CH157 - CH158

CH157

Simply put, with the master-servant contract in place, if Helag ordered the elven girl to commit suicide, her body would obey without question.

After the contract was signed, Helag felt a connection form between him and the elven girl.

A red mark appeared in his mind, allowing him to control her through it.

Aside from triggering the mark to cause her death, Helag could also use it to inflict punishments, such as making her feel pain or itchiness in specific areas.

The master-servant contract imposed no restrictions on the master, handing complete control to them.

"Remove her shackles and give her some shoes," Helag said, noticing the elven girl's bare feet, dirty and wounded from walking on the ground.

Pom took out a key, unlocking the girl's shackles, and then retrieved a pair of shoes from her space ring.

"They're a bit big, but you can wear them for now," Pom said, handing the shoes to the elven girl.

The girl seemed confused, not understanding the conversation between Helag and the others, unsure of what was happening.

"Put on the shoes," Helag said in Elvish.

The girl's face lit up briefly with surprise, but then she remembered that wizards were well-educated and knowing Elvish wasn't unusual, so her expression turned despondent again.

She lifted her small, pale foot and slipped it into the shoe, then did the same with the other foot.

The shoes were clearly too large, and they fit her awkwardly, more like slippers than proper shoes.

Helag had learned Elvish during his time in Moonlight Forest, where the second floor of the library had books on the language, and he had picked it up along the way.

"Let's go," Helag said once she had put on the shoes, and he left the box with Brack.

The elven girl followed behind, looking lost and anxious, her small hands clutching the hem of her dress, unsure of what fate awaited her.

***

Back at the Terchy family's shop, Helag closed the door. The elven girl stood by the entrance, too scared to move forward, her eyes filled with fear as she looked at Helag.

"What's your name?" Helag asked.

"Shatia… Ald… Alde…" Shatia replied reluctantly, clearly unwilling to reveal her full name.

Helag noticed her hesitation and asked, "Is there something special about your name? Or does it hold some significant meaning?"

Shatia nervously clutched her dress, not wanting to speak, but under the contract's compulsion, she had no choice. "Alde is the ruling family of the Elven Plane. I am a princess of the royal family."

"A royal family?"

Helag smiled, understanding why Shatia had been reluctant to reveal her surname.

The royal family of elves had the most exalted bloodline. While ordinary elves lived about a thousand years, royal elves had lifespans of at least three thousand years, increasing further with their strength.

Helag had learned from Deep Blue's database that royal elves were incredibly powerful, inheriting their magical abilities through their bloodline.

As they aged, their strength grew as well.

It seemed Shatia had been hiding her identity all along, and those who had sold her at the auction had likely thought she was just an ordinary elf, albeit a particularly beautiful one, hence the high price.

If anyone had known she was a royal elf, she would never have been sold to the Barren Lands. She would have been bought in the Land of Dawn long ago.

Alde was the ruling family of the Elven Plane, the strongest bloodline in that realm.

"No wonder I sensed such powerful bloodline energy…" Helag thought, realizing he had stumbled upon a valuable asset. Shatia's worth had just skyrocketed.

Seeing that Shatia was still terrified, Helag smiled and said, "You don't need to be so afraid. As long as you behave, I won't do anything too harsh to you."

His attempt to reassure her had little effect, as Shatia remained filled with fear and anxiety.

Helag sighed, realizing it would take time for her to calm down. He pulled a wizard's robe from his space ring.

"Go take a bath and wear this for now. I don't have any clothes for girls here," Helag said, tossing the robe to her.

Shatia carefully picked up the robe, holding it close to her chest, standing there uncertainly.

Helag rolled his eyes, "Don't worry, I'm not going to bathe with you, and I won't peek either. I'm not interested in small chests."

"Okay… Master…" Shatia responded hesitantly, unsure about his promise, and confused by the term "small chests," as there was no equivalent in Elvish.

"Wait, calling me 'Master' feels kind of embarrassing. Just call me Lord Helag from now on," Helag said.

Shatia bowed slightly, "Yes, Lord Helag."

"Alright, go ahead," Helag waved her off, lying down on the bed, thinking about his next steps.

The dragon blood he had just acquired needed to be absorbed quickly, and he also wanted to test the effects of Shatia's royal elf bloodline.

There was also the matter of Bessie's mental power stagnation. It was time to send the potion he had completed for her.

Over the past year, he had already perfected the potion.

However, to send it, he would need to go through Larry. If he completed the potion too quickly, it would seem abnormal. Now that a year had passed, the timing was just right.

As Helag thought about these things, he heard the sound of water from the bathroom.

Shatia carefully drew the curtain, trying to prevent Helag from peeking, though she didn't realize it was pointless.

She turned on the faucet, and warm water soon filled the bathtub. Slowly, she removed her thin clothing and glanced down, suddenly understanding what "small chests" meant.

"I'm not that small… Why did he say I am?" Shatia thought indignantly.

Compared to Elisa, whom Helag had been with before, Shatia was indeed smaller, but still within normal range.

In terms of appearance, Shatia was the most beautiful and flawless woman Helag had ever seen. Elves were naturally more attractive than other races.

Although Helag had said he wouldn't peek, he still observed her for a moment, mainly to ensure she didn't drown in the bathtub. After all, he had spent two thousand magic stones on her, and it would be a waste if she died.

"Well… she's fine," Helag glanced for a moment before withdrawing Deep Blue's environmental scan.

CH158

Shatia suddenly felt a sense of being watched, instinctively covering her body with her hands. She felt like someone was spying on her.

However, the feeling quickly disappeared.

Helag, sensing her reaction, blushed slightly. "Did she notice…?"

Although Shatia was his slave, Helag had no intention of forcing himself on her.

If Shatia was unwilling, Helag wouldn't push it.

His upbringing and modern education from his previous life made it impossible for him to act like the nobles here. He still had a basic moral compass.

More importantly, Shatia's royal elf status made Helag think of more strategic uses for her in the future.

Shatia, still feeling uneasy from Helag's earlier gaze, quickly finished her bath, dried herself with a towel, and slipped into the oversized wizard robe.

Dressed in the large robe, Shatia walked slowly to Helag, unsure of what to do next.

"Get into bed, under the covers," Helag instructed.

Shatia's head shot up, tears welling in her eyes. The moment she feared had come.

Helag, unable to stand her expression, waved his hand. "Relax, I just want you to warm the bed. I'm not going to do anything to you."

Hearing this, Shatia hesitated but held back her tears. She wiped her eyes and pitifully climbed into bed, lying stiffly under the covers, staring at the ceiling.

"Sigh," Helag sighed deeply.

He couldn't understand how a royal elf princess had ended up here. Had the wizard organizations in the Land of Dawn grown so powerful that they could capture royalty from other planes?

But judging by the fact that no one knew Shatia's true identity, there must have been some coincidences involved.

Half an hour later, Helag climbed into bed as well. Shatia, like a frightened deer, curled up at the edge, trying to stay as far from him as possible.

"Move closer. The bed isn't that wide. I need to meditate, and I won't do anything to you. Just sleep peacefully and don't disturb me," Helag said.

With that, he entered a meditative state, his breathing calm and steady.

Shatia obediently moved closer but still kept her distance, too scared to get near him.

She had been terrified that Helag would suddenly pounce on her, but seeing him genuinely enter meditation, she relaxed a little.

Shatia had barely slept or eaten properly for a long time. Now, freshly bathed and lying in such a comfortable bed, a strong wave of drowsiness hit her.

She tried to stay awake but eventually drifted off to sleep.

Not only did she fall asleep, but she also unconsciously hugged Helag's arm, her leg draped over him, completely abandoning any royal composure.

At one point, her foot almost poked Helag in the mouth. Helag grabbed her foot and moved it aside, glancing at the soundly sleeping Shatia before resuming his meditation.

The next morning, Shatia woke up to find herself snuggled against Helag's chest. Startled and embarrassed, she quickly pulled away.

Helag finished his meditation and got up, telling her, "Go wash up. We're leaving soon."

"Yes, my lord," Shatia obediently responded and went to wash.

A knock came at the door. Helag opened it. "Good morning, Mr. Brack."

Brack stood there holding two sets of clothes and two pairs of shoes, smiling. "I had my servants buy these for your elven girl."

Helag accepted the clothes. "Thank you, Mr. Brack."

"With slaves, the taming process is the most fun…" Brack muttered, clearly speaking from experience, reminiscing about his younger days.

Helag smiled awkwardly, not bothering to explain, and instead asked, "Mr. Brack, are we heading back to Kent Valley today?"

"Yes, we'll leave around noon," Brack replied.

After Brack left, Helag turned to Shatia. "Here are two sets of clothes and shoes. Go change into them."

Shatia took the clothes, her face lighting up with a rare smile. She seemed to like the outfits.

She went into the bathroom to change, and the sound of rustling fabric could be heard.

Ten minutes later, Shatia emerged, wearing a purple dress and princess shoes. She had even taken the time to tidy her hair, now looking more like a proper princess.

"Not bad," Helag complimented.

***

After returning to Kent Valley, Helag introduced Shatia to Mary and Lennon. "This is Shatia. She'll be my assistant from now on."

He briefly introduced them to each other to make future tasks easier.

Mary now had an additional responsibility—helping Shatia with daily chores, as there were many things Helag, as a man, couldn't conveniently handle.

Helag took Shatia to the inner castle and showed her a few restricted areas, warning her not to enter them. He then said, "From now on, you'll sleep with me every night. I've noticed that your presence helps my meditation."

This was a conclusion Helag had reached after last night. Even without the advanced version of the Starry Potion, his meditation speed had increased significantly.

He deduced that Shatia's high magical affinity increased the concentration of energy particles around her, attracting them to her.

Having Shatia around was like having a living energy particle gathering array.

Shatia, still fearful, could only nod in agreement, unable to disobey Helag's orders, though she nervously played with her fingers.

After advancing to a formal wizard, Helag knew that progressing further would not be easy.

The transition from gaseous to liquid mana was a long process of accumulation. Daily meditation yielded minimal results, but it was still necessary.

With the advanced Starry Potion and Shatia's assistance, his meditation speed would improve significantly.

Over time, this would save him a lot of time in reaching the liquid mana stage.

Two days after returning, Helag went to find Brack and handed him a potion he had prepared for Bessie. "Mr. Brack, could you please give this to Master Larry? It's a potion I made for Bessie. It should help heal her injuries."

Brack nodded. "No problem, I'll send it to Larry."

Helag was now eighteen, and Bessie was a year younger than him.

Once Bessie recovered, she should have no trouble advancing to a formal wizard at the age of eighteen or nineteen.

Bessie had already advanced to a third-level wizard apprentice before Helag, and her talent was excellent.

As long as her mental power growth issue was resolved, she had a good chance of becoming a formal wizard.