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Chapter 1049
“I can make you a slave.” I explained my idea.
“A s-slave?” Her eyes widened.
“Your soul is still intact, so I should be able to enslave you.”
“I’ll do it.”
“This may not be the best thing, but it has many benefits- wait, what?”
I had expected her to at least argue a little bit, but Alysia agreed to become a slave without question. She was a free-spirited princess and could be kind of stubborn, so I was pretty surprised that she didn’t resist at all.
“Deek, I spent my life trying to fight the dungeon and get rid of the curses that plague our land. In the end, I had only ended up being the tool for a demon lord to regain his powers and spread curses across the land.”
“Alysia, my soul is back in my possession, and he wasn’t able to get anything out of you.”
“It’s more than that… it’s hard to explain.”
“Try me.”
“Alright. My mother, Xin, I don’t believe she was always a puppet of Brother… the demon lord.” She explained. “When I was younger, she still had control of her mind. As for when she changed, it happened so slowly, I’m not confident I could even say I knew when I had lost her.”
“Okay.”
I wanted to tell her that a part of her mother still existed, but this didn’t feel like the best time, so I continued to listen.
“When I was younger, she used to tell me stories. She explained to me why she chose to defy the Osterians and join the Maid Hero in destroying Lord Aberis. Her betrayal cost her much. Lord Aberis went after her family. He killed every royal in retaliation for her deeds.”
“Oh?”
I was extremely interested in this. I had never known what happened with Xin. I didn’t know about her family dying. It was possible that the Xin I knew didn’t know either. Since she cut her Osterian part away, it possibly included the memories of her family.
“Demons aren’t like other species. You might be thinking that since we all came from another world, we all have an equal right to be here. That might be true in most cases, but when it comes to demons, they use dungeons unlike any of the others. They spread the curse over the land, and use its power as their own.
“The Demon Lands in the north is a desolate waste, carpeted with monsters, dungeons, and demons. The demon lord castle, home of the demon king, and the Hell dungeon have both routed their influence across the entire country, a massive weed sucking the life out of the world. That is how they grew their territory. That is how they survived.
“Demon Lord Aberis was no different. The reason the Aberis and the Ost Republic contain so many dungeons is exactly because of his influence. He knowingly planted cursed seeds across the landscape, as all demons do. That is what makes them dangerous. That is why they need to be stopped.”
“All of that responsibility… that’s not something to put on your shoulders.” I shook my head.
“You’re right. That is why I want to be your slave. You know more about dungeons and have done more good in the last half-year than I had accomplished in three years. I believe if I follow you, my abilities will be put to better use. I followed my instincts for years, and my instincts led me into being manipulated by a monster. Now, I want to follow you, and make a real difference. Please, Deek, I want to be your slave.”
“Then, I agree.”
There was nothing really to it. I just had to be close to her and use the skill. Since I was already holding her hilt, I activated the Bond Slave skill. It triggered, and a few moments later I could feel an awareness of Alysia in my head. At that moment, another alert appeared.
{You have committed to the path of the magic sword. You have unlocked the job, Magic Swordsman.}
Chapter 1050
A Magic Swordsman job was a well-known job in this world. It was usually the job of famous heroes. It was nearly as elusive as the White Mage and for good reasons. Typically, to become a Magic Swordsman, one must reach at least Advanced Mage status as well as Advanced Swordsman. Although Lydia was an Advanced Swordsman, she had no aptitude for magic, and thus would likely never become a Magic Swordsman. I had thought about encouraging her to learn some magic, but it was far too difficult for normal people to learn such skills, even if I gave her Advance Learning.
However, it looks like there was another way to get Magic Swordsman, and that was by bonding yourself to a magic sword. I noted that Alysia’s status was all wrong. It gave her no abilities, and it even called her a soul sword. Maybe, it was too late for her to ever become something other than a sword.
“Deek, I can see! I can see through your eyes.” Alysia spoke up excitedly.
“Mmm…” I answered non committedly, lost in thought.
“What’s wrong?”
“It’s your status.”
I ended up explaining to her what I saw after making her my slave, and ultimately what I figured out from it. She remained silent for a bit, thinking the same way I had.
“The moment I decided to kill myself on the ancient sword, I had prepared to never come back,” she finally said. “If this is a dungeon that will turn me into a sword, then a sword I will become.”
Now that she was my slave, I could feel her emotions with Slave Empath. I could feel her determination. She wasn’t frightened or giving off a front. This was genuinely how she felt.
“Then, we will continue down the dungeon, but if you have any issues, we will stop immediately.” I declared.
She wouldn’t be able to hide it if she did have any problems. That was one more advantage of having this bond with her.
The pair of us didn’t move on right away. We decided to do a few more tests.
“Is this really how all of your slaves feel?” Alysia asked in the middle of the testing.
“What do you mean?’
“I feel powerful, and… something else.”
“Something else?”
“I feel… warm.” She spoke quietly. “Like, I’m no longer alone.”
“You’re not alone. You will continue to have me.”
“Y-yes, De… I mean Master.”
“You really don’t have to call me Master.” I sighed.
“Yes, Master. I’ll call you Master though.”
I wondered if there was something to the Slave Bond that made people call me Master. Only Eliana was willing to use my name. Every slave just called me Master from then on.
Before we left the safe room, we decided to run through a couple more tests as well. With the Slave Bond in effect, it was easier to get a feel for her and to control the blade. She was able to move more, and even use her movements to aid me in battle, increasing the precision of my strikes. More importantly, when I let go of her, she still held awareness. Her eyesight and hearing would go out, but she could always sense where I was and maintained a feeling of time. Furthermore, we could communicate using Slave Communication. My communication with the girls outside the soul world was cut off.
We ended up spending the night in the safe room. I did want to hurry, but I didn’t want to rush Alysia. From everything that happened earlier, we needed a night to rest and grow more acclimated. Come morning, we prepared for the 2nd trial.
Chapter 1051
Before entering the second trial room, I naturally made sure to check out the updated mural. There was still no dungeon transport panel, so it was the only thing of interest in the safe room. The mural shows the man fighting his way down to the bottom floor of the dungeon. He defeats the dungeon boss and then comes into contact with the dungeon lore. I supposed if I lost someone in the dungeon, my goal would also be to destroy the dungeon as quickly as possible.
Unfortunately, the mural didn’t show any progression of time. It wasn’t clear how long she had been in the dungeon before he found her, let alone how long it took him to clear it. Even with my ability and a full team, it’d take me at least three days to clear the smallest dungeon. If the dungeon was mapped out, it might be able to do it in a day. I had to presume it took him longer than that.
I wouldn’t have any more answers until I beat the next trial. If this dungeon had a safe room on every level, then it also had a mural on every level. That was eight chances to reveal the story. I left the safe room, ready to continue.
The second trial room was identical to the first trial room. That was to say it was a large oval stage resembling a coliseum without the seats. As soon as I left the safe room, the guide appeared once again. Despite the time that had passed since I went into the safe room, she didn’t look alarmed or curious at all.
“I believe you have figured out the true nature of this dungeon, yes?” She asked.
I nodded. “My weapon isn’t the reward for defeating this dungeon, it’s the result of defeating this dungeon, right?”
She nodded. “Correct. You selected one from a group of weapons with potential. Each level, you will further refine that weapon, turning it into a weapon shaped for you.”
I felt a bit reassured we were on the same wavelength, but something still felt a bit off. I wanted to ask why the weapon was made out of the soul of a captured enemy. However, something still felt off about the situation, so I didn’t ask this question. My unease came from the nature of dungeons. They were curses, not blessings. A dungeon wouldn’t give you something for free. They were curses. Dungeons didn’t want to be destroyed, they wanted to be completed, and I had a feeling if I did everything that the dungeon wanted, it would result in my demise.
My running theory was that after Alysia was finished, she’d be used against me. The boss of this dungeon might be a Gilgamesh type, collecting swords made by its enemies, enjoying the thrill of a new sword made to someone else’s specifications. Perhaps, I had just consumed too many isekai, but I felt like I had a good grasp on this. At least, I was prepared for a betrayal.
That was the final reason I had decided to bond with Alysia as a slave. It would keep her from being used against me. I knew that if she had known my theory, she might not have been as willing to continue forward. She wouldn’t stand being used against me again. Thankfully, I had nipped that in the bud. Now, we just had to make it the rest of the way down, spring and destroy their trap, and get out of here.