Eventually, the group settled on spending one more day and night at the Black Church before starting to move towards the Werebeast Village.

Levia and Amon were seated on a church bench in the main hall, while Rita, Akane, and Syl were outside.

"What?" Levia sighed. "Are you still shook up because you got hugged?"

"Hm? Oh, well, I guess I didn't expect it."

"I didn't know a hug was the way to your heart."

"Now you know." Amon smirked.

Obviously, it wasn't really about the hug.

Akane had been taken from her village, held prisoner, put in a cage, and given to Goblins.

Yet despite all of that, she was still willing to part with the group, willing to go back to being alone, for the sake of helping those in her village.

'You would expect someone who has gone through all that to become traumatized and selfish, to start only thinking about themselves and their own safety, yet Akane hasn't changed at all despite it all. Well, the deeper parts of her haven't changed. She gave herself up to help her village, and now she wants to go back to help that same village. I do wonder how she will react if the Werebeast Chief turns out to be a manipulative asshole, which he probably is. The confrontation that will take place will be important. Hope Akane doesn't end up wanting to stay in the village and live there. Though if she does, I guess I can't stop her…'

Amon was lying on a church bench with his hands crossed below his head.

Levia was seated on the bench right in front of his with her feet raised on the bench, her arms around her folded knees, and her side against the backrest.

"We haven't talked about her much." Levia whispered, pursing her lips.

"What's there to talk about?"

"She's a Kitsune, very obviously."

"So?" Amon turned slightly towards her. "Actually, yes. Let's talk about that. How could you tell?"

"It was pretty obvious."

"Do Werebeasts not use Magic? Were her flames the giveaway?"

"Kind of, yes." Levia smiled cheekily. "Her flames gave it away."

The Succubus was turning this into a riddle, which Amon didn't dislike.

"Let's see… Her encounter with your first Golem was enough for you to tell."

"That's right. But how?" Levia mused, turning towards him further and bringing her arms to the backrest.

Amon thought for a bit, remembering what he had been told about the encounter.

'It's not so much how the fight went that matters,' He thought. 'It's about her flames.'

It only took him a moment to realize.

"Did you notice?" Levia's lips curled upwards as she noticed his facial expression wavering. "It's all in the flames."

"Yeah." Amon immediately sat up, scratching his chin. "Akane's clothes."

"Bingo!"

"The first time she used those flames, her clothes burned up, but they didn't now. Against the Golem or against Rita and Rika, her clothes remained mostly intact. I thought that was just because she had better control over them."

"It's probably the case that she has better control over them." Levia nodded. "But that's not even to explain it."

"Why not?" He asked. "I doubt Fire Mages need a change of clothes every time they use their magic."

"No, I doubt they do." She chuckled. "Instead, they wear clothes that have Anti-Fire Magic woven into them. Clothes that are resistant to fire. Do her clothes have such magic woven into them?"

'Since I took them from Hobgoblins, then I doubt it.' Amon thought and shook his head. "Isn't it just about keeping the flames away from her clothes, though?"

"That could work, but it would require tremendous control, or one would need to only shoot long-range Fire Magic from one's palms. This isn't the case for her. Her entire arms were covered in flames."

"I see." Amon's eyes momentarily widened as his hand moved to his chin. "Her control of the flames is on a completely different level."

"In many ways, her control of magic is weak. It's obvious she's a beginner at it. However, she has the ability to conjured flames that do not burn. Or rather, to control when the same flames burn, and when they don't."

"Is that something that others can't do?"

"They absolutely can't, not without using Artefacts or other objects." Levia answered. "To make flames that do not burn goes against the concept of fire, the idea of fire, it goes against what fire is."

"When Akane and Syl fought Rika and Rita, Akane's flames lined up to hit both Rika and Rita. In theory, let's say that I stood between Rika and Akane, it would be possible for her stream of flames to be shot at me, pass by me leaving me unharmed, but harm Rika who's standing behind me."

"Theoretically, yes. She's doing something similar with her clothes without noticing. I guess she really doesn't want to be naked."

"Hm…" Amon's back fell on the bench again. "What do you know about Kitsunes in general?" He asked, gaze on the ceiling.

Levia didn't answer.

Instead, she suddenly appeared on top of him.

"I've been a good girl, haven't I?" Levia asked with heart-shaped pupils as she straddled him. "How about we…"

Her words trailed off as Amon closed the distance, kissing her before she could ask.

Levia's eyes closed as his tongue forcefully wrapped and pushed against hers.

The Succubus's lips parted in a soft gasp as Amon's hand slid up her back.

***

Meanwhile,

Pant- Pant-

'Why is this…' Akane gritted her teeth as she breathed heavily, body drenched in flames. 'So difficult?'

Facing the Fox was Rita, who had been temporarily uncuffed.

Ten silvery threads swirled as they floated around the Succubus.

'That fight in the Goblin village, that was the only time her flames burned her clothes.' Syl thought, seated on a fallen tree trunk nearby. 'I guess she got better at controlling them.'

Rita stepped closer, and Akane immediately swung her arm, shooting a stream of flames that was cut by the Succubus's threads.

"You've just awakened your Fire Magic, haven't you?"

"Could you not say that so proudly?"

"I can tell, that's all." Rita smirked. "I'm here to teach how to control it better, so how about you take what I say seriously?"

"Fine!"

"In the first place, you should be stronger than Rika, yet you needed Syl to do all the work for you."

"Huh? How so?"

"It's because of her that your attack reached me, and that lapse allowed Syl to attack Rika, effectively switching the match-ups."

"Go wake her up, and we can run that again! Right, Syl?"

"Could you relax?" Rita sighed.

The female Hobgoblin had come with them to keep an eye on Rita, yet she remained silent now, deep in thought.

'Amon just gained a Demon King's weapon. Akane is getting better at using magic. Levia has information and strength. Rita and Rika, I can't defeat.' Syl scratched her head. 'Talking to Amon made me feel a bit better, but it's still the case that I'm not useful as I am. I need to…' She noticed that her hand had moved to her lips, and was reminded of their kiss.

Syl shook her head aggressively.

"What's up with her?" Rita asked, pointing at Syl.

"What's up with you?!" Akane countered.

"Alright, let's change strategies."

"...?" Akane raised an eyebrow as Rita's threads dimmed and disappeared.

The Succubus took a seat on the ground, crossing her legs. "Sit."

Akane frowned. "I'm sitting cause you and Syl are sitting, not because you told me."

Rita decided to ignore that.

"How did you awaken your magic?" She asked.

Akane thought for a moment, unsure whether to answer or not.

"Alright, when did you awaken your magic?"

"A couple of days ago."

'Finally, an answer.' Rita sighed internally. "Did you see those around you use Magic? When you were little maybe?"

Akane rubbed her arm and pursed her lips. "Yes, though they weren't using fire."

"What were they using?"

"Ice."

"Okay," Rita nodded. "Who were they? These people that used Magic around you?"

"Who they were…? The people of my village… And my parents."

"They never used Fire Magic?"

"Not that I can remember."

Rita crossed her arms and held her chin, thinking silently for a bit.

"One's magic should be natural to use. Are you sure you're not forcing yourself to use Fire magic?"

"I'm not." Akane shook her head. "I just… Felt something in me, rising, something that I was blocking. That I had no idea what it would be, and certainly didn't want flames to come out of me."

Rita raised an eyebrow. 'That's probably the heart of the issue, isn't it?'

Palms to the sky, the Succubus her hands.

"There are two options here," She explained. "Either you have high affinity with multiple Magic Types and, as such, are having a hard time learning. This would be natural. I've heard of mages capable of using Water Magic, Ice Magic, and Earth Magic. They struggle to learn how to control and use the first element, but it gets easier after that."

Akane listened carefully and nodded.

"Either that or…?" She asked.

"Either that or," Rita raised her hand. "You're not comfortable using Fire Magic. You dislike it, fear it, maybe even hate it. I've also seen many such cases. If you dislike your magic, then you'll never be able to use it properly."

"I don't… Particularly dislike it."

"What about fear?" Rita asked, tilting her head. "Are you scared of fire? Of Flames? Of burning? Of things burning around you? Of people burning around you?"

Akane's breathing turned unstable as memories of her childhood started rising.

"If you fear your own magic, you'll never be its master." The Succubus added, staring at the threads connected to her fingers. "You need to make it your bitch, so to say."

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