⚔️Serberia

"Well, hello, almost-hometown," Alessia thought without enthusiasm as she stepped onto Baldr soil again. "I barely recognize it."
What's the difference – a month in Elheim versus ten years in Baldr? A heavier purse, a bullet scar, a fashionable manicure, and a slender body instead of her usual thinness? A demon king? Maybe all of that at once. For five years, she couldn't believe she was actually living in this backwater, and three weeks in Elheim felt like it should be the norm. Of course, she conveniently forgot about the times when every Tom, Dick, and Harry tried to kill her. And it wasn't that Alessia regretted the end of her stay in Elheim – she had been counting down the days since her arrival – it just didn't bring her any pleasure to return to Baldr. Not even this new Baldr, with its station, idle tourists, and law enforcement. Especially not like this.

"Transient loafers, cursed Imperial lackeys, and soon there will be the constant noise and stench of steam engines. Bastards!" Alessia carefully maintained a calm expression as she walked through this semi-familiar city, but as soon as she closed the door to her house, all the emotions she had bottled up poured out in a torrent – "I'm so tired..."
She couldn't even say for sure what she was tired of – the three weeks of non-stop work, or this strange influx of people in Gungnir's domain. Alessia sat down on the bed in her shoes and randomly grabbed a book from her bag. She wanted to read, calm down, finally rest, and get her thoughts in order. "The Book of Demons. Wonderful."

A week passed peacefully. After reading the book several times and almost memorizing it, Alessia hid it in a remote corner. At first, she thought about getting rid of it altogether, but then she remembered that the governor hadn't even questioned her about the suspicious item. If, instead, he had sent a letter to her father... It would be better to act as if nothing special had happened. And then Reynold showed up.

"You've probably already heard that they're discussing our missions. Many people are worried, and not without reason. The last assignments were only narrowly averted from becoming tragedies, and with each one, we make more and more new enemies. In general, what do you think about these assignments, and are you going to continue?"

Heard? Perhaps. Thought? A little. She thought about how the capital was multiplying after each assignment, how her magical abilities were growing, which she had tried so long and unsuccessfully to develop. She also thought that, although there was probably no place in the world worth Clematis, there were many places better than Baldr. She thought about how she had changed as a person – so much so that even Cecilia sometimes wouldn't recognize the former, silent girl who only saw work and the simple temptations of the fashion world. Life hadn't become calmer, but maybe it had become better? The last few months were worth the last few years, and she had only paid for it with a single scar and a slight scare. It was worth it. Things will be better in the future, as long as she stops in time, before she has to pay with her life. There's a sense of déjà vu here... and a certainty that the risk will pay off.
"If you had asked me about this after Tamfana, I would have answered 'no' without hesitation, but now..." Alessia paused, reconsidering everything she had accumulated over the past week, but then blurted out. "Oh, never mind, I don't need to explain it to you, you wouldn't understand anyway. Just tell the baron that I'm still going to participate in his deadly games. For now, I am. Goodbye."
And she slammed the door. About an hour and a half later, Alessia went to visit Cecilia to find out about the opening of her business. This conversation will probably be more difficult.

Added 1 minute ago

Well, we could wait, Alex seems to want to summon demons himself.

Does that require an Overlord Spell? Anyway, I wanted to do it in the next phase.