The Hero Should've Known Better

Interlude 3

Skarrol was bringing another plate of bread and water to Lord Luth's cell. The Demon Lord was warming up to the half-Harpy, or so Skarrol liked to think.

Maybe he was just being over-optimistic.

Skarrol stepped into the cell with his usual announcement: "How's my fellow Demon Lord doing today?"

As if on cue, he immediately ducked as a pebble flew over his head at blistering speeds. It splintered into dust the moment it hit the wall behind him.

"Well, then. That was pretty rude!" he exclaimed. The half-Harpy looked back at the Demon Lord with a glare. "Where'd you even get that? You shouldn't be allowed to bring anything in here!"

"It was apparently in the bread you gave me yesterday," Luth replied. "If not for the fact that I'm the Demon Lord, I would've broken a tooth on it."

Skarrol looked at the bread on the plate he was carrying in. Surely they couldn't possibly be leaving pebbles and rocks in the bread, could they?

"...Before you say anything else, I think they're intentionally baking rocks into the bread you give me because I'm the Demon Lord," Luth continued. "There's probably a rock in this one, too, but I'll take it anyway. Food is food."

"They're really baking pebbles into your bread?" Skarrol asked.

"Yes, they are. Let me give you proof, just bring that bread over."

Lord Luth gestured the half-Harpy over, to which he immediately grabbed the loaf of bread that was offered. He immediately fished his fingers into it and begin plucking out the pebbles.

"Here's one. And... another."

It didn't take long for him to find at least three in that loaf. Lord Luth picked one up, and proceeded to crush it with his fingers.

Skarrol felt a shiver go down his spine at the display of strength.

"Wait, you're still capable of doing that? I thought the chains would've prevented that," the half-Harpy said. He wasn't sure how he said that entire sentence without a single stutter.

"The chains only inhibit any magically-enhanced strength," Lord Luth replied. "I'm capable of being a lot stronger."

"But why haven't you broken out or..."

'Hurt anyone' was what Skarrol wanted to say, but he didn't want to give the Demon Lord any ideas. However, when those apricot-colored eyes glanced over at him, it seemed as though Luth knew exactly what he was referring to.

"Because these chains are too strong. The Hero isn't an idiot," Luth said. He raised an arm, to show the magical glimmering shackles. "That, and the only person I can realistically hurt here is you... which I won't, because you're the only one actually giving me anything to eat."

Suddenly remembering what he came there for, Skarrol glanced down at the loaf of bread which had been torn up to look for the pebbles.

"Oh, I'm... terribly sorry about this," he said. "I'll tell them not to—"

"Don't bother," Lord Luth jut in. "They hate me, it's expected. Instead, can you grab me some of the other bread? What they'd normally eat, I don't expect them to spike their own loaves with any of this... stuff."

"Do you want a new loaf, then?"

Luth already had one of the pieces up to his mouth when Skarrol asked that. He raised an eyebrow.

"What is this, room service? Never expected you to be this hospitable. It's fine, I won't let this loaf go to waste."

The conversation between the two died down as Lord Luth munched on his loaf of bread. He took a few sips of the water as he ate.