Tear had come upon a rather unpleasant realization that made her stomach churn with nervousness. She had more or less neglected her duty to find another High Human and continue their bloodline.

It wasn’t that she had forgotten or anything, it was more like she had been completely into the task of seducing Lord Erebus. Sadly, it hadn’t born her any fruits yet. It hadn’t escaped her attention that he saw them as his “children” more than anything, but still... she would change that attitude of his!

Who knows what would have happened to her if it wasn’t for him taken her under his wing? She was eternally grateful to what he had done for her.

It had undoubtedly been the darkest period of Tear’s lifetime when she couldn’t even hold her head up high, proud of her lineage. She belonged to a race that was hated and scorned. How could she be proud of such a thing? It was Erebus who taught her the meaning of pride and acceptance.

Yes, she would not only fulfill the promise she made to her mother but also teach the others about the confidence they deserved.

That being said, it wasn’t like she had any leads. It was incredibly difficult, there were hardly any distinguishing factors between a High Human and a human. The only way to tell is through the use of magic, since High Humans were significantly more powerful than humans themselves.

Perhaps if she asked, Lord Erebus would give her some time to go out on a search. She didn’t know where to look, though...

With a heavy sigh, she fell backwards onto the mattress of her bed. The fact that those of her kind would be residing in a human city was highly likely, since it would be easy to blend in there. No one would notice the difference as long as they didn’t do anything related to magic or physical abilities. If it was anything like that, they’d undoubtedly be discovered.

Well, it was worth the try. Erebus, along with Weryn, had came back from his weeklong trip to the Dragon Continent looking extremely exhausted, so he probably would let her go just to make her stop talking to him. Lilian might prove to be a little more difficult though, she was like the barrier before one could even get to Erebus.

If Tear would wander around the castle with no work to do, Lilian would easily lasso her into some work to do. Tear knew that there were even more border disputes going on since one of the kingdom’s had given some of its territory to another to appease another kingdom that was threatening the possibility of war. Because of this, the Demon Lord’s instantly began fighting over if that changed who owned what.

None of them would challenge Erebus’ land claims, of course, but Lilian had become somewhat of a peacemaker during these times and basically the rulers of the Demon Lords.

If something was wrong, report it to Lilian. If someone was annoying, report it to Lilian. If the humans did something, report it to Lilian. Et cetera, et cetera.

It was like an unspoken motto.

But she had to! The promise she made with her mother all those years ago rung clearly in her head.

Tear steeled her resolve and left her room, her destination set in mind. She would go to a human city and hopefully find at least one other!

With quick feet, she rapidly made her way to the throne room where Erebus was undoubtedly napping. Normally, she wouldn’t disturb him in his sleep, but today’s matters were pressing.

Her eyes darted around on look-out for Lilian, the woman had a knack for appearing when she was least needed or wanted. Perhaps the border disputes were keeping her cooped up in her office? That was certainly a blessing in disguise.

When she arrived at the doors of the throne room, she knocked loudly in order to wake him up (a bruise on Stone’s head showed that Erebus didn’t appreciate being shaken awake).

She could hear the groan of Erebus waking up and then his sleepy voice allowing her entrance.

Tear pushed open the doors and closed them silently behind her. She walked forward then kneeled before his throne.“Lord Erebus, I have a request to make of you as your lowly servant. I apologize for my selfishness in advan--”

“Sure,” Erebus said.

“What?”

“Your request, you can go.”

Tear’s brows furrowed. “You already know of my request?”

Erebus’ mouth opened wide as he yawned loudly. “It’s a rather obvious request, you’re asking for permission to leave, right?”

“Yes...” Tear trailed off. Admiration swelled in her heart, of course! Erebus’ cognitive skills were a cut above the rest to instantly know what her request was. How could she have expected anything less? “I wish to carry out the duty given to me by my mother... or at least start.”

Her master smiled kindly, it was an exceptionally rare sight. The majority of times, his smile would be from enjoyment (mostly at another’s expense), rarely did he show such a beautiful one. It was at that moment, that she remembered the great being that he was.

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It made Tear’s heart skip a beat.

A few counts of silence passed between them. Tear was far too awestruck to speak, and Erebus was only talkative if something excited him.

“Is that all?” Erebus finally asked.

“Y-yes,” she stammered. “Thank you for your kindness, Lord Erebus.” She bowed deeply. She was truly grateful.

“Where will you go to? The Capital of Milon would be a good place to search, but you’re well-known so gathering information would be easier. Though, I can’t say that a High Human would be willing to speak to you since you are so well-known, it would probably put some attention on them.”

Even though Erebus was forced to resign by the other members of the Dragon Council, Tear and Vyne were still Questers. Since they had achieved their rank in record breaking time, they had become somewhat famous. Not that they had taken on any Quests for quite some time, though. Along with that, Tear’s incredibly beauty made her a hot topic with men.

“Ah, I see...” Tear trailed off. She had been thinking of Milon, but she hadn’t thought about the unwanted spotlight. “Still, I think it’s the best place to go. I know the city’s people better than I would in another Kingdom.”

Erebus shrugged. “Do what you want. Do you wish to take someone along with you?”

She hesitated. Tear hated to admit it, but Vyne would be the optimal partner in this situation. He was incredibly skilled at getting information buried deeply, and also was quite familiar with Milon. His methods were on the questionable side, however.

Lilian would also be good, but the beastwoman was incredibly busy.

She let out a heaving sigh. “Vyne, if possible.”

Erebus’ eyebrows quirked a little at her willingly requesting the assistance of her self-proclaimed nemesis.

“I will tell him to do so, then.” He stopped speaking for a few moments. “You’re dismissed, Vyne was told just now to go to the front of castle, meet him there.”

Tear bowed once again. “Thank you, Lord Erebus.”

He waved off her appreciation. “Such things are hardly noteworthy, go on now.”

She left her master sitting alone in his throne room with an inexplicable expression on his face.

When the door shut behind her, she had to resist her urge to do a victory pose.

It was a complete success!

But, Vyne would undoubtedly be in a distasteful mood after being roped in to help with Tear. The concept of having to spend even more time with her was bad enough for him, but it being only the two of them would make it even worse for him.

Though, Lord Erebus probably told him to be on his best behavior. Tear balled up her fist, she would have to suppress her hatred for that man in order to fulfill her promise

Tear exhaled, she walked down the main hallway of the dimly lit castle. Since nearly all of the inhabitants could see almost perfectly in the dark, there was no need to light many torches. So, rather unintentionally, the darkness casted the entire interior in a gloomy aura.

Though, it was a bonus effect. Those who tried to invade the castle normally found it to be foreboding, and it added an extra sense of fear into their being.

When she finally arrived at the front doors, Vyne was leaning against a pillar not too far off, exuding an annoyed aura.

“Vyne,” Tear said in greeting.

He smiled, no, it was more of a grimace. “Pig.”

She resisted the very strong urge to retort. “I’m ready to leave, I didn’t see the need to pack anything.”

“So am I.” He pushed off of the pillar and headed over towards her. “Let’s get going, then. It would be nice to get some fresh air, I’ve been cooped up with loads of new experiments.”

“Even if it’s with?” Tear asked incredulously.

“If I ignore your existence, it’s rather enjoyable, actually.”

She didn’t have any response, seeing as she couldn’t argue with him there. He was right, she had planned on minimizing his presence in her mind to make the trip bearable.

It was almost annoying how similarly they thought about certain things.

“I will admit, though,” Vyne began after they left the castle and began walking through the grassy plains, “that I was immensely surprised to hear from Lord Erebus that you requested me personally.”

Tear shrugged her shoulders. “You would probably be the most helpful out of us all. So of course I did.”

“Huh,” Vyne grunted.

“Yeah...”

Awkwardness filled the air.

How exactly were they suppose to talk to each other again? Exchanging more than a few sentences without insults or name calling was something simply out of their ability.