‘Poor thing…’

Reivan inwardly sighed as he gazed upon the pitiful woman, who was unable to show a shred of happiness even after vanquishing the biggest villain of her life.

The vacant look on her face said it all; she’d lost all purpose, and was now desperate to find something — anything — to cling to.

A morally questionable man would have found her current state to be perfect for manipulation. Just a few honeyed words mixed with feigned sincerity may have been enough to bring her in.

However, Reivan didn’t want to do that to a kindred spirit like Elsamina. Of course, he wanted her to help his cause and had every intention to gently push her in that direction, but if she ever strayed away and found some other endeavor, that would be perfectly fine as well.

Disappointing, perhaps. But he’d accept the loss and move on while cheering for her in his heart.

‘Hmm… What do I say though…?’

Despite their similarities in being unfortunate, the nature of that misfortune had taken on different forms. As such, Reivan couldn’t fully empathize with her.

Still, he had a nearly endless wealth of knowledge to draw from — by way of the numerous stories he’d read.

‘I hope this works…’

While praying that at least one of the novels he’d read had an author that actually did research on psychology — and that he’d luckily pick that author’s novel to draw knowledge from — Reivan cleared his throat and spoke.

“Well, for now, why don’t you get off that corpse? Furthermore, this isn’t really the best place to talk, so let’s get out of here.”

----------------------------------------

Elsamina followed Ken, Xanthus, and the two men out of the underground hideout. On her way, she saw the brutal slaughter that the intruders unleashed upon the Silver Cross guards.

The inner room where the higher-ups fought and died paled in comparison to the carnage in the reception hall. Corpses littered the floor like trash and the scent of blood filled the air. Elsamina had immediately given up on the futile endeavor of keeping her shoes clean since there wasn’t a single spot on the floor that wasn’t dirty.

Emerging aboveground, they found themselves inside a pub that, surprisingly, no longer reeked of death. Elsamina and Ken settled into seats across from each other, the table between them barely holding itself together.

“So,” Ken procured a flask of warm mead and a plate of cookies, pushing them toward Elsamina. “You asked me what you should do now?”

Elsamina nodded. “Yes.”

The long walk to the surface had given her plenty of time to regain some of her bearings. Earlier, she’d felt lost and without purpose. But she’d quickly realized she still had plenty of things to do.

For one thing, she still owed the mysterious youth a debt of gratitude for granting her the opportunity to exact vengeance upon Ballor. If nothing else, she wasn’t ungrateful enough to leave this world without paying him back in some way.

Whether the youth had intended to eliminate the detestable man from the beginning or was indifferent to the outcome, it made no difference to Elsamina.

‘One has to pay for one’s meals.’

It was one of the many lessons that her father had instilled in her, and despite her hatred for him, Elsamina intended to live by those words. As such, she had to return the favor to her greatest benefactor.

‘He’s so young, but he seems to have an interest in my body…’

Having been thrown into the world of adults long before puberty, Elsamina had no idea when boys usually started wanting to do those kinds of things. However, Ken’s maturity made her think that maybe he wasn’t that young at all.

‘He looks like he’s fifteen, so it should be fine. I suppose I can just offer that.’

With no other purpose aside from continued survival, Elsamina didn’t really care about her body at this point. If she could repay her benefactor, then so be it. Perhaps he’d like her enough to be kinder to the other girls in Arkhan too.

Ideally, he’d find them respectable jobs and homes in a safe city that was far away from the war front with Argonia, where they could live out a normal life. Perhaps if they hid their pasts well enough, they could even get married to a nice man and build a lovely family.

‘And besides…’

Ken seemed like he would be a much better alternative than someone like Desmor. In fact, she had never been with anyone younger than her… and was finding the idea surprisingly appealing.

“To repay you for your grace, I’ve decided to serve you from now on, Mr. Ken.” Elsamina stood up and curtsied. “From now on, you may do with my body as you wish.”

Her statement was met with silence for a few moments as the youth sat there, stunned.

“Wh—” Ken spluttered, his ears turning slightly red. “What in the world are you saying…”

“I’ve nobody to hate now and no family left to search for. As for the kids I’m taking care of back in Arkhan, Ballor’s demise has all but assured that they’ll live better lives. With that, I am without purpose or direction. If you would accept someone like me, I’d like to repay you for freeing me.”

“That seems a bit odd, no? You got away from slavery and then went straight into offering your… service to someone else?”

“I am not offering myself to someone else. I’m offering it to my benefactor in the hopes that he continues to take care of me and a few other people that I care for.”

“Hm. But still…”

“Master, do you find me undesirable?” Elsamina subtly shifted the front of her mantle to give the youth a healthy glimpse.

Just as expected, Ken’s gaze was pulled to her bosom almost immediately but was peeled away just as quickly. He gulped a mouthful of saliva and spoke. “That is not the case. At all.”

“Then what is the problem? All I ask is that you treat me and a few girls kindly…”

“Well, I already planned to take care of you anyway…” Ken’s eyes widened and he covered his mask-covered mouth. “Ah, wait…”

Elsamina couldn’t help but giggle as she watched the flustered youth. She’d never teased anyone before, but she found that it was quite fun.

‘So he planned to take me in from the start.’

The fact didn’t surprise her at all. If anything, she found men who showed no desire for her — like Xanthus and the men Ken brought with him — strange.

‘Oh, there were those knights at Aizen’s border too…’

Regardless, Ken seemed well informed about the Silver Cross and its activities, likely due to planning its downfall for a long time. It wasn’t strange for him to have gotten wind of “Ballor’s Favorite” and desired her for himself.

Elsamina felt somewhat happy about that fact. A mischievous grin bloomed on her face as she took a sip of the mead.

His eyes averted from her, Ken sighed. “I admit, I want you.”

“Wonderful.” Elsamina put her cup down and smiled. “Then—”

“But not in the way you’re thinking.” Ken interrupted.

Confused by his words, Elsamina couldn’t help but tilt her head a little. “What do you mean…?”

Instead of answering the question, the youth asked a question of his own. “What do you believe is Xanthus’ role in the Silver Cross?”

Elsamina furrowed her brows for a moment before answering. “Xanthus is… the head of the security division as well as intelligence gathering.”

“And what does that entail, exactly?”

“He’s the strongest warrior in the organization and has trained a fairly large force of elite warriors and other types of personnel....” she recited before realization struck her. “And he has eyes and ears everywhere…”

“Correct.” Ken chuckled. “In exchange for a very large sum of money, Xanthus betrayed the Silver Cross a very long time ago…”

‘That seems plausible…’

The silent warrior’s only visible desire from the very beginning had been money. From what she knew, he never partook in women or abused the authority and power he wielded, but when it came to money, Xanthus would take matters seriously.

As such, Elsamina didn’t doubt that Xanthus had been bought out by the mysterious youth backed by an unknown force.

‘I was wondering how I never got discovered… so it was because Xanthus had already betrayed the Silver Cross at that point, and as such, no longer cared about its downfall.’

“Have you realized?” Ken asked, an amused look in his eyes. “Xanthus decided for himself to leave you to your devices — even going as far as helping you in secret from time to time. He’d known all about your little movements from start to finish.”

‘As expected…’

From the start, her plan to slowly collapse Ballor’s businesses was a gamble with a low chance of success and an even lower chance that she’d survive the aftermath.

Self-aware that he was a hateful existence, Ballor had never trusted anyone. That was why he delegated a lot of sensitive tasks to his slaves, who couldn’t disobey him even if they wanted to.

Naturally, this had included Elsamina as well. And she’d used every chance she could get to gather the resources needed to uproot everything Ballor had built.

Although her collar prevented her from defying Ballor's commands, Elsamina had discovered that she had a surprising degree of freedom as long as she remained obedient. And it was this limited freedom that allowed her to prepare for the ultimate act of betrayal.

As his favorite slave, Ballor had tasked Elsamina with a wide array of secretive tasks. And over time, she’d documented every single thing in excruciating detail, gathered every bit of evidence she could afford to take, and even taken care to secure back-ups and witnesses.

All her efforts were aimed at one goal — to deliver everything she had gathered to someone who could wield it as a weapon against Ballor and bring about his downfall.

The plan had been to write down the location of where the stashes were, and with her dying breath, hand it over to someone like a rival organization’s higher-up.

Unfortunately, her efforts at making contact with someone from another organization that could rival the Silver Cross had been moot. In exchange, she’d built a large network of connections that would keep an eye out for such organizations and inform her about them.

‘If only Ballor hadn’t suddenly asked me to come with him to Aizen…’

She was so close to succeeding on her own too. And although she managed to hand over the locations of her stashes to someone she could trust, Elsamina didn’t trust that person to have the ability to continue gathering information.

At least, she had thought, if the information she’d already gathered were used properly, it would deal a good blow to Ballor.

‘Well, this outcome ended up being better.’

Ballor was not only dead, but the organization’s leader had changed to someone who felt like a decent person. And she was alive too, even though she didn’t see the point of living anymore.

Elsamina heaved a weary sigh. “So? You know all about what I was doing. What does that have to do with the current situation?”

If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

Ken chuckled. “I believe that someone like you should act as the leader for the organization I’m establishing.”

----------------------------------------

‘Heh. Get a load of the look on her face.’

Reivan held back a snicker as he looked at the speechless beauty in front of him. It was a bit petty, but he felt it was sufficient payback for her previous teasing — not that he didn’t like the view.

Finally regaining her words, Elsamina frowned and looked at him. “Pardon me for asking, but have you gone crazy, perhaps?”

“Everyone’s a little crazy. But last time I checked, I’m still capable of making logical decisions.”

“Then why would you make me the leader…? Weren’t you supposed to be the leader?”

“Yes.”

“Th— Oh, wait, so you are the leader?" The redhead cradled her head, her brows furrowed. "I’m so confused now.”

Reivan chuckled. “While I am still the head honcho, I’m quite busy. I won’t be around to manage the organization most of the time — in particular, any activities within the republic will be too troublesome. As such, you will be the acting head honcho… the vice-leader, if you will.”

“Oh…” Elsamina nodded slowly, ruminating on his words before tilting her head to the side. “Aren’t there better options…? Xanthus, for one thing.”

“Xanthus is very good at certain things while being very bad at others. Managing an organization that isn’t solely based in combat or espionage is part of the latter.”

“Then Greyviel…”

At this, Reivan sighed. “You are living proof that you shouldn’t place too much trust in something like a slave collar. I’m sure he’s thinking of a way to betray me as we speak.”

“That’s true, I suppose…” Elsamina nodded in apparent agreement.

Seeing that she was still hesitating, Reivan did his best to voice his sincerity. “Ms. Elsamina, I believe that someone with your abilities and nature is perfect for the organization that I wish to build. It would mean a lot to me if you gave me your aid, not as a means to express your gratitude, but because you want to.”

“Not as a way to express my gratitude, huh…” she muttered, a strange look on her pretty face as she rested her elbows on the table. “So you don’t want my gratitude?”

“I didn’t say that. I just didn’t want you to express it in that way.” Reivan loosened his collar, resisting the urge to peek into the gap in her cloak. While inwardly cursing his pre-pubescent body, he continued.

“Although I intend to make drastic changes in how things are run, in the end, the organization will still be involved in unsavory businesses — which means that danger is a given. I don’t want you diving back into the underworld for the sake of repaying debts when you could be living out a peaceful life instead.”

Elsamina said nothing, only looking into his eyes for a few moments.

Reivan did his best to remain unwavering, sincerely looking back into her beautiful emerald eyes. However, he eventually couldn’t take her teasing any longer.

“Kindly stop trying to tempt me.”

“You have amazing self-control for someone so young.” Elsamina giggled and fixed her cloak.

She actually hadn’t been showing much. It wouldn’t have even counted as “revealing” by his old world’s standards. But he just couldn't resist her allure for some reason. The way her pearly white skin glistened, the faint womanly scent wafting into his nose, and the pleasant sound of her voice...

All of it made his heartbeat quicken.

Fortunately, he was a man of sound morals and great discipline, otherwise, he would've thrown caution to the wind and pounced on her.

'This has got to be the effect of some kinda special ability. I'm not such a horny person! I'm normal!'

Convinced that her irresistible allure was the work of something supernatural, Reivan used [Supreme Insight] to take a better look at her.

~^+— Unit's Statistics —+^~

Name: Elsamina

Species: Human

Realm: Mortal

Age: 25

Sex: Female

Special Abilities [NONE]

Might: 7 Extra Skills Elemental Affinities: [Fire] [NONE]

Favor: (Interest / Gratitude) 71 / 100 Threat Level: This unit is too weak

'Shit. How does this make any sense!?'

At this point, he could only chalk it up to how he’d been a virgin for a combined total of more than forty years. In fact, if he counted how he’d been stuck in a dream for an immeasurable amount of time, one could even argue that he’d been a virgin far longer than the existence of humanity itself.

If anyone had the right to be horny, it was him.

Even after he’d gained an increased resistance to pretty women because Kyouka had been stuck to him like glue for most of his life, that still didn’t change the fact that his little guy had never gotten any action!

‘It must be her hormones or whatever, right? Or was it pheromones...? They must be running on overdrive all the time or something. Dammit.’

As Reivan sat there stunned, he was brought back to reality by Elsamina’s giggling.

“Am I that pretty?” She playfully concealed her smile behind her delicate hand, her eyes twinkling with mischief. With a graceful gesture, she swept a stray lock of hair behind her ear, a subtle yet alluring movement that accentuated her beauty. “You’ve been staring at my face for so long. And so blatantly too… You're free to take a closer look, you know?”

‘Oh god... I can’t believe I did that thing that system users in novels do…’

He dispersed the semi-transparent screen in front of his face and smiled. Luckily, he’d been “staring” at her face while examined her stats, and not somewhere else.

“Sorry about that. And yes, you are very pretty.” Reivan teased back, not wanting to be on the back foot all the time. “It's just that your beauty is truly captivating. I couldn't help but be momentarily lost in admiration."

Elsamina's laughter danced in the air, her eyes sparkling with a mix of amusement and delight. However, the next moment, she turned serious once more.

“I’ll be serious here, Sir Ken,” she said, crossing her arms. “In the past, I’d have run away from this kind of life, never looking back ever again.”

“Understandable.”

“Now, I don’t really care either way. And I still have people I wish to look after, so I don’t intend to do that. For now.”

“The girls back in Ballor’s main brothel?” Reivan nodded in understanding. “You don’t have to worry about them, I have people back in Arkhan who will make sure they’re safe from anything Ballor had planned… which turned out to be a very slow-acting poison that would have killed them all if he didn’t return in time to administer the antidote. Luckily, the poison is well-known and we’ve prepared antidotes ahead of time.”

“It seems like I have another thing I have to thank you for…” Elsamina clasped her trembling hands in on the table, as if in prayer, and bowed to him. “Thank you. Thank you so much.”

“Think nothing of it.” Reivan dismissed with a wave of his hand. “I’m just taking care of my future employees.”

“Future employees…?” Elsamina looked up, a slight frown on her face. “And what will their jobs entail, exactly…?”

“Not whatever you think, surely. With your and their permission, I’ll have them work under you. Though they will have to receive a bit of training and education, particularly in writing, reading, and basic mathematics. Oh, but if they wish, they can continue with their current line of work… though I highly doubt they'd want to. They can also just leave. I’ll send them off with a tidy sum to help them start over — the offer is available to you as well, by the way.”

“I see…” Elsamina looked down in thought before she sprung up, her eyes filled with resolve. “I’ll work for you. No, please let me work for you.”

“Are you sure...?”

“Yes. If only to ensure that those girls will live well, then I’ll do anything.”

“I see.” Reivan smiled widely under his mask while internally pumping his fist in celebration. “Welcome aboard, vice-leader.”

“Thank you for having me, master.” Elsamina’s lips formed an enchanting smile.

“Master…?” He frowned, looking away from her. “Shouldn’t it be boss or sir?”

“Do you dislike it?”

“Not in particular…”

“Then master it is,” she decided. “Oh, and can I ask for a small favor before I actually join?”

“I just called you the vice-leader so I thought you’ve already joined…” Reivan grumbled but then sighed. He gestured for her to go on with his hand.

“Thank you, master.” Elsamina dipped her head slightly. “If it wouldn’t be too much trouble, I would like to see my greatest benefactor’s face.”

“Oh. My face…”

‘What should I do here…’

After thinking about it for a bit, he was in disguise. That's why it was all but impossible for her to see a connection between his current persona and Aizen’s second prince — not that she’d know what the second prince from a foreign nation looked like anyway.

‘And besides, the gang members already saw my fake face…’

Deciding that there were no problems with showing off a fabricated face, Reivan took off his mask. “There, happy?”

“Thank you for indulging my request, master.” Elsamina scanned him with her eyes and nodded. “I knew it. You’re really handsome. You’ll have no trouble seducing girls in the future.”

"Bah." Reivan waved her off and stood up. "I assume that's it? You're now truly my subordinate, yes?"

"Yes, master. This humble one's body and soul is yours to command."

"Phrasing, please. Fix it." He warned before sighing in exasperation. "We won't be seeing each other for a while since I'll be shipping you back to the republic after this."

Elsamina looked visibly upset at this. "Can't I stay a bit more? I've always dreamed about Aizen, you see..."

"Worgon hardly represents Aizen, so you're not missing anything. Besides, you can come back here during your free time in the future. I can get you as many vacation visas to Aizen as you want."

"Really? Then... can I bring others with me...?"

"Yes, you can."

"Thank you, master!"

Reivan averted his gaze from the excited woman, who'd neglected to hide her outrageous assets.

'It's hard to be a gentleman...'

"It's late now, so my men will escort you to the inn that Ballor has reserved and paid for already." Reivan placed a small pouch on the table. "Tomorrow afternoon, you and Xanthus will ride the ferry back to Arkhan. You can spend the time before that as you see fit. And here's a bonus that you can spend however you want."

"Understood." Elsamina stood up and bowed as low as she could, her face devoid of mischief. "Once again, thank you, master. For everything."

"I plan to work you to the bone, so don't thank me yet."

With a smirk, Reivan turned around and made to leave through the ruined pub's door. Just as he was about to step through the doorway, he remembered something.

He turned around and called out. "Miss Elsamina."

"Yes, master?" she tilted her head. "Oh, and you can just call me Elsa."

"Then, Elsa." Reivan nodded, thinking nothing of it. "Containers must be emptied before they can be filled."

"What?" His words did nothing but confuse her, it seemed.

Undeterred, he continued. "Right now, the loss of many things and the accomplishment of your vengeance may have caused you to feel like you lack purpose. Maybe you feel like you're just an empty husk now."

Elsamina's shoulders twitched as if he'd stepped on her tail.

"But do remember that you cannot fill a cup that's full. You may have lost the family you were hoping to meet one day, and the man you desired to slay, but... there are other things that can fill your heart, not just hope, sadness, and vengeance. Friends and comrades, hobbies and dreams, maybe even love. Life has so much more to it — so much you can be passionate about. And I hope you can rediscover its beauty one day."

"Master..."

"Well, that's all." Reivan cleared his throat, slightly embarrassed that the speech he ripped off resonated with him more than he expected. "We'll meet again when I see you off to Arkhan."

He turned around, leaving her to ruminate on his words. But just as he was about to walk through the doorway, he was stopped — again.

"Master, wait!"

"What is it this time..."

'I swear to god if she teases me with those tits of hers, I'll go nuts and just grab it. You can't push a man too far, you know!'

"I will take your words to heart. But there was something I was meaning to ask..."

"Speak."

"The organization..." Elsamina looked him in the eyes and smiled. "You didn't tell me what it was called yet. Surely you don't intend to keep the old name, right?"

"Oh, that's true..."

'Crap. I haven't thought of one yet!'

He racked his brain for ideas when he was struck with inspiration.

Back in his past life, Zell — disguised as Bertram — had run The Coiling Serpent charity organization on a whim. Reivan's discovery of it had actually been the catalyst for them to form a bit of a bond. Of course, she had known Reivan way before that, but without Reivan's exaggerated donation to the foundation, Zell wouldn't have visited Reivan just before he died. The resulting future may have been entirely different from the one he was living now.

The Coiling Serpent.

Reivan's vast experience in reading web novels had given him some obscure knowledge and trivia of various things, including — but not limited to — serpents.

Cultural, historical, and contextual factors aside, Serpents were a symbol of healing due to how medicine could be made from their poison. They were also a symbol of transformation and rebirth due to how they shed their skin and grew a new set every time.

Aside from that, a coiling serpent also symbolized infinity and eternity.

'Yep. I really like it. Let's go with that.'

Thinking about it, Reivan realized that the symbol embodied his past, his present, and his ambitions for the future.

It was perfect for him.

'And I have a snake friend too, so it matches me even more!'

That pretty much settled it then.

"Ouroboros."

Reivan smiled to himself, savoring how the name rolled off his tongue.

"We are Ouroboros."