Going along the dim passage, I could see a figure blending in the dark.

"You are here, Milord." Greeted Renata.

"Yeah...Are we ready to go?" I replied.

"We can set off right this instant." Answered her amicably.

I nodded in reply. "Okay. Lead the way."

"By your will, Milord."

As we traced along the silent and damp passage, a lone door could be seen standing in the distance.

This was one of the many passages Melkor had built in case things went south and he needed to escape. Not that we would have let him run away back when we hit his slave house, but still, he could've at least bought some good minutes by having his guards stall for him while he ran for his dear life.

That inflated ego that dared to think that nobody would try to cross him was the reason behind his doom.

Anyway, that's that about Melkor. Now, back to the topic at hand.

The door creaked open, and a sudden burst of lights rushed through from the other side.

"See that~? Look how dandy and healthy he is. Shepherd's fine." Clara's teasing arrived soon after.

"Are you really fine? Aren't you hurt?" On the contrary, Margareth was filled with nothing but anxiety.

Renata and Trodin's previous ragged state might've played a part in that.

"I'm fine. Well, I got a bit reckless, but it was nothing I couldn't handle. And as you all can see...Still alive and talking." I waved my arm around to assure her that I wasn't lying.

"Impossible...Impossible!!" Roared the Marquess.

"Hey, hey, we're talking here~ Shut your mouth before I stitch it for you, hm?" Clara mildly pressed her heel at Marquess Pearl's cheek, burying his face flat into the cold, hard pavement.

"He's all battered up and dirty...We need him to bypass the guards, but anyone can see from miles away that we are taking him hostage like this." I expressed my concern.

The man looked to be in a much worse place than when I last saw him, and I could guess why.

"It's fine~ Nobles usually bring a change of clothes on their carriage. A little roughing from time to time can't hurt. If else, this will let our Marquess know that we can be very easy to work with, depending on whether he has the right attitude or not. Don't you think so too, Sir?" Teased Clara, running her heel in a circular motion on the man's cheek.

"Hii! S-Spare me, please!" The man shrieked in horror.

"Spare you? Did I do something to you? You're breaking my heart here, Marquess~ Tell me...Am I killing you or taking you against your will?" With a face full of sadness, Clara increased the pressure on her heel, almost poking a new hole in his face.

"Urgh! Nho...Nho, yhu dhon't!" Answered the man inaudibly.

"What's that? Pardon me, but you seem to have something in your mouth earlier, so I can't quite hear you, love~." Teased her further.

'Dang, woman...'

Everyone there could tell just how much she was enjoying this.

"I...You are not killing me, and I will take you safely to my...my estate. My house!" Answered the man, quivering under Clara's mercy.

"Now, I like that answer! You really do get me. I hope we can keep it that, for all our sakes, hm?" She slapped his face twice and drew her face close enough so he could see the madness buried in her eyes.

Seeing as the poor man was about to pee himself from all the pressure, I decided to step in. "Spy. Enough fooling around. Let's move...Paladin, Merchant. We'll follow the plan."

"Sure, boss~" Replied Clara impishly as she backed away from the man.

"Then...Godspeed, Shepherd. And be safe, all of you...Spy, and Assassin...And you, Shadows, too." Margareth's frail and caring tone lingered sweetly as she, Trodin, James, and most of the Shadows, save for the two elites that joined us, prepping for their exit.

We bid them our short and simple goodbyes, and their departure marked the second phase of our plan, but before we move out, there's something we need to sort out beforehand.

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"You want me to bind their souls to you?" I cast a confusing glance toward Marquess Pearl's guards and Clara.

"Yes." Replied the woman casually.

I tilted my neck sideways. "You do realize my method is stronger compared to normal mana contracts, right?"

"Obviously. That's why it is better." Replied Clara honestly.

"Your holyness will be wasted for these wretched heathens. We can provide slave contracts for them after the mission. There's no need for you to go to such length, Milord." Argued Renata curtly from the side.

Meanwhile, Clara, who didn't take well to our reactions, raised her voice. "Are you kidding me!? Why not now? It'll be faster."

Renata and Clara then began arguing, leaving the onlookers in confusion.

'Ha...my head's hurting...'

"So, you're asking me to help make them your slaves? Is that it, Spy?"

"Yes. Now can we do it and move on already?" Clara rolled her eyes grumpily.

"No." And I answered her.

"Huh...? Why?" She asked back, caught off guard.

"Because I hate it. With all that shit Melkor had shown me, I fucking hate all of it, and I want no part in doing it. Damn it. Just remembering it makes me so mad." I growled low in discomfort.

"...You're joking, right?" She blinked in a daze.

"Do I look like I'm joking, Spy?" I looked at her straight in the eyes.

"...If you're not joking, then you are a hypocrite...Quite easy to say no when it's not convenient enough for you, isn't it, Shepherd?" Remarked Clara mockingly.

Cold gasps escaped the Shadows' lips, surprised by the sudden turn of point.

"I will have your tongue right now, you whore! How dare you speak of our lord that way!" Barked Renata furiously.

"Shut the hell up, Assassin! I told you before if you can't talk sense to him, then I'll gladly do so. Hey, Shepherd! Look at these Shadows. What, you think, Assassin brought them here by whispering words of love and roses? You know that isn't the case. So, stop pretending to be blind!" Scolded her in one breath.

"That's it! I'll kill you!" Hissed Renata, drawing her dagger, and they began fighting. But judging by the way they moved, I could sort of tell that they were not after each other's life, so I just left them be.

What left me on a hook was none other than Clara's words. She really did have a way with her words. It got you thinking, I'm telling you...

I peered to the adjacent side, where the two Elites were. They were watching the two fighting while squirming in place, hopeless about whether they should move or not.

"Stop." I voiced.

It was not loud and oppressive, but my words were enough to make the two break away from each other.

I exhaled long and dry. "I am a hypocrite. I guess I have always been one, and now, it is harder not to be one...Still...From now on. I just can't, Spy. No more slavery...I won't do it, and I will keep it that way. So...Shadows...Come forth before me." The two figures, draped in all black, knelt in front of me.

"Erase the bind of their soul." I willed, and my mana fluctuated while following my command.

"Starting from you two, let it be known that there will be no more slaves under the House of Light and Dark...Now, answer me. Will you choose your freedom? Or will you choose the House?" I said, waiting for them as the room sunk in total silence.

They couldn't help but throw a furtive glance toward Renata in the distance like lost puppies.

"She can't help you make the choice. Nor will she punish you because of it. I give you my words." I reassured them.

"..."

"..."

And out of nowhere, they began crying. Stream of tears wet their faces and down to the ground.

'Damn it! What did I do?' I was shocked more than anyone else there.

I initially thought they were just that happy to be finally free. But it wasn't as simple as I thought...

"The mark of servitude is a proof of honor after we went through the rite of loyalty, Milord. To have it stripped of us is too much torture...I beg you! Have it in your abundance mercy to rescind your decision, Milord." Cried one of the shadows, banging his head hard on the ground, followed by his colleague not too long after in a similar fashion.

So yeah...Apparently, I was wrong...I kinda forget about the fact that Renata had trained them first and foremost as a cult, and this sort of reaction fit well with their perspective.

'Renata...No more of this, you hear me?' I sent grimly.

"By your will, Milord!" Saluted Renata bitterly, hanging her head low while spitting a venomous look at Clara.

"You're really serious about this, Shepherd?" Scoffed Clara in disbelief.

"I am," I answered her.

"What about the ones at Paladin's camp? Are you going to offer them choices, too? So are we playing the good guys from now on?" Argued the woman back.

'I know I am being selfish and putting so much more on you guys, Clara...But will it be so bad to leave this world in a better place than it is now after we saved it? I know I want to...' I delivered to her mentally.

If it was me from years ago, this wouldn't even be an issue, hands down. But now, a saved world where my family can live free of one less degenerate thing? That didn't sound too bad for me...

"Huhuhu...Hahaha! Ah~ Crazy bastards...You see, love? This is the kind of people I have to work with. Drives you mad, ain't it?" She broke into a dry laugh and then directed her frustration to the subdued Marquess.

"Hii!! Urgh!"

Sitting on top of Marquess Pearl and having her heel marking that one spot yet again, Clara breathed out.

"Leave a better world behind after we saved it, huh...? Haha, crazy bastard..." Muttered her softly.

"Milord...The mark...Sob."

"Sob...My lord...Please..."

And the sound of the sobbing grown individuals stretched out along the damp room.

'Now, what to do with these two...'