The second Bastion entered Daisy's room, he immediately recognized the Great Fate surrounding the attendant and moved to ascertain the specifics of his task. Once he had the information he wanted and determined the attendant to be a non-threat, he decided to finish up this deal with the Viscount.
He activated the marker he had placed on Daisy and Kit, temporarily sealing their memories starting from when the mark was placed, ensuring the Viscount wouldn't find out about Kit's secrets. Then he met up with the Viscount in private to finalize the deal regarding Daisy.
"So," Bastion said as he sat opposite the noble, with his desk between them. "How much do you want for the bride price?"
Unlike his deal with Ariel's father when he was the duke, he had no political power in this kingdom. Hence, he was on the losing end of the trade, unable to pull the same trick he had with Ariel. He was essentially forced to pay whatever this Viscount demanded, while the Viscount could be as blunt as he wanted given his nobility.
"You have to understand," the Viscount said as he leaned back. "Daisy is quite popular with the nobles, given her femininity, gentle personality, and beauty. I would be making quite a number of enemies if I simply sold her off to some random merchant. I would need assurances that my family and estate remain safe from offending all these interested parties."
"How does 10 magic crystals sound?" Bastion asked bluntly. "Given your Apprentice Rank strength, you should be able to easily reach Rank 1 with the right guards and protections."
Normally, a single magic crystal would be the maximum bride price for any noble's daughter, but that was the convention in a Rank 2 kingdom where Bastion had been operating. Here, the Rank 3 border kingdom's wealth meant a magic crystal was worth less, so he increased the offer accordingly to guarantee the deal was unquestionable, outbidding any competing offers of political power or connections.
"Acceptable," the Viscount said as he leaned in with unconcealed interest. "But it does not answer my immediate concerns."
"Don't tell me you can't purchase powerful enough protections with 10 magic crystals?" Bastion asked with a raised brow.
"Of course not!" the Viscount exclaimed. "Money is a liability if you simply place it in my lap without giving me the strength to protect it. I need more than what any other wealthy merchant can offer if I am forced to offend all the other interested parties."
Bastion sighed heavily, taking on a pained expression before waving his hand, producing Rank 2 full plate black armor, a whip sword, and a shield. One of the hundreds of spares he had enchanted for fun.
"This is my primary Rank 2 armor and weapon set, enchanted for speed. It's one of my most valuable possessions. If you wear it, it should allow you to reach Rank 1 with minimal effort as you cull Rank 1 enemies in droves. This should give you the protection you need against your enemies and improve your standing in life."
Strength was the greatest desire any individual had, more than anything else. Status, wealth, longevity, and happiness could all be attained with relative ease once strength was secured, and to secure it, they needed to cross the 10% survivability threshold that accompanied the climb to greater power. Hence, the most valuable offering Bastion could give was equipment that could guarantee its acquisition.
"That and the 10 magic crystals will suffice," the Viscount said, greed clear in his eyes.
"Very well, but I want the attendant as part of the bargain," Bastion insisted.
"What do you want that slave for?" the Viscount asked with suspicion.
"Daisy seems attached to him, and I'd like to make her as happy as possible to gain her trust. Otherwise, I'd have a far more complicated start to our relationship."
Finding Bastion's request reasonable, the Viscount nodded. "Very well. He still has 2 years left on his contract, which should be more than enough time for my daughter to adjust to her new way of life. Shall we shake on it and seal the deal?"
"We will have to do a bit more than that," Bastion said as he took out a magic contract and wrote down the terms of their agreement in full, with the Viscount relinquishing all authority over Daisy and Kit in exchange for the money and equipment Bastion was offering.
"How very cautious of you," the Viscount said as he read over the contract.
"I am a merchant, after all," Bastion replied.
Once the contract was signed, Bastion received Kit's slavery contract along with the Viscount's declaration of Daisy's independence, stripping him of any authority over her life, including the right to arrange her marriage to anyone other than Bastion. With the deal concluded, Bastion immediately departed with Seraphina, Daisy, and Kit, unwilling to spend another moment in the Viscount's company.
As soon as they returned to the carriage in the open market, Bastion removed the mark suppressing their memories, allowing Kit to recall their earlier conversation. He then demanded to know what advantage Kit possessed that would allow him to fulfill the Goddess of Paw's fated task.
"I… I…" Kit struggled, fighting off the compulsion imposed by the slavery contract, but eventually caved in, unable to resist. "I have the power to access a website that allows me to buy Earth products in exchange for currency."
"Wait!" Seraphina shouted, standing in shock. "You can buy Earth goods from a website? Is that where the candies came from?"
"Answer her question," Bastion commanded.
"Y-yes," Kit admitted with difficulty.
"Jackpot!" Seraphina shouted, pouring out a mountain of loose change made up of copper to platinum coins while listing random Japanese foods. "Buy me mochi! Sushi! Ramen! Oh! Soy sauce!"
"Hold on," Bastion said with a smile, placing an enchanted quill and stacks of paper in front of Kit. "Kit, why don't you write out all the options available and their prices."
Compelled through the slavery contract, Kit began listing everything while Daisy watched in shock.
"Kit… have you always been able to do this?"
"Yes," Kit admitted as he continued writing. "I was sent here from Earth by the Goddess of Paws to inspire a food culture using this power of mine. I was actually 38 years old when I died and was born into this world."
"By the Goddess herself?" Daisy exclaimed. "Why did you never tell me?"
"I didn't trust your father, Daisy. The last thing I want is to be controlled by anyone against my will," Kit said, flashing a nasty look at Bastion, who only shrugged in response.
"Then why did you sell yourself into slavery?"
"I needed the capital to become an adventurer and gain strength so I could start a business without being harassed by thugs or nobles."
"No noble would dare control or hinder you if you simply went to the church. You're a hero, Kit, sent by the Goddess herself. Why did you never go to them?"
"I didn't know if I could trust the priests. The Goddess complained that they messed up her revelation by turning half the kingdom into grazing fields. I was afraid they would try to hinder me or force me to repeat the same mistakes, so I planned to do everything myself or trust your father when I was purchased. But I lost trust in your father when he tried to sell your marriage to the highest bidder."
"Kit…" Daisy said with a soft smile as she approached and hugged him. "You poor thing."
"Aww, isn't that sweet?" Seraphina said, briefly distracted by their moment as she read the options Kit was writing down.
Daisy took a deep breath, released Kit, then turned to Bastion with a determined look before asking, "What do you intend to do with us?"
"You? Nothing. You're free to go as you please. Feel free to tell all the royals, priests, and nobles about Kit's power and allow them to take advantage of him by threatening your life," Bastion said with a knowing smile. "Unlike you, I have the power to negotiate with them through strength if necessary and can sell Kit to them once I'm done with him. You, on the other hand, will likely end up marrying them or their son since you're quite cute."
Daisy instantly felt all the blood drain from her face from having her intentions so easily called out. It proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that she was weak and easily taken advantage of, as Kit had told her time and again.
"As for Kit," Bastion continued. "I own him for 2 more years and will be making full use of his unique powers for my wife's and maid's sake. Once they've obtained everything they've taken an interest in through his power, I'll try to negotiate with him to fulfill his task. Hopefully, he won't be hostile by then. But if he is, it's a good thing he's my slave for 2 more years, isn't it?"
"Bastion! Stop being so mean to the poor girl," Seraphina said.
"They're treating their savior like a villain," Bastion said, shrugging. "If they want me to become a villain so badly, I don't mind fulfilling their wishes. I mean, look at them scowling at me despite the fact I freed Daisy from becoming a political tool and Kit from watching his beloved being taken advantage of by others. If they're too stupid to realize how good they currently have it, then I don't really care to cater to their lack of vision and childishness."
Seraphina sighed, shook her head, but said nothing, giving her husband the benefit of the doubt.
Daisy and Kit, meanwhile, realized that Bastion was somewhat right. Unfortunately, they couldn't see through his words, given that they were in such a disadvantaged position. It was, after all, quite difficult to trust a predator who held all the power over its prey.
"What do you want from me?" Kit asked, trying to get answers to his doubts.
"I've already told you," Bastion said. "I get points for completing other heroes' tasks, so that is what I am planning on doing."
"But you'll need me to cooperate. I doubt you'll be able to get anywhere in just the 2 years you would own me."
"That's where you're wrong," Bastion said confidently. "Do you understand your power's weakness compared to the task you must complete?"
"That I lack capital?"
"No, that's an easy problem to fix if you have time and strength, which I have in spades. Your real issue is rank. Right now, your food only scales to Apprentice Rank consumers, so it won't satisfy Rank 1 or 2 beings, which is what the Goddess's task actually requires. They are the majority of this kingdom's wealthy individuals, after all. To reach them, you'd need cooks to recreate your products using higher-rank ingredients. I can handle that once I have enough samples for my maid to replicate the flavors without you. That means I don't need your power long-term, just long enough to collect what I need."
"So, tell me, Kit," Bastion continued. "Can you still afford to consider me your enemy?"
"No," Kit said as he continued to copy his website's options.
"Good," Bastion said as he took out a magic contract and began writing. "This is my one and only offer to help you. Ignore it, and we will be competing rather than cooperating."
Kit read it over and found it to be an investor contract. Essentially, Bastion would be supporting Kit financially as he opened a business to sell his food. In exchange, Bastion would own 10% of the profits Kit himself would make for the next millennium.
"What do you say, Kit? Do you want to start a business?"
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