Rearing Demons
Chapter 74: Rite of the Hollow

Chapter 74: Rite of the Hollow

With his weapons stored in his mark, Yur and Renri, accompanied by Zhal, made their way to the castle. On the way, Renri tried his best to point out as many things as possible to Yur, but he soon realized that Yur was completely uninterested—a fact that made Renri laugh bitterly.

Yur was using this time to become more accustomed to his body and Cyralim. Ever since his rank up, he hadn’t tested his full strength, nor had he seen what he was now truly capable of.

He could make some guesses based on his experience in previous battles and was sure that his strength was now at a new level, though what that actually entailed remained unknown to him.

Jisvruul, how are things on your side?

Though only a few hours had passed, he wanted to confirm the current status.

Master, we are back in Zulmasharr, beginning the plan with the current slaves, came the reply.

Yur nodded. Alright—make sure to be quick, and also gather as many slaves and cultivators as possible for this plan.

Understood, Master. I shall get it done swiftly, Jisvruul responded.

Yur cut off the conversation there; he didn’t check in with Velmira, as they had only spoken a while ago, so there was no new update he could really obtain at this point. There was so much to do, yet where to start? He sighed inwardly, feeling a bit of pressure.

Currently, his strength was nowhere near where he wanted it to be. Zul, to get to the next rank, what’s the process?

Though it was early, he decided to find out now so that he could begin preparing. In the end, the stronger he was, the better.

[Host must commence the Rite of the Hollow for the next evolution!]

Reading the description of the ritual, Yur looked around him, searching, before nodding his head. This should be simpler than before.

Although the previous evolution would have been simpler if he had just used the recommended demons, Yur wanted to find a way to get stronger faster.

With the next ritual, it was something he could perform more quickly—but much planning was needed. It was different from before, not solely about killing or hunting; it was something more... catastrophic.

"We have arrived," Renri pulled Yur out of his thoughts. "The Castle of Freau."

Looking up, Yur found himself staring at large wooden gates. With Renri, he dismounted from the large beast—which quickly disappeared into Renri’s Cyralim.

"Come, let me help settle you down. Then there will be a celebration—a gesture to your saving grace," Renri said.

Yur nodded in reply.

All three of them waited for the gates to open before entering the large castle. Yur found himself walking through a hall with an extremely high ceiling. Chandeliers filled the halls, and servants dressed in luxurious clothing moved about, performing various tasks.

"Crowned prince," they all bowed respectfully before quickly returning to their work.

"We have many places in this castle, so it is easy to get lost. I shall assign you a servant girl who will be your guide and attend to your every need." Renri then pointed toward one of the butlers roaming the hall. "Go and bring me one of the Tri Maids."

"Yes, Prince," the butler replied, nodding quickly and rushing off.

"Tri Maid? What is that?" Yur asked.

"Tri means three. They are trained heavily in three specializations," the butler explained with a mysterious smile. "They are the best maids in the castle."

"And your reason for assigning such an important servant to me?" Yur asked calmly.

Although he mostly followed along, Yur felt the need to maintain a certain character and not simply go with the flow.

"For one who saved my life—and essentially saved the Kingdom from destruction—the best servant is still very lacking," Renri said with a pitiful expression. "I don’t believe you understand how grateful I am." He then bowed again.

"Help me understand," Yur said, standing still. "It feels odd for me to receive so much, yet not know why."

"I told you when you first saved me that I am one of the strongest in the kingdom, correct?" Renri said quietly. "Currently, there are only four others above me."

"Four?" Yur asked. "How strong?"

"Umm..." Renri looked at him with a bit of surprise.

"Oh, don’t mind me," Yur suddenly waved his hand, pretending to be embarrassed, though it was hard for him to act in such a fashion. "That is private information. Ignore that."

"Haha, that is fine," Renri said, shaking his head and changing the topic. "For now, I’ll let you rest in your room, and once the preparations are complete, the Tri Maid will bring you and your brother over."

"I understand," Yur nodded, and they finally reached one of the rooms. As soon as they did, they found two maids standing by the door. Their faces were extremely beautiful, and despite their modest clothing, their figures were easily discernible.

"These two will serve both you brothers while you are here," the prince explained with a calm smile as he looked at the two maids. "This here is Sir Yur and his brother, Sir Zhal. You will listen to all their demands and take care of them for the time they are here. I must not hear any complaints."

"Understood, Prince," the two girls bowed deeply, accepting their roles.

"Alright, I shall take my leave. There is much to do, and much to discuss with my father, the King." He gave Yur another small bow before walking away.

Yur watched his back, then turned toward the two maids. He could instantly tell that their strength was at the Nascent Orb realm—though weak, it was above average compared to the general public in the Mortal Kingdom, as most of them were Dormant Orb; completely mortal.

"Master Yur, Master Zhal, please," one of the maids stepped forward, bowing to the two. The other opened the door and gestured.

Yur nodded calmly and entered the room, with Zhal following close behind. However, one of the maids—the one with black hair—stopped Zhal with a smile. "We have a second room just as big as this for you."

"He will stay with me," Yur said without looking back, interpreting the black-haired maid’s meaning. He then turned to the blonde maid, who was pushing the door open. "Both of you, come inside; I have a few things I would like to know."

"Yes," the two nodded and waited for Yur and Zhal to enter. Their eyes met briefly before they walked inside.

Walking in, Yur noticed the large bed and the beautiful yet simple décor of the room. He walked over to the bed and took a seat on its comfortable surface.

Although the hard ground was of no issue to him—since he rarely felt discomfort—he could still sense pleasure and comfort, and the bed was indeed soft and inviting.

Yur watched as the two maids stood by the entrance, keeping their gazes low. "Tell me about the state of this kingdom," he suddenly asked. "Renri gave me a rundown, but our time together was too brief to cover everything."

"What would you like to know specifically, Master?" the blonde maid asked, with a note of confusion in her voice.

The issues plaguing the Freau Mortal Kingdom were public knowledge—the war, the sect conflicts, and more.

"Let’s begin with the war," Yur said. "Tell me about the enemy kingdom." As he spoke, his eyes glowed slightly as he peered into the maids’ eyes. "Tell me everything."

As if hypnotized, the two girls approached and knelt. "Yes, Master." Their eyes appeared blank and dazed, but they began to give a detailed recount of current events.