In a dimly lit tent, there were several individuals gathered with grim faces. It was the royal family of Rien Kingdom. The sun was the horizon, as it coated the sky with a shade of different colors such as orange fused with a tint of red.
"So it is so." Solaris mused as he sat on his chair. His son, Zayne had conveyed a handful of information about the two individuals. As for the test, with how domineering they were, it would be unlikely that they would face any opponents.
'I felt that something was off with those two. But to think that it would be this is unexpected.' Solaris thought as he recalled the pair.
At first, he thought that they were regular tier four experts however as time went on, he felt more and more uneasy about them. "It doesn't make any sense for them to hand such lucrative benefits to you with no ulterior motive."
Kaissus said as he too fell into thought. Of course it wouldn't taje a genius to figure that something was off about them. "But our major concern shouldn't be on who they are but what do they want!" Sirius posed.
So far, they still didn't know what goals they meant to achieve. "Zepyhrion had boldly stated that he wanted to sleep with not only Zenia but also my siblings as well. As for Rhys, it seems that he has no active goals to achieve."
"However it already seems that he has been smitten by another lady. Some nobody who was severely crippled but he somehow managed to not only heal her but bolster her ranks as well. In a span of two weeks, she was able to gain a breakthrough into the fourth tier however it would seem that her current whereabouts are unknown."
The more Solaris heard about these two, the more complex emotions he portrayed on his face. To be able to heal was considered something that a tier six expert could accomplish however that too required time and the chances of it being successful were low.
As for Hedon's request. It was beyond outlandish not to mention a slap to the face. "For Zepyhrion to boldly state that, does he think so little of me?" He murmured.
"As for now, it would be better that we avoid any form of confrontation with these two." Kaissus posed however that already proved to be a headache. Their hands were already full with Ashley and now they had to deal with two more people in the same manner.
A sense of helplessness and dread washed over them. 'To think that the royal family of Rien could be reduced to such as a state, serving as servants in the face of absolute power.' Solaris knew that this was how their world worked however being on the serving end was something he had never anticipated.
"Not to mention it would seem that the pair is familiar with that miss." Sirius contemplated before looking at Zayne. "So that was how you were able to see through Ethan's disguise, huh?" Zayne looked back at Sirius.
He wasn't in the mood to quarrel with his brother however it was now that it dawned on him. "To think that they would have such keen eyes, but what I'm concerned about is how were they able to discern that Ethan wasn't my actual servant?"
Till now, they seemed to know things that only he knew was one of the many reasons as to why he feared them. It felt as if he couldn't hold any secret in front of them.
"Perhaps they have a skill that does so. However something even more baffling is their mana. It seems regardless of how they would expend it, they never seemed to grow weary." Zayne pointed out.
As he was quietly watching the exchanges, he felt as if the two would never grow weary whatsoever. "Not to mention the attacks that they were utilizing consumed large amounts of mana." He added on. 'Wait a minute, maybe they could be A grade specialists.'
A thought crossed his mind. It would explain how they were able to use attacks that were taxing to their mana disc however another thought dispelled this theory. "If Rhys is an A grade expert, then what about Zepyhrion? It doesn't seem that he has an A grade mana disc but rather a D grade mana disc."
A small step Hedon had overlooked was that the body that he inhabited, the demon had a poor affinity to utilization to using mana as their bodies weren't accustomed to using mana that well. Thus the aptitude of a demon gauged with the norm would result in a D grade mana disc.
What demons had was split mana disc cores, thus when Hedon removed his horns, half of it was shattered greatly plunging his overall grade. As for the disc that was in his body, he condensed it to replicate a mana disc core similar to humans however his will was lacking making the end result being a D grade mana disc.
However none of them knew this thus felt that something was amiss with the duo. "So far I've tried to contact Aurorise for help on the matter however I haven't received any form of confirmation or response from them."
Solaris laid it out. Aurorise would usually lend a helping hand to such matters considering that they themselves had dealt with Ashley, they wanted a few pointers. Unbeknownst to them, the kingdom that they sought for help was already devoured and abandoned.
"What about tomorrow?" Zayne shifted the topic back towards the test. "It's pointless at this point to keep it running as it will result with more people will get injured. I've already discussed the matter with the rest of the nobles and they have agreed with this."
However there was still a question that went unresolved. 'How are we going to deal with the pair?' Such a similar riddle was in the minds of everyone present however none of them could rack their brains and crack it.
"Your majesty, Missus is here." A guard announced making the already tense atmosphere even tenser. "Let her in." Solaris could only say and shortly after, Ashley's figure appeared in the tent.
No one seemed thrilled though. Solaris stood up as he welcomed her. "Miss, please sit down-" Raising her hand, it was a signal for Solaris to remain quiet and given this circumstance, he could only silently endure.
He knew that a wise man understood the situation and would yield to it. "I'm here to inform you that I will no longer be staying with you in your excuse of a castle." Solaris gritted his teeth as he heard this Sure it was good that he wouldn't be burdened with her presence however the disrespect was evident in her tone.
"I apologize if you weren't satisfied with the conditions within the castle." He apologized humbly which never failed to come off as amusing to his sons.
Solaris, the king of Rien was reduced to such a state, disrespected and humiliated not only before his own family but also in front of the people and all he could do was apologize to the cause. This served as a wakeup call to them.
'It seems that power reigns supreme, reducing lords and kings to such states.' Zayne concluded before Solaris continued. "Does this mean that Miss will be leaving?" He posed to which a light laugh came from Ashley which dissipated all hope that he had.
"I bet that you'd like that Solaris and luckily for you, yes however not so soon but rather in three days." Solaris face fell as he heard this snarky comment. "I apologize if I came off as domineering to have you gone."
Once again his acting skills came into play which surprised the trio. 'To think that father would be such a good actor. Hahahaha!' Sirius mused in his head. With Ashley's departure, this meant that they wouldn't have to move so restrictedly.
So far, they felt that they lacked their own will, succumbing to Ashley's whim which their father bore the brunt of. It seemed that she would intentionally target him as she had given him bizarre demands. An example of that was that she wanted him to offer him the seat that he would have regardless of where they were.
Solaris was considered a laughing stock however none of it was directed at him but the murmurs were there. People would wonder who was truly in charge of the kingdom if their king was doing such pitiful tasks.
"I'll be staying with Rhys for the time being." She finished off as she seemed prepared to leave. "Excuse me young Missus but could you satisfy a request of mine." Solaris asked to which Ashley halted in her tracks.
"You want to know my relationship with Rhys, right?" 'Once again that skill!' The four of them thought simultaneously. "Uh, it would seem that miss truly has a keen eye." Solaris complimented her.
"I forgot to tell you as I deemed it a waste of my time but since were here, I might as well. Rhys and I are in a relationship." The air fell silent. Instead of answering the question that they held in their minds, it seemed to act as an avalanche as more questions seemed to come about.
'Relationship?! But how?! These two not only know each other but also are in a romantic relationship. When did they meet? Who were they and what were their agendas? Are they disguised as demons? What about Zepyhrion?'
A torrential of thoughts clouded their minds and Ashley knew all of them. "I know that you all have your own respective questions however I don't think that they are worth my time. As for your cute little plan about dealing with those two, let's just say that you should be dealing with other matters."
And with that, her bewitching figure exited the tent leaving them all with more questions than answers. "What does she mean about 'other matters?'?" Solaris pondered about it however another question rose.
"Wait, if she's aware of what we are planning, then do those two know as well." Sirius raised this point. "It would be better to assume so." Kaissus added however another problem rose.
"If that Miss does have a relationship with Rhys, then does it mean that he is in the same league as her?" It would seem that more questions rose faster than they could come up with the answers for them.
"We have to take precautions." Solaris added before reviewing the matters over with his sons. To think that the three of them would work so harmoniously together was something Solaris admired and appreciated. They acknowledged the enemy and worked together to fend them off.
But they still had a lot to deal with. To avoid the direct wrath of Ashley, they couldn't just outright attack her not to mention that she would be helped with the duo. Their enemy was right in front of them and they couldn't do a single thing about it.
But that didn't demoralize them as they came up with solutions to help manage the situation that they were in.
…
Rhys and Hedon stood outside of the outskirts of Rien, not far from the tents as they admired the sun take its dive into the horizon. "With Ashley here, it will be much harder for you to get out and have some fun."
Hedon pointed out. "Well I did promise her that I would dedicate myself to her." Orsen mused back. There was no one around them as they held the conversation. "Well I'll be off for now however I'll see you in two months."
"Aren't you staying for what we planned?" Orsen asked as a dark tint started to cover the land. It was cold and ominous however it failed to faze the two. "Nah, Ashley will accompany you through it."
"Oh, what about Sophia?" Hedon paused as he heard this. "Just keep an eye for her for me. I still have to thank her for being such a nice test dummy." Orsen gave off a small laugh which didn't seem to resonate with him.
"Oh come on, we equally morally lacking. Sure I treat them as toys to break however you're no better. Treating them as tools." Orsen didn't seem too offended with this statement. "Are you ready?" A soft and warm voice came from the duo.
It was Ashley as she looked at the two. The two seemed like long lost brothers finally reuniting which was baffling for her as she had never seen Orsen commute with someone else in such a friendly manner. There was usually a cold and detached edge that seemed to hang around him however it was lacking at the moment.