CHAPTER 24: TREZ

"Urgh… Where am I?" Trez slowly blinked his eyes and looked around the room he was in.

He never thought he would still be alive. His hand went to his neck when he felt some kind of soft material on it. His eyes snapped open wide when he couldn't feel the steel collar anymore.

"Wha, What? I'm… I'm free?" He felt unbelievable and touched all over his neck.

"Ah, you have awakened. Thank goodness." Someone said to him.

Trez turns his head to a door that looks like the entrance to this room.

"Who are you?" He asked with a cautious look.

"Silvert. But it's not me who rescued you from your death." Silvert went near Trez's bed.

"Then, who is it? I… I need to thank them then…"

He still remembered what he did and slight anger rose when he thought about his defeat in a human hand.

"You can thank him later. He is sort of busy right now."

Silvert then snapped his hand and a tray of meals appeared near the small cabinet beside Trez's bed.

"You're free now. Do you have anywhere you wish to go? I can send you there."

Trez's eyes blazed. His mind was thinking of dark thoughts and one of them was to kill Elamos, King of Drick Kingdom.

"Ah, but you can't kill humans as requested by your saver."

"What?!" Trez was shocked to hear it. "Is my saver a human?!"

Trez feels disturbed by it and disgusted.

"No. He's a demon. A. Royal. Demon." Silvert doesn't want to hide it.

Trez's eyes couldn't help staring dumbfounded at him.

"What?! Then why?!" He was confused.

A royal demon not allowing him to kill humans was odd. Humans were their enemies!

"Well, that's his order. If you won't follow it, well, it's such a waste to save you then."

Trez jumped to a wall when he felt Silvert hands reach for his neck in slow-motion but it was fast if a human sees it. He also felt danger from the latter. Slowly, sweat covered his whole body while he pants from his quick movement to escape Silvert's hand. Silvert turned his head to him with a smirk.

"What's your answer? You know I can kill you right away if you answer the opposite of what I want."

"You…! Are you serious?! Why save me before then?!"

"My prince is giving you a chance. By the way, you're obviously a stupid demon."

Trez knows Silvert was stronger than him, so he glares at him instead. Normally, he would have hit or killed anyone who calls him stupid.

"Don't deny it. You are stupid. During the battle in the colosseum, you could have pretended to faint and let your opponent win the battle. Did you forget the reason for the friendly match? Didn't you want to let the demons in Drick's custody be free and have a safe home in Eskimos? You should have known that Eskimos give a safe place for demons who don't like to stay in any demon kingdoms anymore."

Trez went silent. He looked away from Silvert. He has his reason to win the battle. He thought if any demon saw him was defeated by a human, they would think he was weak and not a high-ranked demon anymore. He has his only pride left after he was captured and imprisoned in the Drick Kingdom. Once he knew that he couldn't win, he rather died than allow himself to live and see discrimination from his own kind. Trez's fingers grip tightly with a frown.

Silvert noticed the difference in him and he could understand why. He used to be a demon mid-ranked after all. But he had become a high-ranked demon with the help of Zeliker. He gently stares at Trez.

"Being prideful would not help much, Trez. In the end, high-ranking demons still need to bow to the royal-ranked demons. Defeated by a human is not shameful at all."

"Shut up! You will never understand me!" Trez growled while glaring at Silvert again.

"Yet, I do. I am just a mid-ranked demon."

Trez was surprised to hear it before he narrowed his eyes at Silvert.

"You lied!"

"Nope. You can sense I'm telling the truth. What deniable do you want to hear from me?"

Trez grits his teeth. He, of course, still couldn't believe it.

"The only way you can feel you didn't lose your pride… How about you think for the demons in Drick's custody? If you lose, they are free. You are doing this for their future too. But, if you win… Think how awful their life would be when Drick removed his agreement to let them be free when he saw you win. And they might look at you with hatred, instead of thinking you are a high-ranked demon they would like to give their respect. Trez, which way do you want them to see you?"

Trez stares in astonishment at Silvert statements. He clenched and released his hands' grip multiple times. It was obvious that if he thought like that, he didn't feel his pride was gone. He felt a little relieved if that happened. He would become… A saviour. Anyone from the custody would look at him with pride. But…

"I did the opposite already…" He thought with remorse toward himself.

The demon in custody… They must have been…

"By the way, King Elamos has agreed to let the demon in his custody go. Well, since you were defeated in the end and because my prince has made a deal with him. So, you should be grateful."

Huh?

Trez once again was dumbfounded.

"Wait, wait! You're saying that our royal demon prince has a talk with that human king…? I don't believe you! That king hates demons! How can they have a talk in peace?!"

Silvert shrugged. "My words are not lies. He did make King Elamos agree with him to let go of them. If you still don't believe it, follow me. We have arrived at Drick's palace already. My prince is meeting with King Elamos right now."

Trez's mouth slowly gaped. He snapped out of his stupor a moment later.

"Show me!" Trez jumped down.

Although Silvert didn't lie, he still needed to see with his own eyes.

"Alright, eat your meal first. I don't want you to stare at those humans there hungrily later."

Trez rolled his eyes at him. He doesn't sense any malicious intent to kill him from the latter anymore and walks back to his bed. He sits on it and reaches for the food tray. Silvert smiled after seeing him calm down.

As for Zeliker…

"It's good that you're willing to meet me, Zeliker. And thank you for coming, Prince Xcerox." King Elamos said after seeing Zeliker and Xcerox.

Both were accompanied by Gizelis and Nish. By Elamos' side were his two personal bodyguards and several palace guards that guard every glass wall. They were currently in the palace throne hall.

Zelfon was there too and standing beside his father on the right side. A stack of paper was in his hands. He looked calm, unlike himself before that was very frightened after seeing Zeliker cut his own throat.

Who wouldn't, right?

"Hm? His voice isn't as harsh as it used to be." Zeliker thought quietly about Elamos.

"He also has a different temperament now, unlike in the Eskimos Kingdom before. Could it be that he doesn't hate demons anymore? Heh, let's find out."

"Since it is from Your Majesty's request, of course, I would come." He told Elamos with a smirk.

Elamos noticed the dry sarcasm but he ignored it. Can't say he liked Zeliker much but this was a royal demon that might be useful to him and others. And may change the entire world. He nodded before he turned his sight on Xcerox.

"Prince Xcerox, I need you to read and sign this allocation document for the demon in my custody. Did you bring along your father's signature stamp?" He asked him.

Xcerox nodded. "Yes, Your Majesty. I was reminded before I came here."

He took out the Eskimos King's stamp.

"Give him, Zelfon," Elamos told his son.

Zelfon then walked toward Xcerox. He could see a slight annoyance from the latter eyes on him before it was gone. Zelfon stares at the document without looking at him either and watches Xcerox read, sign and stamp the document before he walks back to his father's side. Zeliker could see there was an odd atmosphere between the two. It doesn't seem like a small problem that can be solved.

"Huh? What is this? Xcerox looked like a child having a tantrum. Interesting…" He thought.

"Alright. Now, I would like to talk to Zeliker alone. Faugar, please show them to the guest room." Elamos order one of his personal bodyguards.

"Yes, Your Majesty." Faugar bowed before he walked straight to the entrance door.

Xcerox was contemplating whether he should stubbornly stay there but Zeliker nodded at him.

"I have not sensed any hiding soldiers around us or malicious intent from him. So, go then." The latter told him through telepathy.

"Be careful. Call us if anything happens." Xerox replied back.

"Excuse us then, Your Majesty." He speaks to Elamos next and bows.

Gizelis and Nish eyed each other before they kneeled in front of Elamos and bowed as well. Then, they follow behind Xcerox to exit the throne hall. Zelfon and other guards also got Elamos orders and they left the hall too.

Zeliker folded his hands. "Alright. Now that we're alone. What changed your mind to speak politely toward me? Are you not afraid that I might do something to you?" He asked the king.

"Tsk! You are as rude as ever. But, I'll forgive you for your disrespect."

Zeliker grins at him. "Thank you for your compliment. Now, answer my question."

Elamos feels like he might have made the wrong choice to talk alone with this demon brat. He should have known that talking to a royal demon would be like this. He was contemplating whether he should shoo-ed this royal demon away before the latter gave him a headache.

Should he do it? Or not…?