Chapter 313: Behind the Shadows
Old 5 bowed his head slightly, tucking his hands inside the sleeves of his robes.
"I regret that you doubt me, but I understand," said Old 5. "As a boss, one must be meticulous."
"I am sorry, but I need to make sure everything is correct," said Alexander, giving him a gentle pat on the shoulder. "I wouldn’t want to answer to the organization and be unable to explain any discrepancy."
"I understand, Leader. Count on us for whatever you need," answered Old 5 with a respectful bow.
Alexander offered him one last friendly smile, turned around, and began heading up the wooden stairs toward the second floor. However, the second his face was out of the men’s sight, his expression turned sub-zero.
You old bastard... thought Alexander, clenching his jaw with suppressed rage. You claim that doesn’t get logged? Either you were testing me to see how sharp I was, or you were setting a trap for me to hand me over to the organization on a silver platter. I’ll have to keep a close eye on you.
Upon pushing open the door to the main room, he found the three women in the exact same spot paralyzed. No one had dared to take a step; the mere threat of the blood contract kept their bodies pushed to the brink. In the kingdom of Sandoria, slavery was strictly forbidden under any circumstances, except for major war crimes, making such a sentence utterly unthinkable for the three of them.
"We can only blame ourselves for being so blind and picking this guy as an enemy," said the blonde under her breath, staring intently at the floorboards.
"Damn it!" muttered the brunette. "I didn’t expect him to have awakened so soon. What the hell was the Adventurers Guild thinking? Aren’t they supposed to pass a rigorous exam to approve awakening?"
"That bitch Kiara must have her pussy way too desperate to hand over the stone right along with her ass," spat the black-haired woman with malice.
"You shouldn’t talk like that about my dear friend Kiara," said Alexander, shutting the door behind him with a sharp click. "If I misinterpret that, it might hurt."
The three mercenaries jumped in terror as they realized Alexander had returned so quickly. Dropping into panic, they collapsed to their knees on the spot, turning pale at the sheer threat of experiencing that soul-crushing brain pain all over again.
"Come on, I’m not that terrifying," said Alexander, waving a casual hand. "Take a seat, we have plenty of time to talk."
The three mercenaries cautiously pushed themselves up from the floor and walked slowly toward a leather couch against the side wall, squeezing together without daring to break the silence.
Alexander moved over to the bed and sat on the edge. With a slight groan, he began unbuckling his armor straps and pulling off his steel boots, letting them drop to the floorboards with a heavy thud.
"How do people endure these steel boots?" said Alexander, flexing his feet with relief. "It’s horrible having to haul this weight around, even if they do look awesome."
The three women kept their heads hung low, staring intently at the rug while pressing their thighs tight together, terrified of making the slightest misstep.
"Alright, let’s get down to it," said Alexander, sitting up on the mattress and locking his gaze onto them. "The rules are simple: you talk, I don’t torture you. You don’t talk, I start torturing you. Like I said, I’m pretty soft when it comes to women, so I don’t want to hurt you too much... but if you don’t behave, I won’t have a choice."
"You, massage my feet. You, my shoulders," said Alexander, pointing to the brunette and the black-haired woman. "I feel exhausted."
The two women obeyed the command immediately. The blonde, who appeared to be the leader of the group, stood staring at him. After letting out a deep sigh, she stepped forward.
"Tell us, Master, how can we help you?" asked the blonde, lowering her eyes. "After everything that’s happened, it’s obvious you are the winner. I’m not asking you to forgive us; I’m only asking for a little mercy for us."
All three women remained terrified. They still didn’t know Alexander’s true character, but they knew perfectly well what they had intended to do to him. If he treated them the same way, a lifetime of pain, suffering, and humiliation awaited them. To make matters worse, they couldn’t even resort to suicide: the contract’s curse prevented any attempt on their own lives by triggering a surge of agony before they could go through with it. Having already felt a fraction of that pain, they had no desire to experience it again.
"You’re asking for mercy?" said Alexander, leaning his back against the headboard as he felt his slaves’ hands kneading his tense muscles. "Well, I’m not overly unreasonable. You tried to kidnap me... you wanted to sell me off to a brothel and collect the bounty. So, how do you think I should treat you?"
The blonde collapsed to her knees instantly, pressing her forehead against the wooden floorboards in a gesture of submission. Pure desperation squeezed her chest, making her tremble violently as tears of humiliation welled in her eyes.
"We deserve nothing, Master," said the blonde, her voice cracking with sheer panic. "We will obey your orders with total obedience and live only for you. Please show a little mercy... you are magnanimous, possessing the aura of a scholar and a greatness that surpasses anyone in this kingdom."
The words poured frantically from her lips, a desperate flood of flattery meant to stave off the looming threat of torture. Every second of silence weighed like a slab of iron upon the three mercenaries, whose pride had been utterly crushed. The certainty that the slightest thought of rebellion would trigger unbearable agony inside their minds kept them trapped in a hell of terror, willing to debase themselves to any length just to cling to a shred of leniency.
Alexander looked down at them from the bed with a faint smile, savoring the full weight of his dominance while his slaves’ hands continued to work on his tired body.