Just as he thought he'd seen the worst, Lord Kieran was once again left speechless when the said human healed his injury with her magic. A magus being in the Kingdom of Dravial meant death for the said person.
It was surprising that this scrawny little human was able to avoid being beheaded. She had strong, raw and pure mana emanating from her body, telling the demon lord that it was unstable and deadly to the human if she didn't use a limiter to suppress it. Her mana would devour her until she was no more.
The said human passed out as soon as she finished her task. Lord Kieran would live and heal on his own, even without the intervention of this human. He shifted, becoming as close to a human as he possibly could, his otherworldly features destroying any chance of him blending in with the humans in Dravial.
Staring down at the foolish mortal who healed him, Lord Kieran pondered whether he should leave her there or not. His shadows were still unstable, and it would be dangerous for a human to stay much longer in his presence.
Still, knowing that he owed her something, Lord Kieran had taken her to one of the caves that hunters used to take shelter nearby. The human should know the place and would be able to return from where she came from easily.
When the human regained her consciousness, she remained calm and didn't freak out when she found him near her in his small wolf form. She offered him to stay at the cave to recuperate as she forced herself to stand up. It wasn't the first time that Lord Kieran had encountered and met a human, but he had an aversion with them, as he couldn't stand their twisted morality and their scent.
The demon lord wanted to snap her neck earlier for even implying that he was a helpless whelp she just found in the woods that needed her help, but he didn't. He couldn't.
He, the great demon lord of the Court of Nightfall, had to rely on a human's help? Preposterous!
She gave him a polite bow, excused herself and left, even though it was clear that she wasn't in good health. Not that it bothered him. The human was free to do as she wished.
Lord Kieran allowed himself to stay and meditate to control his shadows. He expected that his vassals would find him anytime soon. The human didn't return the next day, and he wondered if she would break her word and return here, but she didn't.
As the demon lord prepared himself to leave the next day, his ears picked up steady footsteps approaching and a scent of soft floral notes with a fruity nuance of peach. He eyed the entrance of the cave and found the very same human standing there looking at him with a blank face.
"I didn't know that you're still here." She said, adjusting the thick dark green muffler that she wore around her neck.
"My friends and I are going for a hunt. If you still need time to rest, then I will make sure none of us would disturb you. I dropped by to make sure whether it's safe for us to come here later or not. Guess it's not." She said before leaving. Her emaciated body looked so frail and fragile against the winter's cold wind.
By the time the sun had set, his three vassals finally arrived, knees on the ground as they delivered their reports.
"My liege, we apologize for being late. We have already apprehended the rogue vampires and thrown them into the dungeon."
A man with long midnight black hair that was tied into a low ponytail announced. He was dressed in a white tunic with golden threads embodied near its seams. His name was Callum Aelfgar, Lord Kieran's right-hand man who oversaw his schedule in court.
Lord Kieran shifted into his real form and stepped out of the cave, now dressed in sleek black dress pants, a black undershirt, a waistcoat, and an overcoat over his form. Brilliant golden buttons donned his jacket, and a chain dangled from the shoulder down to a pocket above his left breast. Black leather gloves covered both his hands, and a sheathed Saber was secured by his side.
His moonlit, long white hair glimmered despite the dimness of the sky. A pair of strong brows shaded his sharp cerulean eyes and the lines of his jaw were so sharp, it was hard to miss. With a straight nose, full lips and ethereal face, it was hard to believe that he was the 'The Undead Lord' many feared.
He approached his men, the shadows around him sweeping like tendrils of darkness. The shadows wouldn't vanish until they had deemed him safe and fully recovered, and his men would need to take precaution not to get too close to him.
"It doesn't matter. Have you apprehended Randal? Such a sneaky bastard." His displeasure was apparent in his tone. His features were set somewhere between irritation and boredom.
"Forgive us, sire. We didn't. We managed to secure the stolen demonic sword he'd taken from the old blacksmith, though." Aiden Galbraith, his private bodyguard, said. Aiden had been acquainted with Lord Kieran since their childhood.
"There are two packs of dire wolves that broke into the wall, though, and they will be arriving here anytime soon." The third man, who was visibly shorter amongst them, said.
The hair on both sides of his head was cropped short, but the hair on top had retained some volume of his copper-colored hair. His reddish eyes gleamed, promising mischief and violence against his enemies at the same time. This man was called Yuri Alistair, and he was a demon specializing in demonic magic and spells.
Lord Kieran huffed and marched into the woods where the human disappeared earlier and soon after, the coppery scent of human blood reached his nose.
Authors Note:
'Demon Lord' title on this series are used to in two different ways. One pertaining to a class or rank the being is in, and the other one is a social position. In general, the strongest beings in Asnar are being called 'demon lords' regardless of their race or species, while some may self-proclaim themselves as one.