"Is my wife in trouble?" Asher casually asked since it seemed as if something was going on. He could see that this condescending woman had genuine concern for her queen.
"Wife?? You! You dare to casually address Her Majesty like that?" Ceti asked with an infuriated look, unable to believe what she had just heard. It was as if she had never imagined she would hear such words from his mouth.
"But what is the problem? I am indeed her husband, right? So is it wrong to say that she is my wife?" Asher asked with a look of plain confusion, though inwardly, he couldn't help but feel annoyed by how petty she seemed. Were all werewolves as small-minded as her?
Anybody else would have gotten scared stiff upon seeing Ceti getting pissed off. However, Asher wasn't worried since if Ceti wanted to hurt him, she would have done it already. The fact that she came so far personally to bring him back already told him volumes.
Still, he wanted to test some things by purposefully asking these questions while feigning innocence. He was also curious about what kind of person his 'wife' was. He had never been married before. In fact, he had plans to propose to his ex-girlfriend in case he really managed to defeat the Demon King.
But it seemed his life was not meant to end beautifully, and now even after knowing he was married, he didn't feel any different since it didn't matter to his heart.
Hearing his words which made perfect sense, Ceti clicked her tongue in annoyance since, in every way, he was right. Refuting him would only mean that she would be questioning their own laws.
Still, she was getting a weird vibe from this good-for-nothing, feeling that he was worlds apart after gaining intelligence. His dark yellow eyes didn't seem like that they belonged to a ordinary 19 year old demon. She thought maybe she wasn't used to seeing him like this.
But since he was obviously ignorant about everything, she felt that what he asked was natural.
"Fine. But don't forget what I said before. Our queen can't be bothered to deal with you in these times. If you really consider yourself as her 'husband' then the best you can do is to not bother her at all, not even a whisper. And especially by not wandering out like today and causing her trouble. Otherwise, you will get it from me, I swear," Ceti said with a piqued look and mumbled while looking sideways, "If only it wasn't for the promise…"
'Promise?' Asher pulled together his brows, feeling that things seemed to be tense in their kingdom or in his kingdom now that he was officially one of them.
He wanted more information, but unfortunately, it seemed that this woman had no plans to tell anything more than what she thought was necessary.
However, he was nowhere done with her.
"Did my wife order you to make sure no harm comes to me?" Asher asked, maintaining a plain tone.
However, no matter how innocuous Asher's voice was, Ceti felt irked hearing his question since it made it seem as if she was his personal bodyguard. Never in her dreams would she waste her time protecting a weakling like him.
Still, her circumstances didn't allow her to do as she wished, and she said with a casual scoff, "Isn't that obvious? I am the personal royal guard of Her Majesty, and since she is…married to you, I have to make sure no harm comes to you as well. It is the law."
'So even the demons follow their own laws eh…' Asher was a bit surprised since everybody knew demons as a race consisting of people who had no regard for laws and rules. But of course, since nobody had any real knowledge of how demon societies function, he wasn't sure if this applied to every demon.
It also made sense that for demon societies to sustain, there had to be some kind of system or rules in place. Maybe that was how the Demon Kingdom came to be.
But since people already knew about the Demon King, it was obvious that there was at least a monarchical system, quite an old-fashioned one compared to the democratic rule most of the countries followed back on Earth.
Still, the fact that Asher was satisfied to hear was the part where she said she was duty-bound to protect him.
"What's with that creepy smile? Have you become dumb again?" Ceti asked with an annoyed look, noticing how he briefly curved his lips.
Asher softly chuckled as he said with a subtle smile, "Lady Ceti, you misunderstand me. I was actually thinking about my own life, especially now that I am fully aware."
Asher didn't want to buy decided to play it cool till he meets the most authoritative figure among demons...his wife.
"Hmph, there isn't much to think about anyway," Ceti said with a look of contempt before looking to the side, "It seems like we have reached. Step out and come with me to let Her Majesty know about this unexpected development," Ceti said in a stern tone, making Asher frown inwardly, wondering why this woman seemed to hate him so much.
No matter the reason, he was noting down her behavior towards him in his mind.
But such treatment was not foreign to him. Before he became a hunter, before he had any power or status he was looked down upon like this. Only difference was that in this realm, the treatment he received was way crueler and harsh for 14 long years. His memories of his past here might be blurry but he could still feel the anger and humiliation he felt.
He realised that if he had to survive here, he had to find a way to use mana. Otherwise, even with a royal status he won't survive long here.
Asher stepped out of the carriage, only to feel awed by the huge black castle before him. He could guess that this castle took up at least a hundred miles of area and noticed that his surroundings had a dark, gloomy aura.
He could see large dark gray banners in front of the castle with the symbol of a black dragon breathing fire.
There were a lot of armored demons standing guard around the castle, and each of these guards didn't seem to be ordinary. They were far stronger than the ones he had met before.
Asher wasn't surprised to see such solid security since this castle was the heart of the Demon Kingdom. Surely no Hunter must have survived beyond this point.
If it was not for him being a demon now, he probably would have never got to see such an imposing castle. No building on Earth exuded such grandeur.
Ceti walked past him as he followed her into the castle.
"Welcome back, Battlemaster."
"Welcome back, Battlemaster."
…
Asher was startled when he suddenly heard these greetings echo around him right when he stepped inside the castle. He saw many men and women of different ages dressed in simple, common clothes, making him guess that they must be servants and maids. Almost all of them were goblins and other beast races like lizardmen and kobolds.
And seeing them bow deeply and greet Ceti, he realized that she seemed to hold great prestige around here.
"So you managed to find His Highness. Where did you find him, Lady Ceti?" A man's voice boomed from the side as Asher turned his face to see who it was.