My (Monster?) Hero Life

Kace's eyes bulged before he burst out into hearty laughter when he heard that! 'It seems like Lady Rysa isn't so bad after all.' Kace felt greatly relieved now that his worries had been dispelled. It was clear that Rysa had merely been toying with Shadow and was not actually angry about what Kace had done by sending him there. 

'However, it seems like Shadow might need some time to get over that trauma.' Kace chuckled again as he received the book Shadow. He casually opened the cover to inspect its contents again. Just to make sure that it was definitely the right book and had not been swapped somehow.

As soon as he confirmed the contents, he tossed it to Grugda, who caught it gently. The Eljein's three eyes quickly inspected the book as he searched for the recipe that he would need to revive Gyn. 

The atmosphere soon became lively onboard the Freedom as everyone realised that they were not in any danger. The journey to Stonefall would take quite a bit of time, and the monsters did not mind boasting about their achievements while telling stories to pass the time. 

Kace found that atmosphere to be quite pleasing as he listened to the various stories and even told a few of his own. From time to time, Kace would glance at the scenery as they passed by. He would see rolling hills and vast prairies, huge mountains and deep canyons.

A smile spread across his face as they sailed alongside a monster caravan transporting goods between two different conquered towns. They gaped at the ghost ship in fear and awe, even as a group of monsters waved back to them from the deck.

During this period, Kace felt himself bonding and growing closer with these monsters. It reminded him of how he felt when he only had Shagrat and his goblins to really call his friends. Kace smiled warmly, which would actually look creepy if seen from a human's perspective. 

He felt like he genuinely belonged amongst these existences. That was something he had never really felt even while he was still human. 'It's like I was born for this… Well, I guess I actually was.'

After a few weeks of enjoying himself, the Freedom finally anchored itself before Stonefall's gates. Surprisingly, a large crowd had gathered with excited expressions as they stared at the Freedom.

"What's going on?" Sophia asked as she moved to stand next to Kace at the top of the gangplank.

"How the heck should I know?" Kace shrugged his shoulders before he spotted Vaskra amongst the crowd. 'Shouldn't she be fighting in the west?'

"Mother!" Sophia suddenly squealed. Her high pitch made Kace feel like his eardrums were about to explode!

'Mother? Oh, fuck.' Kace's eyes darted through the crowd and landed on Queen Sonja as she raced through the crowd.

Sophia was already halfway down the gangplank with her arms stretched out when Sonja raced past her. Sophia's expression froze on her face in disbelief. As she slowly turned on the spot, she was treated to the sight of her mother launching herself at Kace and embracing him tightly!

"Thank god you're alive!" Sonja squealed in excitement. "What would I do if anything happened to you!"

Kace's expression became complicated as Sonja forced his face into her chest. "Ehm, what?"

"Right, we'll start making preparations to begin your training again. There's still so much for you to learn!" Sonja's enthusiasm made Kace's stomach lurch. 

He suddenly understood that she was just excited to beat him black and blue again. However, there was one problem with that! He was not a Hexblade anymore! 

Kace's mind reeled as he tried to think of a way to break it to the Queen of Vampires when a sudden pressure suddenly landed on Sonja's shoulder. Sonja revealed a surprised expression as she turned her head to meet the lethal gaze that Sophia was directing towards her.

"Mother! Don't you think it's inappropriate to act like this!" Sophia's tone was full of venom as she practically spat out those words. 

Truthfully, she was just pissed that she was acting that way with Kace! Sophia took several deep breaths to try and calm herself. 'Remember the prophecy. Remember the prophecy!'

"Oh, Sophia! I'm glad to see you're well! You performed your duties in my absence admirably!" Sonja was practically beaming as she continued to smother Kace with her chest. "You even secured us a seat on the council! I'm so proud of you!"

Sonja released her grip on Kace before he was suffocated to death just to pinch Sophia's cheeks. This made her blush in embarrassment and instantly defused her anger. 

Kace's gaze shifted back to the crowd as a platoon of vampires made their way towards the ship. At the head of this group was none other than Raven, with Dao following closely behind. Both of them looked happy to see him, but he did not fail to notice that Sophia's expression had turned ugly as she glared at a specific vampire.

Marquis Perez was still alive! However, he did not seem interested in what was going on right now and even made a point to avoid Sophia's gaze. 

"Come! We can catch up in my manor!" Sonja energetically grabbed Kace's arm as she tried to tug him towards the crowd. 

However, her expression sank as the crowd made way for the council members who were obviously moving to intercept her. Kace's eyebrows arched at that scene. He could send some hostility between Sonja and the others. The most obvious one about it was Elderbeard.

"Grandfather!" Lilly exclaimed before rushing off to his side.

The lumbering Treant embraced her warmly before turning to look at Kace, completely ignoring Sonja in the process. "Would Lord Kace be willing to accept my invitation to a welcome banquet in his honour tonight?"

Kace was confused. He did not believe his return should have warranted something like this. However, before he could respond, he felt a frosty aura emanating from Sonja, which inadvertently made him gulp…