Book 3: Intermission 4


    <strong>The Demon Kings Throne Room</strong>


    Arkaz repeatedly taps the armrest of his throne as he res ahead, ignoring the talks of the various Dukes and Duchesses around him. Instead focusing all of his attention on his inner clock thates with the System. Something most people dont realize exist until they ask about it.


    The moment the subi finally got a connection with Scarlet through their divining, he immediately knew the mission in the ss V Fracture was a sess, even if the ss V Fracture itself was stopped and the majority of the Nobles sent there killed. But the absolute joy and excitement he felt at it was immediately crushed when the divination was cut off before they could find her. The only thing they could see was that she was somewhere on Tartarus, which couldve meant anywhere.


    He of course considered his sons pce, but it wouldve been extremely difficult for his son to have found her immediately after she passed through the Fracture unless he was the one to send her through himself. Which he knew wasnt possible unless he paid the set mana price required to connect to his domination seed in another world. And he wouldnt do that unless it was an emergency, since doing it across worlds would lock him out of using that mana for several months.


    So he started searching elsewhere, hoping that his granddaughter was safe, only sending a cursory letter to his son in case he did find her.


    A letter he only bothered to answer <em>after </em>the divination barrier covering his granddaughter was finally shattered by the subi n, exposing his sons actions.


    Arkaz slowly watches the timer tick until it finally strikes seventeen hundred, at which point he stands up from the throne, silencing all of the Dukes and Duchesses in the process, before announcing, I will be meeting with my granddaughter. Carry on. Then he vanishes in a swirl of blood before any of them can react, shortly appearing on an outer court high up on a pce in the Bloody Duchy where he finds his son doing paperwork.


    Leonidas, Arkaz coldly states as his sons gaze rises to look at him. You have some exining to do.


    She only woke up earlier today, and I wanted to meet with her before you did, Leonidas answers in a blunt manner that has Arkazs eyes narrowing ever so slightly. We both know you wouldve rushed over here the moment you learned she was here, regardless of if she was awake and recovered or not.


    Before Arkaz can say anything, he continues, And what do you think she wouldve done if she had woken up to find the Demon King watching over her as she slept? It was bad enough to wake up to find one of the Demon Lords  people she was raised to believe were evil  watching over her, even if she already knew I was her father. But for both a Demon Lord and the Demon King? He shakes his head. I didnt want to risk overwhelming her right away.


    Arkaz feels a lot of his rage die down at the exnation.


    <em>He has a point.</em>


    But, Arkaz says, somethinging to mind, if she was asleep, you couldve just mentioned that to me when I arrived instead of hiding her from me and making me worry instead.


    Leonidas looks down at his paperwork, clearly using it to avoid the statement.


    The Demon King snorts and lightly shakes his head at that, understanding very well that he just wanted alone time with his daughter when she woke up.


    <em>I guess I cant really me him for that.</em>


    And her armor? Arkaz asks while walking over and sitting down on a chair in the ratherrge court, the blood moon hanging high in the sky.


    I will start working on it after the ball tonight, Leonidas states as he continues going over documents.


    <em>Good. If her new armor is made by him, then I wont have to worry about it not being good enough.</em>


    In that case, it sounds like shes almost here, Arkaz says while ncing towards one of the entrances to the court in particr. And she doesnt sound very happy.


    Arkaz notices his son wincing slightly at that, which isnt amon urrence.


    <em>Intriguing. I wonder what happened?</em>


    She isnt a fan of dresses, as it would appear, Leonidas eventually exins, reaching back to scratch his neck in an awkward disy.


    Arkaz nces at him with a single brow raised.


    You know as well as I do that it could damage the respect the Nobles have in her if they saw her in anything but a dress or armor befitting her status, Leonidas continues with a sigh. I wanted toplete the armor sooner, but she almost slept past the date of the ball in the first ce. A ball I had made to introduce her even if others dont know thats the purpose of it. And-


    You needed her awake to work on the armor, I get it, Arkaz mutters, making his son lean back in his seat with a sigh. I can see how that would be an issue.


    <em>While I could threaten everyone into submission or simply kill them, that wouldnt help her very much in the long run. And I want to help her as much as I can in any way possible. Although I get the feeling the Nobles would only think her entric or some such nonsense if she didnt wear the proper attire, and that Leon is overthinking things. She is still my granddaughter after all. And that ces her far above any of them.</em>


    A few seconds pass in silence, during which Leonidas finally puts down his enchanted quill. The two of them then spend a few minutes simply listening to the sound of Scarlets footsteps as she approaches the outer court. And the moment Leonidass head maid opens the door for her and she passes into the outer court, Arkazs eyes lock onto her and he disappears from his seat, reappearing right in front of her before lifting the startled girl up by her arm pits and smiling the widest smile hes shown in nearly two thousand years.