The Damned Demon

"I am going to get you back to the castle right away, Your Highness," Eradicator said as she moved the royal consort away from Merina and put his arm around her neck to support him.

Merina let him go with pinched lips, though she knew it was best that Eradicator took care of him.

"I thought you wouldn't be able to find...me," Asher said while grimacing with pain.

Eradicator looked at him and said in a deep, confident voice, "I will never fail to find you."

Asher softly chuckled but groaned when his injuries acted up again.

Eradicator had already observed how serious his injuries were, but the fact that astonished her more was how he managed to survive this long. She noticed the corpses of werewolves lying nearby, separate from the ones she killed.

Nobody of his age and experience could endure such injuries for long. Their will power would be so weak that they would succumb to it quickly.

This only made her feel a sense of respect for him for having such fortitude and strength.

*Roooor*

Asher heard the low sound of a beast's howl and looked up to see a magnificent creature, its sleek black body that seemed to merge seamlessly with the darkness surrounding it. Its wings were massive and spread wide, appearing as if they were made from the shadows themselves.

Its eyes were glowing red rubies, shining bright against the darkness, and its fangs were razor-sharp, glinting in the moonlight.

This beast was an imposing sight to behold as it landed on the ground, and this was the first time Asher was looking at Eradicator's mount.

"Let me help you get on top of Grimeras," Eradicator said as she helped Asher get on top of her mount carefully. And right after, she also got atop it and was ready to fly into the skies.

"Wait...Don't leave my maid behind," Asher said as he sat behind Eradicator.

Merina softly smiled with tears in her eyes. She was prepared to be left here since she knew Eradicator must be angry at her since the people from her old clan almost killed the royal consort. She also was afraid that her Master resented her for the same thing. Someone like him can easily get a hundred maids who can replace her.

But seeing how her Master didn't want to let her go, she felt a warm sensation spreading across her chest.

Eradicator turned her cold gaze towards Merina, making her lower her head. She wanted to leave this werewolf woman here since she could guess that without her, the royal consort wouldn't have ended up almost losing his life.

At the same time, she also thought that his maid must have guided him through these lands for the past few days, which let him survive through the past few days.

In the end, Merina was still the royal consort's maid, and if he still wanted her, then she couldn't do anything about it.

She silently gestured at Merina to get on top of her mount, making Merina give a relieved smile as she immediately climbed up and sat behind her Master.

"Hold tight. We are about to take off," Eradicator warned, but her grip on the reins tightened when she felt a pair of strong arms wrapping around her waist.

She turned her head around slightly when Asher said casually, his voice slightly weak, "You told me to hold tight...right?"

Eradicator calmly looked at him, and seeing how his condition was worsening, she felt this was for the best even though she felt it strange by having someone holding onto her like this. Still, she didn't want him falling off her mount and let it be.

Merina let out a low gasp seeing her Master hugging the waist of someone as scary as her. But she then felt that only someone as fearless and powerful as her Master could have the qualifications to do this.

Grimeras let out a low bellow as it flapped its huge wings and took off into the skies, leaving behind a powerful gust of wind in its wake.

--

Rowena was in her study, gazing at the setting sun, the sky painted maroon. From here, she could sense the unrest in her kingdom because of Asher's disappearance, though at the same time, she could sense a similar kind of unrest in her chest as well.

The only time she felt like this was when her parents left for their final quests. She never expected to feel something like this again.

But her eyes narrowed when she saw the clouds far away disperse as a huge flying beast came through with three people on top of it.

They were only about to reach the border of the kingdom, but she didn't need any more confirmation as she immediately left the room.

--

The news of the royal consort's disappearance had spread like wildfire.

Most of the people in the kingdom were already speculating that something unfortunate had happened to the royal consort. With the passing of each hour, the more hope they lost about him returning alive.

The sun was already setting, which meant within a couple more hours, another day without his return would pass.

But suddenly, they saw a huge shadow speeding past the ground they were walking on. With stunned looks, they looked skyward. Their eyes widened in disbelief as they saw a massive, fearsome creature flying overhead with three figures atop it.

They easily recognized that it was Grimeras, the mount of the Bloodborn Guard named Eradicator.

But what shocked them was the tall, gray-skinned young man sitting atop it. They could feel his gaze passing over them, making them come out of their reverie as they realized it was the royal consort!

Excitement and relief filled the air as the news of the consort's miraculous return spread throughout the kingdom. Crowds of people began to gather, cheering and clapping as they saw Grimeras heading toward the Demonstone Castle.

People craned their necks to get a better look, many of them in awe of the beast, and whispered amongst themselves, wondering how the royal consort had survived outside all these days. Some of them, with sharp eyes, noticed that the royal consort didn't return unharmed, making them think it was indeed a miracle he returned alive.

Grimeras descended from the sky, its massive wings spreading out like a cloak of darkness as it glided gracefully before landing in front of the castle gates.

A crowd had already gathered outside the gates to take a better look at the royal consort's condition.

They gasped upon seeing how injured he was, and his condition wasn't definitely looking good. They could only imagine what kind of horrors he survived for three days outside the kingdom.

But their eyes widened in astonishment when they saw the large castle doors slowly creak open, and their queen emerged from within. This was a sight that the people had never expected to see. They never expected her to come out personally to receive the royal consort.

The moment Rowena stepped outside the castle doors, she saw a familiar figure staggering towards her with the support of his maid. It was Asher, his armor in shambles with stains of blood and his body covered in wounds, but alive. Before she realized it, she found herself walking towards him hurriedly, her worries and concern overcoming her usual reserve.

Despite being in such a state, she saw him softly smile at her as he moved his lips to feebly say, "Your place is safe..."

Rowena's felt a prickle in her chest as she realized that this man went through hell for her sake, and even after he returned, the first thought in his mind was reassuring her.

Her eyes softened as she took in the bruises and cuts that marred his body. Her fingers weakly skimmed over his body, trying to see how bad his condition was.

Her eyes faintly quivered upon seeing how extensive his injuries were. Deep gashes marred his skin, the flesh torn and ribs broken. He was barely standing on his feet, with blood and sweat drenching his clothing.

But she could see the raw determination in his eyes. Despite his injuries, he still stood tall, proud, and unwavering, his dark yellow eyes reflecting only her.

Her lips quivered slightly as she turned her neck around, "Bring in a bed," She curtly ordered her men, her voice betraying a hint of urgency, "We need to get him inside the castle and summon the royal physician immediately.."

The servants hastened to obey, quickly bringing out a sturdy yet comfortable bed and placing it beside Asher. With gentle care, they lifted the injured royal consort onto the bed and began carrying him inside the castle.

Rowena followed close behind, with Merina and Eradicator following her.

The servants and maids inside the castle didn't even dare to let out a whimper upon seeing their queen closely following the men carrying the bed with the royal consort on it.

They knew their queen was known to have a reserved and stoic demeanor. But they never expected to see her composure being shaken slightly because of the royal consort.

Merina was greatly worried as she followed behind. However she had her expression relax and her eyes brim with tears upon seeing Ceti, who also rushed towards her with a relieved and worried look.

Rebecca, Oberon, Seron, and Silvan were looking at Rowena and the army of servants following behind.

"This isn't possible...The Devils can't want him alive that badly...right?" Rebecca muttered with a frustrated and shocked light in her eyes upon seeing that this brat somehow made it back alive!

She was feeling quite glad and relaxed, thinking that the annoying brat was dead and devoured by the beasts. So seeing him return felt like somebody poured a bucket of water over her.

Oberon was equally pissed, his eyes shaking.  But what pissed him off even more was Rowena's reaction to his return. He didn't like how she personally went out to receive him and even had her bearings affected by the state of his condition. He refused to believe she was concerned for that vermin. His only guess was that she must be concerned about whatever quest she sent him on and wanted to check in on what happened.

Seron narrowed his eyes and shook his head softly, "I had a feeling we got hopeful for nothing."

Silvan slowly rubbed the skin under his nose as he carefully observed Asher being taken inside. For almost four days, he had been outside, and yet he managed to make it back alive.

Rebecca harrumphed and said, "Whatever....He can't escape the bloodline union test and then he will be done for," Her eyes glinted with a vehement light as she saw his figure disappear inside.