Leveling Up by Seducing Milfs-Chapter 119. Respect From The Demons Earned

Rick was carried forward, and his body didn’t like the gentle motion. He was carefully put down in front of the Demon King.

He could barely stand, but he wouldn’t let himself fall all the way down.

Zork looked at him for a long time, and those ancient eyes seemed to see right through to Rick’s core. The Demon King smiled slowly after that.

"You are either the bravest idiot I’ve ever met or the dumbest brave person."

"I still haven’t made up my mind." Rick felt power flow through Zork’s giant hand on his shoulder.

Not power that hurt him, but healing energy that calmed his pain and fixed his broken ribs. "But you have earned my respect, human. Not many demons can say that, even from the Demon King himself."

Rick found his voice, but it was hoarse. "I just did what needed to be done."

"Exactly," Zork said. "Real warriors don’t care about glory or reward."

"They see what needs to be done and do it, no matter how much it costs." He looked at Zara, who had come up during this conversation.

"My wife, your test is over. This human has shown that he is worthy of an alliance through actions, not just words."

Zara nodded, and her face showed that she was proud and relieved. "Yes, my lord,"

"I agree. I fully support the alliance between demons and humans that Rick Rolland’s bond network made possible."

Zork’s smile grew. "Great."

"Someone needs to help this boy get medical help before he passes out."

"I didn’t save him just to see him fall over from being tired."

Rick’s body finally gave up on the adrenaline that had been keeping him upright, as if his words had given it permission. His legs gave out, and he could see darkness creeping in.

Before he passed out, the last thing he saw was Zara’s worried face and Zork’s amused face. "Drama to the end," Zork’s voice echoed as Rick’s mind started to fade.

"I like this one."

...

Rick woke up to soft singing and the feeling of healing magic moving through his body. Rick gradually opened his eyes, adjusting to the dim illumination of what appeared to be a medical tent.

The dark canvas ceiling above him showed that it was night outside.

Rick carefully turned his head and saw Healer Mara sitting next to his bed. Her hands glowed with a soft orange light as she sent healing energy into his body.

She was humming a quiet tune that seemed to improve the magic work. "You’re awake," Mara said, not stopping her healing.

Her voice was calm and professional, but there was a hint of warmth in it. "That’s good. You have been out of it for six hours."

Rick tried to get up, but he quickly regretted it. Even though he was healing, pain shot through his torso.

"Easy there... you’re still recovering," Mara said, gently pushing him back down. "You had three broken ribs, a lot of muscle damage, magical exhaustion, and almost mana poisoning from pushing your bond network too hard."

"The Demon King’s healing helped a lot, but you still need to rest."

"The fight? Rick was able to ask.

"It was a full victory for us all," Mara said with a small smile.

"Thanks to Lord Zork’s help and your warning, there were no casualties."

"You saved many lives today, human."

Rick let his head fall back on the pillow. "I did what I had to do."

"Mm," Mara said, making a sound that didn’t mean anything as she kept healing.

"Modest too. Unusual for someone with such power." She stopped for a moment, as if she were thinking about what she had said.

"You put yourself in front of a Corruption Titan to save General Zara."

"Demons respect that kind of brave selflessness."

[+15 AFFECTION: HEALER MARA BLOODMEND 0/10 → 15/10]

Rick blinked when he saw the notification. Another one whose affection is too strong. It appears that almost dying to save demons made a big impression.

Carmilla and Natasha ran into the tent when the flap opened. Both of them looked worn out but happy to see Rick awake.

"You stupid idiot," Carmilla said, but her voice broke halfway through.

She held his hand tightly. "You said we’d deal with everything together!"

"You promised you wouldn’t go into danger by yourself!"

Rick could feel her feelings through their Unbreakable Bond. It was fear, relief, love, and anger all mixed up in a complicated knot.

Rick said softly, "I wasn’t alone."

"I had all of you with me. I carried your strength with me every step I took."

Natasha sat next to him, and even though her face was carefully blank, her ice-blue eyes showed that she was worried. "Your survival probability was three percent! That’s effectively what you called suicide!"

"But I made it through," Rick said. Natasha said, "Because the Demon King got involved."

"You would be dead if he hadn’t come when he did!! That’s not a good way to figure out risk."

Rick held Carmilla’s hand tightly. "I know, but I couldn’t just stand there and watch Zara die."

"She is one of the Seven Major Powers."

"We all need her."

"We need YOU to live more," Carmilla said angrily. "Please don’t ever do that again!"

Rick sent waves of love and comfort through their bond. "I’ll do my best not to."

"But I can’t promise that I won’t protect people who need it. That’s totally how I was, right?"

Carmilla’s face softened, but she still looked angry. "I understand."

"That’s one of the things I like about you."

"That’s also one of the things that will give me a heart attack."

Mara got up after she was done healing. "He needs to sleep."

"And by sleep I mean a lot of it."

"Don’t let him do any hard work for at least three days." She looked at Carmilla and Natasha in particular.

"That includes things that happen on the bond network. His spiritual channels are blocked."

Both women nodded in agreement. Mara got her things together and started to leave the tent, but she stopped for a moment.

"For what it’s worth, what you did was incredibly brave."

"It was foolish, but brave. Demons respect that." Then she was gone, leaving the three of them alone.

Rick lay there with his two partners on either side, feeling them through the network. He could feel Liora’s relief from a distance and Valdris and Sylvia’s furious approach from the Northern Peaks.

She was still hours away, but she was coming fast, and her emotions were a storm of worry and anger.

Rick said, "Sylvia is going to kill me when she gets here."

Natasha agreed, "Probably."

"You scared her a lot. I could feel it through the network when Divine Aegis turned on."

"She thought you were going to die."

Rick said, "I was."

"If Zork hadn’t come..."

He didn’t finish what he was saying. Everyone knew how it would end.

Carmilla bent down and kissed him softly on the forehead. "But he did come. And you are still alive. That’s what counts now."

Rick closed his eyes, feeling exhausted even though he had been out for six hours. He needed to get some real sleep to finish healing.

He felt Carmilla and Natasha’s steady presence through their bonds, which kept him safe as he started to lose consciousness again.

There would be new problems to deal with tomorrow. Negotiate with Zara and Zork.

How to deal with an angry Dragon Queen. Finding out what to do next in their quest to bring the rest of the Seven Major Powers together.

But Rick was alive tonight, his partners were safe, and the demon race respected them.

That was enough for now.