The Damned Demon

795  Better To Survive

Asher furrowed his brows as he stared at Rebecca, his confusion growing. He was so distracted, and his senses were in a suppressed state that he never sensed Rebecca hiding near him, eavesdropping on everything he said.

And with her no longer being bound to him, he couldn't sense her presence as before.

"What are you doing here? You are no longer—"

"Master!" Rebecca suddenly called out, loudly interrupting him. Her hands rested firmly on her hips as she tilted her head with an exaggerated expression, "Did you forget? You were the one who told me to keep following you no matter where you go. Did you think you could get rid of me so easily just to tell this little secret of yours to your human pets?"

Asher blinked, completely thrown off.

What the hell was she doing?

Why was she acting like she was still his slave? Why had she come back instead of running as far away as she could?

Grace and Amelia were confused as well, wondering if Asher really had no idea Rebecca was with them. This was a first.

Rebecca then crossed her arms, her eyes gleaming with petulance and sharp intrigue as she gave him a knowing smirk, "But never in my wildest dreams did I expect you to have a past where you were a human... the strongest Hunter no less. I should have known when you started displaying impossible feats despite being a boy who was soulless before he woke up. No...I always suspected that you had some connection to this world whenever you treated your little human pets with such kindness and..." she dragged her words, her gaze shifting to Grace with a dagger-like glare, "love."

Grace, however, simply shook her head helplessly, wondering what she should do with her.

"No wonder you did so well to hide it," Rebecca continued as she looked back at Asher, her smirk shifting into something more dangerous, "If our people knew, you would have been crucified in ways I wouldn't dare to imagine. I must say, I'm impressed you managed to fool everyone, including me. Devils, even your loving wife, Rowena, wouldn't forgive such a past. If I didn't know better, all of us would have assumed you were planning to betray us after using us."

While serving him as his slave, she got to learn so much about Asher, more than she ever imagined. And she had to bitterly admit to herself that he wasn't the man she initially expected to be. Despite being a pervert and a womanizer, he truly did love Rowena and his other women.

She also knew he was always trying his best to protect and strengthen their kingdom though she never understood why he was so hellbent on saving the human world as well.

But now it all made sense despite how absurd and inconceivable it sounded.

However, the mention of Rowena's name hit Asher like a blade to the gut.

His jaw clenched as her face flashed in his mind.

Grace, sensing the change in Asher's demeanor, lightly slapped Rebecca's elbow, giving her a warning look, "Enough," her eyes seemed to say.

But Rebecca ignored her, her smirk suddenly fading as a realization dawned upon her, especially after noticing Asher's expression.

She mumbled, her brows furrowing, "Wait... did Rowena—"

"Rowena found out," Asher interrupted, his voice low, heavy. His eyes darkened as he continued, "She banished me and wanted me to leave the kingdom. That's why I left before the Draconians attacked."

A heavy silence settled in the room.

Amelia's eyes widened in shock, her breath catching. "H-How did she find out...?"

Rebecca, however, let out a cold scoff, shaking her head as rage flickered in her eyes.

"Because that smug bitch, Naida, must have used underhanded ways to make Rowena know about it all. She used my memories of everything we did here without my knowledge and sent it all to Rowena. But wait..." Her eyes widened as her gaze shifted sharply to Asher, "Does this mean you told Naida about your past as the Golden Prince?"

Asher stiffened.

He didn't respond immediately. He simply lowered his head, his jaw tightening.

Rebecca scoffed, her expression a mixture of disbelief and frustration, "I can't believe it... You really told her... What did you see in her that made you blind to her true nature?" Her voice dripped with venom, her hands clenching into fists, "Of course, I wanted to warn you about how dangerous she was, but I knew you would have punished me for speaking ill of one of your precious lovers."

"Rebecca, that's enough," Grace's voice cut through the tension, her hand resting on Rebecca's shoulder.

Seeing Grace's unusually serious expression and Asher's heavy expression, Rebecca pressed her lips together before she harrumphed and shrugged off Grace's hand. Amelia suddenly hugged Asher's arm, her chin trembling as she whispered, "I'm sorry, Asher. I never thought she would betray you like this. You loved her so much, and yet she..."

Asher didn't say anything.

Yui lowered her head, her expression sorrowful, while Remy stood in stunned silence.

Yui didn't know what to say, but she couldn't help but feel sad for her Master, while Remy never expected the Demon King to experience so much pain despite being so powerful.

Asher finally exhaled, his voice grim and laced with something darker, something colder, "I could have lived with the fact that she betrayed me. But she didn't just betray me alone."

The air in the room seemed to grow heavier.

Asher's golden eyes flickered with raw fury, "She betrayed my kingdom and my people. She trapped me in those ruins, preventing me from helping my kingdom while I had no idea my people were dying. I can never forgive her for that, and I will see to it that she gets what she deserves."

A chilling silence followed Asher's declaration. The grim finality in his voice seemed to settle over the room like a dense fog, suffocating and absolute.

Even Rebecca felt a slight shiver run down her spine. Amelia's brows knit together, her expression taut with worry. Yui lowered her gaze, clutching her hands together, while Remy remained stiff, uncertain whether to speak.

But then, Rebecca cleared her throat, breaking the suffocating tension,

"Just so you know," she began, her voice sharp yet oddly measured, "things could have been worse if you were there."

Asher narrowed his gaze, but Rebecca continued, undeterred.

"Sure, with your help, we could have killed a lot more of those ugly draconians. But in the end, unless we had ten of you, we still would have been overwhelmed, and Drakar would have done the unimaginable after using his men to crush you under sheer numbers. It's a bitter fact that our kingdom had only a fraction of their strength. We never stood a chance—especially with that foxy bitch, Kira, and Naida joining hands."

Grace, standing nearby, chose not to stop Rebecca. Even if her words sounded harsh, she could see what Rebecca was doing. She was trying to make Asher feel less guilty in her own brash, unfiltered way.

Rebecca crossed her arms, her eyes burning with something unreadable,

"So you can think whatever you want, but all of us here know that it's better that you survived. At least now, you have the possibility of taking revenge after getting stronger. If I were in your shoes, I'd take that chance without hesitation."

Grace gave a look of approval towards Rebecca, while Amelia narrowed her eyes, scrutinizing Rebecca.

Something was off about her behavior.

Asher remained silent for a long moment, his eyes unreadable.

Then, finally, he exhaled and turned his gaze toward her.

"I will take care of it, but I won't be needing you for that," Asher didn't know why Rebecca was still lingering around him. Even though she told him the truth, he still couldn't stop feeling angry about the fact that she hid the truth about Naida until she was able to use it against him to free herself.

If only he had known earlier, then maybe he wouldn't suffered such losses.

Of course, anyone in Rebecca's shoes would have done the same, but that doesn't change the fact that he and his people suffered because of it.

Rebecca felt upset to feel his animosity towards her despite the fact that she swallowed her pride and returned to his little cult even after regaining her freedom.

However, she quickly masked it with a scoff, swatting away a silver lock of her hair,

"Hmph, if that's what you wish...Master," Rebecca said as she curved her lips, planning to do the opposite. It felt good to finally not have to obey his orders.

Asher shook his head. "No... You guys have done enough. This is something only I can handle."

Grace's brows subtly lifted in curiosity. "What do you mean?"

Asher's expression hardened, his voice filled with quiet resolve.

"You all should continue to focus on what's happening here, especially Derek. He won't sit still after the attack. He'll rebuild or repair the Nexus Tower soon enough. I already heard that he's transferred most of the Hunters to Mars. My people will find it harder to survive because there's no way they can win against the Hunters stationed there."

His eyes darkened, the weight of responsibility pressing onto him,

"That's why I have to be away for a while... to get stronger and come back to finish what we started."

A hush settled over the room.

Amelia visibly stiffened, her hands unconsciously tightening into fists.

"Wait, you're going away again? Where?" She asked, her voice laced with concern.

Asher cupped Amelia's face gently, his thumb lightly brushing against her cheek. "Don't worry. I'll only be away for two months or so. If I succeed, I'll return. If I don't..." He took a deep breath, his voice dropping to a near whisper. "If I don't return... proceed without me. No matter what, we can't let Derek complete his plans. I can't save Rachel and everyone else like this. I don't want to lose another home."

Yui bit her lip, her hands trembling slightly, while Remy felt moved, hearing how the Demon King still considered their world as his home though only Amelia.

Amelia looked stricken, her brown eyes swimming with emotions.

But before she could say anything, Grace stepped forward, her expression resolute.

"We will do just that, Master," she said with a soft yet firm smile. "But we will still wait for you, no matter how long it takes... as long as each of us is breathing."

"Of course, we will," Amelia said, her sadness mixing with determination.

Yui nodded as well, her black eyes glistening, while Remy gave a sharp nod.

Rebecca, on the other hand, rolled her eyes, looking annoyed by all the sentimentality.

"Oh, for the love of the devils," she muttered under her breath. "You'd think he was dying today with the way you're all acting."

But despite her words, Rebecca's gaze lingered on Asher, watching him closely.

She was curious.

How was he planning to get stronger within just two months?

Was this just a reassuring statement for his human pets?

Or did he have something else planned?

Either way, she was determined to find out.

Just as the air began to settle, Asher's expression shifted, as if he suddenly remembered something.

A name flashed in his mind.

Arthur.

His expression became concerned as he asked,

"Where is Arthur now?"

Amelia and Grace exchanged a hesitant glance, their expressions subtly shifting.

After a moment, Amelia let out a heavy sigh, rubbing her forehead before finally answering.

"About Arthur, he..."

Ohhh...

Please vote using Golden Tickets and Power Stones if you guys are enjoying and want to support the novel :D

Join my discord channel -https://discord.gg/HjWkd4nB3z

Resurgent

Creator's Thought