Wolf of the Blood Moon: A Blood Magic - Book 3: Chapter 57: Puppy Dog

Scarlet

I spend the entirety the next night simply hunting Class III demons until I finally get enough hearts to use as Catalysts, following which I head straight back to the castle and meet with Gramps, who once again ditches his meeting to join me. Something I get the feeling I’m going to hear complaints about at some point in time if he keeps on doing it.

But for now I’ll ignore it. Especially considering the fact that it should actually help Earth if his plans are delayed.

“That’s certainly one way to do things,” Tar comments with a chuckle. But then he asks, “So why are you starting to think of him as Gramps instead of Grandpa?”

I blink as I enter my room where Gramps is.

Honestly not sure. It just feels like it suits him more now that I’ve gotten to know him a little better.

“I wonder what he’ll think if he hears you calling him that,” Tar says with a smirk as he purposefully floats next to me instead of on me, likely due to not wanting to be sent flying. Something that will probably happen if Gramps sees him sitting on me.

“That was fast,” Gramps says with a proud smile on his face before snapping his fingers and saying, “now bring them here.”

Then a pile of hearts appears next to him from the bodyguards who’ve been gathering them up for me after I killed each demon.

Gramps holds both of his hands out to the pile of hearts before a blood domain covers them and he lifts them into the air while saying, “This isn’t exactly the normal way to do this, but we don’t have the time to do things the normal way. So I’ll just speed things up.”

The hearts separate into two different groups, each with fifty hearts, before they all begin spinning and merging into each other. Then a crimson glow shines out, followed shortly by a short shockwave.

And not even half a minute later I find myself staring at two glowing red orbs as he moves them over to me.

“And here are your Catalysts!” he exclaims with a proud nod of his head, almost like he’s searching for some sort of praise from me. Kind of like a puppy.

“I think he’d keel over and die if he heard you call him that,” Tar comments dryly.

Doesn’t change the facts.

“Thank you,” I tell him with a smile, probably one of the first smiles I’ve shown since I got to Tartarus. Or at least, one of the first sincere smiles, seeing as I smiled at the guards while we were ‘negotiating’ our agreement on levels and interruptions. Also smiled a couple times at Tar. Never at anyone else though.

And surprisingly my smile actually stuns him into simply staring dumbfounded for a few moments.

I ignore his shock though as I reach out and grab both of the orbs, causing them to pass right into my body just like the core shard I used to ascend to Class II did when I touched that core.

[You have devoured the compacted hearts of one hundred Class III demons and therefore meet the second of the two requirements for breaking through to Class III: The absorption of two Class II Catalysts.]

[You have completed all the requirements to reach Class III. Would you like to ascend?]

“No,” I state out loud in response to the System.

[Negative received. Ascension to Class III will begin whenever the user wishes.]

Gramps finally snaps out of it at my answer to the System as he blinks and says, “Well, I should get back to my work. Feel free to visit me after you reach Class III!”

Then he vanishes in a vortex of blood.

I stare at where he was standing for several seconds without moving.

Okay. I’ve gotta ask.

How does Tartarus run with a Demon King as flippant as him leading it?

Tar actually coughs at that before muttering, “Of course she’d ask something like that…” but when I raise a brow he clears his throat and says, “Well, he’s not normally like that. You should be able to tell just from how your mother is afraid of him.”

I can’t help but feel skeptical about that, but I guess he is still the Demon King who strikes terror into the hearts of all humans…

“He acts completely differently around you as opposed to everyone else,” Tar says, trying to convince me. “It’s the same with most blood lycans actually.”

I find it hard to believe that most blood lycans basically turn into excited puppies when they’re around their children or grandchildren. After all, Leonidas isn’t like that. Except when he was waiting for me to wake up.

Tar doesn’t say anything this time, seemingly not having anything to retort with.

Yeah, thought so.

Although I can understand that he’s different around others. After all, a reputation has to come from somewhere.

“Yeah!” Tar exclaims like a person latching onto a lifeline, making me chuckle for a second before I stretch a little and begin turning around to leave my room.

“Are you planning to head to the baths and ascend, Your Highness?” one of the guards appears and asks, and I nod my head without a word as I continue walking. “Then we will inform the staff to avoid that area.”

I nod my head in appreciation, only to pause and add before he leaves, “Also, could you inform Leonidas that if he hears any screaming coming from the baths, or rather, any screaming louder than he was likely already expecting due to the ascension, then ignore it. I’ve been told that my ascensions are more painful than most peoples’.”

The guard winces at that and says, “My condolences, and I will do as you say at once, Your Highness.”

He then vanishes in an instant, following which I begin heading towards the baths that I went to before.

This is not going to be pleasant.

But at least I don’t have to deal with the stench this time.