Chương 15: The Demon-Princess Needs Subjects

My leg burned… That was the first thing I noticed. It hurt unlike anything I'd ever felt before. My muscles were sore, and I felt tired, as if I'd run multiple marathons and had collapsed because of it. My throat was dry. My clothes clung to me with sweat, blood, and the damp chill of night. I groaned as I opened my eyes.

The moon cascaded its light across the field of thistles as a gentle breeze pushed the flowers from all sides, breaking pollen off into the air where it twirled and intermingled as it drifted away. Curiously, I smelled something odd. Some sort of fire. I heard it too. The soft pop of wood, and the hissing of meat being cooked. I could smell it in the air, and it smelled… rancid. I forced myself to sit up.

"Master!" Darwin said, flying over to me and circling my head.

"It's Rook," I reminded him.

"Remember?" Then, more seriously, I asked, "What happened?"

"I fight," Darwin said.

"You safe."

"You… fight?" I asked. I heard a bitter laugh sound out. I didn't recognize it. Leaning over, I found a nearby fire burning precariously close to the thistles; the smoke rising into the air, disappearing into the night sky. Half illuminated was someone I didn't recognize, their face silhouetted by the orange glow.

"Who… who are you?"

"Nobody," Darwin said, his frustration causing the bubble to seemingly boil.

"Just a—""Demon?" the person said, turning to face me. It was as they said… they were a demon. Black horns curved from their heads, smooth and sharp beneath the moonlight. Yellow, slitted eyes stared out against black sclera. They had long, sharp teeth, which they were using to chew down on some meat. Their skin was purple and, by all intents and purposes, to my eyes, they looked… feminine. Nearby, I saw a pile of dead dire-rabbits and, leaning against a tree, was a wicked-looking two-handed axe covered in blood.

The blade was broad and dark, still wet along one edge. It didn't take much to know what had happened.

"Danger, danger," Darwin warned." Ha!" the demon-woman barked a laugh.

"He would have been in danger if I had done nothing at all. He is lucky I was around… and more than lucky that I am the magnanimous type." I forced myself all the way up to a sitting position, pushing myself back a bit in case I needed to run. Pain shot through my leg the moment I moved, white-hot, making my vision blur at the edges. She likely noticed as she said, "It wouldn't do you any good. You have a bum leg and even if you didn't, I could catch you if I wished."

"What do you want?" I asked.

"You're a demon, right? Do you want my soul?"

"Your… soul?" she replied.

"Souls are things for the gods. No, I want not your soul. I want your undying and eternal loyalty."

"My… what?" The demon-woman gave a wicked grin, her silver hair catching the wind. It moved like a pale thread in the firelight, bright against the dark field around her.

"Undying loyalty," she repeated slowly.

"You must be grateful to me, knowing that it was I who saved your life. Surely you would want to repay in kind by devoting said life to me? To become one of my beloved subjects?" I coughed into my hand, and even that small act caused my leg to shudder with pain. The demon-woman frowned.

"You're still injured—I do so forget myself when around humans. Pain dulls your senses as much as it sharpens your fighting instinct. Fine, you need not wholly devote yourself until you have recovered."

"Do you have something for that?" I asked.

"To help me recover?"

"Greedy little goblin, aren't you? I saved your life, and you wish to drain my coffers too?" She was silent for a time, staring me down. The fire popped between us, throwing shifting light across her horns and the sharp line of her jaw.

"No, I have not any recovery items. I already checked your pack as well. Nothing. What class are you? Do you have any healing abilities or spells?"

"Glutton," I replied without thinking.

"And no… nothing. Just cooking recipes." The demon-woman smiled.

"Ah, cooking. But now I wonder why a chef would be all the way out here. Surely you could have bought the ingredients in one of your human settlements?"

"I need uh… special ingredients?"

"Like?" I was silent, and the wind whistled through the branches of the trees. The demon-woman's yellow eyes felt as if they drilled into me. Like they could peel back any dark secret I had.

"Like meat… from monsters," I continued.

"Dire-rabbits to be clear." For the first time, the demon-woman seemed taken aback.

"Meat from monsters? I thought only we demons knew the luxury and tasteful delicacy of monster meat? Fascinating. I suppose that is what to expect from a special grade class." Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.

"Special grade… so you know?" She nodded.

"How?" The demon-woman tapped her nose.

"We demon-folk have a sense about it. We can smell it on you. So then, Mr. Special Grade, do you have any recipes that offer improved healing?"

"None that I know of… but I've only two recipes. The Goblin-Eye Soup did nothing for healing and the Dire-Rabbit Heart Skewers… well, I suppose I can give it a shot." The demon-woman turned to face me, giving me her full attention. I had to admit it, despite her oddities, such as her light-purple skin, horns, and yellow eyes, she would be considered pretty. She frowned.

"Keep any lustful thoughts in your head and your pants… I am not one of those types of demons. So what do you need to make these Dire-Rabbit Heart Skewers? Besides dire-rabbit hearts, of course."

"I have it all in the pack," I said, "but I need to kill and prepare the hearts myself. I see you've already taken care of that, so—" The demon-woman pointed behind me.

"Your three kills are over there. These four are mine. I've not touched them other than to put them into a small pile. I am not a thief."

"Not a thief," I replied, "but who and what are you?"

"I am Princess Vaelith Noctara, third in line for the fifth seat of the Court of Nine Embers."

"That's… a lot. And your class?" The demon-woman smiled wickedly.

"Class name Sovereign, Special Grade."

Some time passed as I prepared the dire-rabbits. At first, I hacked away lazily at the bodies, but after some consternation and choice words from Vaelith, I slowed down and steadied my blade. I'd once seen a video of survivalists who trained to live if an apocalypse happened. Never thought I'd actually need those skills. One such man was a hunter, and he demonstrated how to prepare a rabbit. Six distinct cuts of meat. That was what they had.

The moon had risen higher by then, and the fire threw enough light for me to work. The dire-rabbit bodies were heavier than ordinary rabbits, and their fur was matted with blood, thistle seeds, and dirt. Their claws were long and black, and their teeth still made my stomach tense whenever I looked too closely. My hand trembled as I carved through the body, separating it. It was haphazard and sloppy; I knew. Yet Vaelith simply smiled at my attempt.

By the end, I had chopped up and separated the meat, leaving far too much on the carcass. As for the other things—teeth, heart, eyes—I had no idea what could be useful. Especially by alchemists. Lina had provided me with leather bags in which to carry the gruesome treasure. The bags were stiff and rough beneath my fingers, quickly darkening where the blood soaked through.

After all three bodies were done, I set the hearts down and then prepared the recipe: System Dire-Rabbit Heart Skewers Rarity: Common Type: Monster Meat Core Ingredient: Dire-Rabbit Heart Ingredients: Dire-Rabbit Heart, Wild Onion, Fey Carrot, Moonleaf, Cracked Pepper, Sourberry Juice, Wooden Skewers Just as before, I followed the instructions carefully. This time, I was a bit more skilled and faster. The knife moved evenly and cut more cleanly in my hands.

The hearts were firm beneath the blade, dark and glossy, and the sourberry juice cut through the iron smell with something sharp and bright. By the end, I wiped sweat from my brow using my forearm; my hands were covered in blood.

Curiously, I checked my stats: System Class: Glutton (Lvl 2) - EXP 87/100 Skills: Basic Cooking (Lvl 1) - EXP 55/100 Basic Butchery (Lvl 1) - EXP 75/100 Monster Butchery (Lvl 2) - EXP 45/200 Basic Herbalism (Lvl 1) - EXP 15/100 Knife Handling (Lvl 2) - EXP 83/200 I'd gained levels in both Monster Butchery and Knife Handling to my surprise, which had fed my class EXP as well. I was close to leveling, and I was sure that if I got this recipe right, I would.

I pulled out the sticks and set the vegetables and meat as specified. Vaelith was beaming, and she looked as if her mouth were watering. Darwin stared down curiously, floating a little higher than usual to stay away from Vaelith. My companion didn't trust her for some reason. Luckily, the demon-woman had already made a fire, and I held three skewers above it, rotating them slowly next to the flame.

"Three?" Vaelith asked. I thumbed upwards at my companion.

"Darwin deserves one too." Vaelith shrugged, and as she did, I felt something change in the air. Suddenly, the wind shifted, seemingly pulled toward the fire. It sparked, its dull red flames burning bright blue and cascading toward the sky in a burst of heat. The thistles nearest us bent away from it, and sparks climbed upward like fireflies before vanishing into the night. I pulled away as the flame died, and when I did, what I saw made my mouth water.

Skewers of perfectly charred, sizzling hearts with wild onions and fey carrots sat glistening and waiting for consumption. The meat had crisped at the edges, dark and glossy, while the onions softened and blackened in sweet little layers. The carrots shone with sourberry glaze. The smell of it was intoxicating, fresh and fragrant, smoky and rich enough to push aside even the rancid stink of the nearby corpses. Before I could speak, Vaelith snatched one from my hand.

"Hey—" Darwin swooped down and took another. I was left holding one.

"By the gods, this is the greatest thing I have ever eaten," Vaelith said, having already eaten half.

"The sharp cut of the onion, and the rich tenderness of the heart; not too bloody, but still with some bite! Oh, you humans never cease to amaze me." I stared at it. It looked and smelled that good. I set aside my reservations and swallowed a piece of heart. It was as Vaelith described… rich, and with a faint taste of blood, but in no way overpowering.

"Eat them together," she suggested. I ate a piece of heart with the carrot and onion. The flavors danced together in perfect rhythm, and the slightest bit of smoky char was the cherry on top. The sourberry brightened the meat, the moonleaf softened the iron edge, and the carrots brought just enough sweetness to make the whole thing pop. Vaelith stared at me like a starving man stares at a meal." You!" she said.

"It has been decided… You will be my first subject."