The Damned Demon
chapter-615

The next day,

Asher paced through the dark corridors of his Culthold with a leash in his hand as he dragged along Rebecca who was on all her fours with a hateful expression, her face redder than an apple.

Just when she thought he was finally being respectful of her seniority, status and acknowledging her worth, he once again turned her into a literal pet!

Just what kind of messed up mood swings does this despicable alien have?

Asher wore a stern expression, his frustration palpable in the air as his voice echoed slightly off the cold, concrete walls, "So you still have nothing new to report, Rachel?" he asked, his tone tinged with a weary frustration as he adjusted the earpiece nestled securely in his ear.

From the other side, Rachel's voice, laced with equal measures of apology and confusion, filtered through, "I am sorry. This place is too big with a lot of things going on, Master. I don't know where to look or where to start. It's like looking for a needle in a haystack, which we could use to pin down Lenny."

Asher's footsteps halted momentarily as he scoffed, the sound sharp in the quiet of the Culthold, "That sneaky bastard is more horny than his intelligence. He can't be that smart."

Rebecca snorted as she wrinkled her nose, wondering whether this hypocrite ever took a good look in the mirror before saying such things about others. "Hrrk!" She winced with a sharp expression as he suddenly tugged at the leash around her neck, making her wonder if this bastard was reading her mind or what.

"Do you at least keep track of his whereabouts or what he does now that you can snoop around in his guild? He must still be doing some shady things," Asher remarked, his gaze piercing the shadows as if trying to spot deceit in the darkness itself.

"That is also one reason I called you. I don't know if it's helpful, but I looked into the movements of his personal secretaries and their helpers since people like Lenny don't dirty their hands by doing such things on their own," Rachel stated, her voice a blend of determination and hope.

"And? What did you find?" Asher asked, resuming his stride with a renewed focus.

"I found that these guys have recently visited various countries, and a lot of resources were supposedly used off the books...at least a few hundred thousand mana shards as per what I found out," Rachel replied, her tone grave.

Asher stopped in his tracks, his eyebrows arching in surprise, "Few hundred thousands? That's too much...What could he be—Wait a second. He must be still smuggling girls from these places or something like that," he muttered, more to himself than to Rachel.

At that moment, he had reached the entrance of a large room where Grace was teaching Emiko and Yui. The sudden murmur of his voice caused all three to turn towards him, their expressions shifting to concern. Emiko and Yui exchanged a glance, a silent understanding passing between them as Yui discreetly squeezed Emiko's hand in support.

Rachel's voice came through the earpiece, shock, and confusion evident, "What are you talking about? Smuggling girls? Why? Don't tell me he-" Realizing his slip and knowing Rachel doesn't know, especially regarding Yui and Emiko's backgrounds, Asher quickly recovered, "It's just a theory Grace told me from our previous investigation. But we should look into that deeper now. It could be the key to bring him down and find out what all he's doing over there in Mars," he explained, not wanting to let Rachel know about it until the right time.

"The more I learn about him, the more disgusting he seems. Don't tell me he is trying to look younger than he should for such things."

"What do you mean?" Asher asked with furrowed brows.

"It's just that he looks a bit too eerily young than he really should be. It's not even like he has an Essence Morphing pathway. Maybe you haven't noticed since you don't care or haven't seen him up close but people do talk about his youthful looks despite being a senior Hunter. Some say it's plastic surgery and all, but I don't think it could be that. At least not from what I have seen…"

"Hmm…" Asher's eyes narrowed as certain thoughts passed through his mind.

"Anyway, I will also try to find out any more details I can," Rachel assured from the other side, her tone now edged with a newfound resolve.

Asher gave a slow nod, even though Rachel couldn't see it, "Okay. But how did you find out this financial stuff since Lenny wouldn't trust such stuff with a new guild member like you."

"Who said I got it from him? It looks like I underestimated the weight of my status. Apparently, I could get some things done here just with a smile or a 'please' before the right people," Rachel casually said.

"Okay. But...be careful," Asher said in a low voice.

"I...I will. Thank you, Master," Rachel's voice softened as the call ended, leaving Asher standing in the doorway.

As Asher stepped into the training room, the atmosphere thickened with tension, making him look straight.

Grace's gaze, serious and solemn, met his as he crossed the threshold. Emiko and Yui sat on the floor, their faces downturned, a palpable sense of unease surrounding them.

"I assume you guys heard me talking," Asher stated, his voice steady as he pulled Rebecca along, who moved with a resentful air.

Grace, her brown eyes flashing with a mix of somberness and concern, gestured for the girls to sit on the chairs before turning to face Asher, "Is this about Lenny Stan? Is he smuggling girls again? I thought he stopped," she questioned, her voice tinged with a hint of killing intent that did not go unnoticed.

Emiko and Yui pressed their lips together as they took seats beside the table, their movements hesitant and wary.

"Apparently not. But I assume he isn't going about it the same way because of what we did. And that's why..." Asher began, settling down on Rebecca's soft and shapely back as he continued to speak, his gaze shifting meaningfully towards Emiko and Yui, "It's high time we talked about how you two ended up in Lenny's radar and where you two are really from. I didn't ask before because I know it's not a good memory for you two, and I thought Lenny was doing it to satisfy his deranged self to pass the time. But it seems more than that."

The room grew even quieter, the tension almost tangible. Grace, moving instinctively to support the girls, held their hands gently, seeking to provide some comfort.

"Will it really help us put him down?" Grace asked, her voice a mix of hope and desperation.

"These two have metamagic or Essence Morphing pathways, specializing in healing. I remember you telling me that Lenny's man was making sure that all the girls he was buying had such pathways. We never really wondered why he did that, right?" Asher elaborated, his arms crossed, his stance indicative of his growing determination to unravel the mystery.

"That..." Grace paused, turning to address Emiko and Yui with a gentle, probing question, "How many girls with Essence Morphing were taken away before you two from that place?"

"What place? Wait. You know their background?" Asher interjected, his surprise evident as his brow furrowed in confusion.

Grace sighed, her expression turning grave as she faced Asher, "Yes. I wanted to punish those who made these poor things almost end up in an even worse place. So we took down a manaborn trafficking organization disguised as an NGO in Japan. Even you would have felt disgusted upon seeing the state they put abandoned and stolen children inside those dirty rooms."

As Grace's revelation hung in the air, Emiko's fists clenched tightly, her body language screaming of bottled-up rage and pain. Beside her, Yui's eyes glistened with unshed tears, the emotional toll of remembering certain things evident in her trembling form.

"Why didn't you tell me anything about this?" Asher's tone was a mix of surprise and reproach, as he felt a bit left out.

"It wasn't her fault, Master. It was mine," Yui suddenly spoke up as she stood up and deeply bowed.

"No. It's mine, Mater," Emiko got up and stood beside Yui with her head deeply bowed.

"What is this? Some kind of blame game?" Rebecca mumbled as she rolled her eyes.

"You two…" Grace sighed and then looked at Asher with an apologetic look, "I am the one who should apologize. We didn't mean to be insubordinate or disrespectful, Master. But since you told us that we can destroy or take down any organization that does shady things and expose them, we did this as a part of it. Another reason why I didn't talk about it with you is because, at that time, you told me to not bother you with anything unless it was about those certain people and guilds you mentioned. So I assumed you weren't…interested."

Asher sighed as he realized it was his fault. He remembered at that time he really couldn't care less about anything else, let alone Emiko and Yui.

Asher nodded and gestured to Yui and Emiko to sit, "Fine. You are right. But now things have changed," he stated firmly, his gaze penetrating as he looked each of them in the eye, "You three are my cult members and my soul servants. Anything that happens to you three is my business, and I expect to know whatever is going on with you three. I wouldn't want to find out something happening to you guys through someone else. You guys get me?"

Grace's eyebrows arched slightly, taken aback by the intensity and sincerity of Asher's words, even if they came off as a command. Did he really care? He had changed so much.

Emiko and Yui exchanged a quick glance, their initial shock giving way to a subtle, reassuring warmth that spread through their chests. They were not used to being considered so integral, so valued, especially by this powerful demon king.

"Of course. We understand, Master. We won't make the same mistake," Grace responded with a soft smile.

Rebecca couldn't stop rolling her eyes upon seeing these three getting all pleased just because he showed some concern for his lowly slaves.

"Good. Now..." Asher's tone shifted as he turned his attention directly to Emiko and Yui, who straightened under his gaze. "...why don't you girls tell me the mastermind behind this trafficking business? I assume you guys must have learned something when you destroyed that organization. From what I have gathered, they can't be the only ones."