Chapter 57: Sealing Fate

"IS this why you Attacked US?"

"Hmm?" Aron turned to face the owner of the voice.

It was Marcus, who had just regained consciousness. Cuts and bruises covered his body from the beating Freya had given him. She had let all of her frustration out on him.

Aron gazed at Marcus with a cold expression. "Do you think kidnapping and selling children as slaves is not a good reason to attack you and wipe you out of existence?"

Marcus gritted his teeth and refused to answer Aron. Ignoring him, Aron continued speaking. "Moreover, you attacked and kidnapped my brother here," he said, patting Raum's head.

Marcus felt rage boiling inside his chest. 'He attacked us for mere slaves and a stupid raven?' He couldn't contain his anger any longer.

"Do you think you can get away with this? When our boss finds out, he will–"

"He's dead." Aron cut him off

"Eh?"

"Your leader, the skinny-looking guy with bandages all over his body, he's dead."

"I-Impossible!"

"His corpse is inside the castle. Poison magic, yes?"

Marcus lowered his head in shock. He couldn't believe it.

'Maxwell lost?! No way! H-He can't lose... He promised me we would take over this town together.'

Maxwell was his boss and friend. They started this faction together with the goal of taking over Larton town, but now that goal seemed impossible because of one person.

"YOU'll pay for this." Marcus glanced dangerously at Aron. "I'll skin you alive, I'll take your girls and have them–"

Before he got the chance to finish this threat, a dark and chilling aura suddenly exploded, covering the place.

Mai immediately took a few steps back, and the children quickly hid behind her. She kept her eyes on the source of this terrifying aura. Mia glanced at the faces of the girls around the man and saw that they were unaffected by his aura. They all had a cold and dangerous look on their faces while gazing at the man who tried to throw some threats.

"You!" A deep and demonic-like voice came from the pale man, sending chills down everyone's spines.

Pethra and Luna immediately stood from Aron's lap, allowing him to stand proudly while keeping a cold gaze at Marcus.

"You can threaten me, attack men, throw everything at me, but…" Aron began to take steps toward Marcus, and with each step, the pressure on him grew.

"...But no one, and I mean no one, threatens my treasures and remains in the world of the living."

He towered before him, and his eyes burned with a crimson fire. Aron brought his face close to Marcus, who was holding his breath, and his face was pale as the snow.

"Are you going to threaten my treasures?" he asked.

"I…" Marcus shuddered. He couldn't form words. He instantly knew that if he spoke the wrong word, it would be his last.

"Answer me!" Aron shouted, causing further damage to the man, and the only thing he could do was bow his head to the ground in submission.

"P-Please, I was wrong…Don't K-Kill me."

The remaining Rats and Viper opened their eyes in shock. Marcus was known for his toughness and brutality, yet he was bowing his head to the man who attacked their faction. Yet they couldn't blame him because they too could feel the dark and terrifying aura that the man was releasing.

'No! This man is a monster. No! Please, I'm too young to die,' Viper screamed in her mind. All she wanted to do was flee from this place, but she couldn't.

"Pathetic," Aron said in disdain, seeing Marcus bowing to him and pleading for his life.

'What should I do now? The girls are planning something, so I can't kill them all, and I can't allow them to roam around freely,' Aron wondered.

'System, did you finish duplicating Vincent's skill?'

[Negative, Master. The process was put on hold. Something is missing, and I can't find a solution.]

'Hmm? Too bad. I was thinking of placing these Rats under my influence.'

[I have an alternative, Master, but it comes at a cost.]

'Go ahead, tell me.'

[Master, I finished duplicating about 70% of the Compulsion skill. With this data, I can force the skill to take effect, but it will be only for one time, and the data will be lost.]

'I see,' Aron thought about it for a moment.

Truth be told, Vincent's skill, Compulsion, is a useful skill that allows you to place a seal on a person after breaking their will, turning them into a slave.

However, Aron hates it to the core. He doesn't like chains of any kind but he knows he need this skill to ensure that the remaining Rat faction won't go around spreading news about him or targeting his girls.

'System, I'll use the skill. I don't care if it's only one time,' he didn't hesitate. The safety of his treasures was above all else.

[Affirmative, Master. I require something to activate the skill.]

'What do you need?'

[Do you see the slave collar on the individual named Mia?]

Aron turned around and glanced at Mia's neck. He saw that the slave collar on her neck was different from the rest. It had a small violet gem in the middle of the collar.

[Master, I need that gem.]

'Alright.'

"!!!" Mia visibly trembled, seeing Aron suddenly approaching her. She tried to take a step back, but the children were behind her.

Step. Step.

With quick steps, Aron was in front of her. He glanced at Mia from top to bottom. She stood at around 1.75m tall with olive skin and golden eyes. Her dark-green hair was wrapped with a piece of cloth to prevent dust and dirt from harming it. She wore a long brown and black maid-like outfit, along with the slave collar around her neck.

Aron, however, moved with surprising gentleness. He held the collar with both hands and spoke in a calm yet commanding tone.

"Hold still."

Mia didn't know what to do. Her heart raced as many thoughts came into her mind. However, the girls around her opened their eyes in surprise.

"Is he going to...?" Kasumi asked in disbelief.

"Yes," Pethra replied as she kept her eyes on Aron.

"But that collar is–"

"Shh!" Freya immediately cut her off. "Just watch. I think the Boss has a chance to do it. No, I'm sure he can do it."

Aron closed his eyes and began channeling his mana into his hands. Meanwhile, Mia kept gazing at Aron, and him being this close to her caused her to blush, seeing how handsome he is. But her years as a slave taught her to keep everything inside her and show nothing on her face.

'Why is he holding my collar? Is he going to remove it?... Sigh, I must tell him to stop. This type of collar is the strongest one–'

Crack.

"Huh?"

A crack was heard, making everyone hold their breaths. Before Mai could process what that sound was, another crack followed.

Crack. Clang!

Aron effortlessly broke the slave collar into two pieces. He smiled gently at the frozen Mai and spoke the words that she never thought she would hear in her life.

"You're a free woman now."

"I…" Aron left her standing there in shock, unable to speak. He went back to the large rock, breaking the collar piece by piece to extract the violet gem.

"M-Master! Explain?" Kasumi suddenly shouted.

"Hmm? Explain what?"

"H-How can you destroy a slave collar like that?"

""What do you mean by that? I just grabbed it and broke it."

"What! Just like that?"

"..."

Aron narrowed his eyes and turned to the girls. Seeing their shocked faces, he asked, "What's wrong with you girls?"

Pethra was the first to speak. "Aaah!... Cough… Aron, it's just that... Slave collars are supposed to be indestructible."

"Really?"

"Yes, only their master and a certain group of mages have the ability to remove the slave collar, and you see, Aron, remove not destroy."

Aron thought for a moment. Honestly, he didn't find any difficulties in breaking slave collars. To him, they were like a piece of metal and nothing more.

Pethra continued, "What you did now, Aron, is basically unheard of."

When Aron explained Vincent's skill to Kasumi and the girls, they thought that the skill removed the effect of the slave collar, and that's why Aron was able to remove them. But seeing him now break one proved otherwise.

Aron raised a hand to Pethra, asking her to stop. "We'll talk about it later. I have something important to do."

Pethra nodded, and Aron extracted the gem from the collar.

'What should I do with this gem, System?'

[Eat it.]

"..."

'What! Do you truly expect me to eat it?'

[Master, this is an enchantment gem with the effect of boosting the strength of whatever item you place it on.]

'And why do you need it?'

[I'll use it to strengthen the effect of the Compulsion skill, just to be on the safe side. Now, please eat it. It's the only way.]

'But…'

[...*AAHHH! Stop whining like a little girl and EAT it. Are you a coward or what?*...]

"..." Veins bulged in Aron's head. He's a noble and proud dragon. Calling him a coward is like crossing the line.

'You know what... I promise you that one day I'll find a way to pull you out of my mind and give you a physical form. Then I'll beat you to death.'

[...*Pffft HAHAHA~...Good luck with that. Now shut up and Eat the gem, Coward, hehehe~*...]

Aron glanced at the small violet gem in his hand. With his eyes closed, he opened his mouth and swallowed it. The girls chose not to comment on that. By now, they had started to get used to Aron's weirdness.

[Enchantment gem detected]

[Starting process: Recreating Compulsion skill]

[Process successful]

[Master, you can use the skill now, but please remember it's only a one-time use.]

'Okay! Let's do it and make sure that the skill affects only the Rats.'

[Affirmative]

Clap. Clap.

Aron clapped his hands, drawing everyone's attention to him. "Rats! Look into my eyes."

[Compulsion skill activated]

His eyes flashed with green light, as did the remaining Rats, Marcus, and Viper. Their eyes also glowed with green light.

[You have successfully placed magic seals.]

"!!!" Marcus, Viper, and the remaining members felt something being imprinted inside their chests. And when they saw the dark grin on Aron's face, they instantly knew that he had done something to them.

"From now on, you belong to me. Betray me, and you die. If you try to harm anyone that I mark as forbidden or spread information about me or my family, the seal that I placed inside you will kill you instantly."

They were shocked, and before they got the chance to digest his words, Aron raised his voice in a commanding tone.

"Now move, and bring anything valuable that your faction owns. Don't forget to bring any books, journals, or maps that you'll find."

"..." The Rats kept staring at him strangely, which made Aron a little angry.

"I said MOVE."

"Y-Yes!"

They immediately stood up and spread out, doing as they were told. And because of the magic seal, they couldn't refuse Aron's orders.

The girls and the children were surprised and confused at the same time, seeing the members of this black faction obeying Aron like good little lambs.

Cough.

"ARON/MASTER!" The girls immediately rushed to him, seeing blood coming from his mouth.

Pethra tried to hold his face, but she struggled to reach him since Aron was much taller than her.

"What happened? Are you hurt? Show me where?" Concern was evident in her voice.

"I'm fine. It's jus–"

"NO, you're not." Freya cut him off. "You took a powerful magic spell, and there are probably some internal injuries."

"What!" Pethra, Kasumi, and Raum were shocked to hear that.

Pethra took Aron's hand and began dragging him to the large rock.

"Sit down and let me heal you. I can cast only a basic spell, but it will help. Now sit down."

Aron chuckled, seeing Raum and the girls' reactions, filling his heart with warmth.

"I... I can help with that," Mai suddenly spoke, drawing their attention.

"How?" Scarlett asked, narrowing her eyes. She didn't fully trust this maid to allow her to approach Aron, even if she was a slave.

"Beneath his castle is a source of healing waters. The faction leader prepared a healing bath using that water to heal his condition. And since he's dead now, the water is still there. Mister Aron can use it to cure his injuries," Mai explained.

"Good, good. A healing bath will help. Aron, let's go." Pethra nodded and began dragging Aron.

"I don't need–"

"Yes, you need it, Master." This time Kasumi cut him off.

'Why do they keep interrupting me?' Aron wondered with a smile on his face. Honestly, he was enjoying the attention the girls were giving him.

"You, Mia, yes? Show us the water's location. And you girls, help me drag him to the bath," Pethra said as she was busy pulling Aron. Soon, the girls joined her.

Pethra grabbed his right arm, and Kasumi grabbed his left. Freya and Scarlett wrapped their arms around his neck, while Luna gently grabbed the lower edge of his armor and tried to pull with all her strength. Raum sat on Luna's shoulder, giving her some encouragement.

'Heheheh~... I like this family.'