Demons Beside You

Seeing that neither Chen Zhao nor David were interested, Sienna uttered, “Magic banquet.”

Magic banquet? What the heck?

“What’s a magic banquet?” David asked curiously.

“A witch can only hold three magic banquets in her life. The first one is the baptism, the day I officially became a witch. It’s dedicated to my teacher. The second is the welcoming.”

“And what does that mean?”

“When a witch makes friends with regular people, she’ll host a ‘welcoming’ dinner. It means welcoming them to the magic world while also blessing the regular friends to not be hurt by magic.”

“Would it be dangerous if I don’t go to the magic banquet?” David swallowed.

He felt like Chen Zhao wouldn’t need it, since he was so powerful. Probably nothing could defeat Chen Zhao. So the “regular” friend that Sienna spoke of was clearly him.

“No. It’s not the middle ages anymore. This is an old witch tradition that has been passed on ’till now. It’s just a blessing now. Eating it doesn’t mean you won’t be hurt by magic. Not eating doesn’t mean you’re in danger.”

Chen Zhao was actually quite excited for it. The name itself made him anticipate it.

“There’s a lot of food in the fridge. Use whatever you need.”

“before that, I need some other seasonings and flavorings.” Sienna ran into her room and took some bottles out of her luggage.

“What’s in there?”

“Some mixes necessary for magic banquets.”

Sienna was obviously a skilled chef familiar with all sorts of kitchen tools. David and Chen Zhao were both interested in how she made the magic banquet, so they watched from the side.

“Soan of nightmares, listen to my prayer, reply to my calling. Give your servant your blessing.” As Sienna mumbled, she poured the magic potion in the bottle into the pot.

A mesmerizing fragrance rose up from the bubbling soup.

“Smells so good...”

“Whisper of Nightmares, complete.” Sienna was quite satisfied with her product.

After pouring the soup into a bowl, Sienna began the second dish. She started mumbling again.

“Turbid fog, extend your feeler and touch my soul. I swear with magic to share the turbidity with you...”

Sienna reached into a box and...took out a wriggling worm.

Eugh—

Chen Zhao almost threw up as he watched Sienna toss the worm into the pot.

“Chen, what’s wrong? You don’t feel good?”

“Did you see what she just threw in?”

“What?” David seemed not to have seen it.

“I don’t feel good. I’m going back.” Chen Zhao shook his head.

He’d completely lost his interest and appetite for the magic banquet.

“You aren’t going to stay for dinner? Sienna is preparing for it so seriously.”

“The dinner isn’t that significant for him,” Sienna said. “My magic power isn’t as strong as him, so it won’t have any effect on it.”

“I see. Then, Chen, should I take you back?”

“No need. Enjoy dinner with Sienna. I’m leaving.”

...

When Chen Zhao got home, Fali was in the living room.

“Chen, you’re back this early today? Walter, come to me.”

Instead of Chen Zhao, Fali was clearly more welcoming of Walter.

“You don’t look good. Are you sick?”

“No, I got disgusted.” Chen Zhao waved his hand. “I’m going to work in the basement now. If you need me, knock on the basement door three times.”

“Which door? The outside one? Or the one inside?” Fali’s expression was awkward.

“The inside one... Oh, heat up some food for me. I’ll eat it when I come out. Sienna’s magic banquet disgusted me.”

Chen Zhao entered the spatial crevice and started today’s research.

“Blackie, you know about angelic crystals?”

“Oh? You have angelic crystals?”

“Yes, and quite a lot.”

“Don’t you owe me demonic crystals? You can pay me in angelic crystals.”

“Beelzebub hates angelic crystals. You don’t?”

“I do,” Blackie replied. “To a demon, angelic crystals burn like a hot brand.”

“Then why do you want it? Angelic crystals hurt you instead of giving you benefits. What can you use it for?”

“Yes, but it’s useful for souls.”

“What does that mean?”

“Angelic crystals can mend a soul. You know, after a person dies, their soul’s memories will gradually scatter, so I can only get incomplete souls. If I can use angelic crystals to mend souls, then the complete souls will be much more valuable.”

“Are there uses other than for souls?” Chen Zhao asked, a bit disappointed.

“I don’t know. That’s all I know about angelic crystals. Oh, when you give it to me, it’s best if you grind it. I don’t want to touch complete angelic crystals.”

“I owe you 200 years’ worth of demonic crystals. Are you sure you want the equivalent in angelic crystals?”

“That much? I don’t need that much. I only need 30 years’ worth.”

Blackie had destroyed 238 evil spirits last night. They had different forms though, so the angelic crystals received from them were different too. If he measured the angelic crystals with demonic crystals of the same size, then he got around 400 years worth.

Chen Zhao was researching all types of medicine now, so he needed a lot of material.

He summoned Raz again. “Raz, I need poisonous vines, scales of fire snakes...”

“It’s 35 years worth of demonic crystals.”

“Raz, do you want angelic crystals?”

“Huh? Living Lord, you have angelic crystals?”

“Yes.”

“Are you planning on selling angelic crystals?”

“If you want it.”

“How much do you have?”

“First tell me what price you’ll give.”

“I’ll buy it with twice the demonic crystals.”

“I learned from Beelzebub that you demons don’t need angelic crystals and hate it instead. What are you going to use it for?”

“Ha... It’s valuable because it’s rare. You humans hate weapons, but weapons are always so expensive. Angelic crystals are destructive on demons, but there are still some who turn it into weapons. It’s too rare though, even rarer than demonic crystals.”

“Twice the value in demonic crystals seems to be too low.”

Raz’s words reminded him. It was supply and demand. To demons, this was raw material for ammunition. He couldn’t sell it so cheaply.

“U...I know that my price is a bit low, but I have risks too. Angelic crystals are too rare. After I bring it back, I have to find a way to sell it too. If I can’t find it, then I’ll be stuck with it. Living Lord...please understand.”

“Three times the value. I have 30 years worth in total. If you can accept it, then this batch is yours. If you don’t, I’ll find another demon.”