Devouring Monarch: Rebirth of the Profane Phoenix

Asura and Mu Xue stood beside each other as they looked back on the city starting to recover. Thanks to the efforts of Alan and Grom the people lost will be remembered with a magnificent monolith created in the centre of the city, surrounded by a delicate water feature.

Unlike before, the two kingdoms now shared a teleportation link, though it would take great resources, and only the rich and important could use it. Asura and Verana planned to make this teleportation array a thing everyone could eventually use.

The large boarding ring vibrated with a strange air. Blue lights began to flicker and form a huge magical circle.

Today, Verana, Mu Xue, Lucia and Asura would return. Philis asked if she could remain in this kingdom and take the next boat to Silvara.

Asura didn't deny her request, knowing her feelings; instead, he hoped she could find a reason to live or at least some value to her life during the travel.

"Mu Xue, it feels like the day you guided me from the glade, and we took the carriages to the capital again."

"Mm? Do you remember that moment I thought you were in danger... Yet you killed three bandits alone. I almost felt my heart leaving my chest!" She scolded him as her hand grasping his tightened.

"Haha, well, I didn't know the extent of my power, thinking back now. I was lucky they hadn't awakened or reached Stage One."

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"You were more than lucky, stupid."

"Yeah, yeah. Shall we go? I am sure that everyone is waiting back home."

"Home..." Mu Xue's face looked forlorn as she narrowed her eyes, looking towards the northeast. Although Asura knew she saw his mansion as home. He could tell the one she thought about right now was the home she lost many decades ago.

"I remember you used to talk about a younger sister and compare me to her when we were younger..."

"Yue... She was always so intelligent and talented, it made my hubris in the past look stupid. While I stuck to rules and laws, she would use any means to reach her goals. Like you in the past, without magic, you would use your mind, body and tools to match your peers." Mu Xue's lips curled into a faint smile, maybe a mix of nostalgia between Asura and her sister weaving into a warm tale.

Asura clutched her hand, before pulling her onto the portal, the slight vibrations under their feet making their cheeks tremble as the portal reached its completion.

Two women followed them, with the tall raven-haired beauty taking his opposite hand, while the other, with black hair, dark eyes and a nimble body, hugged him from behind.

"To think, my dear husband would only show affection to Mu Xue and abandon me until the very end~ what should I do with this pain in my chest?" Verana giggled while joking her eyes narrowing with a slight crease at the corner while curling her lips into a brilliant smile. "It's great to be going back."

"Hehe, someone has to pay my bills and food for the cats, and who better than him." Mu Xue joked, joining Lucia's joke.

The next moment, the portal began to whirr with a magical crackle and vibration before the party was sucked through space and time, the scenery warping around them.

For a few moments, their bodies twisted and turned through a dark, mysterious space while they couldn't move or speak an inch, but slowly, they began to slow their speed before the feeling of something rushing towards them filled their chests with pressure.

Within moments, they landed in a chamber full of an official welcoming them, including Asura's friends.

The place they arrived was the teleportation zone inside the royal academy, with Lorem and Ignis waiting for them. Ignis bowed, like the serious Valkyrie she was, while Asura, Mu Xue, Lucia and Verana tried to adjust to the strange sensation of the teleportation.

Lorem's eyes never left Asura as she stepped forward and hugged him tight, her hands stroking through his raven hair while she sniffed him secretly as if missing his scent.

After the long hug, Asura patted Lorem's head and smiled at the rest, happy to be back home. The trip opened a lot for him to learn and gave him some problems he would need to deal with in the distant future.

However, now that they had returned and were successful, he truly wished for a quiet moment before returning to the academy.

"Lorem, you're not working too hard, are you?" Asura whispered while gently stroking her back, her head resting against his neck.

"I've taken time off, others are taking my place for the next year, though I can't be too lazy, so I asked for a role here at the teleportation headquarters, haha."

"That's good. Though be careful, okay. Your body is for two now."

Asura agreed, and after the group organised a date tomorrow, he returned to his home.

The mansion in the noble district looked beautiful, the maids and other servants helping keep it pristine while the group were away. Asura, Mu Xue, and Verana walked towards the entrance, only to find Xavida waiting while swaying from side to side with a cheerful face.

"Is she singing to herself?" Mu Xue whispered.

"Ah, she likes to do that, doesn't she," Verana commented while they walked with quiet steps to catch the humming dragon and scare her.

They hid in the shrubbery's shadow, approaching with the slowest steps, enjoying that Xavida's singing had improved over the months they knew each other.

Asura felt quite the biggest shock when he thought about who or how Xavida acted when he first met him, her threats, sharp eyes and lack of words... Yet now she would sing, dance and make so many friends that the silent and moody Xavida seemed to be a lie.

'Is this because she feels that her uncle is no longer a threat? Soon... I will deal with the north, hopefully with less violence and only making those who should... suffer.' His brows narrowed before they reached the lovely dragoness.

"AH!?" Xavida suddenly screamed, jumping in fright as she sensed someone getting closer to her, turning around with an irritated frown. However, her eyes blinked when she saw them standing beside the shrubs with mischievous and wicked smirks on their faces.

"Then shall we go inside? It's a little cold today." Asura suggested, ignoring the dragon, who continued to whine and moan and lead the girls and the rest inside.

Although Xavida's personality had changed, he did like to tease her and play pranks just like in the past. Still, because of their mission and their adventures, the entire group wanted him to themselves at night. So it became difficult to manage them all. Thankfully, they didn't mind sharing as long as he agreed to date them at least once each month.

This was something they agreed upon in Romantica, and Asura agreed to avoid too many arguments.

***

Inside the mansion, they were greeted by three maids, the pleasant aroma of delicious food and the faint scent of jasmine, which Asura liked.

"Welcome, master and company! Please enter and refresh yourselves. The princess, Queen, Lorem, Ignis and the rest will visit tomorrow after the master has settled down." They announced with polite bows.

Even though Asura already knew, he felt happy to have maids like this who would keep note of important meetings and things that they needed to do; some of them could be quite forgetful.

Inside, Asura and the group found the rooms had been maintained regularly, and no dust or dirt could be seen.

Still, Lucia, Verana, and Mu Xue played the strict noble and tried to find any issues; for some reason, Xavida joined in, even though she came back two weeks ago.

Xavida poked fun at the maids who could clean perfectly and called others out on minor flaws. Still, she and Verana had no faults and could only complement the maids who served them.

Asura, tired from all the hustle and bustle, dropped like a sack of meat onto his bed, ruffling the quilt as he sank into the fresh mattress.

Mu Xue followed quickly after. First, she cleaned his room, took off his shoes and socks before folding them and then, once finished, she had a nostalgic feeling of when she served as his maid before flopping by his side and humming happily.

"It feels like it was years ago that I was just your maid."

"Haha, that's true, the amount we've been through, at least I am glad I could be honest with you this time."

Mu Xue relaxed as she stroked through Asura's raven hair, kissing his forehead and cheek and gently on his lips. Asura, enjoying this relaxation time, savoured these moments with Mu Xue and didn't make any movements; he just lay there and let her toy with him, feeling a moment of relief and bliss; here in this room, he didn't feel the stress of his burdens.

Instead, he returned to the student and earl's heir, Asura Fenix, from half a year ago.

Mu Xue teased while Asura allowed his shirt to be unbuttoned, but she didn't take it further; instead, laying on his chest, with the quilt wrapped around them, Mu Xue seemed satisfied as she closed her eyes, flickering her eyelashes before falling into a light sleep.