Devouring Monarch: Rebirth of the Profane Phoenix

Asura, Mu Xue and Vela arrived at the airship soon after leaving, only to find far more than the initial troops stated would come with them.

Two hundred of the Valkyrie troops all sat in the prepared seats. Even the younger reserve units looked amazing. Each maiden wore a light chain mail armour with shimmering silver hair that made them look like a group of sisters.

'Wow, I wonder why they all share the same colour hair...'

"Are you curious about my sisters, Lord Asura?" Delta, the commander, asked as she arrived with Lucretia beside her, who seemed to resist the urge to rush towards Asura's side.

"Honestly, yes. You all emit the same soothing aura, and a feeling of ethereal beauty lingers around each of you."

"Oh my, thank you for the compliment. Lord Asura..." Delta smiled brightly, causing Asura to feel charmed for a moment.

"Each of my sisters has bathed in the sacred pool of the Asura. The pool was said to be something left behind by the first queen, rumoured to be her blood or some kind of magical tool. As for the complete truth, I do not know."

It seems his compliment was heard by many of the Valkyrie, who pleasantly smiled while observing Asura.

Normally, a noble wouldn't be told such things; however, the queen seemed to have already announced his status as the princess's spouse. Thus, they became so respectful towards Asura as their status as Valkyrie lifted them to an equal rank of nobility because of their task of protecting the queen.

"Well, let us leave this chat here. For now, Lord Asura. The time for our departure is arriving."

Delta gave such a graceful and mature wink and smile as she passed him, her hips swaying as if dancing, causing his vision to linger on her body.

"...Asura?"

The voice of Lucretia sounded a little cranky and hoarse as she narrowed her eyes at where he was looking. "Do you like women who sway their hips like prostitutes?"

'Her strange jealousy is cute.'

He shrugged his shoulders, walking towards the airship, then looked back with a smirk, "Well, I am a man. The beauty of a woman's dancing hips catches my attention; maybe I'll enjoy your sight someday."

"Oh? Do you think you win one fight against a Stage Four and you can be this cheeky?" Lucretia showed a wicked smile as her body split into eight.

Mu Xue and Princess Vela had long left, so they missed their dear Asura chasing another woman's ass. However, when seeing him rushing through the airship, avoiding the shadow clones of Lucretia, they could only smile and enjoy the rare sight of him losing.

"Ah? Stop! We're on an airship, woman!"

"Come on! Run~, or I'll catch you."

Most of the Valkyrie cheered him on, while Delta could only cover her face in embarrassment as the flight soon left the harbour and headed towards Wolfsheim Port City.

****

Meanwhile, standing atop the tallest mountain in the north area of the capital, Sigurd stood alone, watching as the airship left her vision; each time she reached out to move closer, a strange barrier seemed to push her back as if trapping her in the capital.

"Such a cursed oath. Why would you show up before me when I cannot go to your aid should you need it?"

Like Lorem, the ancient queens felt insecure because of the fear of betrayal, the ancient queens felt insecure, thus making them both sign an oath to protect the capital unless the kingdom was in dire trouble and the Queen allowed it.

They couldn't leave, meaning both women were currently suffering from intense anxiety as their beloved man left for battle.

Sigurd, unable to ignore such a feeling, almost tried to break the oath without permission, but she kept her cool.

"What are a few days when I endured thousands of years, my first love? When we meet once again, will you easily conquer my heart?"

She smirked as she turned away, slowly disappearing from the peak as if merging into the air.

****

"Asura, look! It's the sea!" Mu Xue's voice was high-pitched, much like Xavida might sound if she were here.

"It's your first time seeing, right?"

"Mmm! Look at that enormous fish! How can it jump from the sea when it's so massive!?"

Mu Xue practically sat on his lap as she pointed out the huge demonic whale with a gigantic horn and small wings along its body. The whale's strange call echoed into the skies as it captured several dolphins in its mouth, swallowing them whole as if they were sardines.

Princess Vela laughed, finding Mu Xue's innocent excitement adorable. Her cuteness made her jealous, so she asked, "Asura, have you seen something more amazing than this whale?"

Asura felt the weight of two beautiful women on his lap and could only feel paradise. "Did you know that the demon whale's blubber has a scent like lavender or rose, depending on the time of the year it is collected?"

Vela curiously asked, "Is this true? Can you get me some next time?"

"Of course, but I am sure the royal bathhouse should have all the wondrous scents you could dream about, princess."

Lucretia scoffed at his lazy reply, "Then why not use her oversized fatty breasts for perfume."

"Don't bring my breasts into your weird argument!" Vela blushed brightly while Mu Xue covered her chest, glancing down. "Will mine be fine?"

Asura couldn't help but find Mu Xue's innocent face despite her age sometimes causing him to break into fits of laughter; as the airship continued towards Wolfsheim, he felt these stupid conversations were helping his mind to relax, no longer feeling a heavy weight on his shoulders.

"I'm grateful to have so many beautiful women to ease my mind."

Asura sighed while holding Mu Xue's waist, causing Vela to feel a slight hint of jealousy as he was too casual about the situation, yet she enjoyed this relaxed atmosphere far more than seeing Asura frown.

Then she felt his arm wrap around hers and turned to see Asura smiling while looking out at the horizon.

"You know, my mother loved to travel by sea. She was a very strange noble who hated to sit in one spot and loved to travel across the entire continent. I remember hearing the stories of her adventures since I was a young boy."

Vela smiled while remembering the stories of his birth mother, a woman able to beat her mother and befriend her.

Even now, she was a woman that her mother spoke of when drunk.

"Your mother sounds like an amazing woman."

"Well, I think she was...but I didn't see her after all; she vanished and left Dad alone, haha."

Lucretia was the one who became a little quiet as she looked outside the window, muttering, "A mother... I wonder if mine misses me."

No one heard Lucretia's words as the conversation soon approached Asura's childhood. Mu Xue wanted to learn more about Asura's point of view, as she watched him but never realised how he thought or saw things interesting to her.

The same was true for Vela, who became even more curious as Asura's life sounded far more complicated and interesting than she thought.

However, the man himself reached out and squeezed the hand of Lucretia, his fingers tracing the words, 'Do you wish to find them, your parents?'

Lucretia bit her lips and noticed his gentle gaze, different from when they fought, or he teased her.

She felt like the warmth of Asura was filling her as they held hands, and it felt so pleasant that she wished he never let go.

She traced back, 'Maybe...someday.'

Asura nodded in agreement, happy to see Lucretia open up more. He was confident he could remove this curse and give her a new chance to live a real life.

He planned to speak more about it and ask his father to help in the search once he arrived back in the Phoenix Glade.

"Lord Asura, Princess Vela, Lady Xue, if you could please return to your seats, we are about to approach Wolfsheim for landing." Delta politely asked while she gazed at the hands of Asura and Lucretia with a slightly dazed expression before quickly returning to her professional state.

Asura felt awkward as he released Lucretia's hand, leaving her with a strange, empty feeling as she stretched out her hand to grab his once more.

Mu Xue's eyes narrowed as she saw this interaction, but she didn't seem angry or jealous. Instead, she just took his hand and sat beside him as if to show that she was number one in this place.