“Alison! I need your help!” Cried a breathless Elrianthe, rushing into Alison's room.

“What's wrong? Why are you so drowsy?” Asked Alison, surprised by Elrianthe's sudden arrival, as if a fire had broken out in the room.

Elrianthe approached her and whispered in her ear what she needed, unable to hold back a wild smile.

“No. No, absolutely not. I won't do it,” Alison firmly refused.

“Why? Don't you have the ingredients?” Elrianthe quipped.

“I won't let you start riding half the guys in this den with a wild frenzy,” replied Alison, standing firm.

“What no. You misunderstood. It's not for me. I'll give it to that orc to drink,” Elrianthe explained.

“What, you want to do it with an orc? Are you crazy?”

“Alison, listen to me carefully,” said Elrianthe, coming closer and whispering to her explaining everything one by one.

“Oh. That makes a difference. I can try, but I don't know if it will be strong enough for him,” replied Alison.

[ Taygeer Breezetail promoted to level 9 ]

Elrianthe, noting the promotion announcement, recalled that Alison was still at level 5 and was one step away from being promoted.

“I think I know how to solve this,” she replied.

Opening her system, Elrianthe saw that she had more than 23,000 free experience points available. To support the crafting of the concoction, she decided to raise the < Scholar > skill to level five.

[ The < Scholar > skill has reached level 5. The < Analysis > sub-skill has been unlocked, which allows you to conduct an in-depth examination of an object, enabling you to obtain more accurate information, properties, and hidden features. Requires physical contact. ]

The next step was to raise Alison's level. Using about 3,500 XP, Elrianthe increased her level to seven and spent another 2,000 XP to raise the < Magical Subsidy > skill to level three. This doubled the effectiveness and gave Alison better control over mana manipulation. Along with the extra development point for the sixth level, Alison gained an additional 60 MP, enabling her to create more strongly infused potions.

The girls got to work. Alison, using her knowledge and skills, worked on the concoction, while Elrianthe, using < Analysis >, evaluated the effectiveness of her wares.

Several hours later, as evening fell and the valley began to darken, Taygeer returned to the keep with his team. Elrianthe was waiting for them in the main hall. At the sight of the entering team, she stood up and took Taygeer aside.

“I need you for a moment,” she said.

“Sure, boss. Shall I take this opportunity to give you a report on the expedition?” He asked.

“Sure. You'll tell me on the way,” Elrianthe replied.

“Where are we going?”

“To the dungeons,” she replied with a mysterious smile.

Taygeer became a little quiet after hearing the answer. As they walked down the corridor, taking advantage of a moment of privacy, Elrianthe asked about today's expedition.

Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.

“I think it went pretty well,” began Taygeer. “Gaz often interferes with my decisions and corrects me. We're doing well as a team, but there's a little chaos because of it,” he admitted.

“Don't worry about it. That was his role. I wanted you to be able to act independently and lead the group. It's a valuable skill,” Elrianthe countered.

“Why? Shouldn't you be in charge?”

“I'll tell you something that others shouldn't hear. You probably know that there is no avoiding a meeting with the Marquis. If it wasn't for the paper Gaz signed with his butler, he could have simply bought my freedom by bailing me out at the authorities. I wasn't so lucky, but there are some advantages. The Marquis will pay enough for Gaz to bail you out, and Alison, and hide with you for a while.”

“And what about you? Do you want to live as a slave to such a degenerate? What about the rest of Gaz's group?” He asked.

“Haha. Who said I would be his slave? The moment I enter his domain, the process of taking over will begin. Under the appearance of a weak, innocent servant, I will make the most important decisions in the house. I may even be able to subjugate the Marquis himself, who will personally free me from slavery. And don't worry about those bandits. I will send them on a lifelong mission deep into the forest.”

“I believe you are capable of doing it. You have taken over practically a whole group of slave traders. By yourself. Are you sure you still need us?”

“You're overestimating me. Of course, I need you guys. When we leave for the city, I will give you a choice. I will cancel my magic completely and let you decide for yourselves. I will respect any decision you make. Although I think Alison wouldn't leave even if I wanted her to,” she concluded, joking.

“My answer remains the same. I will stay with you,” Taygeer declared.

“Don't be in a hurry. I promised you freedom. Wait with your decision until I keep my word. When you are free and you are still willing to work with me, I want you to start organizing a group that will serve as my support. That's why I want you to improve your team leadership,” she said, pointing her finger at him.

“I understand. You always have some greater reason than I imagined.”

“My only reason is revenge,” she replied in a low tone, grabbing the handle of the door leading to the dungeons.

They went downstairs and stopped in front of the cell where the old orc was staying. Elrianthe opened the door and asked the cat-man to release him.

The orc was in such a deplorable state that he barely made contact. His gaze wandered along the walls, paying no attention to what was going on around him. Exhausted from the torture, he didn't even react to being pulled from the chain and placed on the floor.

Elrianthe summoned two vials of potions from her storage space. One was to restore the orc's health and get him back on his feet, and the other was to stimulate his will to do things, despite his advanced age. As the specifics were handed out, Elrianthe fed his mind with new thoughts, trying to steer him in the right direction once the potions took full effect.

“I think he's ready. Take him away. We'll move him to another cell,” she said, rising.

Taygeer grabbed the orc and threw him on his back. Elrianthe opened the cell where Carl and Jim were sitting.

“I brought you a friend. Play with him if he wants, okay?” She said, like a babysitter to her darling little ones.

“What the fuck are you doing? Why the fuck are you locking him in here with us?” Asked an angry Carl.

“Carl, stop it. It doesn't make a difference,” Jim reassured him.

“You're right. Resistance doesn't make sense in this case,” said Elrianthe, endorsing Jim. “Taygeer, knock Carl out.”

“What, wait! Wait! I didn't mean-”

*Bang*

Carl's loud protests quieted under a powerful swinging right blow that knocked him to the ground. His head was swirling like never before, and his legs refused to obey him. Elrianthe pulled out a thick rope from her storage space.

“I'll fucking teach you good manners,” she threatened.

With Taygeer's help, she tied Carl to the bars in such a way that his hands were pulled outside the cell between the metal bars and, after bending at the elbows, tied parallel around his wrists. Carl had no chance of untying himself, and the position itself was so uncomfortable that he would sooner smash his head against the bars than get out on his own.

"Jim. First, you have no right to untie him, under any circumstances. Second, help the orc,” ordered Elrianthe.

“Help? With what?” Asked Jim uncertainly.

“You'll soon find out,” she replied, tossing him a metal box.

When they both left, Elrianthe closed the cell and headed for the exit.

“Don't leave me like this,” said Carl in a pleading voice, coming back to reality after the knockout.

“Have a good night,” she replied briefly.