Becoming a Monster

Chapter 635: Chapter 634: Danger of Demons Desire

Morvyr stared almost mindlessly at Noah’s back as the devil walked away.

The approaching storm had given Noah more important things to focus on immediately after creating such a scene. He was already directing his creatures to finish securing their home, but Morvyr barely paid attention to any of it, still unwilling to accept how their conversation had ended.

Noah had not only denied his request for blood, but left Morvyr with almost nothing else to work with.

Morvyr understood that the devil had every right to refuse him. His blood belonged solely to him, and regardless of how desperately Morvyr wanted it, there was no reason Noah should feel obligated to give something so valuable to someone he barely trusted.

Yet understanding that did very little to make the rejection easier to accept.

If Morvyr had asked for some ancient treasure, a large portion of Noah’s blood, or anything that would’ve significantly weakened the devil by giving it away, then he believed he could’ve accepted the answer much more easily. Instead, he had asked for a single drop of blood after watching Noah casually give the same thing to every one of his creatures.

From everything Morvyr witnessed, that amount was practically insignificant to Noah.

And Morvyr wasn’t expecting to receive it for nothing.

Even if he personally didn’t possess anything valuable enough to offer in return, he would’ve made sure Noah was properly repaid once he returned to Her Majesty. Morvyr was positive the Queen would’ve gone all out to reciprocate after learning that the devil had made one of her arbors stronger.

Especially when it would also imply that the devil could potentially strengthen the rest of her arbors too, even Her Majesty herself. There was no doubt how much effort the Queen would give to make sure that the devil was given anything he wanted to secure his blood.

Instead, Noah had been unwilling to entertain the request at all, and Morvyr’s attempts to learn more about the process hadn’t gotten him anywhere either.

The only additional information Noah revealed was that his blood was merely one method he possessed to make his subordinates stronger.

Somehow, learning that only made Morvyr’s frustration worse.

Aaaaghh!

He screamed internally, finding it increasingly difficult to quietly accept that the opportunity he had been searching for was finally within reach, yet completely inaccessible unless Noah willingly allowed him to have it.

Morvyr respected the devil. That respect hadn’t diminished just because Noah refused him, but reality made it hard for Morvyr to accept the decision without feeling some bitterness.

Especially when becoming stronger meant far more to him than simply possessing more power.

Out of all the arbors serving Her Majesty, Morvyr was the weakest.

That fact had never been a secret to him, nor was it something the other arbors needed to remind him of. He knew where he stood among them, and it was partly because of that position that he had been sent here instead of contributing to the main attack alongside the others.

Morvyr understood the reasoning behind that decision, and there wasn’t a part of him that blamed his Queen for making it.

Someone needed to investigate the rumors behind the “demon” that suddenly emerged out of nowhere. That responsibility fell on the Queen since Ashenveil Forest technically fell within her territory.

And because of the opportunity the devil had brought, along with everything else currently happening, Her Majesty couldn’t afford to send one of her more powerful arbors away from the main force.

Morvyr was the most expendable choice.

It was an unpleasant truth, but one he had accepted from the moment he received his orders. Even his responsibility to gather information didn’t necessarily require Morvyr himself to return alive.

The blood trees growing throughout Her Majesty’s territory were all connected to the Queen’s ancient tree. As long as one of her elves could reach a blood tree, they could use that connection to send a message through it, allowing whatever information they carried to eventually reach the ancient tree.

The connection only worked in one direction.

The blood trees could carry information toward the ancient tree, but they couldn’t receive anything in return. Only someone directly connected to the ancient tree could communicate with it, meaning Morvyr could keep Her Majesty informed without having any way of knowing what she thought of the information he sent or receiving new orders in response.

The other problem was that Noah’s territory extended beyond where those blood trees grew.

That was why, whenever Morvyr learned something important enough that he couldn’t risk waiting until their return, he would send one of his elves toward the forest border. Once they reached the nearest blood tree, everything Morvyr had learned could be delivered back without requiring him to leave Noah’s territory himself.

It also meant that Morvyr’s survival wasn’t necessary for his mission to succeed.

As long as he continued sending back the important information they discovered, then even if something happened to him afterward, Her Majesty would still receive what she needed.

Morvyr had always been willing to accept that possibility. If he died here, then so be it. He would’ve fulfilled the role his Queen entrusted to him, while the information he sacrificed himself to obtain could still prove useful to her.

And if he survived long enough to return himself, then he would’ve accomplished exactly what was expected of him.

Either outcome was acceptable to Morvyr.

What he found much harder to accept was the reason both outcomes were so easy for his Queen to afford.

Deep down, Morvyr understood that he was replaceable.

His death would be a loss. Her Majesty might even mourn him, but her forces wouldn’t suddenly fall apart because one of her arbors was gone. Someone else could eventually take his position, and whatever responsibilities once belonged to Morvyr could be divided among those who remained.

He didn’t want that to always be the case.

Morvyr wanted to become stronger. He wanted to become someone his Queen couldn’t so easily afford to lose.

Someone capable of handling enemies that couldn’t be left to another arbor. Someone who could take on responsibilities that Her Majesty wouldn’t trust anyone else to carry. If there ever came a time when she needed something accomplished and began considering who among her forces was capable of doing it, Morvyr wanted his name to be one of the first that came to mind.

He wanted to become irreplaceable to her.

Just like her three chosen crowns….

For a long time, Morvyr hadn’t known whether reaching that point was even possible.

There had been a time when becoming stronger was relatively simple. The demonic blood flowing through his veins had steadily strengthened him over the years, allowing Morvyr to feel the difference as his body continued developing with steady effort.

Eventually, he had reached a plateau.

Fortunately, the same was true for the other Abors.

Unfortunately for Morvyr, they had reached those limits while already being stronger than him. That left him in a position he hadn’t been able to change, while he had never managed to find another opportunity capable of significantly increasing his strength.

Then he met Noah.

Perhaps Noah’s blood wouldn’t immediately make him stronger than the other arbors. Morvyr wasn’t foolish enough to expect a single drop to accomplish something that extreme when he still had yet to learn how the devil’s blood would work on a demon.

But it could open up the path for growth.

And after finally discovering that possibility, Noah had closed the path before Morvyr could even take the first step.

Morvyr continued watching the devil move farther away, feeling that same bitter unwillingness building within him again.

He wanted to ask one more time. But he stopped himself before those thoughts could go any further.

Noah had already given him an answer. Pushing again immediately after being refused wouldn’t make the devil more willing to help him. If anything, Morvyr knew it could accomplish the exact opposite.

Instead, the rejection allowed Morvyr to look at it from a different perspective.

For the devil to allow Morvyr to witness such a miracle had to mean something.

From the short time Morvyr had known him, he had come to believe that everything the devil did and said carried multiple hidden meanings.

Was the devil not afraid that Morvyr’s Queen would covet his blood?

What about if the other demons learned about it?

Was he not worried that those with more insidious desires would do anything to obtain it? Even if doing so meant destroying the little trust they had managed to build?

Morvyr understood demons better than most.

Not all of them held the same reverence toward devils that he did.

For centuries-

No.

For as long as demons had existed within this world, the devils spoken of in their oldest legends had never once come to their aid.

Demons had suffered, fought amongst themselves, lost territories, and watched entire bloodlines disappear without ever witnessing one of those legendary beings descend to save them.

After so much time, it was only natural that some demons no longer placed much faith in those legends.

Even undeniable proof that Noah was a devil wouldn’t suddenly earn their loyalty.

For some, it would accomplish the opposite.