The Damned Demon
chapter-686

Asher's lips curved into a sly smile, and before Cecilia could react, he pulled her into a firm embrace, his arms wrapping around her waist, pressing her against him. Her body tensed, her heart racing again as she felt his warmth surround her. His lips hovered just above hers, the heat of his breath sending shivers down her spine.

"W-What are you doing?" Cecilia stammered, her voice barely steady, her hands lightly pressing against his chest as she tried to comprehend his sudden boldness.

Asher's smile widened, his tone both teasing and serious, "My wish is... to kiss you whenever I want. You can grant me that wish, right? Or will you go back on your word?" His eyes sparkled with challenge as he gazed into hers.

Cecilia's eyes widened, and she quickly pushed him back, her hands trembling, "You!... You know no boundaries! How can you be so bold and casual about this?"

"Casual?" Asher's tone softened, but his gaze never wavered, "I've never been more serious. Of course, you can cancel my wish if you succeed in keeping your heart steady on your next try. Maybe... you could even use my wish as practice." He shrugged, his smile playful yet unwavering.

Cecilia bit her lip, her thoughts swirling in confusion and frustration. She should ignore his absurd wish. It was ridiculous, very inappropriate even. But if she backed out, it would make her look like a dishonorable woman who couldn't keep her word. And Ash had a way of making everything seem both reasonable and dangerous at the same time.

She knew she should ignore this silly contest altogether.

But his persistence... his overwhelming presence... she knew he wouldn't simply let this go. No, Ash wasn't the type to give up so easily.

"A-Alright," Cecilia finally conceded, wincing as she spoke, "I... I can grant your wish. But no more k-kissing today. I'm not feeling well, and I need to rest. So if you'll please..." Cecilia said with a flushed face, feeling that she might explode if she indulged him any more today.

Asher nodded, that ever-present smile still playing on his lips, "Of course. I wouldn't want to pressure you. So, I'll see you tomorrow." He gave her a wink before turning on his heel, walking out of her office with an air of casual victory.

The door clicked shut, and Cecilia finally exhaled, her hand flying to her chest. Her heart was still pounding, her mind spinning with what had just happened. 'What kind of mess have I gotten myself into?' she wondered, the weight of the situation pressing down on her.

She had agreed to something she wasn't sure she could handle, and now there was no way to turn back.

Meanwhile, as Asher stepped out of Cecilia's office, his phone buzzed. He glanced at it, seeing a message from Arthur, of all people. "Huh... what does he want?" Asher mumbled, furrowing his brow. Arthur had requested to see him, a meeting he hadn't anticipated.

—

Not long after, Asher found himself walking into a quiet cafe, where Arthur and Rachel were seated at a corner table, their faces unreadable. Asher raised an eyebrow, not expecting to see Rachel there as well.

"Well, this is a surprise," Asher remarked as he reached the table. "Didn't expect you to show up too," he said, glancing at Rachel, who gave him an awkward smile before standing up to greet him with a nod.

Arthur immediately stood up as well, his posture respectful and a bit nervous, "Good morning, Advisor Ash. Sorry for calling you out here without notice," Arthur said, his tone polite but carrying a weight of importance. "I asked Rachel to accompany me because I felt her opinion might be important to you."

Asher's brow furrowed in confusion as he sat down with them. "Her opinion? On what?"

Arthur's face was a mix of determination and nervousness, his hands resting on the table as he took a deep breath, "Advisor Ash... Please train me. I humbly request you."

Asher let out a disbelieving chuckle, shaking his head as he looked at Arthur. "This again? I thought we already concluded this discussion with plenty of good reasons why it's not happening."

Arthur took a deep breath, his expression resolute. "I know… including the fact that you don't owe me anything. But that's exactly why I'm pleading with you. Please, you're the only one I can ask to train me."

Asher clicked his tongue in irritation. "I never expected you to be this insistent," he muttered. His gaze sharpened as he added, "But my answer is the same. I'm not going back on it. You've got hundreds of experts at the academy. So why are you pestering me?"

Arthur's eyes gleamed with sincerity as he met Asher's gaze head-on, "Because I don't want any of them. I believe you're better than all of them," he said, his voice unwavering.

For a brief moment, Asher looked away, something flickering in his expression. Why do his eyes disturb his composure like this? It couldn't be because they were the same as that woman's—could it?

Rachel, watching the tense exchange between the two, let out a low sigh. She stood up and glanced at Asher, "Ash, a word?"

Asher raised a brow, curious but wary as he followed her to a quiet corner, "What now? Don't tell me he dragged you here to convince me," he said, already exasperated by the situation.

Rachel pressed her lips together tightly and gave a small nod, "For better or worse, that's exactly the case."

Asher groaned, rubbing his forehead, "Oh, devils…"

"But listen to me," Rachel said, her voice steady and focused, "It might actually be the right move to train him, despite the risks you're worried about."

Asher's eyes narrowed, clearly unconvinced, "What are you talking about? How could training him benefit us? If anything, he'll mess things up for us again," he replied, shaking his head as if trying to dismiss the entire idea.

Rachel's eyes flashed with determination as she leaned in closer and quickly recounted what had happened earlier that day in the Hall of Echoed Valor. Asher's brow furrowed at the details, his expression briefly flickering with surprise before he scoffed, "So they kept my Echo… except with my name changed of course," he muttered, half amused, half bitter, "I would've paid good life crystals to see the look on Derek and Lenny's faces."

"I don't know how Cedric even died to them. It's just impossible," Rachel couldn't help but reveal her doubts that had been gnawing at her from within.

"Isn't it obvious? The Demon King never teamed up with Cedric. Instead, they just ganged up on Cedric after he was battered and bruised after fighting the Demon King who was empowered by the Boss Title," Asher casually said, making Rachel's eyes flicker as she asked, "H-How do you know for sure?"

"What's there to know? Can you think of any other scenario that explains what you know about Cedric?" Asher asked with a casual shrug, making it hard for Rachel to refute though she knew Asher was hiding something.

"But seriously? Arthur ignored Lenny's protests and went through with it?" Asher asked with a look of disbelief.

Rachel nodded firmly, "Yes. It might have something to do with what happened to his sister, but it shows that he's not afraid to challenge authority to find the truth."

Asher's brows furrowed as he processed her words.

Rachel continued, her voice lowering, "You know my father's keeping him close for a reason. He doesn't do that unless someone has a purpose that serves him. So maybe… just maybe, we can bring Arthur to our side when the time is right. We can show him that his sister's disappearance has nothing to do with Cedric and more to do with what my father and the WHA did. I have this feeling Aira disappeared because of what happened to Cedric. Maybe she knew the truth and was… taken out. I'd rather not imagine the worst."

Asher scoffed, his expression hardening, "I don't care what happened to his sister. But I doubt Derek killed her—she's not easy to get rid of. Even if he wanted to, he would have done it right after killing Cedric. But she did betray Cedric." His gaze darkened as he spoke, "She was there. If she hadn't been, Cedric wouldn't have died. Don't you agree?" His eyes bore into Rachel's with an intense look.

Rachel nodded, acknowledging his point, though her expression remained conflicted, "I do," she said quietly, "But that's not the point. The point is that Arthur could be of use to us. He might be one of the few Hunters with the guts to stand up to my father."

Asher's eyes narrowed, deep in thought as his gaze drifted back to Arthur, who was standing at a distance, watching them with hopeful, almost eager eyes—like a puppy waiting for a command.

Asher sighed, the tension leaving his body as he relented, "Ugh, fine. I'll train him," he said, exhaling deeply as if the decision weighed on him more than he let on.