(Asher’s POV)
"Mommy!!"
A voice rang out from above, echoing through the ruins of the shattered castle.
That damn brat! Interrupting my moment of kissing her mother!
I pulled away from Rose and glanced up. Despite my irritation, I was relieved—she had survived.
Evelyn flew down and embraced her mother tightly before shifting her gaze toward me. "The human! She’s... she’s about to die!"
"What?" My eyes widened. Wasting no time, I leaped toward the castle and sprinted to where Seraphina had been.
And there she was. Lying on the cold stone floor, unconscious.
A wave of panic shot through me as I dropped to my knees and checked her pulse. It was there, but faint.
Gently, I lifted her into my arms and dashed back outside where l saw Draegonoth’s men bowing before Rose in surrender.
"Rose. Can you do something? Can you heal her?" I asked desperately.
I wasn’t about to let Seraphina die after everything I had done to save her.
Rose raised her hand, attempting to heal her, but her dark magic clashed with Seraphina’s holy body. Instead of healing her, it made things worse.
"There’s nothing I can do to help, Asher."
"Dammit! System, activate the teleportation circle—now!"
A glowing circle formed beneath my feet.
Rose smiled and, with a flick of her wrist, opened a black portal, sending something into my shadow. "Go well, human. I’ve given you a little present. I’m sure you’d like it."
I had no time to ask what it was.
And as much as I wanted to stay and indulge in the allure of Rose, Seraphina’s life took priority. As for Rose, I’d come for her some other time, that’s for sure.
Before I disappeared completely from the demon realm, Evelyn raised her hand.
"Bye-bye, human. And thank the human lady for saving me on my behalf."
I waved back. "Bye, kiddo. Take care."
"Kiddo? Kiddo!?"
Her grumbling was the last thing I heard before the teleportation whisked me away, landing me straight in the Divine Church.
Tattered and worn, Seraphina and I had made it in one piece.
But to my shock, the entire church was filled with knights, clad in armor, their swords drawn as if preparing for war.
The moment I appeared, all eyes fell on me.
"It’s... it’s the Priestess and the devil boy!" one of them shouted.
In an instant, they charged, swords raised, ready to cut me down.
I gently laid Seraphina down and conjured a wind barrier around myself.
"Hey, big orphs!" I scowled. "Is that any way to treat the guy who just saved your Priestess from the depths of hell?"
Of course, they didn’t listen.
With no choice left, I summoned a powerful gust of wind, knocking them back into each other like ragdolls.
I turned back to Seraphina. She was still unconscious, but her breathing had stabilized—likely because she was no longer surrounded by demonic miasma.
[Congratulations]
[Quest: Save the Priestess – Complete]
[Reward: System Store Unlocked]
[Explanation: You can now purchase items from the system store using pleasure points.]
My eyes widened.
A store?
As the interface popped up, I skimmed through countless items, most of which I had no time to check.
But one caught my eye—the Healing Potion.
500 PP?
So damn expensive.
But with over five thousand points at my disposal, I bought one without hesitation.
[Item Box Activated]
A glowing blue box materialized before me. I reached inside and pulled out a small green bottle.
The murmurs of the knights grew louder, but my barrier kept them at bay.
Then, that damn nun—the one who had falsely accused me of kidnapping the Priestess—stepped forward, one hand on her hip, the other pointed at me.
"Hey, you demon boy! Hand over the Priestess now!"
I scowled. "You mean the same Priestess you wanted dead? Give me a break."
Ignoring her, I carefully cradled Seraphina and poured the healing potion into her mouth.
A warm glow enveloped her, and in mere moments, all her wounds healed.
Then, she opened her eyes.
Tears welled up as she threw herself into my arms, sobbing.
I hugged her back, and the gasps around us were almost comical.
"He’s hugging the Priestess!"
"This demon boy... what does he think he’s doing?"
"We have to kill him!"
I ignored the idiots, focusing solely on Seraphina.
But then, the knights parted, making way for a figure that sent a cold shiver down my spine.
Liloth.
The Guildmaster.
"Oh, madam Guildmaster!" the nun squealed. "I’m glad you came! This devil boy has been tainting the Priestess, hugging her!"
Liloth’s gaze was murderous, and beside her stood Ivy, gripping her sword tightly.
"Let the Priestess go, devil boy!" Liloth’s voice was like ice.
I raised my hands in mock surrender. "I think there’s been a misunderstanding. I’m not holding her captive—"
I forced a smile, hoping to defuse the situation. And to make my statement more believable, l removed my barrier. Maybe she’d take the Priestess and leave.
But the beast wasn’t buying it.
"I see..." Liloth’s lips curled into a smirk. "You need to be punished—just like I punished your mother, boy."
My heart stopped.
Rage surged through me like wildfire.
Before I could react, Ivy shot forward with incredible speed and slammed the flat side of her massive sword into my face, sending me crashing to the ground.
She pinned me down, gripping my wrists.
"Kidnapper captured," she muttered.
I struggled, but her hold was ironclad.
"What the hell are you doing, Ivy?!" I snapped.
"Silence!" she barked.
Liloth stepped closer, but before she could do anything, Seraphina intervened.
"Stop it, Liloth!" Her voice rang through the church.
The room fell silent.
Liloth’s eyes narrowed. "Divine Priestess, allow me to punish this devil who dared to kidnap you."
"He saved me!" Seraphina countered. "If anything, you should be rewarding him, not punishing him!"
For a brief moment, I sighed in relief.
But then—
"The Priestess isn’t in her right mind," Liloth sneered. "This boy must have put her under some kind of spell."
Her gaze darkened as she looked at me with pure disdain.
"He’s cunning. His magic makes people fall for him. Quickly, apprehend him, Swordmaster."
Ivy yanked me up roughly as Liloth pulled Seraphina aside, whispering that she was being manipulated.
I turned to Ivy, my voice barely a whisper. "Ivy... what are you doing?"
Her grip tightened.
"I’ve been blind this whole time, haven’t I?" Her eyes were cold. "Tell me... I was under your spell, Asher."
"What? Of course not!"
"I see it now." She smirked. "Well, you’re going to spill everything in the torture chamber. Just like your mother."
A slow, burning fury ignited in my chest.
If these fools had touched my mother—
Then I was going to burn this entire kingdom to ashes.
Tbc