The Crown's Fire - Chapter 198

Chapter 198: Crisis Aid Abode
“A man with silver-black hair?” Asura murmured, and for some reason, the man she had encountered at the spring before appeared in her imagination—the pervert who had hidden underwater with her naked body when he could easily have cast a teleportation spell to escape. “That can’t be the same person, right?” she muttered to herself.

“Please lead Master Kasper here, Cora,” Queen Regent Katelina requested, and Cora quickly left to fetch the mysterious Master Kasper.

Asura remained, not having been dismissed by Katelina. Besides, she was curious to meet the founder of the union that had helped so many of their people in the shadows, providing medical and essential assistance to the Zionians in need—something her father had neglected while focusing on pleasing Devon and supplying his army.

Asura frowned as a man covered with a black hood approached them, led by Lady Cora.

“Your Majesty,” he greeted with a curt bow before removing the hood from his face.

“Huh? The pervert?!” Asura exclaimed, her eyes wide with shock.

Kasper seemed to recognize her and said, “Oh, it’s nice to see you again, milady!”

“You two know each other?” Cora interjected, puzzled.

“We don’t!” Asura scorned, her face flushing with a mix of embarrassment and indignation.

“We encountered each other before during one of my runs,” Kasper explained casually.

“What is new? You’re always running around, Master Kasper. But I’m surprised you’re a pervert now. Is that a new brand in your identity, aside from being a thief?” Cora humorously remarked a twinkle of mischief in her eyes.

“I’m the leader of the Crisis Aid Abode,” Kasper corrected with a frown. Asura had heard about the Crisis Aid Abode; Luis had mentioned it to her.

“I see… You’re a thief and use it to help those in need,” Asura mumbled, her skepticism evident. “Does the cause justify the means?”

“Asura, that’s enough,” Queen Regent Katelina whispered to her, a hint of reproach in her tone. Then, addressing Kasper and Cora, she said, “Please, you two, have a seat and join us for tea,” motioning towards the seating area.

Asura huffed, her eyes still glaring at Kasper. He joined them, a hint of amusement playing on his lips.

“I must apologize for any misunderstandings,” Kasper began, addressing Asura directly. “My intentions were never to offend or cause discomfort.”

Asura gave Kasper a contorted face before composing herself. “Please tell us why you are seeking an audience with our Queen Regent. We can discuss our personal misunderstandings later on.”

“Let’s focus on the matter at hand,” Cora interjected, steering the conversation back to their primary concern. “Master Kasper, what information do you bring to the Queen Regent?”

Kasper’s demeanor shifted to one of seriousness. “There are increasing threats from Devon’s remaining followers. They are desperate and could target the summit. We need to enhance our security measures immediately. I will also meet with King Ezekiel to inform him about this matter. However, since I already passed by your camp here, I thought I should give you some heads up as well so you can tighten the security on your end.”

Devon… Just the name alone was making her want to vomit again. “Thank you for this information, Master Kasper.” she started with a curt nod. Then she looked at Aura and Lady Cora and said, “If you don’t mind, can I have a private word with Master Kasper?”

Understanding her request, Asura and Cora excused themselves and left her alone with Master Kasper.

KAtelina took a deep breath first before she directly asked, “I heard from Asura that I gave you direct instructions unknown to them. I met an incident and somehow lost memories about it. Can you please enlighten me more about it?”

“I see,” Kasper hummed with a nod. He looked at her intently and said, “You are very precise in your instruction that time. You told me to wait for two days at the cave where I taught you the dragon dance that first new moon last spring. And teleport you and your brother directly to the temple of Mount Sorel. You also told me to quickly leave once I teleport you to the temple so no one will see you.”

He paused for a while and continued, “And when the new moon came… That’s what I did. You carried your brother at your back at that time with the bloodied dragon sword in your hand. You’re too weak to create another portal… And like you asked, I created a portal for you to the temple. I assume you requested that to make sure that Devon won’t be able to follow you and trail you. It’s a good strategy to have me cast that portal to Mount Sorel. Your parents will be so proud of you, Your Majesty…”

Tarah felt a wave of warmth wash over her upon hearing the last sentence Master Kasper said. Her eyes welled with emotion at the thought of her parents, who had perished at Devon’s hands.

“Thank you,” she weakly muttered.

“But you must know that Devon is a demon… with a lineage of fallen angels from both his mother and father,” Kasper continued. “King Ezekiel may have defeated him, but even a small remnant of his essence, left undestroyed, could potentially revive him.”

“What do you mean?” Katelina gasped, her heart pounding with unease.

“A bloodthread,” she murmured, recalling what she had learned about it before. A bloodthread would connect the life of the owner and its host as one.

“I got a piece of reliable information that, Devon released his bloodthreads before Ezekiel destroyed him. That’s why his followers are still standing strong because they are aware of it and they are planning to revive Devon using his bloodthreads,” Master Kasper informed them.

Katelina felt a familiar tremor of fear coursing through her body as she gasped, “That means… He’ll come for me again once he’s revived.”

“There’s no harm in taking extra precautions for your safety. Although, I’m sure that once King Ezekiel receives this information from me, he will turn the world and even hell upside down to destroy whoever is hosting Devon’s bloodthreads,” Kasper reassured her. But despite his words, the fear that had begun to creep inside Katelina continued to grow.