"Is this all you've got? I'm disappointed, kiddo."
And if those words weren't hurtful enough, a flick of a finger threw him against a wall.
"To think that I've wasted years teaching you," his voice boomed. "And all you have are cheap party tricks?! That's no magic, Zoltan, it's a waste of mana."
The Green Mage's current form was that of a child.
Yet, he still towered over the beaten illusionist, upper lip twisted in disgust.
"Aww, man, aren't you a bit too harsh on him?" the little ginger bumped him, hands on her narrow waist. Who would have thought the crazy girl he used to trade with was actually—
"Easy for you to say, Greater Demon," his former master scoffed.
The current Demon Lord of Kasserlane.
"Your little lover has talent. A decent amount of mana, and you didn't even teach him. You have every reason to be proud of your Konrad von Halstadt. But look at this beastman, he's a failure."
He didn't mince his words.
But the worst part was that it felt right.
"Hmm, dunno about that," Lady Lilith said, crossing her arms as she stood between them.
The Green Mage's spell that pinned him against the wall broke, and he could finally breathe.
"Konny boy didn't born with magic, either. Fun fact: he wanted you to teach him. But you were already gone, so—guess who his master was?" the little ginger teased, skipping towards him.
Then, with a theatrical bow and pointing with both hands, she exclaimed.
"Behold, the great teacher of the White Mage, Zoltan Sudberg."
The Green mage scoffed.
"Some teaching that must have been. He can't do anything but manipulate light."
"And that was all my Konny needed to start," Lilith said while yanking him up from the dirt, dusting his cape off. "Lucifer sabotaged him and restricted his mana pool."
Right. Zoltan remembered that.
He would tire after the simplest of spells and had to wait until he recharged.
And yet, once he saw the Black River tribe, he still took on that dungeon and the mercenaries.
All while he was still powerless.
"If it weren't for his light magic, Konrad might have never grasped the basics," she said. "And who can we thank for it? Your old pupil right here. If it were you, he'd give up on magic by now."
Zoltan was sure she was only trying to comfort him to piss off the Green Mage.
They seemed to have a history together, deeper than what he could comprehend.
But for the same reason, the Demon Lord was still sneering at him instead, crossing his arms.
"Being useful once is no excuse to stay mediocre," he said, staring them down. Which should have been impossible with his height, but he was the Green Mage, after all. He managed.
He circled them, avoiding getting too close to the little ginger, eyes on Zoltan the whole time.
"You say it took Konrad a few months to learn light, sound, fire, and earth magic from scratch. Zoltan had one year of my tutoring, and another after that. Yet he still can't do anything."
Lilith smirked as she stepped between them again.
"Which means the great Meow Midori might be the worst teacher Kasserlane had ever seen."
He looked like a young boy, but that glare was his old master's.
"You're aware I can banish you, demoness," he taunted.
"And who's gonna seal Lu when I'm gone?" Lilith shot back without missing a beat.
They both outmatched Zoltan in power and sass; that much was obvious.
But if they went for each other's throats, the others would only find his crushed bones under the rubble. How did he even get himself into this weird situation?!
Ever since that noblewoman—angel?—told him the truth about himself, his days felt like a blur.
This wasn't his first life.
But unlike the Green Mage, Konrad, and those otherworlders, he didn't remember anything.
How? Why?
It was so unfair. What was even the point?!
"There's none, Zoltan," the little ginger said, as if she was reading his mind. "Yeah, sorry. I did."
The illusionist froze.
She could actually do that?!
"There is a point," the Green Mage scoffed, his face hardening even further. "That bastard gets off on our suffering. Yours, mine—Konrad's in particular. And Lucifer's a master of the mind."
"Well, yeah, in that sense," Lilith nodded. "You only remember what deepens your suffering."
He had no recollection of this Lucifer guy, but he sure hated him now.
"I'll do anything in my power to help you seal him away, Lady Liliana," Zoltan swore.
But his former master laughed him off.
"And what exactly is that? Distract him with your pretty images?!"
The girl rolled her eyes, hooking her arm into Zoltan's.
"I'll have you know," she said. "When Gabrielle plotted against your life, her entire plan hinged on a pretty girl to distract you. So don't underestimate your pupil."
"Oh? Well, I'm still alive," the Green Mage scoffed. "So it didn't work, did it?"
But as if she reminded him of something, he turned around, face softening.
Was he looking for someone?
"He is," the demonette giggled. "He fell head over heels for Eyna, which proves the distraction worked fine. The more annoying part is that my Konrad had also started to notice her."
"The Black River girl?" Zoltan blinked, not even realizing she was reading his mind again.
"What do you want from my martyr?" a menacing voice boomed, and he froze.
He, and the Green Mage, too.
Lady Gabrielle von Schwertburg caught them both off guard.
Even in those fluffy princess-y dresses, she could sneak up on people without a warning.
Lilith giggled even harder.
"Everyone is falling in love with your little puppet, Wifey Number Two."
She was chirping as usual, but her frustration was evident.
"Is that so?" The beautiful noble raised her head with a slight smirk. "And that's how I know my plan would have worked. If not for your stupid husband interfering with it."
There they went at it again.
It seemed like everyone would jump at everyone else's throat the moment Konrad was away.
"My stupid husband is your stupid husband, too," Lilith pointed out. Her crooked little fangs were showing. "And if I remember right, you wanted to marry him even before I did."
Gabrielle shot her a glare, but did not deny it.
"What can I say?" she asked instead, lifting her nose even higher. "I'll admit the way he always tries his best and suffers along the way does feel—hmm. Nice?"
The Green Mage shivered.
"See? Angels," he scoffed, taking a step back. "They're all rotten to the core."
"Right?!" Lilith asked, now switching to his side. "How about we seal away this one, too? After we're done with Lucifer. That would remove both her and Eyna from the picture, and—"
"Eyna?!"
His terrifying former master was—
Blushing?
Zoltan had already lost track of what was happening.
"You say you want us out of your happy little marriage," Lady Gabrielle scoffed. "But aren't you the one who wanted this harem in the first place? Make up your mind, demoness."
"That is one thing," Lilith snapped back. "But I hate that you're into it, too."
The illusionist didn't even notice when the Green Mage snuck closer to his side.
"See this, Zoltan?" he whispered, nodding towards the arguing women. "They're terrifying creatures. Even I'm afraid—but I have an ace. You need to learn better spells, too."
There had to be a better way of letting him know.