Demonic Po*nstar System

Chapter 635: Masks Off

”HELP!!”

The scream cut through the refined atmosphere like a knife.

The shadows beneath the waitress’s feet writhed and twisted, spreading outward in defiance of natural light. Then they began to rise, coalescing into a humanoid shape.

Vespera Ashborn materialized from the darkness itself.

She wore sleek sunglasses despite being indoors and a long dark coat that billowed slightly as she stepped fully into existence. The woman looked like she’d walked straight out of an action film, radiating an aura of absolute authority that made the air itself feel heavier.

Behind her, the shadows parted again to reveal Julia, Naira, and her mother, Lira, all stepping through the portal with varying degrees of comfort. Julia looked the least fazed, somewhat used to Vespera’s abruptness. She had been shocked like this multiple times due to having lived in Vespera’s home for weeks now, especially because the two women chatted almost every day.

The chefs and waitress, however, didn’t showcase the same level of relaxedness.

The waitress stumbled backward and fell directly onto her butt, a move that saw her professional composure shattering completely. Her eyes went wide with recognition and terror as she realized exactly who stood before her.

The Shadow Monarch.

One of the most powerful awakened humans alive.

”W-what... what did I do wrong?!” the waitress stammered, her voice high and panicked. ”Please, I can be forgiven, yes? I’m willing to do anything! I didn’t mean to offend!”

Silence stretched.

Vespera looked down at the fallen woman with her expression completely unreadable behind those dark sunglasses. The pause felt eternal, like the calm before a storm that could level cities.

Then she spoke.

”You can get me a drink.”

The waitress blinked.

”Crimson Wyvern Reserve, vintage 2019. The Drakenridge blend.”

The waitress’s eyes widened further. That was a monster wine that cost more than most awakened combatants’ annual salaries in high-tier guilds. The kind of bottle that required advance notice and verification before it could even be brought up from the cellar.

”W-wait...” The waitress’s voice trembled as the horrowing realization slowly dawned on her. ”Lady Ashborn... are you here to dine?”

Vespera’s poker face didn’t shift even slightly. ”Why else would I be here?”

’So I’m not going to get executed...?’ the waitress gasped inwardly.

Indeed, unlike most awakened combatants of Vespera’s level who elicited positive emotions from weak humans, the Shadow Monarch was the opposite.

However, the waitress wasn’t one to question her luck.

”R-right! Of course! We have a free booth available-”

”Here,” Vespera said flatly, gesturing toward the table at which Kaiden and co sat.

The waitress froze.

The chefs froze.

Everyone’s heads turned toward Kaiden and his group sitting around the circular table. The young man sat there calmly with his girls around him, completely unbothered by the Shadow Monarch’s dramatic entrance.

Just who were these youngsters that Vespera Ashborn herself wanted to dine with them?!

The waitress scrambled to her feet and bowed so deeply her forehead nearly touched her knees. ”O-of course, Lady Ashborn! Right away! Please, make yourself comfortable!”

Vespera walked past her without another word and took a seat at the table beside Julia, who smiled warmly at Kaiden. Naira and Lira followed, filling in the remaining seats.

The waitress stood there trembling for a moment before rushing off to fulfill the wine request.

Kaiden looked wryly at Vespera. ”We’re wearing masks specifically so we don’t make a scene. Yet you waltz in just like this... Are you trying to ruin this night for us?”

Vespera reached for her sunglasses with one hand and put them away. ”It’s uncomfortable eating with faces I barely recognize. Take those off.”

Kaiden chuckled wryly. ”It’s even more uncomfortable to be hunted and executed because someone leaked our location.”

”I ran a background check on the staff,” Vespera replied with the same flat tone. ”The building is also surrounded.”

”Surrounded?!” the chefs whispered among themselves with badly concealed panic.

Kaiden sighed. He knew there was no point in arguing. If Vespera said something was safe, then he knew what it meant.

”Fine.”

He reached up and removed his mask. The others followed suit, their facial features shifting back to their true appearances.

The chefs didn’t take long to realize who they were dealing with.

Kaiden Grey. The upstart. The one who had been making massive waves across the world, but especially in America, his home country. The rest were his five famous lovers who appeared in every single stream or video of his. They were a real group, not just a one-man show.

There were also some guests they didn’t recognize, but this still didn’t explain the most drastic question burning in their minds.

What was the relationship between the Shadow Monarch and Valhalla’s Sinners?!

Kaiden looked at Vespera dryly. ”Is it really okay?”

Vespera suddenly turned her head toward the staff. ”Is it?” she repeated, her tone carrying a weight that made the temperature drop.

All five chefs nodded vehemently, their heads bobbing like toy figures on springs. The head chef even raised both hands in a placating gesture. ”Absolutely! Completely okay! We saw nothing! We know nothing!”

”Our lips are sealed, Lady Ashborn!”

”Total discretion is guaranteed!”

”We specialize in privacy!”

Kaiden sighed once again. ”Stop tormenting our chefs... Mother.”

Silence.

Absolute, deafening silence.

”MOTHER?!”

The chefs’ hushed tones buzzed between one another. Despite being pros, the news was such that they simply couldn’t contain themselves.

They looked between Kaiden and Vespera with expressions of pure disbelief.

Then the head chef coughed, silencing his men.

And just like this, their silent exchange began, spoken through glances at each other’s eyes and nothing more.

”She’s his mother?!”

”A secret Ashborn child?!”

”But he’s Kaiden Grey, not Kaiden Ashborn!”

”Wait, does this mean-”

”The Shadow Monarch has a secret son?!”

”He looks a lot more mature than Cassian and Calix Ashborn!”

”Does this mean we’re dealing with the true heir?!”

”How did we not know about this?!”

”His rapid ascent makes so much more sense now!”

The head chef looked like he might faint. The other four looked even worse for wear.

That was when Kaiden looked at the chefs and asked, ”Did you get my request for varied strength ingredients?”

Monster meat wasn’t just expensive, it was potent. The flesh of monsterized beasts carried mana and energy that made it a staple for awakened combatants who needed to maintain their power and recovery. Non-awakened people could consume some of the weakest monster ingredients in small amounts, but anything beyond that could be deadly. Their bodies simply couldn’t process the concentrated energy, leading to mana poisoning or worse.

The question finally snapped the chefs out of their daze.

The head chef straightened immediately and bowed. ”Yes, honored guest. We’ve prepared a progressive selection, fitting the palate of both a sickly, fragile human and the strongest awakened combatants.”

”Perfect,” Kaiden replied with a happy nod.

The feast began.

The first course arrived on elegant black plates, each piece arranged with artistic precision. The head chef stepped forward and gestured to the display. ”We begin with Shimmerscale Salmon, an F-rank monster fish found in the northern coastal dungeons. The meat has been aged for three days and paired with yuzu-infused rice and a light ponzu reduction.”

The pieces gleamed with an almost iridescent quality, the fish practically glowing under the soft lighting.

Naira and Lira both stared at their plates with visible confusion.

”What... is this?” Naira asked quietly, picking up her chopsticks with uncertainty. She tried to grip them properly, but they crossed awkwardly in her fingers, and one slipped free entirely.

Lira leaned closer to Julia and whispered, ”I think the cooks made a big mistake!! The fish is raw! This is very dangerous!” While complaining, she attempted to pinch a piece with her own chopsticks, but they refused to cooperate, clattering against the plate.

Naira groaned softly and tried again, her brow furrowing with concentration. ”I finally managed to learn eating with a fork and knife, but what’s this?! Why are there so many eating utensils?!”