"Well, you have gone through a lot today." Azaroth whispered to the unconscious Soohyun, "But hardship builds character, so it's fine."
Her delicate frame seemed so fragile against his muscular build.
With the utmost care, he carried her to his luxurious suite and gently placed her on the plush bed, ensuring she was comfortable and at ease.
"Now please wake up with a sense of more love towards me, my beautiful princess. Oh, it was needed for character development"
'My poor girl~'
Azaroth's expression was etched with concern as he cast a cleansing spell, washing away the dirt and grime from Soohyun's skin.
The room was filled with a sense of tender affection as he tucked the covers around her, his eyes never leaving her face.
Suddenly, the door burst open, and Azaroth's maid daughter, Eun-Su, rushed in, her eyes widening at the sight before her.
"Oh my god! What have they done? Why is she unconscious?" she exclaimed, her professional demeanor quickly taking over her seductive demeanor as she assessed the situation.
Eun-Su hurried to Soohyun's side, her nimble fingers expertly examining the slight bruises left after the clean spell.
The cheek wound and swollen lips were tended to with the utmost care.
Azaroth watched silently, his heart swelling with pride at his 'daughter's' remarkable skills. (A/N: Oh God, how fuckedup is this sentence.)
She was indeed well versed in all life-related skills, truly worthy of being the reception lady of the Hunters Guild.
As Eun-Su continued her ministrations, Azaroth reached out, gently tucking a stray lock of Soohyun's hair behind her ear.
"Eun-Su? After me saving her, she'll love me more, right?"
The gesture was tender, almost fatherly, and it spoke volumes of the depth of his concern for the woman's wellbeing. Lol.
For a moment, the room was filled with a palpable silence, "Of course, she will."
As Eun-Su finished her treatment, she looked up at her daddy, her eyes filled with understanding.
"Good job!" Azaroth's pat of the head was all she needed, and she smiled silly and quietly slipped out of the room, leaving the two alone in the tranquil space.
The room falls into a peaceful silence, broken only by Soohyun's soft snores.
"How cute." Azaroth, unable to resist the urge, gently removes his shirt and lies down beside her, his muscular frame pressing against her smaller body.
He pulls her close, embracing her warmly and bestowing gentle kisses on her forehead and lips.
As the night progresses, Azaroth falls into a deep sleep, his strong arms wrapped around Soohyun, protecting her like a shield. Soohyun sleeps soundly, her breathing even and calm, as if sensing the safety and warmth of his presence.
In the early hours of the morning, the first light of dawn began to seep through the heavy curtains, casting a soft glow across the room.
Soohyun stirred slightly, her consciousness slowly returning.
Her eyelids fluttered open, and she found herself ensconced in Azaroth's embrace.
The feeling of his heartbeat against her back was oddly comforting, and despite the confusion and fear that threatened to bubble up, a strange sense of peace settled over her.
She was completely fine now.
She carefully extricated herself from Azaroth's arms, trying not to wake him.
She glanced at Azaroth, who remained asleep, his face relaxed and unguarded.
Downstairs, Eun-Su was already awake and bustling around, cleaning the coutch. She looked up as Soohyun descended the stairs, offering her a warm smile.
"Good morning, Soohyun. How are you feeling?" Eun-Su asked, her tone gentle yet professional.
Soohyun managed a small smile in return. "Better, thank you."
Eun-Su's smile widened. "It was nothing. You're very important to Master Azaroth. He was quite worried about you."
"It just, we were;t able to surprise him yesterday..."
"Oh Don't worry about it! I have told Roger to bake a cake, we'll celebrate his new dungeon record and your safe residence after Master wakes up!"
"T-Thank you for all that!"
Meanwhile, upstairs, Azaroth stirred awake, immediately noticing Soohyun's absence. "Hm?"
He heard faint voices from downstairs. "Ahh~ it seems I was also mentally tired after fighting an S-ranker."
"But now I need to explain to Uncle about the disappearance of Dongsoo.." He sighed, stretching before getting up.
...
"Heh, what an incompetent Association."
Inside the Hunters Guild's building, in Choi Jong's office, the atmosphere was tense. The muted television on the wall showed news coverage of a devastating scene: craters and wreckage, described as the aftermath of a massive gas pipeline explosion on the outskirts of Seoul. The footage depicted chaos and destruction, emergency services working tirelessly amidst the ruins.
"So, why did you want me to see this news?" Choi Jong asked, his voice steady but tinged with curiosity.
Azaroth, standing by the window with his back to the screen, turned to face Choi Jong. "Uncle, that's not the destruction caused by a pipeline explosion. It's from me fighting Dongsoo,"
"You fought Dongsoo? And this... this is the result?"
Choi Jong's mana fluttered " That bastard challenged you for a duel! And how could you accept it? That fucker must have some underlying motives! Maybe he wanted to test you... to tell his Guild master to recruit you or something!"
"Where is he now? I don't care about the Association, our guild will teach that bastard a lesson! This is not his playground but Korea!"
Choi Jong was so angry the whole building was shaking.
"Well, there is no need to do that," Azaroth said calmly.
"What do you mean by that?"
"Heh! What I mean is, you can't teach him a lesson when the other party has already graduated from Life.."
"You.. you mean..."
"Yup, that fucker is gone to the afterlife"
"Dead?"
"Dead dead!"
After that Azaroth told him the whole thing that had happened since he had helped Soohyun's cousin's case and how Dongsoo came to Korea to find out about his missing brother and targeted his girl, kidnapped her, and everything..... well not everything...
Choi Jong's eyes widened in shock, his mouth dropping open....