LinieBaru Chapter 21: Serie Has An Offer For LinieBaru (Patreon)

Subaru was heading toward the Mage Association Tower with Übel, her steps light, her mood high. People on the streets recognized her, pointing and whispering, and she waved at them with a grin that stretched from ear to ear. She liked this kind of attention. The admiration, the awe, the way strangers looked at her like she was something special. It felt good. It felt like she had finally found a place where she belonged.

"Huh," she said to herself, her voice barely audible over the sounds of the city. "This is nice."

Übel walked beside her, her staff over her shoulder, her eyes fixed on Subaru with an expression that was hard to read. She looked bored, but there was something else beneath the surface, something that might have been amusement. She was watching Subaru the way a cat watches a mouse, waiting to see what it would do next.

"You are enjoying this too much," Übel said.

Subaru shrugged. "Can you blame me? After everything I have been through, I deserve a little praise."

Übel did not respond. She just kept watching, her eyes sharp, her smile faint.

Just then, a wiry, older man approached them. He had slicked-back gray hair, blue eyes that seemed to pierce through everything they looked at, and a straight mustache that framed his mouth. He was dressed in a long white robe over a navy-blue Continental Magic Association uniform, and he wielded a thick wooden staff tied with a large jewel. The staff hummed with power, and the jewel glowed with a soft, steady light.

He smiled. It was a polite smile, the kind of smile that said I am here to help you. "Greetings," he said. "I am Lernen, the Director of this organization."

Something is off.

Something is wrong.

But Subaru knew she couldn’t let her guard down.

Subaru's grin widened. She struck her signature pose, one finger pointed up, one hand on her hip, her expression dramatic. "Hello! I am Subaru! Clueless and broke beyond your imagination."

Übel gave a small wave. "Hey there."

Lernen's smile did not waver. "I know you. You are the heroes who saved the Vorig City."

Subaru's chest swelled with pride. "Hehe. I guess my reputation precedes me. I did not think the boss himself would come to greet me."

Lernen nodded. "You are special. That is why." He gestured toward the tower. "Now let me take you to the special place for the exam documents. It is fine if you do not have any."

Subaru's eyes sparkled. "Really?"

"Indeed," Lernen said. "Follow me."

He turned and began walking toward the tower. Subaru followed, her steps eager, her heart light. Übel walked beside her, her expression unchanged.

As they entered the lobby, Übel nudged Subaru. "Something is shady," she said.

Subaru nodded. "Yeah, I noticed. This feels like a trap."

The lobby was oddly deserted. No guards, no receptionists, no mages rushing to and fro. The walls were bare, the furniture sparse, and the air was still and heavy. The doors behind them closed with a soft click.

“Huh—”

Before Übel could react, something struck her from the shadows, she clutched her neck. The next second, she crumpled to the ground, her staff clattering beside her, her eyes closing.

"Übel?!" Subaru leaped back, her hands reaching for her mana. She tried to summon something, a blade, a shield, anything. But her mana did not respond. It was there, she could feel it, but it was blocked, trapped, unable to flow.

Lernen smiled. "Incredible piece of work," he said. "My golems are immune because I infused them with a modified crystal that nullifies mana."

Subaru's eyes widened. "You know what I am?"

Lernen's smile did not waver. "Any decent mage would know. A demon cannot hide from those who understand mana."

Subaru looked at Übel. "Is she dead?"

"No," Lernen said. "Just a small golem I used to hit her nerve. She will wake up in a few hours."

Subaru's voice was flat, calm. "Am I going to die?"

Lernen studied her for a moment. His eyes narrowed, and his smile faded slightly. "Huh. That look on your face. You do not fear death. Or rather, you think you are unkillable. Both of which are wrong. You cannot possibly try to do anything without mana."

Two huge golems made of stone came up from the lower levels. They were massive, taller than Subaru, their bodies covered in glowing runes that pulsed with power. They moved with a heavy, grinding sound, their steps shaking the floor.

"Now let us take you elsewhere," Lernen said. "I do not want to ruin the beautiful place."

Subaru's eyes darted around the lobby. She spotted a pole used for flag hoisting, long and metal, resting against the wall. She grabbed it and threw it at one of the golems with all her strength.

The pole struck the golem's chest. It scratched the stone, leaving a faint mark, but nothing more. The golem did not even flinch.

Subaru's heart sank. "No demon can break them," Lernen said. "Not anymore."

Subaru turned and ran toward the door. She threw herself against it, pushing, pulling, trying to force it open. The wood did not budge. The door was sealed, locked by magic she could not use.

A golem's hand closed around her. Its fingers were cold and hard, like stone, and they wrapped around her torso with a grip that was impossible to break. She struggled, kicked, tried to squirm free. It was no use.

Another golem grabbed Übel, lifting her limp body as if she weighed nothing.

Lernen watched them with calm interest. "Take them downstairs," he said. "I have questions for our guest."

The golems turned and began walking toward the stairs. Subaru hung in the grip of the stone hand, her turban askew, her horns almost visible. She could not move. She could not fight. She could only wait, her heart pounding, her mind racing, searching for a way out.

───✧───

Subaru was tied to a log. The ropes were thick and coarse, biting into her wrists and ankles, holding her in place against the wooden beam. Her shoulders ached from the position, her arms stretched behind her, her back pressed against the rough surface. The room was cold, damp, the walls made of stone that had been carved into the earth. Faint torchlight flickered from sconces mounted on the walls, casting long, dancing shadows across the floor.

Lernen sat in a chair before her. He had removed his white robe, revealing the navy-blue uniform beneath, and his staff rested against the armrest. He looked comfortable, relaxed, as if he had all the time in the world. His blue eyes studied her with a calm, analytical gaze, the kind of gaze that belonged to someone who had seen many things and was rarely surprised.

"It is incredible," he said, his voice smooth, almost conversational, "how successful you are at mimicking humans. The way you walk, the way you talk, the way you smile and wave at crowds. If I did not know what to look for, I might have been fooled myself."

Subaru's jaw tightened. The ropes were cutting into her skin, and her mana was still blocked, still trapped somewhere she could not reach. But she forced herself to meet his eyes, to keep her voice steady.

"I am a human," she said. "A human stuck in a demon body. I just want a way to go home."

The words came out raw, unfiltered.

Lernen stared at her. His expression did not change, but something flickered in his eyes, a brief moment of hesitation. Then he shook his head, a small, almost imperceptible movement.

"Impressive," he said. "You seem incredibly skilled at lying too. My heart tells me you are speaking the truth. I can feel it, the sincerity in your voice, the desperation in your eyes. But I know it is a deception. Demons are masters of mimicry. They have had centuries to perfect their craft."

Subaru's voice cracked. "I am not lying."

Lernen stood up from his chair. He walked toward her, his steps slow, deliberate, his staff tapping against the stone floor. He reached up and pulled at her turban, unwinding the cloth with practiced ease.

The fabric fell away, exposing her horns. They were small, curved, the kind of horns that belonged to a young demon, an adolescent, barely past the earliest stages of growth. The torchlight caught them, casting faint shadows across her face.

"You are not even an adult demon yet," Lernen said, his voice flat, almost disappointed. "And you claim to have defeated the strongest demon of war? Rivale, the Bloody God of War, who had terrorized the northern lands for centuries? A demon who had fought and killed warriors who were legends in their own time?"

Subaru's voice was steady, despite everything. "I did."

Lernen leaned closer. His face was inches from hers, his blue eyes boring into hers. "Let us consider, for a moment, that you did. But why? Why would you kill your own kind? Why would you turn against the creatures that share your blood, your horns, your nature?"

Subaru met his gaze. "Because I am not one of them. I am human. A human who woke up one day in a demon's body and has been trying to survive ever since."

Lernen pulled back. His expression was unreadable, a mask that revealed nothing. "I cannot trust you," he said. "You are quite unusual. More unusual than the demon of El Dorado. Macht."

The name hit Subaru like a physical blow. Macht. She remembered Rivale mentioning that name, along with Solitär and Schlacht. The pieces of the puzzle were still scattered, but she was beginning to see how they fit together.

"You know Macht?" she asked.

Lernen paused. His eyes narrowed, and something shifted in his posture, a subtle tension that had not been there before. "I do. I was one of the people who sealed him in the city of gold. Why? Do you know him?"

Subaru shook her head. "No. I just know the name."

Lernen studied her for a long moment. Then he turned and walked back to his chair, settling into it with a sigh. "I see. Well, I suppose you will not be telling me what your goal is. What is the role of this human, Übel, in your plans? Do you have more companions, more accomplices?"

Subaru's mind raced. She thought of Übel, lying unconscious somewhere in this tower, her strange smile and her stranger questions. She thought of the soldiers she had fought beside, the villagers she had saved, the people who had trusted her despite everything.

"Übel is complicated," she said. "I do not have any accomplices."

Lernen nodded slowly. "We will see about that."

He raised his hand. The two golems, massive and silent, stepped forward from the shadows. Their stone bodies loomed over her, their glowing runes pulsing with a cold, steady light. They reached down and grabbed her arms, their grips like iron bands, cold and unyielding.

Then they pressed. Harder and harder, their fingers digging into her flesh, squeezing her bones. The pain exploded through her, white-hot and blinding. She screamed, the sound tearing from her throat, raw and ragged, echoing off the stone walls.

"Just the answer I want," Lernen said, his voice calm, measured, "and they will stop."

The golems pressed harder. Subaru's vision blurred. Her thoughts scattered. The pain was overwhelming, consuming, drowning out everything else. She could not think. She could not speak. She could only scream.

The pain was unlike anything Subaru had ever experienced. It was not the sharp, clean pain of a blade cutting through flesh, nor the dull, throbbing ache of a wound healing. It was deeper, more intimate, a pain that seemed to reach into the very core of her being and twist. The golems' fingers were cold and hard, like stone, but they pressed with a force that felt almost alive, as if they were savoring her suffering. Each squeeze sent waves of agony through her arms, her shoulders, her chest. She could feel her bones grinding against each other, the joints straining, the muscles screaming in protest. It was not just physical. It was something else, something that clawed at her mind and made her thoughts scatter like leaves in a storm.

She tried to focus on something, anything, to anchor herself against the tide of pain. The torchlight flickered on the walls, casting long, dancing shadows. The stone floor was cold beneath her bare feet. The ropes that bound her were rough, cutting into her skin. But none of it was enough. The pain consumed everything, drowning out the world until there was nothing left but the golems' grip and the sound of her own screaming.

This is it, she thought, the words fragmented, barely coherent. This is how I die. Not in a battle. Not in a loop. Just... here. In a basement. Tied to a log. Broken by stone hands.

But even as the thought formed, another part of her rebelled. The part that had survived the loops, the part that had died a hundred times and come back a hundred times. The part that refused to give up, no matter how hopeless things seemed.

No, she told herself. Not like this. I will not die like this.

Her head snapped forward, slamming against the golem's stone arm. The impact sent a shock of pain through her skull, white and blinding, but the golem did not even flinch. It did not loosen its grip. It did not react at all. It just kept pressing, its fingers digging deeper, its cold stone face expressionless.

Subaru's vision blurred. Her ears rang. She could taste blood in her mouth, metallic and warm. She had hoped the blow would knock her unconscious, or maybe even kill her, if it came to that. Anything to escape the pain. But the golem was too solid, too unyielding. Her skull was no match for its stone.

Lernen watched from his chair, his expression unchanged. He looked like a scholar observing a particularly interesting experiment, noting each reaction with calm detachment. When he spoke, his voice was smooth, almost gentle.

"Perhaps I should interrogate Übel instead," he said. "She might be more cooperative. Humans are usually more willing to talk when they see their companions suffering."

The words cut through the haze of pain. Subaru's eyes snapped open, and she tried to speak, to protest, but the golems' grip tightened, and the words died in her throat. She could feel something crack in her arm, a sharp, sickening sensation that sent a fresh wave of agony through her.

No, she thought, the word echoing in her mind. Not Übel. Not her. She had nothing to do with this. She was just... she was just there. She was just curious. She did not deserve this.

But she could not say it. The pain was too much, too overwhelming. Her thoughts scattered again, fragmenting into pieces that she could not hold onto.

The golems finally released her. Their stone fingers uncurled, and she slumped against the log, gasping for breath. Her arms hung limp at her sides, and she could feel the broken bones shifting beneath her skin, grinding against each other with every movement. Her body was shaking, trembling with the aftershocks of the pain, and she could not stop it.

Lernen rose from his chair. He walked toward her, his steps slow, deliberate, his staff tapping against the stone floor. He knelt in front of her, his face inches from hers, his blue eyes studying her with the same calm, analytical gaze.

"Ready to speak now?" he asked.

Subaru's chest heaved. Her breath came in ragged gasps, each one a struggle. She could taste blood in her mouth, and her vision was still blurred, but she forced herself to meet his eyes.

"Fuck you," she said, her voice hoarse, barely a whisper. "Die."

Her words were weak, pathetic, the words of someone who had nothing left to lose. But they were all she had.

Lernen's expression did not change. He looked at her for a long moment, his eyes unreadable. Then he stood up and stepped back.

The golems moved forward again. Their stone hands reached for her, cold and unyielding, ready to resume their work.

Subaru closed her eyes. She braced herself for the pain, for the crushing weight of their grip, for the sound of her own bones breaking.

I will not break, she told herself. I will not break. I will not break.

But even as she thought it, she knew it was a lie.

───✧───

Serie was busy doing nothing. The grimoires spread before her were old, worn, their pages yellowed with age and filled with text she had memorized centuries ago. She turned a page, her eyes scanning the words without really seeing them, her mind wandering through corridors of thought that had no end. It was a comfortable routine, the kind of routine that came from living for thousands of years, a way to pass the time when there was nothing else to do. She knew every spell, every incantation, every piece of knowledge contained within those ancient tomes. She had read them a thousand times over, and she would read them a thousand times again, because there was nothing else to do.

The tower was quiet. The only sounds were the distant hum of magic that pulsed through the walls and the soft rustle of pages turning. Outside the glass walls, the city of Äußerst sprawled beneath her, a maze of streets and buildings and people who lived and died and never knew how small their lives really were. Serie did not look at them. She had seen cities rise and fall, empires crumble, civilizations fade into dust. This one was no different.

The hourglass on the table beside her vibrated again. The glass shook, the sand inside shifting, forming patterns that were not random. Serie sighed. The sound was soft, barely audible, but it carried a weight of annoyance that had been building for centuries. She reached out and picked up the hourglass, her fingers closing around its cool surface. It hummed with a familiar energy, the energy of someone she had not spoken to in a very long time.

Why is Frieren trying to talk to me after all these years? she wondered. We had nothing to say to each other then, and we have nothing to say to each other now.

She considered ignoring it. She could set the hourglass down and return to her grimoires, pretending she had not felt the vibration, pretending Frieren did not exist. But curiosity had always been her weakness. She wanted to know what the elf wanted, even if it was something foolish.

With a reluctant sigh, she brought the hourglass to her lips and opened the mouth of the glass. A stream of sand poured out, falling through the air, forming letters that hung suspended before her. The words were precise, formal, the kind of message someone wrote when they were not sure how to start a conversation.

Serie read the message with growing annoyance. It was the same thing, over and over. A request for information. A request for help. A request that Frieren had no right to ask, after everything she had done, after everything she had refused to do.

Then she saw something. A name. A description. A detail that made her pause.

Serie grinned.

The expression was not warm. It was not kind. It was the grin of someone who had just been handed a piece of a puzzle they had been trying to solve for a very long time. She set the hourglass down and rose from her throne, her movements smooth and graceful, like water flowing over stone.

The grimoires did not matter anymore. The city did not matter. Nothing mattered except the message she had just received.

She began to walk toward the stairs. Her robes flowed behind her, the fabric catching the torchlight, and her feet tapped against the floor with each step. The mages in the tower, who had been going about their business, stopped and stepped aside. They bowed their heads, avoiding her eyes, their bodies tense with fear and respect. They knew better than to get in her way.

Serie walked past them, her smile still on her face. It was not a pleasant smile. It was the smile of a predator who had just caught the scent of prey.

After all these years, she thought. Frieren asks for my help. And what does she say? There is a demon heading for the north, and she wants me to capture it alive.

She descended the stairs, her steps light, her bare feet tapping a steady rhythm. The walls of the tower shifted around her, the stone rearranging itself to form a passage that had not been there before. A dungeon door appeared, wrought iron and ancient, its hinges groaning as it swung open.

Serie walked through the door and descended into the lower levels. The air grew colder, damper, and the light dimmed. The dungeon was old, older than the tower above it, carved into the bedrock by hands that had long since turned to dust.

She saw Lernen sitting in a chair. His golems stood before him, their stone hands holding the demoness with a grip that would have crushed a normal person. The demoness was bloody, her face bruised, her horns exposed, her dress torn. She looked like she had been through a very bad day.

Lernen stood up and bowed. "Master," he said. "I was just about to finish this interrogation."

Serie raised her hand. "Lernen, deactivate them."

Lernen frowned, confusion flickering across his face. He had been confident that no demon could pose a threat to his master, but he did not argue. With a wave of his hand, the golems released the demoness and stepped back, their stone bodies settling into stillness.

Serie sat down cross-legged on the floor, in front of the demoness, as if she were sitting down to tea. Her eyes studied the demon's face, taking in every detail, every bruise, every drop of blood.

"What is so special about you?" she asked.

The demoness looked up. Her voice was hoarse, cracked, the voice of someone who had been screaming. "I am a human. A human stuck in a demon body."

Serie's eyes narrowed. She reached out and grabbed the demoness by the chin, tilting her head from side to side, examining her face like a merchant examining a piece of livestock. Then she made a small gesture with her free hand, and the ropes that bound the demoness fell away, slicing cleanly through the air.

Lernen's eyes widened. He opened his mouth to speak, then closed it. He knew better than to question his master's decisions.

“That's an interesting story,” Serie said.

“It's true. I… w-woke up as a demon one night… in a forest,”

“Is that so? Seems like the Megami has something to do with this.” Serie then stood up. "Show me your mana," Serie said. "All of it."

The demoness blinked. "I cannot. Old man here locked it away—”

She paused, her eyes widening. "Wait. I can? Is this your doing? I can feel my mana!" Her voice grew more excited, more animated. "Are you going to kill me if I fail this test? Is this a test, right?"

Serie's expression did not change. "I will kill you if you say one more word."

The demoness's mouth snapped shut. "Eh..."

"Show me your mana."

The demoness hesitated. She did not know how to flare all her mana at once, but she tried. The room lit up with a faint glow, a pulse of energy that was surprisingly large for someone who looked so small. Subaru held her breath, expecting Lernen to drop to his knees in awe, expecting Serie to praise her for her strength.

"So mediocre compared to most demons I fought," Serie said, her voice flat. "Pathetic,”

Subaru's face fell. "Hey! That is rude!"

Serie ignored her. She reached out and grabbed the demoness by the throat, her fingers closing around the delicate skin. Her grip was not painful, but it was firm, immovable.

"I have an offer for you," Serie said.

Subaru's voice was strained. "Why do you need to choke me?!"

Serie did not answer. She just smiled, her eyes gleaming with a light that was not entirely sane. Lernen sighed, rubbing his temples with his fingers. He could already smell his master's pettiness in the air, the scent of a game that was about to begin.

The dungeon was quiet. The torches flickered. The demoness hung in Serie's grip, her eyes wide, her fate hanging in the balance.

───✧───

As per everyone's opinions, the amnesia arc is discarded completely. Now I know how to write the future chapters.

A question: What do you think is Serie's offer? It seems very obvious, I think.

Anyways, have a great day!