Thrown Into A New World: Let The Punishment Begin!

Rutherford was sure that what he had thought for a brief moment earlier could never be true.

There was no way that Demon, a herbivorous etcher, could have come into this estate from the woods behind their mansion.

After all, that place was not only meant to keep people from sneaking into the Palace but also to keep anyone from escaping it.

Sadly, he was underestimating the loyal beast that his daughter had formed a bond with.

Demon had not only broken free from the shackles that had been used to bind him in the Royal Palace's stables but he had also escaped at an opportune time.

He had then journeyed through that same forest and reached the St. Claire's grazing field where he finally met his Master.

This information, very few people were aware of, one being the beast himself and the others were the future Grand Duke of this Kingdom and his trusted subordinates.

Therefore, neither Yvonne nor Rutherford had any idea about Demon's appearance on that fateful day in the past.

Thus they did not have much information about where he had come from and how he had ended up here.

Yvonne too had questioned her etcher about his appearance in their estate in the past and his answer was still vivid in her mind.

"Demon said that he had escaped from some wicked people's grasp." She muttered, revealing the only information she knew about him.

Hearing her words, they fell into contemplation with complete silence surrounding them once again.

"Master, what if…" Keira's doubtful voice made them look her way.

The bird had stopped speaking midway but those seated in this room had comprehended what she had meant by those words.

Yvonne's statement in addition to the doubtful query that the little etcher had placed in their minds had caused them to form an inference regarding Demon's previous living circumstances.

It was common knowledge that there were social evils in every place and such were prevalent in their Kingdom as well.

Though covert and rare, there were still secret slave markets available if one were to look closely.

Destitutes with pretty faces or able bodies were sold off to rich commoners or even foreign merchants, forced to do hard labor or even some unthinkable deeds.

In the same way, there were even fewer traders of etchers.

They acted mysteriously and all that was known about them was that they caught free etchers from different Kingdoms and smuggled them through borders to their clientele.

Everything was done in secret hence no one knew who they were or where they came from.

However, it was still an undeniable fact that some of the noblemen had utilized the services of such a group.

They purchased etchers at an exorbitant price and since this entire exchange was sworn to secrecy, no outsider would know about the truth.

Therefore, the noblemen would then be able to boast about gaining an etcher even though he knew that he had purchased it without forming a bond which was the natural order of life.

Everyone in this place had heard about this matter before but they never had any conclusive evidence.

This also meant that they did not know which one of the noblemen's etcher was genuine or had been purchased through these secretive means.

Therefore, Yvonne's revelation regarding Demon's life prior to meeting her made them believe that he too had fallen prey to one such evil organization.

Thankfully, he had managed to escape and had found his fated Master in the process.

"He's a lucky one." Marquess Samed sighed before explaining why the fate of that etcher would have been pitiful if he had failed to escape and remained there forever.

After all, those etchers who were stolen away from the masters they were supposed to bond with in the future would never be able to awaken their powers.

They would forever be etchers only in name and possessing only a superficial title without any actual powers.

Only by being with their fated masters would they unlock their abilities and strive for greatness with their masters by their side.

Without their masters, they would forever remain at the same level they had been in the beginning.

"Not to mention that the person who was supposed to be the Master of that etcher would never find his fated one and live without an etcher his entire life." Viscount Marcus Valente chimed in, disclosing his opinion regarding this matter.

Not only did such organizations snatch away the chance of the etcher growing to its full potential but they also hindered the one who was supposed to be its true master in the first place.

As there was meager knowledge about etchers, not much was known concerning how the two souls were fated and why they were fated.

However, what they knew for sure was that each etcher in this world had its fated master.

The population of these extraordinary beasts was lower when compared to humans.

Thus only a few chosen men were fated to these beasts and if they did not meet their chosen etcher, they would stay without one all their lives.

Marquess Samed was worried that his fated beast would never be able to meet him as all his life he had been shuffling between the Capital and his Samed fief.

He had not ventured outside which might have led him to miss the chance of meeting his fated beast.

This was why he had been keen on traveling through the land in search of his fated one.

If he had gone on that journey then he surely would have lost his life in the plague and also never met Keira due to this.

Thankfully, he had been kept prisoner in the Tanner fief where he met his fated one.

Though he had found her at long last, not many were as lucky as him.

The practice of grabbing etchers against their will was mostly done in different Kingdoms where the population of etchers was high and they were later brought into Rosenhyde through illegal and secretive means.

Therefore, it could be said that those who purchased these etchers were stealing them from their true Masters, some unknown but worthy residents of the other Kingdom.

Thus thinking about how Demon must have also been stolen away from his family in another Kingdom and brought here, they were even more curious than before.

"If he was brought into the Kingdom from a different place… Then how did Vonny form a bond with him so easily?" Taylor questioned while glancing at the child in her father's lap.

They had all heard from Captain Desmo who had witnessed the scary beast almost attacking Yvonne when they first came in contact with each other.

However, in the next second, Demon had stopped and even allowed her to touch him, forming the bond between them in that instant.

This was what they were most curious about right now.

If Demon was brought here from his native land then shouldn't it mean that he was practically stolen from his fated master?

How then did he form a lifelong and unbreakable bond with this little girl on their first meeting?

These were the questioning thoughts swirling in their minds right at this moment.

Taylor had just put those thoughts into words which made them nod their heads.

"Unless Demon was fated with Master's favored pupil right from the beginning." The only etcher inside this room voiced her opinions.

As she was an etcher herself, she knew that it was impossible to form a bond with someone who was not their fated master.

If she had not met Marquess Samed her entire life then she would have remained with no master throughout her lifetime.

However, she was thankful to have found him and the moment their eyes met, they formed the bond that bound their souls together.

In a similar way, if one wasn't fated to the other then there was no way that a bond could be formed.

Those who purchased etchers through ill-conceived means would only have a beast in their possession.

No bond, no powers, no link between them whatsoever.

Those men would just be masters of that etcher for namesake and nothing more.

They could neither converse with their etcher nor be able to command them.

Such etchers would only become an existence meant to be shown off by the one who purchased them to those he pleases.

However, the situation at hand was vastly varying from the one stated above.

Not only did Demon imprint on Yvonne's soul and become her etcher but they also have no issues conversing with each other.

'That horse even shared his powers with her.' Keira noted that doing so with anyone other than their fated master was utterly impossible.

Therefore, the answer to Taylor's query was a simple one.

"My fate had been linked with Demon all along." The little girl whispered the same answer which Keira had uncovered