CHAPTER 48: A SECOND MEETING

The following day, Ash and Aisha were walking down the street, her face covered under a hoodie to hide her elf features.

Echidna and Kelvin were still back at the inn, waiting for Ash to return so they could kick off the plan.

For now, the first step was finding a place where they could offer Aisha up for trade before the auction, which was in three days’ time.

Terra had already told them the most likely place to go, which was precisely where they were heading.

[Notice, 3500 points has been deducted.]

[You have purchased a new item from the magic shop.]

[Blade of Ash] Description: This weapon not only links with the user, causing it to find its master no matter the distance, it can also communicate, giving subtle hints and fighting when its master is in danger.

Ash had his eyes locked on the screen while they walked, ignoring every other thing around him.

’I figured I would get her a new weapon since I am sending her somewhere dangerous by herself. She probably won’t be allowed to enter with a weapon, so this is the best thing for her right now.’

Then he looked at her.

"Aisha."

As Aisha turned to face him, he handed her the dark, sheathed blade.

At first, all she did was stare at the weapon, then she raised her head with an almost emotional face.

"Master...."

"I know what you are about to say. You are heading somewhere dangerous. This weapon is needed. I can’t have you dying mid-mission."

It was clear that she was still touched, but for her master, she was willing to shove it all to the side.

"Thank you, Master. You’ve done so much for me that I don’t know how to repay you." A sudden resolve shrouded her face. "Whatever it takes, I will not fail."

Ash didn’t give a response to that. Rather, he began to walk away, heading straight for their destination. Of course, Aisha followed behind him; she couldn’t leave him roaming about.

...

Soon after, they arrived at the location where they were going to offer Aisha up for the slave trade.

The place was in one of the hidden parts of Othland.

There were little to no buildings, and all that stood there was a small base, with bandits scattered all around, acting as guards.

As Ash and his supposed slave-for-trade approached the entrance of the base, each bandit stood at alert, ready to either fight or run away if Ash were to end up being a threat.

Either way, none of them made a move on him, but Ash’s hunter’s instinct was warning him about every nook and cranny of the place.

Soon after, he was standing in front of a muscular guy holding a giant wooden club, wearing a small hat on his head.

The man stared at Ash, and Ash stared back.

"Who are you and what do you want?" asked the man.

If he was the one coming to ask Ash these questions, Ash figured, then he had to be the one in charge, or at least be an important figure here.

"I am here to trade my slave for the next auction," Ash gave a direct response.

The man took his words into consideration and turned to scan the individual covered in a cloak from head to toe.

At that moment, Aisha knew to remove the hoodie from her head, revealing her elf features.

A huge gasp left the lips of the onlookers, surprised to actually see an elf. Elves were rare, and almost rarely did anyone bring them in for trade.

The muscular man took his time to scan Aisha, taking notice of her skin and almost glass-like face.

No doubt she was healthy and beautiful. She would fetch a healthy price.

He looked at Ash one more time, just to make sure he wasn’t being tricked in any way.

No one in their right mind would trade their elves like this when there were other ways they could sell them for higher.

"Fine. Come with me."

What did he care? He would do his job and be done with it.

With the calm look still locked on his features, Ash followed the man into the tent, alongside Aisha.

...

The very next moment, Ash arrived back at the inn.

Even before he made his way into the inn, the girls had already surrounded him.

"So? How did it go? Did they take her?" Echidna asked, leaning forward.

"How many percent? Was it much? Go on, tell me." That was Terra, leaning even further forward.

Ash could not help but lean back in concern, wondering why the two girls were so close when they could ask from across the room instead.

It didn’t help that Kelvin was staring intensely from the corner of the room, almost as though he was judging.

But just as Ash shifted his gaze back to the girls, he noticed the system appear.

[Name: Echidna Kimberly.]

[Level: 45.]

[Status: Potential Slave.]

"..."

[Name: Terra Terrace.]

[Level: 14.]

[Status: Potential Slave.]

’What the hell does a potential slave even mean?’ he raised his brow at the system messages hovering above their heads.

"Ash?"

"You good there, buddy?"

They both asked, leaning forward even more.

Ash closed his eyes, a bit annoyed.

"Can you... move back a bit?"

While Terra moved back almost immediately, Echidna smiled at the look on his face, almost as if she wanted to kiss him on the lips just for what he said. But she stopped and followed Terra.

"Yes, she is in already. I can communicate with her if I want, so there should be no issues."

Terra smiled at the news. "So we’ll be heading to the event in two days’ time. Hopefully, she’s in the first batch, and even if she isn’t, our plan is still fully in session."

"Yeah, sure. I’ll be heading to my room now."

With that, Ash walked away.

"And there he goes. Sigh, it’s so hard to read that man. Sometimes I wonder what he could have gone through to make him so distant. I guess only Aisha is lucky enough to get his talkative side."

Echidna kept her gaze on his fleeting form, her finger resting on her lips with a growing smile.

...

Later that day, Ash had fallen asleep on the bed, his body buzzing with a small but noticeable dark energy.

To the outside world, he was merely sleeping, but in his mind—

Baam!

Ash grabbed the Devil King, rested her on his lap, and began slapping her on the ass.

"Master~! Have mercy on me! Why are you so angry? I haven’t done anything wrong!"

Ash didn’t say a single word. He kept slapping her ass, his eyes filled with rage with every smack he dished out.

After a while, once he was satisfied, he made her kneel on the ground while he sat on the throne that she had supposedly made for him.

Just like before, she was naked, her red hair dancing right over the markings on her back.

With his legs crossed, Ash spoke. "Are you going to answer my questions now, or are you going to feign ignorance like the last time?"

"This is the second time we are meeting, My Lord. Don’t you think it would have been much nicer if you hugged me rather than slapping my ass the second you saw me?"

Ash frowned.

"Not that I have a problem with it, of course," the Devil King quickly spoke. "You’re the only one that can treat me like a slave and I wouldn’t rip their head off."

"I honestly do not care about any of that you just said," Ash uttered. "How long exactly do you intend to remain inside me?"

"Until you are strong enough to allow me to manifest my physical form. It’s no surprise that you can’t right now since you have only a single slave."

"How many slaves do I need before you can finally move out?"

"It’s not exactly about how many slaves. It’s more of how strong a single slave is. Could be two, three, I can’t say for sure," the Devil King replied. "If anything, I would like to remain here for a while so I can build your domain even more."

"My what?"

"This place. It’s your domain, my lord. I built it with love since I needed to do something while living inside you." The Devil King placed her hand on her chest, a smile on her face with her cheeks beet red.

"I am sure you’ve noticed that the throne was not always there. While seating there, you are constantly feeding this place with mana, enough for me to build it even more.

With time, I should have gathered enough mana for you to call this place at will. I should also be able to summon my witches who served under me. Please leave it to me. I’ll handle everything."

Ash narrowed his gaze.

’I am trying to keep my cool, but I still find it strange that such a powerful entity is kneeling in front of me. What is her end game? Sure, she is my slave, but that can’t be all there is to it. Can it?’

He glanced to the side, seeing only infinite darkness, but it was obvious the place was slowly changing, just as she said.

He sighed.

"Another question. Tell me, did you show yourself to the hero after my death?"