments for me with Chaya Amian, are you," The tiny dragon's eyes filled with betrayal.

Theo grimaced. Children were troublesome creatures.