Chapter 88: Slave

After Asterin easily subdued the demoness, the situation in the city stabilized thanks to Adam’s intervention; he put up a strong fight against the demoness and, when he faced her summoner, Silas.

Local forces quickly secured key points throughout the city, while the few pockets of resistance were eliminated without major complications.

The chaos that had previously engulfed every corner of the city began to dissipate, like a storm finally losing its strength.

The patrols were reorganizing, the wounded were being evacuated, and orders began to flow more clearly among the commanders.

Adam, sitting by a window, watched as the barrier erected by the attackers slowly vanished, while the first rays of sunlight pierced the dark sky and the moon gave way to the sun.

The barrier did not vanish all at once, but in visible fragments, as if its structure were collapsing from within following the defeat of those who had kept it active.

The light of dawn fell upon the ruins, revealing the extent of the destruction that the night had concealed.

Shattered streets, damaged structures, and entire areas scarred by combat were now laid bare, with nothing left to hide them.

With a sigh, he opened his status window; after all, he had completed the mission assigned by the system. Plus, he had a hero summoning card.

The panel appeared with its usual cold detachment, indifferent to everything that had happened.

The gesture was automatic… but his mind wasn’t entirely at ease.

The reward had been extremely generous.

And that, precisely, was what worried him the most.

Adam Hall

Mid-ranking Knight [EXP: 103/1000]

Talent: A

Trait: Fencing (SSS) Hand-to-Hand Combat (D) Tracking (C) Mana Manipulation (B) Magic (SSS) Mana Perception (S)

Strength: 60 +

Stamina: 74 +

Agility: 59 +

Vitality: 62 +

Mana: 105 +

Statistics points: 19

My stats have gone up… but not by much.

His assessment was immediate, almost instinctive, as if he were already used to gauging his own progress without having to think too hard about it.

The first thing he looked at was his stats, followed by his stat points, which—since he hadn’t completed the daily quests—hadn’t increased enough, but that didn’t matter much to him.

Still, he noted the detail. Every point lost was an opportunity that wouldn’t come back.

It wasn’t ideal… but it wasn’t a surprise either.

It was the logical result of his recent decisions.

Adam knew he could improve his stats through training, but those points were something he didn’t want to give up; that’s why, whenever he could, he took on the mission.

Natural growth took time… too much time.

Even more so in an environment where falling behind meant death.

Now his gaze slowly drifted to the experience bar, which read 103 EXP. That number surprised him a little… Well, it had been quite a while since he’d checked his status window.

The number lingered in his mind for a moment.

Although when he thought about it carefully, it wasn’t surprising at all—when he went to the dungeon with Zev, he’d defeated many monsters while Zev was there too; plus, there were the ones he’d defeated when he helped the caravan.

He’d racked up more than he’d realized.

Adam let out a sigh and closed the status window; he moved carefully because every movement of his body screamed in pain.

A stark reminder… that he was barely still alive.

Al girarse por completo y ver a la demonia arrodillada frente a él, una sonrisa se le dibujó en los labios.

After Asterin had subdued her, she hadn’t said a single word, but whenever their eyes met, Adam noticed a faint blush on the demoness’s cheeks, which was quite ironic.

After all… just moments ago, she had been the one in control.

“What is your name?”

The demoness, without getting up from the floor and in a soft voice, replied:

“My name is Synes.”

Adam nodded; it didn’t strike him as strange that she had a name, since demonesses like her, over a thousand years old, always have a name, unlike those who haven’t lived very long.

A name… meant identity.

And also value.

“Very well, from now on, you are my slave. My orders are absolute; you can never say no. Understood?”

He moved close enough to the demoness as he gently caressed her face; upon seeing the desire in her eyes, his expression turned cold,d and he quickly pulled away.

There was no interest in that.

The demoness nodded in agreement.

Her submission was complete. Unquestionable.

That brought a dark smile to Adam’s lips; with her, he had a powerful asset for the battle against Migzar’s army… though he could sense that she was somewhat weakened.

She wasn’t in top form.

Perhaps it was because the summoning ritual had been performed in a hurry.

It made sense.

Suddenly, an idea struck Adam.

One that could change the course of everything.

“How long would it take you to bring an army of demons?”

The demoness Synes looked up, her eyes shining; there was emotion in them—dark and full of anticipation.

“Master, in human time, it would be four months.”

Four months is too short a time, yet too long, since by then…

The thought hung suspended in his mind, incomplete, as if he didn’t want to finish it aloud or even within himself.

Adam sighed inwardly and looked at Synes, who still had her demonic form.

His gaze lingered a moment longer than necessary, taking in every detail.

“Change that form of yours; it would be problematic if they saw you like that.”

Her tone was calm, but it left no room for argument.

Synes nodded, and with a snap of her fingers, the tentacles—which moved as if they were alive—merged with her body, transforming into a maid’s uniform.

The transformation was quick… too seamless, as if that form had always been there, waiting to emerge.

“Much better. Now let’s go.”

Adam left the room, followed by the demoness Synes.

…

As he made his way through the streets of Brenta, where here and there he saw families mourning the death of relatives killed in the attacks, he also saw the traces of his battle with the Synes madness, which is now his slave.

The weeping was quiet, restrained… as if the city still hadn’t fully grasped what had happened.

…Well, although Adam didn’t actually fight her, he was more like a straw dummy taking all the blows.

But that wasn’t the point, was it? In the end, who was the master and who was the slave?

The question lingered in his mind with an uncomfortable undertone.

Adam looked around, and the sight brought back memories of when they had weathered the onslaught of monsters; the destruction wasn’t on the same scale, but the impact was similar.

The damaged streets. The smell in the air. The feeling of having barely survived.

He glanced back and watched Synes walking behind him, calmly, as if nothing around him held his interest.

Thank goodness I was able to summon Asterin.

The thought came effortlessly.

If it weren’t for her, this entire city would have turned into a graveyard, and a thousand-year-old demon would be on the loose. Adam shuddered slightly at the thought.

The idea wasn’t an exaggeration.

It was real.

They continued until they finally reached the baron’s mansion, where he had refused to escort the princess.

The final stretch was silent, as if even the streets were careful not to disturb that place.

The building stood intact… almost as if it belonged to another world, distinct from the rest of the city.

Once at the entrance, they were greeted by the guards, who then led them to where the others were waiting.

Their gazes lingered a moment longer than usual on Adam… and especially on Synes.

The meeting room was spacious, with a long, dark wooden table taking up the center. Several people were already there.

The atmosphere was heavy.

Adam, looking around, recognized a few faces, most of them merchants, but now the princess and her maid were there as well. He took a seat and waited for them to speak.

Their eyes met briefly.

The baron, with his stern face, was the first to speak.

His voice filled the room with restrained authority.

“We have summoned you at the princess’s request, and I also wanted to thank you for helping my realm in this time of crisis. If you hadn’t intervened, things would have gotten much worse.”

The older man stood and bowed, but Adam frowned slightly; then he realized the princess had mentioned his involvement.

That explained the attention.

He smiled in acceptance of the thanks, his gaze fixed on Princess Alexandra, who was looking at him as well.

His expression didn’t give much away… but his interest was evident.

The baron composed himself and continued:

There was something measured about his demeanor as if he knew exactly how far to go.

“Well then, I shall take my leave; the princess wishes to have a private conversation with you.”

The words were spoken with deliberate intent.

The baron, followed by the others present, left the room, leaving only Adam, Synes, and Princess Alexandra behind.

The silence that followed… was heavier than any words.

…

[Author’s note: I apologize if this Chapter feels a bit rushed; since it’s my birthday, I haven’t been able to write as much as I’d like because I’ve been getting calls from my family and friends. I hope you enjoyed the Chapter.]

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