THE BLACK CROWN -21-

In the tranquil expanse of the royal garden, David found a spot to sit, desperately gasping for breath. The recent events had left him thoroughly shaken.

He was convinced beyond doubt that the demon he had encountered was of no ordinary rank. At the very least, the demon undoubtedly held a standing of a royal executioner or perhaps even surpassed that, reaching the first of the high knight tier.

David was lost in thought when he suddenly felt a hand on his shoulder. He instinctively tensed and reached for his sword, but as he turn he saw the sweet and charming smile of aria

He took a deep breath, forcing a smile as he tried to act nonchalantly. "Have you finished your errand with the princes?" he inquired, Aria settling next to him.

"Mhm we set down for damn hour! But at least we did get to solution! We are going to send spy to the human kingdom! And we will try to set traps for the human" aria says and after a couple minutes pass

She expressed her frustration with humanity, her tone laced with both exhaustion. "I really can't stand humans, always so self-centered and focused on their own interests!"

David nodded anxiously, in agreement with her sentiment. "Yeah... yeah... I totally get what you mean..." he sighed heavily.

"Anyway I'm taking you to meet someone! He is a little weird but you would love him!' She says with excites tone as she stands up

David laughed and stood up, following closely behind Aria as she led the way into the forest.

"Really? Who is he?" he asked, intrigued.

Aria responded with a warm giggle, her tone full of excitement. "You'll find out soon, just be patient! We're on our way to his favorite spot!"

As they ventured deeper into the dense forest, David's gaze kept darting around, until his eyes landed on a small figure seated beside a tranquil lake.

With each step they took closer, David's heart began to pound with fear, and his attention was fixated solely on that demon's face—the very same one he had narrowly escaped death from moments earlier.

Aria excitedly called out to Han, her words confirming the demon's presence. As she approached, however, David acted swiftly, forcefully pulling her away,.

In that instant, David felt an intense protective instinct, overwhelmed by anger and confusion. Why was Aria behaving so calmly around such a dangerous demon like Han?

Aria looked at him confused by his actions "are you okay?" She says as she looked at him. David immediately realised what he had done as he let go of her.. "yeah I'm sorry I'm not sure what happened" he forcefully smiles to her "everything okay?" Han says with worried expressions as he looks at david

"Yeah everything IS okay thank you for asking" david coldly says as aria and han look at him "yeah…anyway this is han he is one of the four demons chosen by the queen to serve the princes!" She says while looking at both of them "and this is David he is one of the knights who protects the Tents of the magicians!"

"Well it nice to meet you David" Han greeted him with an amicable smile, extending his hand for a handshake. David grasped his hand in return, returning the smile, albeit coolly.

"It's nice to meet you too, HAN," David said, his grip on Han's hand becoming almost uncomfortably tight.

"Tho han is the lowest in the high rank but he is friendly! You can go to him if you need help and i'm not around!" As aria says david eyes winded with surprise "he is what now? You are not kidding??" "Oh you are going to look down on me too? Don't worry I'm really helpfull!" Han voice was carrying a mocking tone

He walk away as ge says "let's go didn't you want to see eric?" "Yeah let's go David" aria says as she follows han

David felt uneasy as he followed both both of them as he was confused there is something wrong with the demons here…

As they walked, Han and Aria conversed, while David remained lost in contemplation. They soon reached Eric's room.

Han spoke gently, warning Aria of the scene they were about to encounter. "Aria, what you're about to see isn't pleasant..."

aria nods she was ready for everything she going to see But as they enter her heart drops as she saw her brother laying his body was in really bad condition as the black colour had covered half of his face and body now

A tear streamed down Aria's face as she slowly approached him, her heart breaking at the sight. her hand trembling, grasped Eric's hand, her voice quivering. "E...Eric... I'm so sorry... I wasn't here to help you or even be by your side..."

A sob escaped her as she tenderly touched his face, her touch gentle yet filled with sorrow. The coldness of his skin Had made her sobs more as she looked at him she missed him so bad as she knew that he isn't dead but worse

He is suffering silently he can't even tell anyone how much pain he is suffering from now. Aria's voice filled with determination, she made a vow to Eric. "I promise you... I will kill that damn king and anyone responsible for hurting you."