Chapter 274: An Alliance

Ceti jumped at the sound of Isola's voice echoing through the chamber.

Her eyes flew open and she gasped, quickly wriggling out from under Asher's grasp, not knowing what came over her while he simply laid there on the floor, watching her with a knowing grin as she scrambled to her feet.

"For devils' sake-" she mumbled, fumbling as she hastily tied up her disheveled hair, then grabbed a set of clothes from a nearby chair, tossing them at Asher, "Your Highness, please get dressed!" She managed to gasp out, her cheeks a deep shade of red.

A low chuckle escaped from Asher as he caught the clothes in mid-air, "No need for you to play the maid, Ceti. Your mother's here now," he said, his tone filled with amusement.

Ceti's blush deepened at his words with an aggrieved look, "I'm just trying to make you look... decent," she stressed firmly, hurriedly turning her back on him and heading towards the entrance.

If somebody else saw her being alone with his half naked figure, what would they think?

With all this, her heart was thudding with a mix of embarrassment, anticipation, and relief. At last, her mother was here, she was safe.

The stone walls of the chamber creaked and began to part, a shaft of light slicing through the semi-darkness.

As they opened fully, Ceti's heart soared at the sight of her mother standing just outside.

"Mother!" she called out, her voice filled with joy as she rushed towards the figure framed in the entrance.

Merina's eyes welled up with tears as she saw her daughter, a wide, relieved smile spreading across her face.

"Ceti!" Merina called out, her voice choked with emotion. She opened her arms wide, and the two of them ran into each other, embracing tightly as though they were never going to let go.

Behind them, Isola slowly entered while watching the heartfelt reunion, a soft smile playing on her lips.

Only she knew how worried and sad Merina was after they got separated for weeks, and other than feeling worried, Isola didn't expect his absence to cause a sense of emptiness she couldn't explain.

Maybe she had quite gotten used to his company while taking care of Callisa together.

"It's about time you guys got back," Asher's voice resonated from beside Isola, a trace of smile on his lips.

Isola turned to face him, her sapphire blue eyes shimmering as they caught the faint glow from the chamber's light.

A small smile graced her lips as she responded, "We are sorry we are late," Her gaze swept over Asher and then Ceti, a sigh of relief and astonishment escaping her lips at their well-being despite the challenges they had faced.

Merina's gaze turned towards Asher, her eyes glistening with a mix of relief and happiness, "Master..." she greeted him, bowing deeply in a show of respect, though, on the inside, she wished she could be in his embrace, and bask in his scent.

She was also worried about Ceti offending her Master when they were separated, especially since she was alone with him and could only hope she was nice to him.

Beside her, Ceti's eyes narrowed in confusion upon spotting 5 unfamiliar faces lingering behind Isola. They seemed to be quite astonished by the existence of this private safe zone.

"Isola," Ceti began, her eyes scanning the group, "Are these your friends?"

The question hung in the air as Ceti studied the five individuals who stood just behind Isola - two men and three women.

All were Umbralfiends, their unique appearances clear from the iridescent scales shimmering on their turquoise skin, blending with it flawlessly.

The women were tall and slender, their long, flowing hair varying shades of deep sea blues and greens.

Their eyes were large and round, as clear and deep as the ocean depths, filled with wary looks and nervous anticipation.

Their lithe bodies were clothed in traditional Umbralfiend attire, accentuating their feminine grace.

The men, on the other hand, were taller, with one of them being sturdy and broad while the other was lean and muscular.

Their eyes were sharp and keen, constantly darting around as they assessed their surroundings with evident wariness.

The set of their jaws showed the seriousness and concern they held for the situation.

And feeling Ceti's gaze, all five of them unconsciously looked towards their princess with concerned looks, wondering if their presence was going to be troublesome for her despite her telling them to not worry earlier.

Even though they were more familiar with the royal consort, he wasn't the only one from the Bloodburn Kingdom. The Battlemaster's stern, scrutinizing gaze was still on them.

Isola nodded, her delicate features softening into a subtle smile, "Yes, they are some of the bravest and most loyal warriors among my people that we came upon in this dungeon," she responded.

The five of them bowed briefly with a moved look, silently thanking their princess for holding them in such high regard.

Her gaze then swept over the five, her eyes reflecting pride and admiration, "We decided to travel together, and because of their assistance, we were able to reach here much more swiftly."

She took a step forward, standing beside Asher while gesturing to the two men first, "This is Orin," she introduced, pointing to the sturdy, broad-shouldered man. His eyes met Asher's as he gave a respectful bow.

"And this is Sylus," she continued, indicating the lean, muscular man who mirrored Orin's actions with a similarly reserved demeanor.

Moving on to the women, she started with the tallest one, who had a calm and elegant aura about her, "This is Elysia, Orin's wife," she stated. Elysia bowed deeply, her eyes briefly meeting the royal consort's.

"Next to her is her younger sister, Mirena," she added, pointing to the short and defiant younger woman who was currently sporting a pout while craning her neck up to stare at him.

But with a stern look from Elysia and a slight push on her head, Mirena grudgingly bowed as well, not before shooting a playful glare towards her sister.

"And...," Isola said, turning her attention to the woman standing beside Mirena, "This is Lyra, Sylus' wife and a formidable warrior in her own right," With a graceful dip of her head, Lyra acknowledged the introductions, casting a supportive glance at Sylus as she did.

Asher pulled Isola to the side, his brows furrowed as he watched the group of Umbralfiends, uncertainty coloring his normally assured gaze.

Before he could voice his concern, Isola's soft voice echoed inside his mind, a reassuring murmur amidst his doubt.

"Asher," she began, her voice resonating with conviction, "They can be trusted, I give you my word," She paused for a moment before continuing, "Orin and Sylus are mid-level Soul Purgers, their wives Elysia and Lyra are low-level Soul Purgers. Mirena, despite her young age, is a mid-level Soul Reaper. Letting them join can only be good for all of us. We definitely need an alliance to make our journey ahead easier. Ceti wasn't wrong to advise that earlier."

After a moment of silence, he turned to look towards the five Umbralfiends, "Alright," he said, his voice firm and steady, "I guess you all can tag along."

From the side, Ceti watched as the scene unfolded, her brows knitted together as she had a slightly baffled look.

When she advised him to form alliances when the quest began, he flat-out refused her by saying he won't trust anyone he didn't know.

But when Isola brought along unfamiliar people, he didn't even question her.

It was peculiar and out of character for Asher. Was there something she was missing? Or when did Asher start trusting Isola that much?

With closer observation, she noticed the way he talked and looked at Isola, and for some reason, she didn't know why it was prickling her.

Merina noticed her daughter staring at her Master in a strange way. She knew Ceti didn't like her Master, but this time, the look in her eyes seemed different than usual. There wasn't a hint of the previous hostility she always had in her gaze.

"And where is my big girl?" Asher asked, an eager glint in his eyes.

He never thought he would miss Callisa's playful antics so much, and her presence always seemed to bring a sense of comfort to him.

Isola retrieved the beast bag, her lips curling up in a subtle smile as she handed it to Asher.

"She's probably sleeping," Isola replied, "She couldn't sleep at all for so many days without you around."

Asher's face softened at her words, "Sigh, I hope she at least didn't stop eating..." he murmured, holding out the beast bag.

Before he could even utter her name fully, a radiant glow enveloped the bag, and in the next moment, Callisa's colossal figure loomed over them.

"Koo! Koo!"

Her giant pincers snapped excitedly as she let out mewls of joy, each one resonating throughout the cavern. A single, large tear dripped from her bulbous eyes as she nuzzled against Asher with one of her pincers.

"Callisa..." Asher whispered with a smile, feeling an ache in his chest after seeing her cry.

He reached out to gently stroke her pincer, his fingers gliding across her hard carapace, "There's no need to be sad anymore, my girl. We're together now," he reassured her, his voice firm yet gentle.

"I'm not going to let you out of my sight again," he declared, a warm smile spreading across his face as he continued to soothe her.

The cavern was filled with a quiet calm as the rest of them watched this tender moment between Asher and the giant young Kraken, their hearts warming at the sight.

The five Umbralfiends standing behind had looks of awe and astonishment, not expecting their young guardian to have such a close and loving bond with the Bloodburn Consort.

They had seen him interacting with their guardian back home, though they weren't really sure if he was putting on a show since most of the time, he would be interacting with their guardian alone, away from their sights. There were always gossips among their people how the Bloodburn Consort was planning to use their guardian for dubious means.

But now, they were beginning to feel that maybe their guardian wasn't being taken advantage of as they initially believed. Otherwise, an intelligent and powerful creature like her would never reciprocate such feelings.

Nobody could forcibly receive respect from any such majestic creatures.

Asher's relaxed mood swiftly turned into one of seriousness as he locked eyes with Isola, his lips pressing together into a thin line before speaking, "For weeks, Ceti and I have been struggling just to survive," he said, his voice carrying an undertone of cold anger, "We were nearly killed due to this bounty on my head."

A shadow passed over Isola's face, a grim understanding in her sapphire eyes. Just as she feared, Asher and Ceti must have gone through a lot.

She felt bad she wasn't able to get back to them quicker, though she remained silent and listened on.

Asher continued, his fists clenching in frustration, "I don't see a point in guessing who placed the bounty on my head anymore."

His gaze bore into Isola's, "But what I need to understand is this: What is this Bounty Hunt all about? Is this going to be a regular occurrence where people will keep placing bounties on my head? I know now that we are together, we stand more chance to survive, but it is not a game I would like us to play every day. And if we have to...Then I want us to be prepared to survive it."

Asher knew he had joined this quest despite knowing he wasn't strong enough and had expected things to get difficult for him.

But just because he wasn't strong enough, he didn't want to simply give up and accept the consequences as it was. Depending on strength alone wouldn't make one truly strong.

That was something he learned during his time as a Hunter.

A/N: Silvia art updated.