"...I-Imposible…Uguhh!"

Blood splashed all over the place as the last man died at Aron's hand. The fight lasted longer than Aron expected; however, he completely devastated the ten bodyguards. Not a single one of them was left in one piece.

Despite this, they managed to wound Aron during the fight. Aron found himself struggling against multiple opponents, especially when using big weapons. But when he switched to the chained mace and dagger, he was able to alleviate the pressure and dominate his opponents with sheer strength and devastating blows.

"Are you okay?" A voice came from behind. He turned around and saw Pethra with blood on her face. Aron's heart skipped a beat. He thought it was her blood and that she was injured. He didn't answer her, and he quickly pulled her into his arms.

"!!!" His sudden embrace took Pethra by surprise. She didn't know how, but suddenly she found herself in Aron's arms. She was about to speak when his gentle voice interrupted her.

"Are you hurt? Is that your blood? Show me the wound. We need to heal it immediately." Concern was visible in his voice.

Pethra felt her heart melt at his words. She felt tears welling up, and before that happened, she hid her face in Aron's chest.

'Kyaaah! He cares about me. He CARES! Oh no, what should I do? I'm not used to this ... Hmm? I'll think about it later; just let me enjoy this moment.' The little witch was freaking out, and her emotions were in chaos.

Seconds later, Pethra raised her head and smiled softly at Aron. "I'm okay, Aron. It's not my blood," she said.

When she tried to wipe the blood off her face, Aron was faster as he gently wiped the blood while smiling. Pethra couldn't help but blush at the touch of his hand on her face.

"There you go, a pretty little witch like you shouldn't let blood on her face."

Pethra blushed even more, but she didn't look away and kept gazing into his crimson eyes. Pethra knew that Aron's eyes changed color from time to time. She wanted to ask him about it, but now she didn't care as she was lost in his soft and possessive gaze.

"Sorry for putting you in danger. That won't happen again, I promise."

"..Mm!" Pethra nodded slightly. She was happy that he cared about her so much and didn't let her get hurt, despite her insisting on accompanying him in the first place.

'Oh! My god! Is this my moment? Should I go for it?...'

Yeah! She fell for him.

'...But I don't want to force myself on him. What should I do?... Okay! A small and quick kiss on his cheek will do for now. Here I go…'

As Pethra was about to make her move, she heard someone screaming.

"P-Please no more....J-Just kill me."

"..." A vein popped on her head when Aron turned to see the source of the scream, missing her chance. She turned to see who interrupted her big moment.

It was Vincent, or what's left of him, as he was broken 'Mentally' beyond repair.

Aron let go of Pethra. She didn't want to let him go; she felt safe with him. But the situation demanded it. They both walked closer to Vincent and saw the statue of the man.

"What happened to him? He looks... well, what should I say?... Broken?" Pethra asked.

Aron didn't lift his eyes to Vincent. "He tried to take control of my will, but instead, my will destroyed and tortured his mind."

Pethra narrowed her eyes and looked at Vincent with hatred. 'He dares to try and steal my freedom. Should I just kill him right now?'

"What happened to that woman who kept interrupting me?" Aron asked

"I killed her," Pethra answered instantly and honestly.

"Good," One word from Aron, held many meanings for Pethra. She sighed in relief.

Stolen story; please report.

'He doesn't hate hands stained in blood?'

Pethra couldn't help but feel a sense of admiration and respect for Aron. He was strong and fearless, yet he had a soft side that he only showed her.

'And that DAMN black chicken,' she said in her head as the image of a raven sitting on Aron's lap appeared in her mind.

"Vincent?... Hey, you? Answer me!" Aron tried to call for Vincent, but the man didn't respond.

'System, what should we do? He's completely broken now. How am I supposed to get information from him?'

[Master, we don't need this man anymore.]

'What do you mean?'

[When the man was being tortured inside your mind, he spilled everything he knew to save his life, and I recorded everything in 'The Shadow Library'.]

Aron smiled in satisfaction. 'Well done, system. I'm happy to have you with me.'

[I exist solely to serve you, Master…*Praise me MOORE!*... But thank you.]

[Master, I suggest taking his amulet, as it is the key to his safe and also the binding item that keeps him in control of the slaves.]

Aron nodded and then grabbed Vincent by the throat, raising him in the air.

"We don't need him anymore," he said to Pethra, pulling the amulet from around Vincent's neck.

From the corner of his eye, he saw the slaves glancing at him with fear but also with admiration and hope. However, that was solely for him; their eyes held only rage and hatred for the Dealer. Aron looked at Vincent one last time before throwing him near the slaves.

"!!!" The slaves were shocked to see their Master dropped on the ground close to them, and they gazed at Aron in confusion.

"I can see the rage inside you, the hatred that resides in your hearts." His voice was heavy and frightening.

"In this world, the weak have no rights, and the strong are always right. You need to be strong and take control of your own lives, because if you don't, you'll live the rest of your lives as tools for the strong."

Aron's words had a profound impact on the slave women before him. They were struck by his words and couldn't help but agree with him. The realization of their weakness made them clench their fists and grit their teeth in frustration. However, Aron's next words shook them to the core.

"You have two paths," he held up two fingers as he spoke.

"The path of the weak: those who walk this path will always be slaves to someone stronger than them and forever live in despair."

The women bit their lips in frustration, Aron and Pethra noticed that.

"The second path is the path of the strong. In strength, there is freedom. Always aim to be stronger than everyone, so that no one will dare to take your freedom away from you."

The word "freedom" made every woman's eyes sparkle with hope.

"And that path starts by…" Aron pointed to Vincent.

"...by seeking vengeance against the one who took your freedom."

Silence fell upon them as each woman knew what Aron meant. However, the life of freedom was tempting to them. After all, they were free women, and Vincent took that away from them.

Soon, every woman stood on their feet. They were naked, and some of them had bodyguards' blood on their skin from Aron's chaotic fight. They circled around Vincent, who was unaware of what was happening around him. Some women grabbed the bodyguards' fallen weapons.

Then, with hatred and rage in their eyes, they stabbed.

Stab.

"..Die!"

Stab.

"...I had….Normal….LIFE!"

Stab.

"...Bastard!!"

Stab.

"...For my freedom"

They cursed, yelled, and shouted as they kept stabbing Vincent, even after he died, or they were unaware that he died.

Minutes passed, and the women fell to the ground, crying loudly as blood covered their skin.

Aron and Pethra watched in silence. Aron was pleased that these women took the first step on the path, while Pethra was reflecting on Aron's words. She, too, felt the same way as the slave women. She was weak, and she knew it well. Determination gleamed in her eyes as she gazed at Aron.

Now Pethra realized Aron's character. He liked the strong and despised the weak. If she wanted to stay by his side, she had to be strong, or Aron would leave her, and that's what she feared the most.

Suddenly, a woman approached Aron and Pethra with light steps.

The woman was tall with long black hair that almost touched the ground. She had a well-proportioned body and flawless, smooth, light skin. But the most striking thing about her were her violet eyes.

She stood in front of Aron, covering her private parts with her hands, and gazed into his crimson eyes with her violet ones for a long time, as if she were looking at or reading something.

Then, out of nowhere, she bowed to him, and her forehead touched the floor.

"Thank you for saving us, Dono." Her voice was soft, calm, and, at the same time, seductive and mesmerizing.

"Dono?" Aron was confused by the word.

"Are you from the east?" Pethra asked before the woman could speak again.

"Yes, I'm from the east. My name is Kasumi, from Clan Kage. Due to some unfortunate events, I ended up as the Dealer's slave." Kasumi raised her head from the ground and glanced at Aron.

"I resisted his magic for a long time, but I was at my limit. If Dono hadn't shown up, I would surely have succumbed to his will, and I'll be forced to take my life before letting that happen." Then she bowed again.

"Again, I truly thank you for your help. You didn't just save us, but you also gave us the chance to take revenge."

"No need to act like this. I wasn't trying to save you in the first place. It just happened," Aron said honestly; he wasn't going to lie about it either and act heroically, pretending that he did it just to save beautiful innocent women.

"And what's that 'Dono' thing?"

"It's a term of respect in my culture."

"Ah! No need for that either. Just call me Aron, and this is Little Pethra."

Pethra waved slightly, but her eyes were focused on a specific part of Kasumi's body.

'Huge! Life is unfair as always.'

Kasumi nodded slightly. "Then, Aron-dono, may I ask what you are going to do next?"

Aron narrowed his eyes at her question.

"Before I answer you, let me ask you this… Do you think it's wise to ask that question when you are hiding yourself?"