Truth of the Past

[Warning: This is a violent chapter.]

The Death Warrior with the black mask shook his head and instantly left Ardor from his grasp. He left the room with other Death Warriors following behind him and closed the door. Now they were alone.

Ardor walked by the sides of the table and approached Alse, who kept staring at him. He finally stood in front of her. She was slightly taller than him, with her heels on. He didn't like it.

*Smack*

Faint redness appeared on her right cheek, but she didn't react negatively to it. Her body just twitched as a small, hazy smile formed on her face.

"Kneel!" He commanded!

*Smack*

A faint red mark appeared on Alse's left cheek.

"This feels better," Ardor commented. "Proper height too!"

He stared at the woman kneeling before him who made his predecessor's life a living torture. The woman who took away the true love he found after he left Isabella. He only felt right to correct the wrong done in his past.

"I personally experienced it! A lifetime of torture there, and a lifetime of suffering and bullying here!" He walked around Alse as he said this. After making one round, he added, "I was there; it was me, going through it all!"

*Smack*

Her smile got hazier. Her lower red dress finally began looking darker, damp in her nether region.

Ardor didn't feel the necessity for secrecy as he remembered the perfume's description.

[Item: Obedience Perfume

Effect: Forcefully maximizes obedience of Target towards the User for 1 hour if the appropriate dosage is used. Change in dosage used will increase or reduce the effect of the perfume or may cause unexpected consequences.

Remarks: Repeated usage by the same User towards the same Target may have unexpected consequences depending on the User's treatment towards the Target.

Cost: 33/66/99 LPs for the Beginner/Advanced/Peak Version]

He had picked up the peak version as usual, since this item didn't have any damaging effect when overdosing on someone.

'At most, she'll remain obedient to me for life!' he sneakily thought but soon disapproved of his unrealistic idea after seeing the timer on a blue screen in the top right of his vision.

[Status Effect (Obedience)

Alse - 00:59:23]

He knew this meant that she was already a Peak Apprentice Warrior. Till now, he didn't see any item that could work on someone stronger. 'Perhaps that has something to do with my Unranked shop. I wonder if it'll improve after I have a Rank…'

Ardor soon began remembering everything from when he was 10 years old. For some reason, he had no memory before that. For each time this woman made her maids take away his toys, he slapped her.

*Smack*

For each time she sent her children to cause trouble to Jeanne, he hit her.

*Smack*

For each time she reduced the pocket money he received from the family, he took revenge.

*Smack*

For when she didn't let him practice, or even see the family's martial arts manuals, he let her feel pain.

*Smack*

For when she worked with Gawyn to take away his true love found after great difficulty, he let her feel his wrath.

*Smack*

After about 15 minutes of letting out his grievances, he felt free; his soul felt sublime. His mind felt lighter, but only slightly.

But it was not without cost. Ardor looked at his hands that were both bright red, already hurting. Then he looked at Alse's still faintly red face, with no visible signs of pain from her expression.

"Are you in pain?" He wanted to know.

"Yes," she replied. Before he could feel satisfied, she continued, "It's almost as if I hit my face once after being bothered by a mosquito."

Angered, Ardor did the only thing he could do.

*Smack*

He cooled down after letting that out. Rubbing his temples, he asked her for confirmation, "How strong are you?"

"I'm a Peak Apprentice Warrior!" She smiled brightly. "But don't let my hubby know this little secret, please! He still thinks I'm a Beginner Apprentice Warrior."

'Okay, so the versions of my items currently correspond to the three stages of the Apprentice Rank.' Ardor confirmed. He looked at the time left.

[Status Effect (Obedience)

Alse - 00:42:59]

"Tell me why you want platinum coins for Isabella. Why do you want to sell my slave?" He sat on her seat while she remained on her knees, facing him.

"A Lord Mage will arrive at the Capital of Zoran in a week. Every capable noble in the Kingdom is preparing platinum coins to win a chance to change their offspring's destiny."

The explosive news left him shocked.

His eyes widened as Alse added. "The Lord Mage seems to charge 10 platinum coins to test the talent of any child younger than 20, so Young Master Stone, and my adopted daughter, Isabella Flame will need 20 platinum coins to get their talent tested, for a chance to change their fate."

Alse had a look of worship and respect for the great power of mages, as she said all of this. Even Ardor had heard rumors. But rumors were, after all, just that, rumors. Knowing they really existed brought him genuine shock.

"Young Master Edgar already has the required money, and he's probably almost reached the Capital City. My husband has already taken 8 platinum coins from the treasury, but refuses to give more! I'm sure a virgin like Jeanne would fetch a good price among nobles, so she has to be sold!"

*Smack*

Despite knowing it wouldn't cause her any pain, Ardor did it for his mental satisfaction. That was all he could do after all. He couldn't kill her, could he?

Ardor took out his pouch, where his entire wealth was kept, and spread them on the table in front of him, counting them.

"One gold coin, 26 silver, huh? I'm short by a huge amount!" He sighed. "One platinum coin is worth 100 gold, and each gold is worth 100 silver. Huh." He sighed again, then looked at Alse, only to find her staring at him in shock. She wasn't even shocked when he slapped her.

Despite seeing the timer count down properly, he felt slightly worried if its effects had expired. "What're you looking at?" he carefully asked, ready with a Peak Essence Bursting Dart he just bought in his right hand.

"You do know that's not silver, right? Why did you keep it with silver?" Alse asked curiously.

Slightly relaxed, he sought clarification. "Which one?"

Alse asked, "May I?" and stood up after he nodded at her. She came closer and singled out one silver coin on the table. He looked closely at it while she claimed, "This is not silver. It's platinum. How did you even get it?"

Ardor was not in the mood to answer her. He compared the 'platinum coin' with the silver ones and only noticed it appeared shinier. 'Right, it's supposed to be shiny, not dull!' This made him recall one lesson in the school of his previous life.

He thought about how it ended up with him, and only concluded Edgar had given it, despite not wishing that to be the truth.

Was the man serious about paying that much for a girl who'd not hesitate to dump him if someone more successful comes along? He didn't know. 'But that still doesn't change my plans for you.' Ardor reminded himself.

He looked at the time left.

[Status Effect (Obedience)

Alse - 00:35:42]

Enough time to find out about his past. But there was something he had to do first.

*Smack*

"Back off! Your stench's spreading all over!" Ardor complained seeing her nether region in front of his face. He had long noticed she twitched each time he slapped her, but didn't expect her to be a masochist.

*Smack*

This was a form of pleasure for her, but it was also enjoyable for him to see a beauty react like that. This made Ardor feel bad, knowing he was doing something satisfying here while his true love was perhaps locked away in the Wicked Auction House.

*Smack*

'I'm just punishing her,' he thought, justifying his actions and feelings.

"Tell me about my mother, everything about my past till I reached 10," he seriously asked.

"Alright." With a somewhat sad look on her face, she began her story. "My dearest husband doesn't actually love me that much. That first night of marriage, we did the deed based on traditional customs. He hasn't touched me ever since!"

She stared into his eyes in hunger. "I too have my needs, you know. Just because I used my status to force him to marry me doesn't mean he has the right to deny me the pleasures of the flesh. He didn't even let me sire a baby for him. That heartless man!

"I had no choice but to relieve myself using external help, but he killed all those bastard children. The ones we have now are adopted, but they don't know yet. He even stopped talking to me in private."

She paused. Ardor was absorbed in the story, but still didn't understand how it connected to his mother.

"Then she came. 'The love of his life,' he said. He visited her almost every night, and after you were born, even more so. When you were ten years old, and I came to know she had another child on the way, I… I couldn't stop myself."

Ardor tensed up, knowing the truth that had been hidden away from him was going to be unveiled.