In the dining hall, an unusual scene unfolded under the soft glow of the overhead lights, highlighting the large dining table in the middle.
The air was filled with the sounds of utensils against plates, the occasional whispers between Emiko and Yui, and the rich aroma of food that Grace had ticulously prepared.
Asher was busy gorging on so good old human food he had been craving for a long ti.
In the demon realm, he did get to have good and tasty food, but in the end, no magic could beat the naturally rich and potent food that was prepared over here.
He was tired of having the at of demonic beasts, and mana-enhanced vegetables and fruits.
Yet, it wasn't the food that drew the occasional, surreptitious glances from Emiko and Yui, but the peculiar seating arrangent of their Master.
Asher, with an air of nonchalance, was seated not on a chair but atop the shapely back of Rebecca, who was on all fours.
Her face, a mask of humiliation and barely contained fury, was tinged red, a silent mirror to the indignity of her position.
Despite the raging storm within her, she endured, her back serving as a throne for Asher, ashad at letting him symbolize her subjugation and his dominance.
Grace, joining the gathering with a bowl of rice, broke the undercurrent of tension with a remark laced with amusent and observation, "Sothing about you is different. I don't know what exactly, but I just feel it. Of course, the fact that you beca ridiculously strong within a short ti is a different matter altogether."
Grace noticed that the bloodthirst and darkness surrounding his aura wasn't exactly diminished but was calm as a pool when previously it was all over the place.
She also knew he got a large strength boost after becoming the victor of the Quest of the Worthy. Yet…for him to yet again beco stronger within a matter of months left her at a loss of words, though she knew better than to ask about it.
Asher's response, coupled with a genuine smile, reflected acknowledgnt and acceptance of his journey, "I am finally getting my things in order one by one. When we t first, I was a ss in many ways," Asher's eyes briefly lowered as he rembered the days when he was purely using Rowena on his quest for vengeance and didn't care or love anything or anyone.
He felt a pang of hurt thinking about how unfair he had been to Rowena.
"You do seem more mature and collected. I am impressed to see soone grow so fast," Grace added, her chuckle underscoring her admiration for Asher's evolution, a nod to the rapid pace at which he had carved his path.
Asher, in turn, shifted the focus towards her as he said with a subtle smile, "You have changed as well. You look happier. Remy must be doing well at the academy, huh?" Asher rembered how Grace initially just wanted to die after getting her revenge and her smile lacked life.
But now her eyes had so vigor and life to them, and her face wasn't looking that tired anymore.
Grace's reply, imbued with pride and warmth in her eyes, revealed, "He is doing better than I expected. I have no doubt he will turn out to be one of the finest Hunters in the world."
Rebecca, an unwilling witness to this exchange, seethed internally.
Her confusion and disdain for this bastard's behavior—his casual camaraderie with his Soulservants, his apparent disregard for traditional demon hierarchies—gnawed at her.
'Does he have no sha in lowering himself like this?' she wondered silently, unable to grasp the dynamics at play.
If this was revealed to any demon or even Rowena, it would land him in very serious trouble to the point he will be suspected of colluding with humans or Hunters.
Only if she didn't have this stupid slave seal…
Grace turned her attention to Emiko and Yui, her expression softening into a warm smile that seed to light up the room even more, "And these girls are keeping quite busy here and are very good girls to the point I really want to adopt them as my granddaughters."
"Aunty Grace..." Yui's voice was a whisper, laden with emotion, her face reflecting a deep sense of being moved by Grace's words. Emiko, usually more reserved, found her cheeks blushing with warmth.
Asher, observing this exchange, shifted the focus onto them, "So you two are nearing peak B Ranks now? That's quite fast considering where you two started off," he noted, his words a mix of surprise and approval.
The pride in Emiko's response was unmistakable, feeling glad to hear her Master's complint.
Yui's reaction, though more demure, was equally filled with gratitude. "T-Thank you, Master. But..." She glanced at Grace, her gratitude overflowing, "It is all thanks to Aunty Grace, who helped us learn how to use our abilities to their maximum potential every day. Otherwise, we wouldn't have the confidence to take on only difficult quests, let alone complete them."
Asher nodded with a narrowed gaze, "Good. I will be needing both of your strengths very soon and yours as well, Grace. It's the main reason I invested millions of life crystals and wanted you to harvest many powerful souls to upgrade you to peak S Rank even if it might burn my pockets."
Grace chuckled as she said with a relaxed sigh, "I bet I must be the luckiest Soulservant in the world since no other demon would ever invest so much in sothing that wouldn't last long."
Emiko and Yui's expressions turned somber upon hearing her words.
They knew that Grace didn't have long to live and that she may not last more than a few years at best, especially since the stronger she was, the faster her body would degrade because of the demonic mana flowing within her.
Soon enough, no amount of life crystals she could absorb would undo the damage the demonic mana was causing within her.
Rebecca, overhearing this exchange, was taken aback by Asher's willingness to expend such vast resources on Grace.
This mad bastard really wasted millions of life crystals for this bitch that might die any ti?
He kept calling her crazy when he was crazier!
Just what did he see in her to keep her around? How foolish was he when he could have just used that sa amount of life crystals to raise an army that would last dozens of years longer rather than soone one foot away from the gave.
As if he could sense what she was thinking, Asher slapped Rebecca's buttocks hard, making them ripple while she grimaced with gritted teeth.
"Didn't I tell you to not make a single movent, slave?" Asher sternly scolded Rebecca, making her expression twist in indignation, 'I never made a single movent, you scum!' She thought aloud, wishing she could just spit on his face.
Grace casually glanced at Rebecca, "You must have brought her here for more than just amusing yourself, right?"
Asher, with a smirk that carried a hint of cunning, responded, "Of course. Even if she has a rotten tongue, she is a high-
quality slave. It's only a given that I have to take advantage of her as much as I can," Saying so, Asher caressed her plump buttocks in a circular motion as if considering them as his palmrest, though the motion was making Rebecca wince in annoyance as she felt a tingle between her thighs.
Emiko and Yui glanced at each other, wondering how he managed to subdue such a scary demoness since she seed like soone who would rather choose death than beco a slave.
Rebecca, internally seething at being discussed as though she were an object, felt a pang of indignation. 'I am still here...' she thought, her annoyance simring beneath a veneer of forced calm.
"So what's the plan, dear Master?" Grace's inquiry, punctuated with the simple act of swallowing a spoonful of rice.
"We are going to take down the WHA..." Asher's revelation was a bombshell that left everyone at the table, including Rebecca, stunned.
The World Hunter Association, a monolith of power and protection, seed an untouchable fortress in their world.
Grace, her eyes narrowing, voiced the incredulity that lingered in the air, "I thought you would be telling us to take down corrupt Hunters and any such guilds. But the WHA...I am sure you know that the World Hunter Association practically has control and power over our entire world. They are also the protector of our world. Are you really planning to conquer our world?" Grace felt fearful, not because of what might happen to her but to her grandson.
The last thing she would want was for him to end up dead as collateral damage since he would certainly get involved.
Asher's clarification cut through the tension, "I have no desire to conquer anything but the rotten ones and hypocrites hiding within the strongest entity in the world. The worst ones sit at the top of the WHA. So, to destroy them and make sure nobody else will replace their place, we have to destroy everything from top to bottom. So many of these so-called Elite Hunters are nothing but greedy and backstabbing scumbags who wouldn't even hesitate to kill their own friends or family for power or fa," Asher said as his eyes briefly radiated intense killing intent, rembering not only his betrayal but the faces of his friends and especially Irina who were killed by those they trusted.
The chilling shift in Asher's deanor, a fleeting glimpse of his killing intent, sent a wave of chill through Emiko and Yui, realizing how little they knew about his strength and motivations.
Even Rebecca found herself taken aback by the depth of his resolve. She wondered why he cared so much about taking down these corrupt Hunters when he should be focusing on taking down all of them.
Grace felt relieved and realized she hadn't misunderstood Asher, though she felt as if there was sothing deeper to all this, "Fair enough. I am all in for getting rid of such scumbags. But how do you expect us few to fulfill such an ambitious plan? It would be like an ant going against an elephant."
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