I Only Summon Villainesses

I stared down at the messages. My eyes kept flicking between them and the set of her face, careful not to make it obvious, careful not to miss a single thing Maggie was sharing with me. As the lodestar had said, this was an important moment for the two of us, and I didn’t want to fumble it.

’Something similar happened with Kassie. She got a second sword, and Cindy. I wonder what Maggie’s going to get.’

Her voice was thin. Maggie had a thin, high, sonorous voice by nature, but right now it came out hoarse, scraped down to almost nothing, catching in her throat like every word cost her something to push out.

She sat with her arms crossed and her chin level, wearing the same composure she carried into every room. She looked confident. Indifferent, even. But it was there underneath all of it, and I could hear it plain as day. The pain was there.

”All of this makes no sense. Part of me fights me, hates me, for putting even a shred of belief in his words. But what am I supposed to do when the pattern is staring me in the face? I’ve looked away from too much. I’ve forgiven too much. Things I’ve killed heretics for, I’ve watched my own superiors do, and I could do nothing about it. And it leaves a bad taste in my mouth.”

Her lip pulled back, her whole face folding tight around the disgust of it.

”It shames me, to say I believe in these people. To fight for their cause.”

She said it to the floor, not to me.

I was quiet for a moment. Then I tried, clumsily, to give her something to hold.

”Do you think the gods know about it? If they’re alive, and they’re allowing this... is that just what they are? Or do they simply not know?”

Maggie shook her head.

”I don’t know. I’ve never seen one. I’ve only ever seen the proof of them, and the Divine Host is managed by the upper echelons of the Church.”

’I see... as expected.’

I turned over a million things I could say in a moment like that, and not one of them was worth the breath. I couldn’t find a single word of consolation.

Deconstruction is hard. Harder still when the thing you’re pulling apart was your whole life. Your home. When you poured everything you had into it, the way Maggie had. There was only one thing I could offer her, and it was dumb as hell.

I shrugged.

”It’s simple, then. We want answers, don’t we? So we go and get them.”

She turned and gave me a flat, disgusted look.

”Are you brain-fried?”

I chuckled.

”Ha. Seems that way, huh? Maybe it takes getting your brain fried to end up with two freaking hot, drop-dead sexy ladies.”

She frowned.

”The fact that you can talk like that tells me you’re not a sane human. I could torture you without a shred of malice and still make you wish you were dead.”

I laughed.

”The only way that’s happening is if you tie me up and beat the hell out of me.”

A perverted grin spread across my face.

”And frankly speaking, Maggie? That wouldn’t be a bad idea.”

Maggie drew her head back, revolted by my expression, by my words, and by the appalling good cheer with which I’d taken her threat.

Fun fact: I might already be getting turned on.

She stared at me, blank. Then she blinked, several times, and turned away.

I blinked too.

’That’s a strange reaction. I expected her to get violent.’

For a moment, the silence just sat there between us, awkward and heavy.

’Wait... it wouldn’t be... are these women all talk, folding the second you stand your ground?’

I’d run this exact play on Kassie once, only to walk off genuinely disappointed.

’I wouldn’t be. Not again... right?’

It was hard to get a read on her. Her face had gone still, turned half away, giving me nothing to work with. Even my own intuition didn’t want to put money on me.

Eventually, I sighed.

”I mean, it’s not that hard, if you actually think about it.”

Her head turned, just slightly. Just enough to tell me she was listening.

”If it were only you, sure, it’d be impossible, no doubt about it. But you’ve got Kassie, White Feather, and then three more villainesses on the way who I’m sure will be broken as hell. And for the grand finale, you’ve got me.”

I smiled.

”I might look weak right now, but I won’t be the same once I have three more villainesses. And I want to use this place to grow my attributes. I can see them climbing fast in here. This thing called Infinity Overdrive, I think it might turn out to be something huge for me. I don’t know yet, but I’ve got this quiet feeling that I need to find out what it’s all about.”

I let out a heavy breath and landed it.

”All of that means one thing. We get stronger. I don’t know how much stronger, but I know it’ll be enough to reach the gods. And we’ll do it together.”

I gave her a warm smile.

I leaned in a little. For once, I wasn’t grinning.

”That’s the important part. Together. I love so many people in my life now that it scares me sick, the thought of losing any of you. I want us to always have each other’s backs. Even when we bicker, even when we can’t stand each other, I want us to protect each other. I want to protect you, and Kassie, and White Feather. And I want the three of you to protect me too. I want the same thing for them. That’s what matters right now. Us.”

Then I chuckled.

”I guess we could say... we’re family.”

For a while, Maggie said nothing. Her hands had gone still in her lap, and she just stared, eyes gone blank and empty, like she was looking at something far past this place, past all of us.

She muttered:

”Family... I’ve never had one before... have I?”

[Congratulations]

[The Pyre Saint’s Fortitude has increased by 0.5]

[She feels strong positivity towards you]

[Receive your boon]