A/N:: Those of you support me le chapter, thank you!

As many of you requested, and waited, the second chapter is out! Have fun, and tell me what you think in le review section, if you want more, keep all those love coming!

Beta read by, Sir Knight Burning Temptation 9000

"You… You fiend!"

I screeched as I struck down my palm. It never reached its target. I had lost control of my footing, and threw my balance off. The light-headedness came after I lost my balance entirely. My eyes opened in confusion as I watched my hand flying past the demons head. In fact, it was so far off course, it made me look like a fool.

My vision suddenly stirred and my focus shifted into hundred bits before things had gone blurry. Then my body ached all over like I've been struck and whipped, tortured million times altogether for all eternity. The pain was surreal, and like dynamite, it exploded across my senses and all my cognitive functions ceased. I knew I wanted to scream, but it wasn't possible.

Before the excruciating torment blinded me, I briefly took a glance of Mao's eyes. I saw an expression of shock. Why would he be shocked? Wouldn't I, now being his material possession, incur the likes of torture and wrath? Wouldn't I feel pain as I tried to rebel against him? Then why?

I wasn't able to understand, but whatever and however this man was acting… Well… it wasn't Mao. It was something else. Soon, the pain began to dull my senses as an immense wave of fatigue billowed through my nervous system, stretching to every fiber of my body. Not only that, it washed over my muscles, my bones and continued to assault my senses.

A hand held my waist from the back, and other reached out to my leg. I was swept away from the floor like a bride during marriage. I looked at my would-be rescuer, and it was him again. Of course, who else will it be? There were only two of us in the room, after all. I wanted to swipe him away, but I didn't have the power to do so.

The strain was already getting me, and I wasn't able to escape. It felt like I was actually dying within the arms of this demon lord.

I momentarily wondered if this is what death actually feels like. Going into a cavernous, eternal slumber, approaching the darkness, never to wake again. I wanted to push myself out of it but I couldn't. Eventually, I succumbed, and the darkness took me as another.

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Mr. Dragneel and his Maid!

Chapter 2

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A smell. A good smell tingled my nostrils that were once inactive. I wasn't sure since when I was able to register anything, but the smell naturally wafted into my nose. Soon as my consciousness grew, I was able to pick up the details of that smell. I recognized the savoriness and the gentle sweetness that came along with it. It had that hearthy feeling that I missed so dearly, but why? The battle wasn't over yet. At least, it wasn't for me.

Slowly I opened my eyes and let the light flood in. I squeezed them tight and raised my hand to cover myself. After adjusting, and prepping for the blinding light, I opened my eyes again. It took some time to get used to, and I had to flutter my eyes several times until I was able to see anything at all.

I was on a bed. Soft velvety covers and the blankets that draped over me were the proof of that. I brushed my hands across the mattress, realizing how gentle and comfortable it was. For a moment, I was captivated by it and took a moment to embrace the sensation. Just by touching the material, I knew that this was the finest silk I had ever lay my hands on.

It just made me feel like I was on a cloud. After savoring the sensation, I shifted my gaze to everything else that dotted the area. It was a room, but not like the room that I was familiar with. It was a decent sized room made with bricks and steel with a modern twist. It seemed like this place was some sort of wine cellar or workshop before it was remodeled to a bedroom. It did feel old, yet at the same time, it made me feel at home. I didn't know how that was possible.

Finally, I veered down to the food resting on my lap. A metallic tray with a bowl of chicken soup, some biscuits, and a bottle of some strange liquid with a tag on it. My curiosity piqued as I reached for the bottle. The liquid was colorless, and it also had no odor but the viscosity told me that this was no water. I quickly checked the tag. It read,

'Get well soon…'

"Some sort of medicine?"

"What happened?"

I asked to myself as I rested my hand on my head again. I suddenly felt dizzy. I wasn't even sure how I got here, nor why I was here in the first place. Then, a door opened with a familiar female voice answering my very question.

"You lost consciousness."

I snapped my attention to the newcomer, as panic and anger made their way through my system. I grabbed the bed sheets tightly as I sneered at the demon before me.

"You!"

It was the same female demon that I had seen not too long ago. A pair of large golden horns and jet black hair with that recognizable slutty kimono… I knew exactly what it was. The demon spoke.

"You must calm yourself."

I roared, kicking the food tray to the floor with a clatter.

"Like hell I will, you demon!"

I jumped out of bed and summoned a weapon to slay it, yet the spell did not cast. I looked at my hand with confusion. The demon spoke back once again.

"My master has blocked your magic. You won't be able to use it again without his permission."

I shouted in shock.

"What!? Bullshit!"

The demon tilted its head in confusion.

"My master is not bullshit. He is a demon lord."

It clearly lacked intelligence, or that was what I thought. The demon continued as it walked towards me.

"You must rest. You are still recovering from the surgery. The sudden action will only worsen your condition."

"Surgery!?"

I felt my head going light again. Unable to balance myself, I collapsed back to the bed. So many questions filled my head like a shower of meteorites upon the calm atmosphere. I had to pace myself before I lost consciousness again…

I took a deep breath and waited a few more seconds. I closed my eyes before opening them again.

"Surgery?"

I repeated. The demon nodded back as it went to check the scattered tray and utensils as well as the spilled soup. It answered.

"You had a tumor growing inside you. It had to be removed as it threatened your life. Mao-sama has done the surgery by himself to save your life."

It then added.

"You should be eternally grateful to him."

The cool that I intended to keep shattered in seconds. I could not believe what I just heard. Mao had performed surgery on me?!"

I roared in rage and shock, unable to process my head properly. The fact just overwhelmed everything that I knew, as it made no sense what so ever.

"Mao! Surgery!? What did he do?! What the fuck did he do to my body?!"

I rushed and grabbed the female by the collar. My teeth clenched tightly and growled at her with an intent to kill.

Yet, again, it remained there in my grip emotionlessly.

"There's no need to be scared, Erza Scarlet. He only had to remove the growing tumor."

"What tumor?!"

I needed an answer. The demon stared me back, before pointing at my chest. My eyes shimmered briefly as a small tide of fear clashed against my steeling heart. I gulped my pooling saliva as a feeling grew that I did not approve. Eventually, the fear was blended with curiosity, and I let the demon go. Instead, I reached for my shirt, before taking it off completely.

There it was. A vertical cut mark across the center of the chest. The room suddenly spun as I collapsed onto the floor. My eyes had gone hazy, and my steadfast concentration dwindled pathetically before I was able to pull myself together.

I put my hands on it, and brushed it several times, trying to feel the scar. The flesh was already mended, and it was likely due to a sort of powerful healing magic. The probably throbbing and excruciating pain did not exist at all. I looked up to the demon for explanations.

"Tumor from magic overuse. You came all the way from Ishgar to defeat us, expending so much magic during the process. In the end, you even used your own life force to fuel your magic. Without rest, you pushed on. Your body was broken and damaged much before you knew. And you finally collapsed in the end."

It also added on saying,

"My Lord has expressed his appreciation of your endurance and sheer willpower, but he does not want you to try it again."

I didn't know what to think anymore. Why was I saved? Well, it was too funny to think about it. To be rescued by the enemy's hand…

'He could have just killed me instead.'

His actions were just incomprehensible. It didn't make sense at all. Just a slip of a knife, he could have ended my life thousands of times over, and I was sure he had the chance to do so. But he didn't. Instead, he went on to save me. I happened

to growl under my breath, breaking eye contact with the demon.

"Is he stupid or what?"

Mao must lack in intelligence. He must be one of those half-minded dull, imprudent brutes who couldn't distinguish who's an enemy and who's not. If not, why on earth would he save me, tend me like I am his dearest or whatever? What importance did I hold if not his sworn enemy, who sought out to vanquish his soul for eternity?

"What else did he do to my body?"

I questioned. The demoness answered without missing a beat.

"He only had blocked your magic, but that is not relevant to the surgery."

Finally, there was something that actually made sense. That dumb lord Mao wasn't as stupid as I thought him to be. Of course, he saw me as his threat, and if he was a sensible being, then he would surely try to suppress my magic in all the ways he could find.

The demoness broke eye contact once again as it noticed a food tray lying on the other side of the floor. Its emotionless face immediately crumpled up in disdain as it reached out towards the shattered bottle of a potion. It then raised it to my eye level. The tone of its voice held enough evidence for me to tell that it wasn't pleased, but I cared none of what this monster was feeling.

"I see that you've shattered the healing potion."

It paused, letting those words to sink in.

"This potion was prepared by my lord, himself. Do you realize how many hours he had to work to create this medicine? Yet you've thrown it away like it was nothing. Do you realize how dishonorable it is?"

I barked.

"Like hell, I will drink anything given by Mao! It could have been poisoned!"

"If he were intending to kill you, he would have done so before you could even walk, Erza Scarlet. Watch your mouth."

The sudden shift in its tone threw me off guard, but I quickly shot back.

"Do you intend to fight me, creature? I will not trust any of you. Even more so, I will not place my trust in a demon who took everything from me. I will not let him control me!"

The spawn of hell threw back a mean remark.

"Yet, here you are, as a maid of my great and powerful majesty."

I clenched my teeth as my eyes dilated further. Anger rose from my stomach giving me a weird sensation of pain and heat. I shot up to land a strike on it. However, a sudden pang of pain reverberated through my heart most excruciatingly. I yelped out in torment and collapsed back onto the ground, curling myself into a ball. Blood seeped out from my mouth a little, and my body suddenly felt cold. I trembled as my eyes lost focus, and gaped my mouth in confusion.

The demon casually spoke.

"The wound is not yet completely mended. Just because it pains you no longer, it does not mean you should be active all again. This would have been prevented if you had taken the potion."

I heaved out my breath as the pain slowly subsided. I looked up at the demon with an intolerable amount of resent. Yet, it only stared back at me with indifference. It felt like I was being ignored, and I hated it, not being recognized for who I am.

"I would recommend you take a rest, and wait for Mao-sama to prepare another batch."

I muttered out as I lifted myself up arduously. I had to grab onto whatever I could to stop me falling.

"Like hell, I will."

I grabbed the white plain shirt and put it back on. I pushed the demoness away and reached for the door. Even the simplest task pained me, but I didn't care. I had to see Mao.

It questioned my action.

"Where are you going? You must stay in bed."

I growled through clenched teeth.

"I'm going to see Mao. I want answers." I whipped my head to it and warned. "AND don't you fucking follow me!"

The demon did not reply. But I never intended to wait and listen for her answer. So, I turned and started to walk away. My hand gripped the cold handle, and with a hold of my breath (even turning a knob as a difficult task as I have mentioned) I opened it, before letting the door slam back. However, in the end, the demon's words traveled to my ears.

"Humans and their arrogance… if it wasn't for him…"

I scoffed and hurried away from that room, from that demon. There was no reason for me to stay there and let that creature to taunt me for how careless and weak I was. If I was weak, then I wouldn't even be standing on my own feet. Clearly their expectation did not meet mine. I laughed inwardly at their stupidity.

After leaving the room, I was met with a hallway, and this one was much toned down than the one I used to see in Citadel. It was smaller and lacked that premium feeling of the architectural marvel that we humans achieved. Though, I was surprised that demons had this much skill in art. But surely, these were mere imitations of ours, if not, then I would be genuinely impressed.

Thus, it was easy for me to navigate to the outside. Even if my magic has been reduced to nothingness, my visceral warrior senses remained alerted like a wild cat. And those senses told me that Mao wasn't around here. He was outside of this place, whatever this place was.

The hall had multiple doors on each side of the wall. Like the one that I came out of, they were all made out of a dark wood. None of them were the exit and that much I could tell. After navigating further, I saw a rather large door with outlandish decor. It was literally screaming exit to my face. The golden handle with red velvety coverings told me that as well.

Though, I was never prepared to see the next part. The moment I pushed the door, I was bombarded with a massive mountain of grandeur, consisting of gold silver and white pearly marble. The ceiling skyrocketed into the abyss to the point that the tallest of the roof was lightly fogged by the accumulating layers of air. The other side of the hall was almost endless; I dared to say that the ground and the sky have been converted into walls of marble and gold. On each side of the room, there were miniature castings of mountains in pure gold.

The rivers of odd liquid ran in between them, creating a landscape inside the hall.

What and how much wealth did Mao have? But his own personal living space was so far off from being anything luxurious. It made no sense at all. If he did claim that that minuscule, dull and pathetic room was his, then why was he inside of this gargantuan place?

Or perhaps this wasn't Mao's building after all? I had my presumptions. Hundreds of questions, thousands of possible explanations, and zero answers. As I walked further in, the bothering pain that took residence in my chest subsided, and again, I felt nothing from it, though I knew I should not be screaming and running around. The past experiences did not prove to be very helpful to my own health.

After walking through the colossal halls, I was able to reach a large golden door that seemed to hold the most significance. It was much bigger than others, not just several times larger, but enough to fit an entire dragon. The intricate design of it told me that it led to some sort of throne room. It was confirmed even further by the long red carpet laying on the marble floor, and the gaudy diamond chandeliers and candle lights on walls and ceilings that gave the room an almost regal glow.

Thankfully, there were no guards around. Again, dumb Mao, but it was a great fortune for me. I pressed my ear to the door to see if he was actually inside.

And there it was. The voice of the demon Mao. However, I could see the clear hint of frustration in his voice. For what he was, the overlord of all evil and darkness, it was another behavior of his that made no sense.

Holding my breath, I decided to eavesdrop on him. Curiosity took the best of me.

I could hear his roar.

"I asked you, a month ago, to perform a detailed investigation on why there are still human children not receiving the proper education offered by the national institute!"

A different voice rose, male, and he… no, IT, was trembling with fear.

"B-but your majesty… these humans are naturally inept. They cause nothing but trouble!"

Mao responded with a snarl.

"They are my people, as much as you are!"

This time, another individual, this one was much more collected, spoke.

"Your majesty, for over the course of a decade, you've shown your infinite graciousness to these mortals and obliged their wishes. Yet, these people have betrayed you countless times by all the disgusting crimes. Such as… the devastation of the Dragneel Cathedral last year."

"This cannot go on forever. We must apply drastic measures to prevent any more of

their sinful acts."

Then the entire court erupted in agreement. However, a sudden wave of energy flared from inside. Never in my life had I felt myself being dwarfed by something else. The only time I felt this much of energy was when I first met my master. That was a long time ago. It was a different story back then.

Fear. That was what stormed in like a tornado, ravaging and wrecking havoc in my soul. Then like a great tsunami, it washed over me, crumbing my iron walls and pulverizing them to dust, before it ripped it off the roots of my own heart. I gasped briskly at the billowing energy crashing against my body. My physical body wasn't in pain. However, it felt like it was. I had to cower myself into a ball to prevent it from making me paralyzed. Soon, my entire clothes were drenched in a cold sweat, only one you would find if you were to wake from the most disturbing of nightmares.

Then I heard the thunderous bellowing from the other side, and if there was a real description of demonic voice, this was it. Just hearing that deep reverberating voice turned me to stone.

'Is that the Mao's true voice?' My mind questioned in a whisper. 'Is it? That devastating voice?'

"You shall do well to never speak of those words! I stand as a ruler to be a service of my people, so that they may live their lives to their fullest, not to steel, threaten, discriminate or harm them!"

"Hence I've asked you to investigate, yet none of you reported a single word. Do I have to do everything by myself!?"

Then a silence followed, even that one man with too much power in Mao's court was left frozen like a dead fly. I could feel the air turning cold, and my guts turning inside out. Then Mao screamed in an unhindered fury, his dark voice not yet settling back to normal.

"GET OUT! OUT! ALL OF YOU! GET OUF MY FACE!"

Realizing that their urgent footsteps were rushing towards me, I jumped out from my position and sought out an adequate hiding place. My eyes scanned a large bronze statue standing next to one of the columns that supported the roof.

'That place will do!'

Then l let my nimble feet carry me to its shadowy back. The two gigantic golden doors opened, and people fled from it like a hoard of lemmings. From the tall reaching twice taller than a man to one size of a child, it varied. There were ones that looked indistinguishable from humans and some had bizarre features that were so unsightly to the human mind.

After a while, they were gone, and I jumped back outside of the shadow. Although the spine-tingling sensation I had felt just a moment ago had disappeared, I still had questions that I wanted to be answered. And coming here only rose even more. Spiking my curiosity on such pointless subjects was all Mao's fault. Yes, they were.

Biting my lips from the terror that slowly crept in like a tide, I decided to enter. I mentally slapped myself at the stupidity and weakness of my mind.

'Erza! When did you turn into such a pathetic woman?! Listen, you are the one and only First God of Ishgar. My people's faith is weighing down on my shoulders! You mustn't show your weakness! Never!'

I furrowed my brows, and my eyes returned to the where Mao might be. I thought out to myself.

'That creature is a Mao. Heartless demon! Traitor! Nothing more, nothing less!'

I roared,

"MAOOO!"

My voice echoed in an equally titanic court. My fiery eyes rested on the iron throne sitting in high rise platform. His figure was shadowed by the golden orange light raining down from the tall, elongated window behind. Then the light struck everywhere of the room, every bit of jewelries glistening with all their might as if they were meant for Mao himself.

He looked down at me with his dark abyssal eyes, yet from the shadow, I saw his pupil glowing in deep blood red. Donning attire that is meant for an emperor of the underworld, it consisted of jet black silks everywhere. However it wasn't as extravagant as the walls that he was surrounded with. There was a golden decoration of a dragon and a demon on each side of his chest, facing each other. Then that was it. His pants were too mundane to be called for king's, and others were too ordinary to be skipped as common folks. But despite the lack of equipment as a leader, upon his throne, he held that unmistakable profound aura that was to be reckoned with. But all that shattered when he opened his lips.

"Erza?! How…? You can't be here!"

He rushed down from his throne and scooped me up like a bride. A pang of rage throbbed on my forehead. Growling like a wild beast, I hesitated a second to punch him in the face whilst throwing my knee to his chin.

"Ow-Oww! Hey!"

He remarked, losing the grip on my body, dropping me to the floor. Yet, I wasn't quite prepared for the sudden drop. My eyes turned wide, as my body delved down to the floor. I tried to land perfectly, yet my body didn't listen. Instead of landing on my feet, my spine craned back, and my head dropped first to the floor.

Instantly it was. The impact from my skull to the floor was that of a meteor to ground. It literally crushed my head with pain. I teared up in sudden shock, clenching my teeth to suppress any scream, but unfortunately I couldn't, resulting in a high-pitched, unintentional squeak.

"Eeeeck!"

I curled up into a ball again and began to massage my head. Mao shouted.

"Hey! That was uncalled for! Shouldn't you be more grateful to your savior?!"

I barked angrily.

"Savior! Ha! My ass! You? Savior?! You forced me to become your sex slave!"

Mao's eye trembled as his face turned beat red.

"Sex slave?! Where the in the hell did you get that idea?!"

He argued,

"There's a cosmic amount of difference between being a maid and being a sex slave! How can the so-called, self-proclaimed Yusa Scarlet don't even know the basics?"

"Why would I even require such dishonorable knowledge?! I am of a noble background, not dirty minded scums who read smut novels and imagine oneself being forcefully toyed by the enemy!"

I slapped my mouth with my both hands in surprise. It was my time to get all roused up, blushing like a mad woman. I intended to rectify the all this. This wasn't even why I was here in the first place!

"That is not what I meant! Keep your hands to yourself, you filthy pig!" I screamed while covering up my body.

Mao however glared at me as if I was a freak. My patience was wearing thin. "

You know what?! Fine! Believe whatever makes you sleep at night, I don't care! But that isn't why I am here!"

I continued.

"Do you even realize that I had to cross all the way here from my room? The every step I took pained my body like it was on fire!"

He crossed his arm and raised his brow.

"Why did you cross all the way over here then? Do you even know what've I done to you?"

I pointed my finger at him.

"I've heard everything! But that's beside the point! Listen here, you pig, I have questions, and I demand answers!"

"You could have waited in your room for me to come." He replied nonchalantly as if he was talking to an idiot. "Isn't it obvious?" He continued.

I shrieked. "What?! You… you come to my room?"

"Yeah."

At this point, my guts started to boil by just seeing his face. He and his attitude… who does he think he is? The hate even grew further when I saw him starting to pick his nose. I growled under my breath.

"Stupid Mao…"

I heard him sigh deeply before he continued his dreadful comments.

"Listen. You were dying; you pushed yourself way too much just to defeat me. I couldn't let you die. Not on my watch, not after all those years."

I questioned sarcastically,

"What? All those years? The time when you sold me your disgusting cake to me back in Ishgar? Did you take pity of this lowly earthling because of the past?"

He answered back looking straight into my eyes. His dark pink brows furrowed in concern.

"But you bought them all the time and I was happy to bake more. Did I tell you how much I enjoyed my short stay in Fiore?"

I sneered.

"I don't care, Mao. At this moment, you are not the bakery boy I knew and loved. You are Mao. That's what you are, nothing more, nothing less."

He didn't reply, yet he looked at me like he was in disappointment. After a few silent seconds, I asked, this time, pushing aside the hate and rage, just inquiring for the answer.

"So why did you save me? You could have killed me anytime during the surgery."

The Mao seemed hesitant, but nonetheless, he replied.

"I didn't kill you because I need you."

My face turned immediate red in a matter of second. Steam rushed out of my ears as I began to stammer.

"W-w-what?!"

The demon Mao smirked.

"You'll see soon enough."

"But now isn't the time. You are still recovering, and I can't have my maid sick, you know?"

I shouted, suddenly unsure what to think of.

"Fuck you, Mao!"

The emperor glanced at me one last time before heading out of the room. I dashed towards him and grabbed his hand to prevent him from stepping any further.

"I still have more questions!"

However, I was greeted with a smash on my head. Defenseless as I was, I was subjected to another wave of pain on my head. Steam flew out from the skull as I tried to massage it again. Tears sprouted as I shouted at him in shock and anger.

"What the heck was that for!?"

Mao answered frustratingly.

"Are you stupid? You shouldn't be running and shouting around!"

"Stupid?! I-I… I"

I couldn't say anything further as there was no way of countering. I glared at him as my face started to glow like a red orb. My cheeks puffed out from suppressing anger. Yet a light bulb shined through my head as I was saved by the idea. It was a question that I planned to ask, and there was no better time than now.

My anger subsided as confidence arose. I smirked and crossed my arm.

"Well, for an intelligent and genius Demon, you certainly cannot differentiate between Master and Maid! Master owns Maid, not the other way around!"

Suddenly, he put his both hands on my shoulder and looked me in the eyes seriously.

"That's because I fell in love with you. I love you, Erza Scarlet!"

My eyes started to shake uncontrollably by the sudden eruption of heat from my heart. It rose all the way to my face, turning it red all over again, even brighter than my own hair. I blurted out.

"W-wah?!"

My heart began to beat faster, and like an engine it roared with power inside me, fuming out all the heat, pumping out all those gallons of blood straight to my face. My thought process had gone hazy, and my breath became ragged and uncontrollable. My lungs squeezed hard like I was suffocating, but I was indeed breathing in the air constantly, perhaps much faster.

Then the Mao's eye closed halfway and stared at me like I was some sort of idiot.

"Just joking."

Just like that, he casually turned and walked away. But I stood here, my feet weighing me down like a pair of steel boots, my heart and my head confused about what was going on as my brain logically attempted to analyze the situation. However, he stopped and faced me again. He had his hands in his pockets, looking at me as if he was annoyed.

"Come on, what are you waiting for? Aren't you coming?"

I stared back at him dumbfounded, yet I let my feet to move on their own. I still wasn't sure what was going on, but I eventually managed to growl back.

"I'm coming, stupid Mao! Why am I even listening to you…?"

His answer was straightforward and quick.

"Because you are a maid?"

I decided not to answer that. This was getting nowhere.

"Where are we going?" I asked.

"To my lab, of course."

"Your lab?"

I raised my brows. That was unexpected of Mao. Yet, he answered like it was nothing. He questioned, but this time, it was more of confirmation.

"You didn't drink the potion that I gave you?"

I hesitated as I closely follow him behind. I looked for words to form an excuse, but there were none. He took my silence as my answer.

"Look, I don't blame you for refusing to drink it. Trust comes from both ways they say… but you'll have that permanent scar and damage to your heart if you don't.

"Besides, it was pretty damn hard to make."

Soon, he and I reached to a staircase, and just like the extravagant hall, it was just as immaculate with beauty. I began to wonder, after taking a long good look at it. If he was Mao and had all the money to make this piece of grandeur architecture, then why was his personal space so… lacking? I blurted out without a single filtering.

"Why is your room so pathetic?"

"Oh gee, thanks for making me feel bad."

He responded without even looking at me.

"You are Mao. You can do whatever you want, and you live in a block of concrete. Yeah, that makes lots of sense."

I shot back.

"Maybe I don't want to live being smothered by meaningless wealth."

After a few more climbing, we reached another hallway. He pressed his hand on one of its doors, and a rune appeared. I squinted my eyes to read what it was. I seemed like a containment spell. Whatever inside that room, he clearly didn't want anyone to see… but here I was, staring at it.

"We are here."

He spoke, breaking me out of the observation. The door slid open, and he motioned me to enter. The mood of the building shifted instantly as my gaze fell into the inside. All that marble, gold and silver was gone. There wasn't even a single sculpture, and all that decorated was a plain, dull and boring concrete with flasks, books, and scrolls.

He hopped inside like a child and skipped through all the equipment until he reached the other end of the room. I followed him, but my eyes never left all the material he had. I laid my eyes on all kinds of books, from the mundane history books to some elaborate theories of magic that I would expect to see in one of those Magic Research Bureau .

There was a massive wall that was covered in whiteboards and chalkboards, covered with equations and runes that I could not translate. Yet, these boards were like windows of his past, and through the half-erased marking in the corners and chalk power from all those hastily erased marks, I could imagine him moving around in urgency, skipping and tossing around millions of thoughts as he sought to figure out something in the most energetic form.

I almost stared at it in awe as I continued to walk. Shortly, I broke contact and saw an array of ingredients stored in a perfectly clean jar, stacked in precision and care. Also, this covered up the entire wall.

That was until I realized this was just one row of ingredients. It was an aisle, not a wall. Though the clear jars, I was enthralled by the zillions of more stacked behind. This wall was just one of many. For those who study magic, this was their version of the theme park. I never expected Mao to have this big of a collection, even for a demon lord.

He halted at the table next to it, where it had flasks containing different fluids. One of them, however, included a scale that I was all too familiar of. It was just one, and the size was significant, as large as my head. I exclaimed, pointing at the scale.

"Is that… a dragon's scale?!"

He nodded as he picked it up.

"You are right… and this." He emphasized by shaking it in front of me. "Is what goes into your potion."

I stood there completely frozen.

"How did you even acquire such material?" I asked as my tone dropped into seriousness. Yet, he answered, shrugging.

"Through a very long and complicated process?"

He seemed to take my question as a joke. Why should it be a joke? I am a dragon slayer. Fire dragon slayer, its ancient magic thought by my master, who was also a dragon.

If the scale was here, then it also meant that dragon wasn't very far away from this place…

Then he handed me a potion. "Dragon itself has lots of magical properties that are highly toxic to regular human. However, to Dragon Slayer, its venoms turn into a miraculous cure to all damages and diseases."

He added.

"Just one should be enough."

I stared at it momentarily, contemplating whether to drink or not. He insisted,

"You need to get better." But his lips grew into a devilish smile. "So I can hear you say Master in front of the crowds!"

My face heated up again, I wanted to punch this man and his stupid face, but I decided not to. Again, it did not go well for me last time. The demon Mao added.

"Just joking."

I bit my lips until it shed blood, and my eyes dilated into specks as my rage finally broke through its chain. I felt it roaring like the swirl of a tornado inside me. My hand flew at the Mao's cheek, and I slapped him as hard as I could. With a thunderous clap, he flew into the chalkboard like a ragdoll. The bottle of potion flew into the air, and I snatched it expertly before the pain started to surge in. Without a further thought, I drank to its bottom. I shouted,

"There, happy, you idiot?!"

Though, miraculously, the pain did subside. In fact, the effect was so apparent that I felt like I could take down Mao right here and right now. I looked at my own hands in surprise, baffled by the sudden burst of energy that flowed through me. Unfortunately, it wasn't magic. But having my stamina and strength back, as well as healing my heart was significant.

I looked back at Mao, who was scrambling himself to get up the floor. I furrowed my brows as I shot daggers at him, before looking away.

"Stupid crafty idiot… Idiot! Stupid and dumb and pathetic Mao"

But I could actually feel his smile beaming down on back of my head. He whispered in a way that made my bone go chill, that cocky and sickening masculine voice literally tingled my eardrum, and not in a pleasant way.

"Now… it's finally the time for you to be my official maid, Erza Scarlet~." He sung.

No… maybe his voice was pleasant, and what he had spoken wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. It was just that he was Mao, and because he was Mao, I hated it. Perhaps, I was starting to feel unsure after learning all those things around him. Maybe Mao was a little special. Special as in, a nanometer of margin compared to all other feebleminded, unintelligent savages.

"First, I want you to apologize to me for hitting me."

He ordered, that smug smile never dimming down. I had to bite my lips. I stand no longer to what I've claimed- Mao was worse than all other demons. He arrogantly craned his head as he looked down me with a smirk that I wanted to rip apart.

"Go on."

There was no reason for me to apologize to him. He noticed my resistance and offered,

"If you apologize, I might return your magic back~" He sung once again.

I growled through my teeth,

"Fine! I…"

I opened my lips, and each word hurt me like a brick thrown on back of my head. I hesitated, my pride sinking into the abyss again.

"I-I'm sorry."

My voice quieted down like the sound of a squashed mosquito, and Mao didn't seem to be pleased.

"I'm sorry, what?"

My cheeks flushed a bright mercury red.

"Ma…"

Even from here with my head ducked low, I could feel his eye brows rising up in anticipation. I wanted to strangle him to death.

"Master…"

"Oh, I can't hear you, Erza!"

My eyes frantically looked for a bladed weapon, but Mao was clever. There was none. Biting my teeth again, I spoke louder.

"I'm sorry, master."

"What was that? I think I heard something but I'm not sure what it was…"

I swallowed my pooling saliva, and my pride came down with it. Breathing in and huffing my cheeks like a chipmunk, I screamed; hoping that the room was soundproof, less it degrade my state any further.

"I'M SORRY MASTER!"

I opened my eyes as they teared up in shame and resentment. I was met with a pair of large onyx eyes staring straight back at me. I yelped in terror as I scrambled back.

"Wh-what are you doing?!"

He responded with a shrug.

"Just staring."

"What for?"

"Just thinking how cute you are when you're all flustered like that."

He answered as he retreated back. That answer left me speechless. This was the side of me that I hated the most. Why does he even say such things to me? What was his intention? Was it to verbally assault me or actually compliment me?

"W-Wah?!"

I hated his always carefree act. How could he just walk away like that after saying such things so randomly to my face? The emotions swirling up from my stomach were enough for me to collapse to my knees with my both fists planted on the ground. Tears of shame and uncertainty continued to flow. Eventually, I wailed.

"Y-YOU DUMB STUPID DEMON LORD!"

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