Emiko, taken aback, stood wide-eyed at Yui's sudden act. She hurriedly kneeled on the floor as well, realizing why Yui was doing this.
Even if they reacted naturally, it was better to not risk offending their Master as their actions might have seemed like an offense or a show of disrespect to a demon like him.
Grace, who had been in the midst of sipping her tea, choked slightly at Yui's unexpected apology. Coughing to clear her throat, she placed her cup back onto the saucer with a bemused expression, "Well, that was...unexpected."
Asher, still seated in his doll form, tilted his head slightly, his painted eyes taking in the sight of the bowed girl.
A surprised, yet amused chuckle escaped him as he waved off Yui's apology, "Well...I didn't see anything I haven't seen before."
The room echoed with a brief silence before Asher's words sank in, making Yui gasp in mortification, her face turning an even deeper shade of red, "Haii~...." She mewled in embarrassment as she covered her face.
Emiko silently winced as she lowered her gaze further, feeling as if she had lost all face while Grace chuckled into her tea, thoroughly amused by the morning's unexpected entertainment.
She could guess what had happened since the two had gone to take a bath, and these two innocent girls looked as if they lost their chastity.
She shot a strange glance at Asher, making him shrug and say, "What? They left the door open."
Grace's chuckles simmered down to soft chuckles as she tried to contain her amusement, "Well, that's quite an interesting way to start the day. Now, don't let it bother you girls too much. Our Master didn't mean to peek."
Yui and Emiko, though still blushing furiously, complied and quietly took their seats at the table. Both of them kept their heads low, glancing only briefly at their Master before quickly looking away.
Asher straightened his doll posture and cleared his throat, drawing the girls' attention, "Alright, let's get down to business. I've been wanting to know how your undercover mission is going on."
The two girls exchanged glances, the remnants of their embarrassment being replaced by a look of determination, "Yes, Master," Emiko spoke first, her voice was steady and focused, a testament to her resolve, "As you already know, Yui and I have managed to infiltrate Rachel Sterling's team over the year. We also gained her confidence just as you instructed."
She paused for a moment, gauging his reaction before she continued, "And we're glad to report that we will be joining Rachel's team for the Quest for the Worthy. She thinks we are qualified after we proved ourselves to her."
"Well done, you two," Asher said with a satisfied smile and asked, "Other than that, did you two learn anything interesting about her?"
Yui hesitated, her gaze flickering between Emiko and her Master. Finally, she swallowed and lowered her voice, "Uhmm... Rachel seems really intent on taking you down, Master. Even during training, she never fails to mention you in a very bad way."
Grace raised her brows, surprise flickering in her eyes, "Oho, you really must've made an impression on her, Asher," she said, leaning back in her chair, "For the daughter of the world's strongest Hunter to be dedicating so much of her focus on you."
Asher let out a low scoff, his eyes gleaming with a hint of cold amusement, "She has no idea what's coming for her and her family," Asher's words sent a chill down the spine of the two girls, making them wonder what Rachel did to offend him.
So far, they could only see that Rachel was a very dedicated and valiant Hunter, though they stuck to their mission and didn't dare to question anything. As far as they knew, their Master never goes after the innocent and he must have a good reason to target Rachel.
He then turned back to the girls, "Well done, you two. You're dismissed for now."
As the girls nodded and took their leave, Asher's gaze lingered on their retreating forms. He was glad Grace had advised him against demonizing them, else he wouldn't have been able to send them on such an undercover mission. It was turning out to be far more interesting than he had anticipated.
Grace raised an eyebrow as she looked at Asher, "You've been going after the Sterling family quite relentlessly. You're not even showing any fear going after the beloved daughter of the President of the World Hunter Association," she said, a curiosity hidden in her gaze.
Grace inwardly was curious because even if Asher was the husband of the demon queen, someone of his strength and age could have never come upon the president of WHA.
Of course, he definitely came upon Rachel, and a big fight definitely happened between them, yet she had an inkling that Asher's hate towards them ran deeper. It was something she noticed over time.
A slight glint flickered in Asher's eyes, as he folded his arms across his chest, "The Sterlings, especially Derek, they are not what they appear to be," he said, his voice icy, "They are the biggest hypocrites and piece of shits on this planet. I won't rest till Derek and all his associates like, Lenny, Lena, and the others suffer the worst fate possible. And of course...break the WHA."
Grace furrowed her brows at his words upon feeling the intensity with which he spoke these words. He also mentioned these names as if he was quite familiar with them.
If someone else said these audacious words, she would have laughed it off, thinking they were mad or joking.
But for some reason, she not only felt he was serious, but she also didn't feel like laughing it off. With the impressive progress of his strength, she felt maybe he wasn't all talk.
Still, she wondered how all these people were connected to him. She wanted to know more but knew better than to push upon seeing how he didn't want to reveal anything more.
Asher, now staring at her intently, said, "That is why the other main reason I came here was to make sure you level up to S Rank. It's time we step up our game."
Grace looked at Asher, her eyebrows furrowing in disbelief and surprise, "Are you serious?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
The thought of reaching S rank was a dream she once chased fervently. After leaving her Hunter life behind, the dream had faded, replaced by other pressing matters. Now, with Asher's words, the dormant desire was reignited, catching her off guard.
"Yes, Grace. I am serious," Asher confirmed, his gaze unwavering, "I've been saving life crystals for almost 2 years for this purpose. The reason I also told you to do quests wasn't just only for wreaking havoc among the Hunters. It was also to help you level up."
Asher knew that Soulservants could also take quests, though they can't take Hunter quests but only quests for demons. They would receive refined mana as normal but not much rewards. But the risk of getting caught or killed was quite high since every quest they take will be in the same world they live.
There was no running away or giving up. Succeeding in the quest was the only way to survive for them.
They also wouldn't be able to level up without an exorbitant amount of life crystals from their Master.
Grace sat back, a stunned expression spreading across her face. He was planning this all along? Which demon in their right mind would be willing to part away with so much wealth for a Soulservant?
His desperation only reaffirmed her suspicions.
And for the first time in a long time, the prospect of leveling up to S rank felt tangible, sending a thrill of excitement through her.
Still, she asked with a serious look, "Are you sure you thought through this? Other than using up a lot of life crystals on me, the amount of life crystals you would need to maintain an S Rank Soulservant is multiple times higher than what it is now," Grace knew the gap between A and S Rank was bigger than the gap between a Level 30 and Level 29.
This would also mean she would need more life crystals to prevent herself from getting devoured by the demonic power inside her.
She thought she didn't care and didn't mind dropping dead anytime.
Then what was this uneasy feeling upon realizing her time to live would get shortened drastically?
Surely, Asher would let her go once the cost became too high or he was done with her.
Asher casually said, "You let me worry about the cost. I wouldn't have mentioned it if I couldn't," He then observed the subtle change in Grace's expression, making him ask, "Worried about having your time shortened?" he asked, tilting his head to the side slightly, "I thought you were eager to die as soon as possible."
Grace simply smiled, her gaze drifting to the side, "Perhaps," she admitted, "I'm becoming too comfortable with this...demonized life," There was a quiet acceptance in her voice, an acknowledgement that belied her acceptance of her limited time.
However, inwardly she knew that her time was always very limited, and it was pointless to think about it since nothing would change it.
But the next moment, she got up with a determined look in her eyes and said with a smile, "Let's do this then. I have always dreamed of becoming an S Rank. So at least I get to satisfy one of my dreams even at this age," She then pulled together her brows and asked, "But what kind of plans do you have after I level up?" Grace guessed that he must be planning bigger things to be this determined to turn her into one of the very few strongest superpowers in the world.
Asher smirked and said, "Let's just say we are going to do things that will make the entire WHA tremble when they hear our cult's name."
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