Eren had remained silent.
Vaelzara’s question had caught him completely off guard, and judging by the faint smile on her face, she was well aware of it.
"Master?"
He looked away.
"How did you figure that out?"
"Your expression gave it away."
"That’s all?"
"Not quite."
Vaelzara took another step closer, her crimson eyes studying him with amusement.
"You’ve been examining my abilities through the system, haven’t you? I noticed your expression changing when you were looking at me earlier. And now, you’re suddenly hesitant about continuing our hunt."
Eren scratched his cheek. He hadn’t expected her to notice something like that...
Not at all.
’She’s more observant than I thought.’
"Well, I did examine your abilities," he admitted. "But I wasn’t expecting the activation requirements to be so..."
He stopped, unsure how to finish, and it hadn’t taken much before Vaelzara chuckled.
"Unusual?"
"That’s one way to put it," Eren made a faint nod.
For a moment, the Demon Queen simply watched him. Then her expression softened slightly.
"There’s no need to look so troubled, Master. I wasn’t trying to embarrass you. I brought it up because I thought you should understand what you’re asking me to do."
Eren raised an eyebrow.
Vaelzara glanced down at her claws before looking toward the cave entrance.
"Immortal Demon Body is not simply a technique I developed for battle. It is a part of my existence as a demon. However, manifesting its complete form requires something beyond my own power."
She paused.
"Long ago, I had someone who could help me achieve it."
Eren listened without interrupting.
"My husband."
The words came naturally, but there was something different in her voice.
For the first time since they had entered the cave, Vaelzara’s playful expression disappeared.
"He was a demon like me. Not particularly powerful, but he understood me better than anyone else. Whenever I needed to manifest my complete transformation, he would help me fulfil the requirements."
Eren looked at her. "You were married?"
"Was that so surprising?"
"Uhh... A little," Eren responded.
Vaelzara smiled faintly.
"I suppose I don’t look like someone who would settle down."
"That’s not what I meant," Eren immediately objected.
"I know."
She looked away, her long white hair moving gently as she turned toward the cave entrance.
"He died a long time ago. After that, I stopped using the complete transformation. I could still fight without it, and I had no intention of allowing someone else to take his place."
Her voice remained composed, but Eren could sense that the memory wasn’t an easy one.
"I had no desire to share that part of myself with anyone else. Not after losing him."
Eren didn’t know what to say.
He had summoned her from death, but he had never considered what her life might have looked like before that. She had been a queen, a warrior, and apparently a wife.
There was an entire history behind the woman standing before him.
"Then why are you bringing it up now?" He asked.
Vaelzara turned back toward him.
"Because things have changed, Master. I am no longer living in the past. And since I cannot exactly find someone else to fulfil those requirements, it seems you’ll have to do it."
She gave him a small smile.
"After all, you’re my Master."
Eren stared at her.
’So that’s how this works...’
He wasn’t sure whether to feel relieved that she had explained everything or even more uncomfortable because of it.
He had assumed the requirements were simply some strange system condition. Hearing that they were connected to something deeply personal made the situation considerably more complicated.
Vaelzara, however, didn’t seem interested in forcing an immediate answer.
"Don’t worry. I won’t ask you to do anything you’re uncomfortable with."
Eren looked at her again.
"Then we can leave that matter for later."
"Of course."
He took a breath and considered their situation.
They had already obtained the Ashfang King’s Heart, and the experience from the battle had brought him to Level 5. He had also received three additional Summoning Allowances.
Their expedition had been successful.
But there was still much they could accomplish if they continued hunting.
Vaelzara’s transformation had proven incredibly effective, and he couldn’t ignore the advantage it offered. At the same time, he wasn’t willing to make decisions simply because he wanted more power.
"We keep hunting, but we only activate the Immortal Demon Body when the situation is really tough."
Vaelzara raised an eyebrow.
"Is that your decision?"
"Yes. We don’t know what else lives in this region, and I’d rather not rely on a power whose complete activation we haven’t properly discussed."
"Very well, Master. I’ll follow your decision."
Eren nodded.
"Then let’s get out of here."
He turned toward Rowan and Lyra, who had remained some distance away.
The two had been occupied with examining the cave and recovering from the battle. However, they had clearly noticed that their conversation had taken longer than expected.
Rowan looked particularly interested, but he wisely kept his mouth shut.
"Are we leaving, my Lord?" he asked.
"Yes. We’ve got what we came for."
With that, the four began making their way toward the cave entrance.
...
The journey back through Ash Rock Cave was considerably quieter than their arrival.
The bodies of the Ashfang Wolves had remained after their death, but there was no way they could bring it with them. The glowing crystals embedded in the walls provided enough illumination for them to navigate without difficulty.
Eren occasionally glanced at Vaelzara.
She had returned to her normal appearance, with her long white hair falling down her back and her oversized crimson hoodie covering most of her figure.
It was difficult to believe that the same woman had just torn apart an entire pack of monsters with her bare hands.
’What a terrifying woman.’
As they approached the entrance, Vaelzara suddenly spoke.
"Master, may I ask you something?"
Eren sighed as he turned to her.
"Why do I feel like I’m going to regret answering?"
She smiled and shrugged.
"Have you ever had a girlfriend?"
Eren nearly stumbled.
"What?"
"A girlfriend. Someone you were romantically involved with."
He looked at her and had almost entirely nothing running in his mind at that point. He just couldn’t come up with an answer when she turned and faced her.
"Why are you asking that?"
"I’m curious," she responded with her hands folded behind her back.
Eren hesitated.
Then, rather reluctantly, he finally answered.
"No. I’ve never had one."
Vaelzara stopped walking for a moment.
Her crimson eyes widened slightly before a mischievous smile appeared on her face.
"Never?"
"Never."
"Not even once?"
"Do you need me to repeat myself?"
She looked at him for another second before bursting into laughter.
"That means, Master hasn’t gotten laid!"
Eren’s face stiffened. "Can you stop saying things like that?"
"Why? Is it embarrassing?" She asked.
"Obviously!"
But then, Vaelzara laughed even harder.
Rowan glanced over his shoulder, clearly wondering what was happening, while Lyra pretended not to hear anything.
Vaelzara eventually caught up with Eren.
"Now I understand."
"Understand what?"
"Why you react so strangely whenever I mention anything romantic."
Eren frowned.
"There’s nothing strange about my reaction."
"Of course there isn’t," Vaelzara said.
She gave him a knowing look.
"That’s why you’re so easily flustered whenever someone shows you affection. Even a simple suggestion makes you look as though you’ve been asked to fight an entire army."
"That’s not true."
"Really?"
"Yes."
Vaelzara leaned slightly closer.
"Then perhaps I should test that theory sometime." Follow the newest chapters on g.com.
Eren immediately increased his pace.
"Let’s just get outside."
The Demon Queen laughed again as they progressed.
For someone who had spent thousands of years in a lifeless void, she certainly seemed to be enjoying herself.
Eren could only shake his head.
’I’m never having this conversation with her again.’
At least, that was what he told himself.
They finally reached the cave entrance, and the gray light of the Ashen Frontier greeted them once more.
Eren took a moment to examine their surroundings.
The landscape remained as desolate as ever, with dead trees scattered across the ash-covered ground. There was no sign of life in the immediate vicinity, although the numerous tracks they had followed earlier suggested that the region was far from empty.
"Which direction should we take?" Eren asked.
Rowan stepped forward.
"Allow me to check, my Lord."
He crouched and examined the ground near the entrance, brushing aside a thin layer of ash.
"There are several tracks here. Some belong to the wolves, but others are different."
"Different how?"
Rowan pointed toward a series of narrow impressions.
"These are smaller. Whatever made them has multiple legs, and judging by the depth, there are quite a few of them."
Eren moved closer.
"Can you identify the creature?"
"Not yet. But the tracks seem to lead toward the western ridge."
Vaelzara looked in that direction.
"Then we should investigate."
Eren nodded.
"Let’s be careful. We don’t know what we’re dealing with."
They followed Rowan as he traced the tracks through the wilderness.
The path gradually became uneven, with scattered rocks and dead tree roots breaking through the ash-covered ground. After several minutes, they reached a shallow depression between two rocky formations.
Rowan suddenly stopped.
"Wait."
Eren raised a hand, signalling the others to remain still.
"What is it?"
Rowan didn’t answer immediately, as he was staring toward the rocky formation ahead.
Eren followed his gaze.
At first, he couldn’t understand what he was looking at. Then he noticed the movement.
Something was crawling across the rocks.
A large insect-like creature, roughly the size of a hunting dog, clung to the surface with six long legs. Its body was covered in dark, hardened plates, while a pair of translucent wings rested against its back.
At the rear of its body was a long, curved stinger.
Another one appeared.
Then another.
Eren slowly raised his head.
Beyond the rocks was an enormous nest.
It had been constructed from hardened ash, broken branches, and some strange dark substance that resembled dried resin. Numerous openings covered its surface, and creatures of different sizes crawled in and out of them.
Some were no larger than a human hand.
Others were considerably bigger.
A faint buzzing sound gradually filled the air as more insects emerged from the nest.
Eren’s expression changed.
’That’s... a lot of them.’
Before he could say anything, a familiar system notification appeared before his eyes.
[Location identified.]
[Location: Ashen Stinger Nest.]
[Inhabitants: Ashen Stingers.]
[Quantity: 86.]
[Monster Tier Range: Tier 1–15.]
Eren stared at the notification.
’Tier 1 to 15???’
His gaze shifted toward the enormous nest again.
The strongest Ashfang Wolf they had encountered was only Tier 9, and even that had required Vaelzara to use a partial Immortal Demon Body transformation to defeat it.
Now they were looking at a nest containing monsters that could potentially reach Tier 15.
He slowly turned toward Vaelzara.
She was already examining the creatures, her crimson eyes following their movements.
It had went on like that before she finally smiled.
"Oh ah, seems like we’ll be needing me after all."