Quinn moved away from the throne after Floid dismissed her and stood at the bottom of the stairs. It was obvious that she was still angry about what Floid said to her. She believes that she deserves a second chance to find Dray. It isn't her fault that Dray wasn't in Uta.
But Floid is not going to indulge every little request from the people under him. Feed your pets too much and they will become dependent. If Floid granted Quinn another chance, she will never learn her lesson.
Quinn has to learn to think thoroughly before taking action. Floid knew Quinn was a very smart woman. Quinn would not have survived under their father for so long if she wasn't smart, but Quinn allows her emotions to rule her judgment too much and that has led her to make many bad decisions since she came here. That is one of the reasons why it was so easy for Dray to fool her. Quinn must learn how to think without allowing her emotions to take control of her.
Floid ignored the fuming Quinn and turned his attention toward the other person that was standing in the throne room. Ophis looked like a scared puppy as she stood in front of the throne. She was back to her regular appearance and Floid felt more comfortable looking at her like this. The horns and the purple skin were an unconventional look even for demons, but as far as Floid was concerned, it was what made Ophis truly beautiful.
Ophis was wringing her hands together and she wouldn't look up at Floid as she muttered under her breath and waited for him to acknowledge her presence. Ophis has always been a little afraid of Floid. No, actually, that was the wrong way to put it. Ophis was freaking terrified of Floid. She hasn't been terrified of anyone like this since her father. But Ophis knew she had to do this. Ophis desired something from Floid and she was just too scared of how Floid would react if he heard what she wanted.
"Raise your head, Ophis. You have done a commendable job here in Uta."
Ophis looked up in surprise at the compliment from Floid before she smiled slightly and bowed her head in thanks. She was grateful that she was of use to the demon world. Even though she didn't have her powers, Ophis was still glad that she could help the invasion in her own way.
"You flatter me with your praise, my lord. I simply did what was required of me,"
Floid nodded and then he waved his hand while telling Ophis that she may go and rest. She has worked hard, so she at least deserves to have her rest. Ophis' eyes widened at the dismissal and she bit her lip in worry when Rosavellt opened a portal for her t leave. The demon lord already dismissed her and she knew she should just leave.
But can she really leave like this? Will she ever have another opportunity like this again?
The fear of what would happen if she said anything was getting to her and she was about to go through the portal, but she stopped and turned back to Floid before bowing.
"My lord, I have a request of you!"
"Hmmm?"
Floid's deep hum echoed throughout the room and it made a small shiver go down Ophis' spine. She has seen the sort of person that Floid is, and she will not be fooled into thinking that he is calm just because he sounds calm. A calm Floid has killed people without blinking an eye! Ophis has to choose her words carefully here so she appeals to Flood as much as possible.
Ophis continued with the same confident tone.
"I believe that my efforts in Uta have been of great help to the demon world, and so I... I implore you to grant me a reward,"
It was a gamble on Ophis' part. She knew that this could backfire on her like nothing before and she also knew that it was possible for her to actually get away with this. It all depended on the sort of mood Floid is in. Ophis knows that Floid hates when people beat around the bush. He prefers going straight to the point in any situation and he will decide if it was worth considering or not. That is the reason why Ophis just said what she wanted without any filters and she waited for what Floid wanted to say.
Ophis couldn't allow her fear to take over her because she knew that it would turn out even worse for her! Floid is the kind of person that you will call a predator. He is calm and composed, but once he sees weakness in anyone, it will immediately make his sadistic tendencies come out! Ophis must not make herself seem afraid in this situation and that is why she made herself sound confident.
She waited for Floid to give her a response but she still couldn't stop herself from flinching a little when she heard Floid talk.
"So you believe you deserve a reward? I will admit that you were instrumental in the invasion preparations this time. You played your part extremely well, but surely you don't think it is enough to warrant a reward,"
Ophis fell to her knees immediately and bowed till her head touched the floor. She could tell that things were already falling apart! She had to get this reward! She couldn't continue living like this! The things that she went through in Uta showed her just how powerless she is and she knows that she can't survive in this world unless the demon lord takes pity on her and helps her. She can't lose this opportunity because she knows she won't get another one like this again!
"Please, my lord. I beg you to grant me this one request. I believe that my efforts deserve to be rewarded,"
Ophis would never say something humble like 'I know I don't deserve it but can you show me mercy' because that would have been the nail that trapped her in a coffin! If Ophis didn't think she was worthy of this reward, then why should Floid think she deserved the reward? Ophis' mindset played a big part in this situation.
Ophis would have no right to ask it and Floid would have told her to get out of his sight! But Ophis knew she deserved this. She was the one that singlehandedly brought this invasion to life so she deserves this! This invasion would not have even started if she didn't do what she needed to do properly! The demon lord has to recognize her worth and grant her this one request!
Floid just watched Ophsi closely as she begged him and he thought about it for a long moment. Floid knew that Ophis deserved this reward. The truth is that Ophis was more important in this invasion than most of the troops that Floid brought with him. If Ophis didn't give them the information that they needed, then they would have wasted time and effort trying to bring down the barrier when it was still at its strongest. They would have missed this chance if not for Ophis. The invasion will still have happened and the demons will still have won, but Floid knows that they would have wasted a lot of time and a lot of his troops would have died in the process.
Floid was still angry about what Ophis did to the demon army before. Ophis took the demon army to war when she didn't have any right to command them and that made them lose to the humans many times. But Floid could tell that Ophis' dedication to the demon world was greater than anyone else. She would have happily died if it meant that the demons would have a better chance against the humans.
That amount of dedication impressed Floid, and Floid is not the sort of person to be easily impressed.
Floid leaned back further into his seat and finally spoke to Ophis.
"Your dedication was admirable through this period. I will admit that you were instrumental in our victory against Uta. Since you are willing to go so far for the sake of a reward, I won't turn down one of my subjects. Tell me then, slave. What reward do you desire?"
Ophis couldn't believe her ears for a moment! Did the demon lord just agree to reward me? Ophis thought she would get punished for even daring to ask for a reward! When she sent the letter to Rosavellt and asked the demon lord for a reward, she didn't get any reply from Rosavellt so she thought that the demon lord would deny her even now! But the demon lord was actually agreeing with her! Ophis was so happy that she didn't even care that Floid just called her a slave!
Ophis now knew that Floid was the sort of person who rewards courage more than desire. If Ophis didn't ask Floid for the reward again, then that would have been the end of it. she would have just gone back to being a maid and the demon lord will never give her a second thought, but she gathered her courage and asked Floid even though she didn't know how it would turn out. That is the only reason why Floid bothered to grant her anything.
Ophis looked up at Floid and she saw him wave his hand to tell her to get on with it and ask him what she wanted. Ophis was very surprised that Floid agreed this easily and she spoke in a tone that showed just how shocked she was.
"I... I wish to have my magic core repaired, my lord. I realized just how powerless I was in Uta and I know that I will need as much power as possible to help you and the demons. I want to be of use to you, so I beg you to repair my magic core."
Ophis immediately asked for the one thing that she wanted more than anything else right now! The ability to use magic is something that everyone in the world desired more than anything! The feeling of having the power to fight for yourself and protect yourself was irreplaceable! Ophis had no idea how much she would miss that feeling until she lost it to Floid, and now she wanted it back!