Lv1 Skeleton

"Get up Melpomene, it"s a bit awkward if you stay prostrated like that."

"No, I won"t move until master accepts me."-1

"Are you testing my patience?"

"I know too many of your secrets, and knowing your temperament it is likely that unless you accept me you"d kill me off. I can only wait like this, Master."

"Are you doing all this because of the prophecy which your brother foretold?"

"Maybe at first, but now it is entirely out of my own free will."

"Hmm, but how can I tell whether you"re moving according to the prophecy or your own free will?"

"How can I prove it to you? I simply know that I"m acting on my own free will."

"Who"s to say that your so called free will hasn"t already been determined by the prophecy?"

"I"m certain I would have acted the same even without having any knowledge of the prophecy."

"Why would that be? I am simply your owner. If we didn"t have this slavery contract binding us, wouldn"t we just be strangers?"

"We"ve already slept together."

"If that"s something you regret then Viezda can help you forget it altogether."

"When you chose me I already became yours."

"That"s only because on the slave contract. If it were another master it would be the same "

"I am blind."

"I"m already aware of that, are you seeking sympathy here?"

""No, just that when choosing a slave, it"s normal to pick one which has a useful ability."

"As you said, I am a pervert."

"Hm, were you insulted by those remarks?"

"I"d be lying if I said no."

"Fine then, I was mostly curious as to why your voice would appear to shine so brightly when you were talking to me."

"Shine?"

"Although I can"t see, when you talk to me I can feel your voice is more brilliant than any others."

"Didn"t you say I sounded perverted?"

"That was just a lie I used to hide my true feelings. Ever since hearing master voice I had already decided to follow you."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"I just wanted to know what kind of a person could have such a unique voice."

"Maybe it"s just the way I sound."

"No, it doesn"t have anything to do with the tone or pitch, but some kind of hidden strength."

"Can it be that it"s because of the prophecy you"ve heard from your brother?"

"No, instead my impression of my brother prophecy was one of disgust. I was fated to be with a repulsive and evil undead creature with the fate of the world hanging in the balance."

"Why does that sound like some kind of demon?"

"Right, knowing that much I had already given up on my future, but ever since I"ve met master, my opinion has completely changed. The way you spoke to big sis and I, it was the most beautiful voice I"d ever heard.

"Don"t talk like that, it"s too much."

"Let"s just say that ever since I"ve been cursed, I"ve always regretted having lost my ability to see. It was only when I met you and heard your unique voice that for the first time I felt blessed to be blind. I don"t care if I die now, I just seek your acceptance."

I looked down at her once more. She knew far too many of my secrets and was possibly being influenced by some unknown prophecy. By not accepting her would I be undoing that prophecy? Just what were the exact contents of that prophecy in the first place?

This prophecy which had been made by Teireisias was too much of an unknown factor. Nox was sealed and Prince Ardal was imprisoned in my very own manor.

Can we alter a prophecy? By knowing the future shouldn"t it be possible to change it? How can an unchangeable future even exist?

An endless questions of existentialism swirled within me.

Closing my eyes, I asked myself.

"I don"t know which choice is the right one. It seems like regardless which one I choose I"ll be fettered to a predestined prophecy. And what if I decide not to choose at all, how would that affect the future?"

Opening my eyes, I look back down to Melpomene and speak out.

"I can"t accept you for now. Instead you will continue to serve by my side where I"ll be keeping a close eye on you."

"Ah, so in the end it went through as expected."

Inside of me I cried out in frustration. Was it already predestined that I would put off this choice? Just what does the future hold in store?

"Yes, get up now Melpomene."

"Ye….s, Master."

Grabbing her heart in pain, she shot up to her feet. It was because as her owner, I had used her name to issue a command.

"I don"t yet know you well enough, and because you"ve hidden your brother"s prophecy from me I can"t trust you. If it were entirely up to me you wouldn"t live to see another day, but since you are so close with Viezda, I wouldn"t want to see her get hurt. In the future you can"t reveal any of my secrets and you can"t keep anything from me. Is that understood, Melpomene?"

"Yes, I promise. Don"t worry, I won"t betray you even if it costs me my life."

Giving me a sincere look, she gently grabbed my hand.

"Yes, you may have deceived me once, but there won"t be a second time or I a.s.sure you that I"ll kill you myself. I been betrayed in the past and decided not to forgive anyone again. Maybe I"ll regret making an exception and giving you a second chance, but I just can"t bear to break Viezda"s heart right now."

"I would likewise never want to make big sister sad. "

"Any living being is capable of betraying others for their own benefit. The only solution to that is to end their lives."

"I"ll be different."

"Stop pretending to be so all knowing already. "

"Huh?"

Melpomene cried out in surprise as I picked her up in a princess carry. She hadn"t expected for me to do that.

"Don"t misunderstand, there no hidden meaning. You are simply my slave so I want to look after my property."

"Yes… Yes…."

As I carried her back to the bedroom she lead her blushing face against my chest.

"Do you want to do it with me?"

"I have work to do."

"Are you preparing for the future, master?"

Looking down at her with a frown, I ask " just how much do you know."

"I think I might know more about your future than even you do, master."

"I see, well I"ll hear all about it some other day, I"m busy now."

"Yes, I"ll be waiting."

I left the room without saying another word.

"How troublesome, both Melpomene and her brother know far more than they should about me. If that kind of information ever arrived in the hands of the High G.o.ds, it could be used against me. For the moment I can"t let her out of this dungeon. What about Teireisias though? No, I don"t have time to worry about him right now."

I teleported out and arrived in the most southern port city of the Mirin Kingdom and boarded the boat for which I had previously purchased a ticket.

"Geez… things have gotten even more complicated."

Staring out at the calm ocean, I tried to organize my thoughts, but peace did not arrive so easily.

Three days later the boat docked at our destination which was an island.

"This is Atol Island, home to the famous Killion Dungeon," exclaimed the ship master as we prepared to disembark. Looking ahead of me I realized that it was a bigger island than I had expected. After all, it was said that it had a diameter of 60 kilometers.

Leaving the harbor behind, I first headed to the outskirts of town and set up a teleportation array in a secluded area. I then headed to the village closest to the Killion dungeon. The dungeon itself was at the very center of the island, under a large volcano. Nearby, a small village had formed to serve the needs of countless adventurers. It had eventually developed into a decently sized city with a population of 20,000 people.

"Why is it so hot?"

Although in general it was true that the southern provinces were hotter, the heat generated by the volcano made the ambient temperature borderline unbearable, like that of a desert in midsummer.

"Johra, the Killion dungeon is huge beyond imagination. To date, 20 entire floors have been discovered, each housing a wide variety of artifacts, flora, fauna and minerals. The resources harvested by the adventurers help fuel the industry that not only this city, but the entire island depend on. Also…."

Lena continued with her detailed description.

" I"m aware, thanks. I won"t be the only one in there, got it."

I stopped by the Adventurer"s guild and took a look at their quests, before then doing the turn of the shops in town.

"A finally found it."

"Where you looking for a map, Johra?" I would easily map out the place once you"ve walked in."

"No, I still need their crude maps, because if I want to go where none have gone before, it"s necessary to know what areas they have already visited."

"I see, you didn"t actually need the map, just wanted to know how much has already been explored."

"Right."

After my short conversation with Lena, I walked into the dungeon. The first floor was named Cold Sand and although it was scorching hot outside, in here there was an endless desert filled with sand which was cold to the touch. Also, it appeared to be night time instead. It had definitely been around noon when I set foot inside the dungeon.

"It seems that just like the last dungeon, this one is also exists within a separate dimension."

"I think so too, all my sensors are being affected, as if by some terrestrial magnetism."

It was the same for my Spider Senses. Everything seemed off, like the nauseating feeling of being spun around and around in a whirlpool.

"I"ll be counting on you, Lena."

"Understood, I"ll start mapping out this floor."

10 minutes later we had a better understanding of our surroundings.

"Going straight seems to be the best path here."

"The exit is in the opposite direction of the Moon."

"Does the moon not move in here?"

"I don"t know, but I guess that if it did, the exit would change accordingly."

I spoke with Lena as we crossed the Pingdao Temple desert. I was occasionally attacked by some silver colored scorpions, but made quick work of them. It was quite boring so I kept conversing with Lena.

"Johra, you need to immediately head back to your dungeon manor."

"Really?"

"Yes."

Creating a thin sheet of platinum on the ground I drew a teleportation array.

Shuung!

The landscape changed before my eyes, and I noticed my servants waiting for me.

"Master, it"s great that you"ve come, follow me!"

The steward dragged me off without explaining further.