As another day went by and the workflow tired me out, I began to let my guard down just enough to completely miss Mother right before me, staring at me with her cold eyes. I was sitting at a nearby table in Baba's shop when she suddenly spoke while I inhaled fresh air.
"Why didn't you tell me about your plans to return there?" Mother speaks with such a cold imposing tone it almost makes me shit my pants on the spot as I open my eyes to look at her angrily looking at me. My eyes widened once I realized she knew about my plans.
"Mother! You didn't write you were coming back so soon! EHEHE!" I try to play it cool while I get my nervous behavior under control since panicking would only get me into more trouble, especially with someone as powerful as Mother. I mean, she is frightening!
"Don't play dumb, Pan, and answer me. Why didn't you tell me about your plans to return for her?" Mother angrily pushes me against the wall without explanation, causing me to crash against it with extreme violence. Damn it, what was I supposed to say? Should I tell her, I just don't trust her to understand?!
"Because I assumed you would disapprove and stop me on the spot," I respond to Mother Focalor as she unsheathes her sword from her waist, causing me to retreat outside Baba's workshop while trying to calm her down because I didn't feel like dying today.
"Do you think I gave you freedom so you can disobey me and do something I told you not to do?!" Oh shit, Mother was pissed, and her looks didn't give me any resemblance of possible forgiveness as I prepared to flee if I had to since fighting her would most likely get me killed in two seconds.
Mother's mere presence made me feel like a little fly about to be hit by a flyswatter, and it didn't help that even Baba didn't dare intervene. "No! Of course not, Mother, but you have to understand that I love her! For all I know, she is still suffering. I have to help her!"
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Mother doesn't seem to hear any of my pleads as she continues to slowly creep forward while Lady Baba sits back quietly, letting it happen with a weird look on her face like she wanted to say something but feared Mother Focalor too much to say something.
"You're lucky I need your power to complete my plans; otherwise, I would've already killed you, damn lucky bastard." Mother soon sheathed her blade but still walked toward me, this time with an even faster pace, until she just forced me to my knees with some sort of weird spell like last time.
"If you want to use me! Don't I at least deserve some sort of reward!? Can't this be my payment for whatever you need me to do!?" Mother stops walking forward once I propose my future servitude to her under the condition to let me go save Alice from that hell hole, which would make me much less worried about my dreams.
"I already own you; from where I sit, you have no cards on the table, Pan." Fuck! Mother was right, what did it matter if I pledged her my loyalty or not? She could just order me to do whatever she wanted whenever she wanted! What does it matter if I do it voluntarily or not!?
"If that's your attitude, then you can forget about ever getting anything forged, Mother, for only I can understand and control my forging powers; even if you take over my body, it will take you years to get anything done!" Mother angrily frowns at me once I make my statement, clearly threatening her back with my ace card, which I hoped would be enough.
"You have three months to go save your little human girlfriend, after which you will serve me indefinitely." I only have three months to get all of that done. I am a craftsman, not a fighter! How was I supposed to finish it with just one Witch and some weapons!?
"Give me at least a year if I am to be your slave forever. Doesn't that sound fair?" Mother stares into my soul with her void-filled eyes just to end up with a long, stressful sigh as she agrees to give me a year. "Fine, I'll give you a year, but you must report everything happening every seven days."
"You got yourself a deal, Mother! I promise I will never defy you again once I feel calm."
"You'll need this when you get to the border. Don't you dare die, Pan, because I will bring you back from the depths of hell if you do?" Mother says something frightening and weird as she tosses me some sort of badge or thing that says 'commerce pass.' Uh? What the hell? Focalor was simply a bizarre person, wasn't she?