“Me?!” I asked, staring at Doll like she’d grown a second head. Which, to be frank, would have been more believable in my opinion. I mean, why couldn’t the fucking divine creation grow a second skull? It would make a hell of a lot more sense than putting me in charge! “I don’t know how to… do anything you do! I don’t even know what it is!”

“Managing territory, largely,” Doll replied calmly, clearly neither phased nor surprised at my outburst. “As well as acting as a bridge between the other Generals and the Demon Queen, of course. It’s the latter role that makes me think of you in particular, though I do believe you could learn to manage all aspects of the job with proper training.”

“Maybe,” I reluctantly agreed. “With training. But there’s gotta be better women than me for the job! You know, people who’ve been trained all their lives to deal with this shit? Like the bloodliners? Why would they even listen to a ‘red blood’ like me?”

“Because you have the queen’s ear,” Doll replied. “And because, for all their training, nobody else has managed to get it. Most didn’t even try - they'd written her off years ago at this point. Yet now there’s you.- an unknown stranger with the Queen’s ear. Arguably the most influential person in the tower aside from the Queen herself, and the most dangerous as well if left ‘uncontrolled.’”

“So what?” I demanded. “You wanna control me, now?”

“No,” Doll said, shaking her head. “Though I wouldn’t mind if the others thought that way. At least until you learn enough to control them.”

“Right, because that’s a possibility. I bet they won’t even listen to me!”

“Not at first,” Doll agreed. “But with Devilla’s backing, you can make them.”

“I’m not sure I really like the sound of that,” Devilla muttered from the sidelines.

“Which is exactly why you’re unfit to rule,” Doll declared. “You’d rather seek the approval of others than demand it. That is arguably a fine quality in a person, but not so great in a leader who needs to bring the other nine unruly Generals to heel. Or eight, if you follow my plan and select Abigail as the one to lead.”

“Something I still haven’t agreed to!” I pointed out. “I mean, what do I even get out of this? It sounds like one big headache to me.”

“More like a series of moderate headaches,” Doll replied. “None of which will be impossible for us to navigate together. And as for what you get… how about enough political standing to marry the Queen without drawing the ire of every bloodline in the tower?’

“That’s… I’m not even thinking about marriage with her yet!” I pointed out, decidedly not blushing at the idea.

“But you’re certainly heading in that direction,” Doll countered. “And if you don’t start preparing now then it might be too late. This opportunity in particular likely won’t come again if you refuse it.”

“How about we discuss it later?” Devilla suggested, probably noticing how I hesitated for a second. Not because I was actually considering this insane proposal, or anything, but… She did sort of have a point about this being a once in a lifetime chance. “For now I think the most important thing is to free the slime girls. With you taking over Sylvanna’s duties we can surely afford a day or two before appointing her successor?”

“A day or two, perhaps,” Doll agreed. “But be warned - once the opening is revealed it’s only a matter of time before someone tries to claim it.”

“Even knowing they’d have to deal with me as a consequence?” Devilla asked, arching an eyebrow.

“That might cause them some delay,” Doll admitted, “but I wouldn’t bank on it. You would be shocked at the lengths many will go for power and authority…or perhaps not given how much you’ve already suffered at the hands of those trying to use you for their own benefit.”

“Fine. I’ll tell you no in a day or two then,” I interrupted, glaring at Doll. “But for now, can we please focus on something less ridiculous than me being head General? Like the depetrification of an entire species that’s currently waiting for us?”

“As I said, there’s plenty of preparations to go through before freeing the slime girls,” Doll replied calmly. “That said, I’m sure Sylvanna is as eager as you, if not more… I wouldn’t be surprised if she is already down there…”

“Waiting where?”

“In the storage room where the slimes are kept, of course,” Doll replied. “Come… I’ll show you.”

A ‘storage room.’ That’s what Doll called it. To me, however, it looked more like the staging room for some sort of horror production. Or perhaps the workshop of a madman? What with the multitude of statues present, each frozen in a rictus of terror. There weren’t that many of them - a bit over a dozen, perhaps? - but they were all small figures. Children. Those not allowed to participate in the great merge that the slimes had gathered for.

The true masterpiece of the entire abomination, however, weren’t those small statues. It was the massive orb in the center of the room, seemingly carved from smooth grey stone. It towered high above me, stretching towards the very ceiling of the tower floor. 

Every inch of it was covered in faces and limbs, evidence of individual slimes trying to escape their massive meld. Too late, though - the petrification must have happened far too fast for any such escape. Not that the Heroine of the time would have allowed them escape, regardless.

“Eena?” Lucy called from my side. “Are you okay?”

“I’m… fine,” I assured her, forcing myself to relax. I hadn’t even realized I’d grown tense or that my hands had clenched into fists. “It’s just… a heavy reminder of the evil we’re fighting against.”

“Well, how about you fix it then?” came a voice from the one unpetrified slime girl in the place. She was standing beside the ball, easy to miss despite her vibrant pink coloring simply due to the sheer mass of the room’s centerpiece.

“As I keep saying, there are a multitude of things that should be taken care of before the Queen begins to awaken the slime girls en masse. Would you perhaps settle for her treating the individual statues today, instead?”

Sylvanna glared at Doll. “Stop with the bullshit. We both know we’ve got the basics down as well as we can and we can figure out what few problems are left on the go. You’re just trying to delay my quitting.”

“I’m trying to ensure things go as smoothly as they possibly can,” Doll replied with a frown. “If you wish to rush things-”

“Rush things?” Sylvanna interrupted. “Rush things?! Do you have any idea how long my people have been stuck like this? Twenty one years! Not to mention the fact that for over a decade I - personally - have been preparing for this! So don’t you dare tell me I’m rushing things just because you want to triple check that all the ts are crossed. It’s time now!”

Doll said nothing for a long moment. I could swear I heard her mutter something along the lines of ‘only a decade of preparation’ under her breath. Then she sighed and turned towards me. “It would seem that Sylvanna is too impatient to wait any longer. Nevertheless, things have progressed enough to make this… tenable. I have no doubt the next few days will be stressful, however, which is why I must strongly recommend Miss Abigail accept my suggestion.”

“I’ll consider it,” Abigail promised. “But for now, can we please finish this up and get the angry slime girl off our backs?”

“Very well,” Doll replied before turning to face me. “Repeat after me. Ereff Bajoul Drateen.”

“Ereff Bajoul Drateen,” I intoned, feeling a familiar power rising up within me as I did so. Even though I myself was apparently made of holy magic, I knew the stuff inside of me was somehow different. Perhaps it was merely the difference between ice and water - both H20, yet easy to tell apart in their different states. I didn’t know for sure, I only knew that I could feel it flowing through me, causing my hand to light up.

“The orb, if you will,” Doll said, gesturing for me to go forward.

“Wait!” Sylvanna interrupted. “What if she gets it wrong? Maybe she should test it on something first.”

“Test it on what?!” Abigail asked. “The only other statues around here are children!”

“Besides,” Doll added, “the only holy spell close enough for her to stumble upon by accident would merely be petrification again - nothing that would harm them in their current state.”

“...Fine,” Sylvanna grumbled after a moment. “Then test petrify and depetrify on me.”

“You?” I asked, arching an eyebrow. “Are you not worried I’d be tempted to just leave you?”

“You’re not that bad, Devilla,” Sylvanna replied, rolling her eyes. “Even I know that. You’ve never ordered anyone’s execution before, and I don’t see you doing it now. I’m more worried about you being completely fucking useless and killing me by accident.”

“Don’t call Eena useless!” Lucy protested. “She’s been trying her best!”

“Yeah,” Abigail agreed. “And she doesn’t need you tearing down what little self-esteem we’ve managed to beat into her head.”

“Seriously?” Sylvanna asked, gesturing to the two. “A cheer squad? Are you paying them or something? You can tell me.”

“As hard as it might be to believe, I didn’t have to. They actually like me, for me. Something I know you’ll never understand, something I hardly understand, but… I’m beginning to accept it, at least. Unlike you.”

“Yeah, yeah, you’re growing as a person or whatever the hell else you want me to believe,” Sylvanna replied, rolling her eyes once more. “Look, save the heartfelt shit for never, okay? All I care about is getting my people back, so… Do it.”

“Very well,” I murmured, allowing my current spell to dissipate. “Doll? What is the spell to petrify?”

“Ereff Bajoul Draten.”

“...You weren’t kidding about them being similar, were you?” I asked, turning to face Lucy.

“I didn’t know they were that similar! Just that they were really close together…”

“Yes, well, I can certainly see how one might be able to figure out one from the other, but… I suppose that’s besides the point. Are you ready, Sylvanna?”

“Uh-huh,” she confirmed, gesturing for me to come towards her. “Let’s just get this over with, alright?”

“Indeed,” I murmured, before taking a deep breath and intoning the words I had been taught. “Ereff Bajoul Draten.”

Again, my hand began to glow - or at least I believe it could be considered a glow? It wasn’t exactly lighting anything up, though, what with the sinister black coloring of it. Even Sylvanna looked nervous upon the sight of it.

“Are you sure you want to go through with this?” I asked. “I would not judge you for backing out.”

“Like you have the right to judge me in the first place,” Sylvanna snapped back. “...But… Yeah. Just… just give me a second, alright?”

I nodded, choosing to hold my tongue in the face of her rudeness. For once, I didn’t think I deserved it - and yet, at the same time, I could understand why she was doing it. Seeing the petrification spell in person again must have been nothing less than traumatic.

“Alright,” she whispered after a minute. “Alright. Go for it. Before I change my mind.”

I didn’t question her courage again, didn’t give her a chance to back out. I simply moved, faster than anyone was able to see, and pressed my finger against the surface of her jiggly body.

Except it wasn’t jiggly anymore. There was no give beneath my finger, no bounce. Only cold, hard stone. 

“...Is it bad that I kinda like her more like this?” Abigail asked.

“Probably,” Lucy replied. “But… I get where you’re coming from. She’s not very nice, is she?”

“She has reason to be mad at me,” I reminded them. “I did force her into her current position.”

“When you were seven,” Doll added. “Sylvanna was sixteen. Both of you were young and emotional at the time. Only one of you has shown signs of growth.”

“Only because I had someone else’s memories shoved into my head,” I pointed out. “Growth isn’t easy to achieve in isolation. It’s even harder when you’re surrounded by those who’ve given up on you… I can feel for her, to some extent.”

“Enough to turn her back?” Doll asked.

“As if that was ever a question,” I scoffed. “You heard her. Even at my worst, I’ve never killed anyone. I’ve always known my role: to protect, in return for all I’ve been given. To…”

“To die,” Doll finished for me. “And yet that role no longer applies. You have broken free from it. None would judge you for simply pursuing your own happiness at this point.”

“I would judge me. And I’m pretty sure Lucy would have some rather mixed feelings on the matter, as well - at best.”

“Probably…” Lucy admitted. “I mean, I get that it was pushed on you, but this is a chance to end a lot of suffering!”

“So, if you don’t mind… Ereff Bajoul Drateen.” Again, my hand began to glow with a soft white light. Again, I reached out to touch Sylvanna - but this time, instead of hard rock, I was pressing up against suddenly jiggly flesh.

“Well?” Sylvanna asked. “What are you waiting for?”

“It’s already done,” I told her.

“Really?” she asked, narrowing her eyes at me before glancing to Doll. Only when the automaton nodded did she relax. “I didn’t even notice…”

“With luck, neither will they,” I remarked, gesturing to the massive ball of slimes. “Now come on. Let’s get this over with.”

Slime. Slime above me, slime below, slime inside my damn nose. Not for long, thankfully, seeing as how the slime involved was rapidly shifting into slime girls, but… yeah, maybe I shouldn’t have been standing so close to the damn ball when Devilla depetrified it? Might have saved myself from at least the internal portion of the slime bath.

At least the aftermath was kinda funny. Kinda bittersweet, too, what with Sylvanna reuniting with parents that expected her to be nine years old… Not a reunion I’d normally be laughing at, but the way they panicked when Sylvanna badmouthed Devilla and told her to shush before bowing their heads to Devilla and begging for forgiveness was…. Well, maybe funny was the wrong word. Cathartic?

Yeah. It was cathartic. And it wasn’t just them, either. The entire species acted all honored to be in her presence. Devilla had zero clue how to handle it! She basically ended up standing stiff as a statue while Doll filled them in on how many years it had been and why Devilla couldn’t free them previously. Not that she told them about the fucked up rite, or anything. She just sorta said it took a while after said rite for them to get all the pieces in place for a smooth transition. Sylvanna scoffed, but her parents smacked her on the back of the head for it, and everything went well enough after that.

Things went pretty smoothly from there. The only real issue was that they kept turning to Devilla for answers, and Doll kept having to interject. Lucy and I were pretty much ignored - me because I was a maid, and Lucy because she was with the Demon Queen and therefore couldn’t possibly be the human she appeared to be. An illusionary fox tail popping out helped sell that, too. 

Things sorta dragged on from there, though. A lot of paperwork had to be filled out, families had to find one another, and of course the individual statues all had to be depetrified as well. Preferably after their family found them, so that they’d have a smoother transition.

In the end, I ended up sorta sneaking off by myself. Not that anyone minded - I wasn’t exactly needed here… though that wasn’t the same as being unappreciated. Devilla made it pretty damn clear she enjoyed my presence. Still, I sorta needed some alone time.

Some time to think. The whole “General Abigail” thing was just… too much. I mean, me? A General? Part of the ruling class? And not just any general, but the Head General?! I was a maid!

At the same time, though… I mean… where did I expect dating the literal Queen to get me? Could I really stay as just a maid if I wanted to be by her side?

She’d say yes in a heartbeat. She’d say I could be whatever I wanted, as long as it made me happy. Even if it took me away from her…

So what would make me happy? Nothing that took me away from Devilla, that’s for sure… But being a General? Was I… really cut out for it? Did I want to be? Did I even need to be one in the end? Did it actually matter whether I had status before the wedding, when I’d have it after? I honestly didn’t know.

Hence the need to think by myself for a bit, I guess… and maybe run it by Mom? Yeah, that might be a good idea, too. Though I had no clue whatsoever what she’d say to the idea…

“Ugh,” I muttered, shaking my head as I reached the door to my apartment complex. “I really need to-”

Annnnd that’s when everything went dark.

~~~

Author's Notes

Regardless, thank you all for your patience! Also many thanks to FallingLeaf who edited this chapter. He came up with the title, too. Not only that, but he went above and beyond while I was depressed and edited the next two chapters, too. So Patreon's advance chapters are actually edited, for once~!

I'm afraid I don't have much to say about the chapter itself, except... this is meant to be when we go into high gear. (Which makes it a terrible time for me to be so depressed, but what can you do? At least I seem to be coming out of it.)

PS: Autumn is doing well. We've gotten to the point of regular excursions, and I'm pretty sure she's lost all fear of me... Still building up affection on her end, but she eats from my hand daily. (In fact, that's the only way to get her to eat her salad - generally mixed with a bit of baked butternut squash)