"Of course, they are the ones who take up quests and help sustain our realm, especially our kingdom. Just like how humans send their Hunters to kill us, we have our Reapers and Raiders to show them who's the boss, hehe," Kookus said as he proudly flicked his nose.
"You talk like you are a Reaper yourself," Asher said with subtle scoff, though he understood that the Demons which Hunters fight were known as Reapers among the demons.
Kookus sheepishly looked away and said, "Aiii, Your Highness flatters me too much. I would have become a Reaper if not for my undying determination to serve you. No matter how talented I am, how could this servant dare have a better life when Your Highness had been lying on the bed for all these years?" Kookus's eyes shone with righteousness.
Asher facepalmed and felt like this servant of his was better off being some stage actor. Still, he was becoming used to his flippant tongue and clicked his tongue, "In the end, you are just scared to take up quests?"
Kookus' expression froze as if Asher's words struck him but then he weakly laughed and said, "Your Highness, please don't misunderstand. It is not that this servant is afraid, but the queen doesn't allow anyone to become a Reaper. Only those who prove themselves before her can take part in quests."
Asher was about to ask why the demon queen wouldn't let all the demons participate as they wished. But then it struck him.
He knew most of the time, Demons do not come to Earth personally but somehow try and corrupt ordinary humans by deceiving them into giving up control of their bodies and mind to commit various atrocities.
But sometimes, these demons fail when the Hunters use the corrupted humans to open a portal back to where the demons were and attack them to take them by surprise. With the help of Hunters like these, Asher had killed many demons in his past life.
However, such chances of counterattacking were uncommon since it was considered very difficult, and only now Asher realized why it was difficult. The Demon Queen must only let decently skilled demons take up such quests.
Still, he felt doubtful about one thing and asked, "Then those who take up quests that involve being physically present are called Reapers too?" Asher asked since he previously heard Kookus mentioning the term 'Raiders' along with Reapers.
"Oh, a raiding quest can be taken up by any demon since there is no risk to our realm if any of them dies over there. Only the reaping quests can be taken up by those who know what they are doing. This is why I have never taken up a raid quest because I know I was born to be a Reaper and not some common Raider," Kookus said as he began to dream.
'So I became a Raider by completing that quest?' Asher mused though he knew what his next goal was, and that was to learn how to become a Reaper since it seemed like something he should become to make any progress.
But he knew it wouldn't be easy, especially since he couldn't yet reveal to anyone that he was Hellbringer. Not even to his own 'wife'.
"Tell me who is the best Reaper within this castle but not part of the royal family. After you tell me that and help me absorb this life crystal, you can go and fulfill the order I gave you first," Asher said.
"Of course. Who else could be the best other than…" Kookus keenly revealed to Asher who it was, making Asher raise his brows. Asher felt something suspicious hearing how eagerly Kookus was describing this person and pressed him with some questions that made Kookus blurt out something that surprised Asher but made sense.
…
Kookus had left after helping Asher absorb one life crystal, even though Asher only asked for his help to keep up the pretense.
He was about to go out when the door suddenly opened, and a beautiful figure entered the room, wearing her usual gothic dress. But her expression was as cold as ever.
"Rowena? Should I feel surprised you came to my room…alone?" Asher asked with a subtle smile and couldn't help but feel that this woman surely had a fatal charm that he couldn't just describe in words.
Rowen briefly closed her eyes and said, after ignoring his words, "I would have sent Ceti or someone else over, but I was concerned you might not take their words seriously."
"What are you talking about?"
"I realized yesterday that I actually don't know what kind of a man you are. Since you have never spoken or even interacted with anyone, everybody thinks you are a soft-spoken person, even if they learned that you are no longer mentally crippled. But it seemed to me that the real you that had been hiding inside for all these years is far from a soft-spoken person. That is why I personally came here to tell you that today at noon all sorts of people from around our kingdom would be coming here to celebrate," Rowena said as she looked out the window.
"A celebration? For what?" Asher asked with a puzzled look.
Rowena's gaze shifted towards him as she said coolly, "To celebrate the fact that you miraculously gained a soul and also for surviving the assassination attempt on your life. You will be present to at least show your face to the important guests."
Asher chuckled as he said, "I thought nobody took me seriously since I am still a cripple. Ceti is a prime example."
Rowena subtly creased her brows and said, "Don't belittle the title you hold. Even if you are a cripple, you are still the Royal Consort in the end and represent our royal family. You were in a state of torpor for almost 18 years. So it is only natural that people would want to see if you are truly lucid and also to keep up appearances."
"So basically, they are coming because they respect or out of fear of the royal family, not that I care anyway."
Rowena sternly said, "No. You should care. That is why I came here to tell you that you have to behave and conduct yourself in a manner befitting our royal family. All you have to do is simply stay quiet and answer any basic questions they might ask. I require nothing else from you."
"So I am just a pretty doll for you to show off? I can't believe this is happening to me. Don't you think I deserve better now that I finally woke up?" Asher tried to push her a bit and see if he could get some other response from her, not that he was expecting it.
Rowena let out a low, tired sigh and said with a firm gaze, "This has nothing to do with you being my husband. This involves maintaining the honor and dignity of our royal family, including the legacy left behind by my father and our forefathers. I am telling you all this so that you would understand the status you hold, considering you don't remember anything."
Asher could see how dedicated and serious this woman was about her kingdom and felt that she must be quite the capable ruler as expected. But at the same time he began to realize how tedious it was going to get to keep up appearances. This was the main reason he avoided any political events in his past life or any events where he was forced to keep up appearances. He found it all quite fake and cubersome.
However, now it seemed that he had no choice but to do all this,
"I get it. But let me ask you one thing. When can I leave this castle?" Asher asked with crossed arms.
