Anna and Lyse arrived at the garden just when Seth had started to run in Erin"s direction. They started exchanging blows at a fast pace. A normal person wouldn"t even be able to see what was happening. New scars appeared at Erin"s hands, as well as Seth"s. Erin started to move back and give more ground to Seth. He was trying to attack with his daggers from every possible angle, targeting her hands, waist, legs and even head. In the end, Erin managed to deflect all those attacks.Seth jumped back and grinned. Erin was unaffected even after so many exchanges, he realized just how strong she really was. She was almost as strong as him, but she didn"t have enough experience. That gave him the upper hand. Just then Seth felt something was wrong and looked at his surroundings. His eyes fell upon Anna and Lyse.
"s.h.i.t!"
He took a defensive posture and started to a.n.a.lyze the situation. There were two more enemies, which meant his colleagues were most probably dead. If those girls were able to kill them, then they were strong themselves. His head throbbed with pain, what was this situation? How could it be like this?
Lyse stretched her hand forward, ready to cast a spell, but Anna patted her on the shoulder. "No need." Lyse looked at Anna and saw her strange smile. Was something wrong? She couldn"t understand why Anna stopped her, but in the end, the spell wasn"t activated.
Erin saw the girls, too. She nodded at them and prepared herself to attack once more. She wanted to finish this fight alone, she had the feeling if they fought a bit more, she would understand something. That was quite an unexplainable feeling.
Seth started to think of his options. The first option was to continue with the fight. Even if he managed to win over Erin, he would be cornered and most probably killed. He saw that the other girls weren"t planning to attack, which gave him some sort of relief. There was the hidden enemy, too, which was one more thing against him.
He looked around and checked the surroundings once more. They were in the garden at the moment, the closest building was the mansion, behind him was the warehouse. Left and right of him there were tall walls. If he wanted to escape, the only safe option was the warehouse. The problem was the magician, If he tried to run, the magician would cast a spell for sure. If the hidden enemy was nearby, Seth would be finished in that exchange. That was for sure.
"Okay, I give up!"
Erin was about to attack when she heard Seth"s words. She looked at him only to see Seth dropping his daggers.
"W-What do you mean, give up? Why are you stopping?" Erin was confused by his actions. Was this some kind of trick?
"I can"t win, so I want to make a deal with you." Seth sat on the guard, fully unguarded. He was nonchalant at the moment like his life was nothing.
Erin watched him with confusion, not knowing what to do. She looked back and saw Lyse"s slightly opened mouth and wide eyes. It seemed like Lyse was confused as well. Anna, on the other hand, had a smile on her face. She nodded at Erin, making a gesture. The gesture was clear. She wanted her to listen to the man"s deal. Erin nodded and turned to Seth.
"What deal?"
"It"s actually a simple deal. You spare my life and I will work for you for three years as your bodyguard." That offer was out of the blue. Work for her as a bodyguard? Erin was even more confused now. Did she need a bodyguard?
"Pfft" Anna barely managed to suppress her laughter. She imagined their lord"s expression right now.
Richard was still on the roof, his lips were twitching now. Was that guy normal? When did his little girl had needed a bodyguard? He was about to just go out and kill him, but at the end suppressed his urge. Erin could handle this situation on her own and there was no risk for her life. Even if that guy tried something, he could finish him off at the end.
Seth glanced at Anna and understood that there was something wrong. Even so, he had no other choice, but to continue.
"As you can see, I am stronger than you. My reflexes are abnormal, I can react faster than anyone else. I can use my inner force to amplify my speed with the wind element. That makes me even faster. There isn"t anyone faster than me here."
"Okay, okay, stop. Why should I trust you in the first place?" Erin wasn"t able to tolerate this guy"s shamelessness in the end. He was really too self-confident.
"First, I am usually working for money. I attacked you only because I was paid. Second, I am a good killer and can do a lot of dark jobs. Third, I don"t mind working for demons. I can be of use for sure, and I won"t betray you since the payment this time will be my life." Seth tried really hard to think of what to say. He was desperate to survive at the moment.
"That"s not enough, you can always go back on your words! Your profession in itself is like that. People like you can"t be trusted." Erin"s words made him smile forcefully. She was right, people like him couldn"t be trusted. Even now he was looking for some loophole to make his escape.
"W-well. Then what about one-year slave contract? That way you will be able to trust me." If he is a slave for a year, he could either escape or take his revenge afterward. There would still be hope. Still, he wanted to cry now. He just lowered himself too much already. To be a slave for a year, it was his limit! The mistake for not thinking of that was his in the first place. No one would trust a man who wanted to kill them a few seconds ago.
"What slave contract?"Erin asked, a bit curious. This was the first time she heard about a slave contract.
"You don"t know about the slave contract?" Seth was amazed. Wasn"t that a common sense? Erin nodded and he felt helpless.
"Alright, I will explain it then. A slave contract is a magical contract, making both parties to sign their names with their blood. That way we can put the restrictions, what the slave can and cannot do and everything that is negotiated. Usually, slave traders just give all rights to the contractors, neglecting the slaves. So you can say most of the rules are from the master. The slave does not have much choice in this. You can make him not to hurt you. If he tries to do it, he will get a headache. If he continues with the attempt, at the end he will die from brain damage."
"I see!" That contract was really harsh. Erin started to pity the slaves now. She first thought everything was like in her previous world in the past. Forcefully taking slaves and making them work for you with all kind of tricks, shackles and etc. It seemed like that wasn"t the case. Those magic contracts were even worse.
Anna walked next to Erin and looked closely at Seth. She smiled and whispered into Erin"s ear.
"What do you think, master?"
"Huh, what do you mean?" Erin looked at Anna, a bit confused by her question.
"Is he stronger than you?"
"I don"t know, maybe? Yes, I think he is." Erin finally managed to come to a conclusion.
"I think his abilities are quite useful, but even with a slave contract for a year, that won"t be safe. Not for him, neither for us. You should decide now, do you want him to be your follower and make him blood slave or kill him."
"Wait, why should I make him blood slave?" Erin frowned. To have a blood slave like him? He would annoy her to death with his personality.
"Think about it, he is stronger than you, also he is a good killer and is fast. You can use him for all kinds of jobs and as a shield in battles. He can be your sword against your enemies, too. Master, you need to think of accepting more blood slaves. They will be there to help you. I won"t be enough in the future, and he is a potential candidate."
Erin started to waver. She looked back at Seth and started to think carefully. He could really be useful. Even though they were fighting a minute ago, if she made him a blood slave, she could fully trust him. He wouldn"t have a way to go against her. On the other hand, she would spare his life and give him one more chance to live.
Seth had a bad premonition now. He looked at the two girls talking to each other and saw Anna"s almost evil-like smile. Gooseb.u.mps ran over all his body. That wasn"t good. The demon was planning something. He became fully on guard, waiting for their conversation to finish.
"Alright, I will give you a chance for survival, but not a slave contract. You will become my blood slave." Erin finally made her mind. This world was dangerous. If she wanted to go out and explore without the help of Richard, it would be better to have him as a bodyguard. At least she knew his skills and she was sure of his abilities in surviving. If he was with this kind of job, it was obvious that he would have been in many dangerous situations before. A skilled fighter was a plus. His personality was a problem, but at least he wouldn"t betray her.
"A blood slave?" Seth"s expression changed. He finally realized that the girl before him wasn"t a half-vampire. She was a pure vampire! Only pureblood vampires could have blood slaves! That was a fact known amongst humans. His body trembled, now he was really in trouble. If she really was a pureblood vampire, the hidden enemy was her real bodyguard, and that bodyguard was surely stronger than him!
"What now?" Sweat started to pour down his head. If he declined, he would be killed, if he accepted there wouldn"t be turning back. That wasn"t an easy choice to make. Either way, his freedom would be lost. To be a blood slave was giving up his own life for someone else.
Anna looked at Seth"s reaction and her smile got brighter. That was expected, she could feel his fear. A pureblood vampire was a n.o.ble race amongst races. They would never move alone, and even if they did, they would be too powerful to be stopped. The vampires in the past were the nightmare for many races. The crusade against them started only because a lot of races were scared of them. Their power was limitless and their lives endless. That fact was really scary. If the vampires grew in numbers, they could dominate the whole continent. Most of the other races were weaker than them in power.
"What is your name?" Anna asked
"My name is Seth" Seth came back to his senses and answered the question.
"Let me introduce who is in front of you. This is Princess Erin from the Shadow Forest. She is second to Demon Lord Richard, or as most of you humans know him, The Shadow Lord."
Erin felt a bit awkward. She wasn"t used hearing that t.i.tle, but she knew everyone back at the castle were actually accepting her as their princess. Everything was thanks to Richard since she was the only other pureblood vampire except him. She was really grateful for this and with the time spent in the castle, her emotions for it started to change. The castle was like her real home now, and that safe place was given by Richard. That was a fact she would never forget. A small blush came to her face as she thought about it and shaking her head, she went back to reality. The castle was a good place, but now wasn"t the time to think about it.
Seth" s face became pale. He really had invited his own doom, by actually going against a princess! Who knew how many more guards were around? His forfeit at the end really saved his life. If he tried to run, he would have been doomed. The Shadow Lord? That was one existence no one wanted to go against. Wasn"t he the last pureblood vampire? There was another one? And a woman at that? Seth felt all his body go weak. Would he have to die like this? There must be still some to turn this conversation and make a loophole somewhere, his pride was too big to actually be a slave!
"Don"t worry. You won"t be restricted much. My master is a kind-hearted person. She doesn"t like to look at others like subordinates. Can"t you see that for yourself? You will be more like a companion. This is your last chance, become a blood slave or die. You have a minute to decide."
"Okay...I will...I will become your blood slave." Seth finally gave in. With a trembling voice, he barely managed to say this. A tear ran down from his left eye. His freedom was lost just like that. This was really a big hit for his pride. Would he be able to escape someday from this? That was almost impossible, but there were still a few ways to do it, he would just have to endure until then.
Erin nodded and came next to Seth. She took his hand and her canines showed. She bit at his wrist and started drinking his blood. Seth didn"t even tremble from this. That pain was nothing for him.
After a few gulps, Erin stopped and used her nails to make a small, fresh wound on her hand. Her other scars were already closed, so she had to do this. Blood started pouring out of her hand and she brought it in front of Seth"s mouth.
Seth gulped and finally drank the blood from the hand. He felt a strong mental force working in his mind. There was a small whisper coming from this force
"Don"t resist, obey me!"
His body stiffened for a moment, but he let go of his resistance. Finally, he became Erin"s blood slave.