The slave trader let out a loud scream of terror. His legs gave out beneath him, and he began crawling across the ground in panic, dragging himself desperately until he could hide behind Zubi. His breathing came in ragged gasps, and every time his eyes fell on Lioran's blood-covered face, a muffled whimper escaped his throat.
"Monster… a monster… he's a monster… help…Commander Zubi, help me!"
But Zubi stood frozen in place. The sword in his hand trembled uncontrollably. His eyes were wide, almost bulging from their sockets, and a cold sweat had formed across his forehead.
Inside his mind, thoughts crashed one after another like heavy blows.
'Am I going to die here?
In my entire life… this is the only time I agreed to do something this filthy just for money… and even that was because I had no choice…'
His gaze drifted back to Lioran's blood-stained face.
'Am I really going to pay for this one mistake… at the hands of that monster?'
At last the trader managed to crawl behind Zubi. Tears streamed down his face, and in a trembling voice he kept whispering under his breath,
"Monster… monster… monster…"
Zubi seemed frozen with terror. His breath wouldn't come, and his gaze was helplessly locked onto Lioran.
Lioran walked toward them slowly, without the slightest hurry, and said,
"I told you from the very beginning to watch your words… because I'm not a kind or patient man. But it seems neither of you listens to anyone."
With every step Lioran took closer, the trembling in Zubi and the trader grew worse, as if even the ground beneath their feet could no longer bear them.
Lioran continued speaking.
"But don't worry… as I said before, I currently need loyal dogs. So I'll give you another chance… and turn you into my own dogs."
But the two of them were paralyzed with fear. They had neither the strength to run nor even the power to answer.
Lioran stopped walking and stood directly in front of Zubi. The tip of Zubi's trembling sword slowly and unintentionally pressed against Lioran's chest.
Zubi lifted his head with deep shock and dread, staring straight into Lioran's cold eyes.
"Didn't I say I'd give you another chance?"
Lioran's voice was calm, yet its weight seemed to settle over the air itself.
"Then why aren't you kneeling before me and showing your gratitude?"
Zubi didn't move. It was as if time itself had stopped for him. His breath wouldn't come, and his mind had gone blank.
Lioran's hand suddenly rested against his face. A deadly chill passed through Zubi's skin, and a shiver raced down his spine without permission. Lioran's fingers slowly moved upward and stopped right in front of Zubi's brown eyes.
Lioran whispered,
"Surely you don't want to end up like those three… do you?"
Zubi's heart pounded wildly in his chest.
His gaze drifted and locked onto his sword.
The tip of the blade was pressed directly against Lioran's chest.
With fear and hesitation, he thought,
'Why is my sword pressed right against his heart…? Did he do that on purpose, or did he not notice and it happened by accident?'
He drew in a heavy breath.
'It doesn't matter now… This… this is the best chance. Maybe the only chance I have to kill him…'
Suddenly Lioran's voice cut through his thoughts and dragged him back to reality.
"Why aren't you answering me? Don't tell me you think that if you push your sword just a little, it will pierce my heart and I'll die. Are you planning to betray your future master? Go ahead. Try it—if you have the courage."
At those words, fear washed over Zubi again like a wave of cold water. His eyes locked onto Lioran's blood-stained face, and in that instant he understood—
It was a trap.
His thoughts trembled.
'No… this monster wouldn't place himself in front of a sword for no reason. I'm sure even if I push it the slightest bit… my head will leave my shoulders.'
In his mind, he saw himself…
Standing alone with a sword in his hand, facing an enormous, endless mountain.
A mountain whose very shadow crushed the breath in his lungs.
He realized it didn't matter how much strength he used,
didn't matter how sharp his sword was—
His strike wouldn't leave even a scratch on it.
His throat went dry as the truth crashed down on him like a hammer.
'Fighting him… it's like striking a sword against a mountain so vast it reaches the skies.'
And he knew very well—
Mountains never fall.
It is the sword that breaks.
His sword began to tremble. His eyes widened, and the blade slipped from his hands, hitting the ground with a harsh clatter. In a shaky voice, he stammered:
"No… no… you've misunderstood… how could I ever dare to do such a thing?"
Lioran lifted his hand from his face.
"Then why are you still standing in front of me instead of kneeling?"
Zubi, as if finally realizing his only chance of survival, dropped to his knees without hesitation. He placed his hands on the ground and pressed his forehead firmly into the dirt.
"Please forgive my insolence, my lord…"
Lioran shot him a cold glance and said:
"Well done… that's better. Now tell me—who are you, and what did you want with these children?"
Without lifting his head, Zubi began to explain:
"Yes, my lord… my name is Zubi, and I am the commander of the Second Division of Duke Orestal's forces. The man behind me is Goba, a slave trader. He came here to capture a few black-skinned children and sell them…"
"And you… a commander of one of the city forces… what are you doing here?"
Lioran asked.
Zubi, still with his forehead pressed to the ground, replied immediately:
"There are several strong warriors among the black-skinned people who previously defeated the trader's soldiers and prevented their people from being taken. That's why he asked for my help… and I, due to the poor economic situation of Duke Jinf Orestal, haven't received my salary for months. I needed the money… so I accepted his offer and helped him."
"Hmm…"
Lioran fell silent for a moment after hearing him, his gaze fixed on the ground, as if piecing something together in his mind.
"So they intended to turn these children into their slaves."
A heavy silence fell for a few seconds. Then, as if something had come to mind, Lioran asked again:
"Did you see a dragon around here yesterday?"
"A dragon? … No, my lord. Such creatures don't live in a continent like this, where the mana is so low."
Lioran was silent for a moment. His gaze passed over Zubi, but his mind was elsewhere.
"Then my guess was right. If I want to find that damned dragon, I'll have to travel to other continents…"
He fell into thought, then slowly returned his gaze—first to Zubi, still kneeling, and then to the man lying behind him on the ground. Goba breathed quietly, motionless, so lifeless it seemed as if he had deliberately pretended to be dead.
Lioran stared at the two of them for a few seconds, thinking about what to do next, then asked Anahita:
"Anahita, do you know any magic? Something that would make them loyal and prevent betrayal? I can't trust them otherwise. If you don't know, I'll have to kill them right here."
"Hmm... wait a moment. I think I used to know a spell like that..."
Hearing lioran's question, Anahita placed her hand on her chin and fell into silence. The darkness around her remained still, but the focus in her gaze grew heavier. A few minutes passed; suddenly, the light surrounding her body came alive and grew brighter.
"Yeah, I do know one. Okay, I'm sending it to your brain now."
She closed her eyes. She gathered her thoughts, shaping the spell in her mind, and after a few moments of silence, her voice rang out.
"Did you analyze it?"
Lioran closed his eyes and began analyzing what had just been sent to his mind.
'Hmm... [Enslavement Spell]... Yeah. Well done, it's a really good spell... I think this magic was made especially for me. To tame these idiots like this.'
Hearing his praise, Anahita placed her hand under her nose, tilted it up slightly, and smiled a proud smile.
"Now do you realize my greatness? Show a little gratitude..."
"Fine... fine. When we get to the city, you can eat whatever you want."
That one word was enough. As soon as the word "food" reached Anahita's ears, it was as if new life surged through her. The light around her body grew a bit brighter, and she shouted joyfully:
"Finally... my celebration has arrived... Tonight I'm going to eat so much I'll explode!"
'If you eat too much, I'll be the one exploding, not you...'
Then he reached his hand toward the two people lying on the ground in front of him. His gaze was cold and steady.
"Alright, my last question for you two... lift your heads."