The Damned Demon

The best physicians in the kingdom were all gathered in Asher's room to nurse him back to health as soon as possible.

Igrid, the Royal Physician, was the one who overlooked the other physicians and worked together with them to make sure nothing went wrong.

Igrid was a bit surprised to see the queen being a bit discomposed when she usually wouldn't, even if the kingdom was under attack.

The rest of the physicians were sweating from their brows since the queen had ordered them to make sure Asher became completely healthy again as soon as possible. They were not to leave the room without making sure of it. Who knows what would happen to them if, on the off chance, they failed and angered the queen?

They could see that the royal consort had lost too much blood and had severe internal injuries. But with the royal physician on their side, they were feeling confident about healing him quickly.

Rowena didn't stay inside Asher's room since she didn't want to distract the physicians from doing their job.

She also wanted to know what really happened, and thus she was questioning both Eradicator and Asher's maid before her.

Merina's head was lowered as she continued to kowtow before the queen, "F-Forgive me...Your Majesty...I-It was all my fault..." Merina pled guilty on her own after telling the queen what happened. Tears dripped down her warm eyes as she felt guilty for her Master getting hurt, especially when he tried to protect her as well.

Rowena furrowed her brows, and after calmly taking a deep breath, she said, "He got that far with your help and knowledge of the places outside our kingdom. You accomplished your duties well. You may go back to his room."

Merina blinked her wet eyes, feeling relieved that the queen wasn't angry at her. She silently got up with her head lowered and bowed deeply, "Thank you, Your Majesty..." Saying so, Merina eagerly entered her Master's room and stood silently in a corner as she prayed for her Master to become healthy soon.

After Merina went inside, Rowena looked at Eradicator, "What do you think about what she said? Was it really true that Asher killed ten werewolves who were all strong as a Soul Slayer?"

Rowena was finding it very hard to believe what Merina said since nobody else she knew could ever do something like that. The power gap was just too big, no matter how talented one could be. Not even someone at the peak of Soul Warrior would have a chance of defeating someone near the peak of Soul Slayer, let alone a couple of low to mid-level Soul Slayers.

Eradicator nodded slowly as she said, "I checked the corpses myself. The power of their mana circuits were all at the Soul Slayer rank, and the way they were killed...It could only be with the ring blade the royal consort wields," As Eradicator said this, she also couldn't shake off how shocking it was for him to kill all those werewolves on his own. But since she already saw the proof, she was inclined to believe it.

Rowena's expression became one of contemplation as she asked, "What about the quest he completed? Did he complete it without suffering any injuries?" Rowena wanted to know if he was injured before leaving Crimson Grove.

Eradicator shook her head and said, "The only drops of blood I found there were from the Hunters and his maid. The royal consort didn't even shed a single drop of blood and killed at least three."

Rowena subtly raised her brows, not expecting Asher to have completed such a difficult quest without even a scratch. Her emotions were in a whirlwind after hearing of his bravery and success in surviving all that came his way, especially that pack of werewolves. None of the great warriors or rulers from the history she knew ever achieved such a feat.

She couldn't help but feel a glimmer of admiration and respect for him. Who would have known that someone considered to be one of the weakest in the kingdom would grow to be so formidable? She knew that it was not only because of the guidance of the mysterious expert but also because of Asher's innate talents he was able to grow so quickly.

"But...there was a missing Hunter. Since I didn't find any corpse, I assume that Hunter somehow managed to escape though..." Eradicator suddenly fell silent, making Rowena look at her and ask, "What is it?"

Eradicator answered, "It seemed like the royal consort had completely overpowered her, but I do not know how she managed to escape after that."

Rowena shook her head briefly, "It doesn't matter. All that matters is he returned alive. I should make an official statement about it tomorrow morning and let the people know what happened. His exploits, bravery, and efforts should be made known to the people," Rowena firmly said, feeling that was the least she could do for him at this moment.

--

The Bloodburn Queen's official statement echoed throughout the kingdom with the help of special arrays that conveyed her voice to even the farthest corners of the kingdom, letting each and every person hear it even if they weren't present near where she was.

The people of the demon kingdom were in awe as they listened to their queen's official statement. They were amazed that the man, who was once seen as a weak cripple, had managed to kill ten powerful werewolves all by himself.

Rowena also spoke of Asher's bravery, of how he had gone on a quest to protect a place outside the kingdom that was special to her but one that she could not order her own people to take part in, as it was not for the kingdom's benefit.

As she continued to speak, the people began to see the royal consort in a brighter light, no longer as someone who was a hidden genius but as a true warrior who was willing to risk it all for his queen even if he didn't have to.

Whispers and murmurs ran through the crowds as they tried to make sense of what they had just heard. Some were in disbelief, others were in admiration, but all were affected by the bravery and selflessness of the royal consort.

More were beginning to believe that their late Demon King was wise and prudent enough to marry his only daughter to the royal consort.

As Rowena finished her statement, the people erupted into cheers and applause since now their enemies outside the kingdom will realize they weren't to be trifled with.

Even some of them who previously held contempt and anger towards the royal consort for being a leech to the kingdom were now filled with newfound awe and respect, especially for his strength. Never in their dreams could they imagine a Mid-level Soul Warrior defeating ten Soul Slayers all on their own.

Some were very skeptical about it, but the fact that their queen wouldn't lie or exaggerate about anything made them feel that there must be some truth to it.

--

Two nights passed while the kingdom was shrouded with hidden tension until they heard of the consort being on the path of successful recovery...

The usually silent Demonstone Castle was now bustling with long lines consisting of powerful nobles from various Houses lined up to deliver gifts to the royal consort as a gesture that they were hoping he would recover as soon as possible.

But these nobles were indirectly competing to make sure the queen and the royal consort would take notice of their presence and efforts. It was pretty rare for such opportunities to come by. Otherwise, they wouldn't have any excuse to come by.

Some of the nobles from the stronger Houses hoped to see the royal consort personally to get acquainted with him, especially since they knew he was going to be quite a powerful and influential figure in the future. It was best to form friendly ties as earliest as possible.

Unfortunately for them, the queen had given strict orders that nobody should be allowed to visit the royal consort while he was resting.

However, what astonished them was the rumors that the queen hadn't left Asher's room for a long while. Immediately a lot of gossip swam around, wondering what the queen was doing in there with him. This was just unexpected and unprecedented.

Few hours ago...

Rowena entered Asher's room as soon as the royal physician said Asher was in a stable condition and all he needed was some rest.

The maids and other physicians in the room left hurriedly as soon as she entered. Asher had already told Merina to go and spend time with her children since he wanted to be alone with Rowena.

Merina felt thankful that he was so understanding even though she wanted to stay with him till he got alright. However, since he insisted, she could only leave thinking that he would be alright, especially with so many physicians looking after him. He wouldn't need her for now.

The moment the door behind Rowena closed, Asher sighed, "I know what you are going to say..." He said with a soft chuckle as he leaned against the headrest, sitting up, and added, "But no matter how many times you would have warned me, I still would have done it. I have no regrets."

Rowena felt her chest lighten upon seeing him acting as usual and noticed how almost all his injuries were healed. However, his face seemed a bit pale, which she thought was because his body was too exhausted from absorbing the powerful medicines.

She softly shook her head and said, her cold voice softer, "No...I wasn't planning to make you feel bad for what you did. It's the opposite. I don't know...what to say or what I can do for you after all you went through," Rowena couldn't express how grateful since he almost died to complete a quest for her sake which he wasn't obliged to.

But she felt that simply expressing it through words didn't seem right, and thus, it left her confused about what to do. Never before had she felt such confusion.

Asher felt a bit amused by her veiled awkwardness and said with a light smile, "For now, there is one thing I want you to do for me. But I don't know if you can spare time for it."

Rowena's eyes glowed with an inner light as she came closer and asked, her tone betraying a hint of eagerness, "Tell me...I can temporarily assign someone else to look after the matters of the kingdom for a while."

Seeing her determined look, Asher chuckled as he said, "I am bored of seeing these physicians staying here all the time and feeding me medicinal foods that taste like crap. I can't even sleep with them poking around all the time."

Rowena pulled together her brows, "I will order them to stay out unless necessary. But as for the medicinal food...you have to eat it till you get better. It will help restore your vitality completely," She firmly said to make sure he doesn't skip such foods.

Asher nodded as he said, "Yeah, I know, but...I was thinking that if you were to stay here with me and feed me this food...It would taste a lot better," His gaze softened as he added, "I also will be able to rest better in your presence."

Rowena blinked her eyes as she didn't expect such a request from him. She had never fed anyone else in her life, and thinking of doing it just seemed strange to her. Would it really taste better if she fed it to him?

However, she wanted to try it if it would make him happy and rest comfortably.

"But I won't make you ignore your duties. How about you make my room your study room till I get better and bring in all your reports and documents? You could teach me as we planned earlier while staying with me as well. I don't want to waste time by doing nothing," Asher said with a light shrug.

Rowena contemplated on it for a few moments and felt that it was a good idea since it would probably distract him from any pain he was feeling as well, "I agree. We will do just that," She said with a soft nod.