The Crown and The Rose
Chapter 47: For The Sake Of Peace

Chapter 47: For The Sake Of Peace

The Crown

"Lush, are you sure that it should be like this?" Erick rubs Keith’s untamed hair—which was definitely not like this before—between his fingers, "He is looking like a whole different person." Erick scrutinizes Keith head to toe, "You cleansing changed his whole appearance."

"As well as his brain." Seraphina snorts as she taps Keith’s forehead, which makes the place go red but Keith doesn’t retort instead, he keeps grinning like an idiot.

"I would recommend you two to keep your hands off him, Seraphina and Erick." Edward says, his tone strict and his face contoured with seriousness, "This is disgraceful."

"Okay." They both roll their eyes and say simultaneously.

"I did not anticipate this when you said he would become a human, Your Highness." Typhon grimaces, looking not at all happy with the things before him.

"To be honest," I rub the place between my brows where an itching pain is blooming, "I too did not anticipate it when I channeled my power into him. And other than that I think he is the only demon who could withstand my magic directly in their veins. It may have damaged his brain slightly."

"But Your Highness, I wouldn’t actually address it with ’slightly’." Edward gives me a pursed-lipped look.

I sigh in exasperation, "Right..." I can feel Typhon boring a hole through the side of my face with his glare but I blatantly ignore it, "But, well, I can do nothing about it since this is the first time someone has tried something this dangerous on a demon. We should be thankful that he is still alive. Lord Typhon, I think, Keith could use a bit of rest."

Typhon glares at me for a bit long and I offer him the most annoying smile I can master for the moment. I can see a vein bulging on his smooth forehead, my grin widening at his reaction. But instead of getting provoked, Typhon sighs, making me ’tch’ in disappointment. There is something about him that wants to get under his skin so badly...

Typhone snaps his fingers and two women come out from inside and take Keith with them, who is still grinning like he has lost his head, and Seraphina and Erick are making fun of him.

"Now let us get down to actual business." Typhon smiles and all I want is to sneer at it, but well I don’t because I can see Edward glare at me from the corner of my eyes.

"Can you please elaborate on the details, My Lord?" Edward asks, his face as usual serious. Only Gods know how this man manages to be this serious twenty-four-seven. Doesn’t he get tired?

"It started two weeks ago." Typhon starts, not taking his eyes off Edward, and for some reason, I don’t like it. "Suddenly I was reported that one of the nobles had been attacked. The head of the family was sucked dry of his magic. By the time I got there, it was already too late. He had already died. I didn’t have the chance to ask him about what had happened."

"So no one knows what actually happened to the head?" I ask.

"Yes," Typhon replies shortly.

"Then, when was the second incident?" I inquire again.

"It was two days after that," Typhon replies in the same tone as before.

So it turns out that these things are happening in a two-day gap. People, no, demons are getting killed because of getting their magic sucked off. Most of them are demons who have a significant amount of dark magic power. It is quite obvious that the culprit is targeting demons who are rich in magic power.

The victims die almost immediately and those who don’t—like Keith—don’t remember anything at all of the incident that happened to them. And by the time they recollect their disoriented memories, it is already too late. They are already dead.

We have close to no clue—if we don’t count Keith. But the problem is that he has lost his mind from his soul cleansing. Well, this is what it seems after all. So I am assuming that Keith will be of no use to us regarding this case. And we can’t even just turn up at every house of nobles to catch the culprit. We need a lead that we absolutely don’t have.

What a pain...

The blooming itching ache in my temple is now a fully bloomed pain, spearing my mind with a driller. It is almost like my mind is a rock and the pain is a hammer, trying to break it. I massage my temple as I contemplate what to do.

This is not easy, you know. Lord Vermilion said that he would toss me into a pond filled with Piranha fish. And even if he doesn’t, I am sure the slave circle on my side will burn my insides to the ash because this is what I will get for disobeying my master’s order.

I have so many things to do but I have no time to do so. Sometimes I think that my life inside those four giant walls of the royal palace was way better than the life I am leading now. Yes, I had to do so many annoying classes and had to attend the royal court just to hear the bullsit the officials sprouted but still, I didn’t have to worry about risking my life there. I didn’t need to worry about proving myself worthy to the lord Vermilion.

For the first time after a while, I feel a little disappointed at Lillian. If she hadn’t just accused me like that... then I would have been sitting behind my huge desk in my office at the palace and would be scribbling something in those papers.

"When did the last incident happen, My Lord?" Edward asks, breaking off my trance.

"It was two days ago as I first mentioned." Typhon replies, "Keith was the last victim up until now."

"Poor him," Seraphina pities with a snarky tone and poisonous smile, "he had a formidable amount of mana. But well we cannot do anything about this anymore."

"This is not what is important right now, Seraphina." I interrupt her, "We don’t have any time on our hands. There will be another victim tonight." I state, ignoring the storm that is my mind withstanding.

Guess this is what happens when someone doesn’t take the rest that is needed.

"What are we going to do now, Lush?" Erick asks, "Are we just going to turn up at some noble’s house and tell them that we are there to protect them?"

Erick’s question is almost comical and if the situation weren’t severe then I would have definitely laughed. This is something I really like about Erick. He always manages to lighten the environment no matter how severe it is.

"No." I snort, "It will only increase our own chances of getting killed by the demon nobilities. I am already suspecting that they are feeling my presence here and if I turn up at their doors then... well it would be chaos."

"Then what will we do?" Edward asks, his jaw tight with tension.

I tap at my chin as I contemplate what we are going to do. I turn to Typhon, "Lord Typhon, do you have any idea about the work pattern of the attacker?"

"I analyzed the data and studied all these incidents more than a few times before I wrote to Vermilion for help." Typhon replies, "If I could figure out what pattern this culprit is maintaining and who they are attacking, then I am afraid that I wouldn’t need you to do this for me, Your Highness." He smiles. And he just has to be like this and get under my skin.

"And this is a shame that you need us, Lord Typhon." I smile back at him.

Our smiles are clashing with each other. Electronic sparks radiate off us and battle with each other. I can feel my veins bulging on my neck and Typhon’s veins pulsing on his forehead. Both of us are extremely pissed at each other and it is evident. We are just putting up with each other for the sake of mutual peace. And the fear of Vermilion. Because he might actually toss both of us in front of a dragon we bicker with each other. Oh, wait, he is a dragon himself.

"Can you tell them again that they are behaving like kids?" Seraphina whispers to Erick.

"I can hear you!" We both snap simultaneously at Seraphina.

Edward sighs and rubs his forehead, "Your Highness, please, behave like the crown prince that you are."

"I apologize." I let out a breath and rub my finger over my temple. "Seems like we will have to use Seraphina."

Everyone’s head snap toward her and she blinks. "You want to use...me?" Seraphina knits her eyebrows and points at herself as she looks around the room at everyone.

I nod, "Yes, I am using you."

"No way!"