522 Benefit Of The Doubt
Just as Asher finished giving a piece of his mind to Arthur, his gaze inadvertently fell on the white staff in Arthur's hands, adorned with black accents and crowned with a radiant white pearl. "That staff... Where did you get it from?" Asher asked, his tone shifting as his brows furrowed, the very image of the staff eliciting memories he would rather forget.
"Ah, this..." Arthur replied, his voice softening as he gently caressed the staff. A warm smile played on his lips as he continued, "This belonged to my sister, and my father gifted it to me, saying that I deserve to use this. But I don't think I can ever claim this as my own, and I am simply holding onto it until she returns. It isn't really my weapon of choice, but now it feels like a part of me."
The mention of the staff's previous owner and the implication of her return sparked a noticeable change in Asher's demeanor. His eyes flickered coldly as he challenged Arthur's optimism, "What makes you think someone who abandoned everyone who loved her would return?"
Rebecca, who had been quietly observing from behind, noted the sudden shift in Asher's emotional landscape. Her brows knitted together in confusion. Why was this scum reacting so strongly to mentions of this woman, Aira Evangelion, who was absent and possibly dead or in hiding after being missing for so long? Moreover, why was he concerned about her return?
Wasn't she the woman of that dreaded Golden Prince who turned out to be a traitor for some unknown reason? Why did these humans claim that Golden Prince betrayed them and tried to join hands with Rowena's father when he was the one who killed him? Or did he betray them after killing her father? All these scenarios seemed ridiculous.
But who cares...At least it was a good thing all of them were gone for good.
However, she also took a good look at this young Hunter standing before Asher and frowned, feeling disgusted by the rich, radiant mana flowing through his veins. Still...A peak S Ranker at his age? Just what kind of monsters were these Hunters breeding in this world?
She realized she had lost touch with the human world to not realize that these Hunters were growing in power too much these days. If only she had known it before, she would have killed him the moment he started showing some potential.
Unfortunately, as a senior, she had responsibilities she couldn't ignore, including her job as the Floor Warden at the tower, which this alien bastard was now preventing her from resuming her duties.
Amelia bit down on her nails, worried that Asher might take it a bit too far, though she couldn't exactly blame him and felt letting these two see each other was a very bad idea in the first place.
Taken aback by the sharpness of Asher's inquiry, Arthur's expression morphed into one of hurt. Tightening his grip around the staff, he responded with a conviction fueled by a deep-seated belief, "I can understand why you and so many others would think like that, but my sister dedicated her entire life to protecting this world and even helped kill the demon king. So, I believe we owe her the benefit of the doubt. Doesn't she at least deserve that much?"
"Killed the demon king? I doubt the demons have the same opinion," Asher said, his voice a mix of veiled ridicule and contempt.
"The demons are blind to the things that happen in our world and wanted their demon king to have died valiantly by making it seem like the strongest Hunter was involved," Arthur said with a look of surety.
A surge of anger briefly overtook Asher, veins of old wounds throbbing within him. However, sensing Amelia's silent plea for calm—her gaze a quiet call for restraint—helped him regain his composure, realizing that she was right.
After taking a deep, steadying breath, Asher managed to smile briefly at Arthur, "You are right. We owe her that and don't get me wrong, I truly want her to return to us. And I hope she will...before it's too late."
Arthur's expression softened into one of gratitude, the tension easing from his features as he perceived the underlying support in Ash's words, "I really appreciate hearing that from you, sir. I am sure that if we all hope for her return, then she will have no choice but to listen and realize how badly we need her back," he said, his voice carrying a blend of hope and resolve.
Asher gave a curt nod, his smile brief yet with a hint of derision, "Right..."
Arthur's enthusiasm didn't wane as he continued, "It was a pleasure getting to know you, sir. I heard from Rachel that you were a veteran S Ranker who did quests and missions without revealing your true identity, like me. But obviously, you have more experience and knowledge, even though we are around the same age. That only makes me look forward to learning from you," he said, his eyes alight with eagerness to absorb wisdom from his new Combat Advisor.
Asher let out a slight scoff, somewhat amused yet annoyed by Arthur's straightforward and earnest demeanor, "Sure. We will see each other at the WHA or for our next mission," he replied, the slight edge of annoyance still present in his voice.
Arthur nodded readily, his smile bright as he bid goodbye to everyone in the room, including the silent and intimidating assistant who stood behind Ash, looking at him with an intense stare.
As Arthur left the scene, Asher's demeanor shifted slightly, his earlier amusement giving way to a more cynical outlook. He scoffed quietly, muttering to himself with a blend of disbelief and amusement, "Is he for real? I'm surprised he managed to survive all the way here."
Amelia lightheartedly chuckled and was about to say something when she abruptly stopped, her expression shifting from amusement to a more serious mien. She noticed this demoness named Rebecca still lingering behind Asher, an unwanted presence that seemed to hang like a shadow. She had heard all about what this demoness and her son did to Asher when he was a soulless cripple, making it hard for her to suppress the urge to kill her. But she knew the plans Asher had for her, so she decided to play along.
Taking a firm stance, her arms crossed in front of her, Amelia addressed the situation with a directness that brooked no argument,
"Ash, you don't need your sla—assistant anymore, right? I wanted to talk to you in private. I can't make my guys cordon off this entire area for long," she said, her gaze icily sliding towards Rebecca.
Rebecca's red eyes flared with fury, unable to believe she was getting looked down upon by an inferior being, "You little—" she began, her voice a rising snarl, but her retort was abruptly severed, her voice cut off as if muffled by an unseen force.
Asher intervened with a shake of his head, his expression one of disapproval mixed with a hint of weariness, "Sigh. It looks like you need a lot more training before you at least know how to behave in your master's presence. You should leave and get me more information on the Hunter who just left. I know you have your own cult, even if it may not be as active as it was in your younger days. Nevertheless, they work for me as well," he stated in a low, commanding tone.
Rebecca, her fury barely contained and kept shooting glares at Amelia as she said, "If you didn't even need me here then why did you drag me all the way here?" Saying so, she once again shot a glare at Amelia who kept smugly smiling which only vexed Rebecca even more.
In response, Asher casually wrapped an arm around Amelia's waist, pulling her close in a protective embrace that bordered on the possessive, making Ameli's heart flutter, "Pets don't get to question their master if they take them for a walk. Didn't I tell you about how I rank my slaves according to their worth? Well, even if Amelia is my slave, she is like a queen, and you are just a mere servant when your ranks are compared. So you offend her, you offend me. You get that?" His tone was both mocking and dismissive, diminishing Rebecca's status deliberately.
Rebecca's face tightened, her anger simmering as she leaned in closer to Asher, her voice a whisper thick with fury and betrayal, "Have you no shame as a demon to let these lowly humans walk over one of your own? No matter what, I am the Princess Consort of our kingdom. Do you have no dignity as the king? You have a duty towards your subjects, and that includes protecting their dignity from outsiders."
Rebecca could barely and grudgefully endure getting humiliated by this alien bastard. But to keep getting looked down upon by his Soulservants or any other human slaves was just too much to endure on top of that.
How can he show so much favor towards their mortal enemies? If only she could show his actions to Rowena, she was sure this arrogant bastard would be dethroned already.
Amelia felt annoyed at seeing how thick-skinned this bitch was, "You know you are pretty loud unless you wanted me to hear how desperate and pathetic you are after committing all sorts of vile acts and treachery against my master. So you better leave before I make you lose whatever dignity you have left. Just like my master said, you will obey me if I want you to," she retorted, her tone acid.
"You heard her," Asher said with a casual tilt of his head while finding it quite satisfying to see Rebecca's face upon getting looked down upon by an "inferior" being.
He had already learned what hurt a woman like Rebecca the most, and it was nothing but her pride. Even if he tortured her in the most painful way, it wouldn't hurt her as much as hurting her pride and ego.
Rebecca's eyes uncontrollably shook in anger, but at the same time dreaded the thought of getting humiliated by a human. And so, finally reaching her limit, she scoffed sharply while looking at Asher, "Fine. I can't care less about you having a private 'talk' with your human pets," she snapped, turning on her heel and storming away with heavy, resonant steps that echoed her tumultuous exit.
Who wants to stay and look at him caressing his human pet!
"Wow. I can't believe I scared off a peak Soul Devourer with just words, and that too a very notorious one which even my grandparents are still scared of," Amelia said with a shake of her head and added as she playfully nudged him, "Of course, it's thanks to you. I can keep humiliating her for you even though I can't bear to look at the face of that demoness who caused you so much pain. I was surprised when I first heard that you didn't get rid of her even though you had the chance."
Asher coldly smiled as he said while still staring at the entrance where Rebecca walked out, "People like her…Death will be no different than mercy. I want them to feel the pain I did but tenfold until they feel like dying."
His tone was calm, and his aura was stable, yet the intensity of his voice sent chills down Amelia's spine, making her once again realize how much he must have suffered to carry this much anger and resentment.
She sighed, wondering if he would be able to let go of all that once he was done punishing everyone who wronged him.
But the next moment, Asher's aura turned warm as he looked at Amelia with a soft smile, "Let's go wherever you want to. We have some catching up to do, don't we?"
Who feels bad for Rebecca? :#
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