The morning sun illuminated the Coliseum in the center of Chichester as shouts therein echoed through the city. The Coliseum was a place for those who wished to ‘make it or break it.’ Gambling on fights was what the Coliseum was known for. Adventurers, mercenaries, gladiators, and convicted criminals would fight one another or animals and take part in the gambling. Even with the number of fights, death was relatively rare. It only occurred in accidents, battles against beasts, or criminals sentenced to death in combat.

Currently, the Coliseum was nearly full due to its unique attraction using one of its unique features. The Coliseum had a special magic, created by the First Generation Wand Hero, that would equalize the Stats between those who wore an enchanted bracelet to be equal to the lesser between the two. This would allow for two combatants to fight one another with equal stats, ignoring level. However, this did not mean that it did not have a loophole.

“And with that right hook, it seems this match has been decided!” An announcer exclaimed, his voice boosted with the assistance of a magical tool. “It seems as though this challenger will be unsuccessful.”

At the announcer’s declaration, the supermajority of cheers drowned out the boos.

One of the spectators had a smile plastered on his face as he looked at several people who had angry expressions. “A bunch of fools looking to make a big payoff. Even though the betting odds on her are minimal, it’s almost a guaranteed bet.”

The challenger, a human, barely struggled up to one knee as blood trickled out of his mouth, and his left swollen eye twitched. His simplistic hide armor and helmet had done little to protect him. “This is impossible! You must be cheating! No matter how much bigger you are, our strengths are supposed to be the same!” He stuttered through a mouth of broken teeth as a figure loomed over him, covering him in the shadow of the low morning sun. Falling into despair, the challenger looked at the ground and saw his foe’s cloven hooves and thick brown hair.

“*Sigh* Another fool.” His foe said with her deep and feminine voice.

The challenger gritted his teeth as his eyes traveled back up her body. Her ankles were high, giving her legs, covered with thick brown hair that stopped at her upper thighs, the appearance of having an additional bend. Behind her, a relatively thin and small tail, similar to a cow, flickered. Like the rest of her body, her torso was tan skin covered in thick and sturdy muscle, juxtaposed by the notable mountains of fat on her chest. The golden ring that was pierced to the center of her slightly broad nose was the only notable difference that separated her facial appearance and that of a human. She had two cow-like ears and horns just above them that protruded out a slightly upward angle, increasing her 7-foot height by an additional half-foot.

“How dare you humiliate me! If we weren’t in this arena, I could-”

She clenched her fist to throw another punch. “The battle ends when you admit defeat or are incapacitated.”

The man’s expression turned into brief terror as his body secretly recalled the beating he had just received. “I lost, I lost, stop!”

“Fool.” She said with a sigh. “When will someone worthy take me away from here? I’m so tired of this.”

“Ladies and gentlemen, there we have it!” The announcer shouted. “Once again, the victor is our special gladiator, the one-of-a-kind female Minotaur, Pasiphae!”

The crowd shouted.

“Those of you who have won your bets can go to the gambling booth and collect your winnings. However, before you do this, I must inform you that another challenger has appeared, but the bet is different! As most of you know, the normal bet for Pasiphae is 1-to-100, while the challenger is 5-to-1. This time, the challenger both paid the additional amount to take ownership of Pasiphae should he win. He bet 1 million gold coins on himself! I wonder which ancient treasure or kingdom’s treasury he robbed to have such an incredible amount!

“In light of this, we changed the bet to pot against pot. In other words, if there is 1 million gold for the challenger, and 100,000 on Pasiphae who ends up winning, every piece of gold will be worth 10! This may be your chance to win big! Betting closes in an hour, so you have enough time to get more gold and let others know! Remember, Pasiphae has been ordered not to hold back and do everything to win, so there is no worry for foul play!”

At the announcement, the stadium went crazy as the odds would most likely be higher than ever. However, not everyone was swept up in the excitement. Only a crazy person would bet so much gold, enough to run a kingdom for a few years, on himself and lose easily. However, Pasiphae did seem invincible at the same level of strength, so it made them wonder what emboldened this challenger.

…

The hour went by relatively quickly, and there were many blinded by greed. Shockingly, the amount of money bet on Pasiphae reached half a million, which dwarfed the 10,000 increase for the challenger. The Coliseum was packed beyond capacity thanks to the understandably pricy newly accessible transportation service provided by the Red Dragon Trading Company. After all, it was a small investment compared to the amount of money they would win.

The owner of the Coliseum looked down at the fervor and smiled. Because of the entry fee, he had made a pretty penny while not risking any money as they did not need to pay out should the unexpected happen as he did not back the bet. However, he did place a sizable amount on Pasiphae, but only as much as he was willing to lose. He didn’t get to his position by being foolish. “What information did you find out about the challenger?” He asked one of his staff members responsible for intelligence.

“We believe him to be affiliated with the new Red Dragon Trading Company.”

The owner’s eyes widened from surprise for a moment before they narrowed. “That is interesting. I wonder if they are doing this for publicity? Either way, he seems certain to win as the amount of money the Red Dragon Trading Company is obtaining from this should be inefficient to cover their losses. However, it also goes to show the financial backing of the Red Dragon Trading Company if they are willing to take out a million gold on this bet.”

“Yes, from the information I found, we would do well to do business with them. While teleportation isn’t cheap, most merchants will find it worthwhile when compared to the risk of travel and payment of guards or mercenaries. Additionally, it will allow for one to do business throughout the land in a matter of moments, greatly increasing the number of potential customers and business opportunities. We should increase our efforts to find unique attractions which we could then publicize and bring in more money.”

“I agree. Unfortunately, I fear that my prize attraction will soon be lost.”

“Do you think she will lose?”

“I can’t say for certain, but I can’t deny that my gut says that she will.”

The crowd settled as the announcer appeared.

“Everyone, the moment you’ve been waiting for has finally come! The undefeated Pasiphae versus the mysterious and rich challenger!”

At his words, both contestants appeared in the arena.

The challenger clothes exposed little of his identity, but the red dragon mask exposed his affiliation.

“This challenger has opted for no weapons and only simple hide armor. Even with the same stats, he may find it difficult to win!”

There was some truth to the announcer’s words. Even with the same strength, their difference in size, both in body and fist, gave Pasiphae an advantage. If they allowed weapons, it would be a more even fight.

The challenger seemed to ignore the man’s words as he glanced at the bracelet on his wrist. “Interesting. This magical device removes all status points earned by leveling up and only includes base stats and equalizes them between the combatants. However, it doesn’t seem to restrict stats earned by Expertise or abilities, which explains why you have been undefeated.” The challenger said, suddenly addressing Pasiphae.

“Are you a fool, or does a million gold means nothing to you?” Pasiphae stoically asked, ignoring his rambling.

“No to the first, yes to the second. The main reason why I’m here is for you.”

“Are you some sort of pervert?” Pasiphae blankly asked.

[Well, according to a few…] “No, your Talent is useful for me.”

“You know my Talent?”

“It isn’t a secret in higher circles.”

“I see. Well, then you know that I won’t lose.”

The challenger eyed Pasiphae as he specifically noted her lack of enthusiasm. “Are you lonely?”

“Pardon?”

“Winning every fight, never feeling challenged. Is it lonely, being invincible?”

Pasiphae frowned as she mulled over the challenger’s words. Was she lonely? Yes, but not from the constant challenges. Female mentors were extremely rare because all males are minotaurs, while all females are holstaurs. The former being militant while the latter being completely incapable of even basic self-protection and often domesticated in milk farms. She was very alone, and she didn’t want that anymore.

“Everyone, both of the contestants and the referee, are now ready.” The announcer said to break Pasiphae out of her train of thought. “At the referees signal, the battle will begin!”

Abandoning her melancholy, Pasiphae took a stance just before noticing something that made her tighten her focus. Being a Minotaur, her physical stats were high, at least relative to a human’s. Because of this, she had become used to fighting in a weakened state. However, she currently did not feel weakened at all. In other words, the person she was fighting should have higher stats than her. While this didn’t lower her confidence as it would be no different in the long run, it did make her take him more seriously.

With an exaggerated motion, the referee raised his hand, ensured both saw, and lowered it, signaling the start of the match.

Unlike how she normally fought, Pasiphae immediately charged. Comparatively, the challenger only began to lean forward, as if he was about to fall over. Pasiphae sent a right hook, which the challenger dodged by ducking low and outside. Then, the challenger pushed off of her arm, assisting his rotation, as he extended his right hand and cleanly hammered his fist into her chin.

Pasiphae suddenly saw stars as her vision blurred in and out of focus as she fell into a bout of dizziness. She clumsily stepped back, but the challenger did not follow-up. Instead, he began to speak in a loud voice that the now completely silent audience could hear.

“It seems as though the First Generation Wand Hero was truly farsighted when he left this magic for everyone, though no one has understood its true purpose. It only locks the Base Stats and not Expertise. This means that anyone with Expertise, or abilities beyond stats, will have an inherent advantage. For example.”

The challenger suddenly rushed at Pasiphae, who just recovered. Pasiphae reacted by throwing a straight punch, which the challenger mirrored. The challenger fist, dwarfed by Pasiphae’s as it was nearly double in size, met with a *thud*. To everyone’s surprise, Pasiphae’s punch collapsed, and she retreated several steps.

“For example, martial techniques.”

The challenger struck the ground several times and appeared in front of Pasiphae so fast that she could not react before several punches struck her gut in rapid succession. To her credit, Pasiphae took it like a champ as she was sent several feet back, her cloven hooves carving the ground underneath her. However, the assault had not finished.

“For example, Ki.”

A large amount of Ki began to emanate from the challenger. In response, Ki also came from Pasiphae. It wasn’t her first time dealing with someone who could use Ki, but what happened next completely caught her off guard. His Ki turned red is a giant scaled draconic arm manifested as if an extension of his own.

Pasiphae crossed her arms to block the giant slap that sent her flying across the arena.

At this point, the supermajority of the spectators became frighteningly pale as their bodies shook. Many had put their entire savings on something they felt was a sure bet. Now they could end up completely broke.

“It’s such a pity. The First Generation Wand Hero left this treasure to train those to fight against future waves, but to be used in such a fashion… Such a waste.” The challenger trailed off as he glanced at Pasiphae. A smile appeared on his lips, the only visible part of his face except for his eyes. “Well, since you still want to fight, then I will oblige you.” He said to Pasiphae when he noticed her current state.

Pasiphae was trembling, but not from fear or pain, but, as exposed by the fire in her eyes, excitement.

For the next 10 minutes, the two of them sparred. Everyone watched with bated breath, even though they knew that the challenger could easily win. Many could not help but hope that he would make a mistake, and Pasiphae could win by some stroke of luck.

To her credit, Pasiphae, who had previously won all of her matches and straightforward fashion, was a natural fighter. She was quickly learning how to counter the challenger’s fighting style, but he could always change it and elude her. Under his eyes, she felt her every move was seen through. Eventually, the fight ended the way it started, with a blow to Pasiphae’s jaw.

The Coliseum owner sighed as he looked at the collapsed Pasiphae. “Well, it seems my gut was right again. Quickly, get the reserve and the off-duty security ready. Chances are we going to have a riot from desperate folks who lost everything. While you’re at it, you should get the count to bring in the town guard.”

The attendant made a wry smile. “Sir, the count also lost a sizable amount of money right now.”

“If he seems hesitant, tell him I lost just as much money. If he refuses to help, tell them Essex has offered to build the Coliseum for me. Now, I have to meet with our victor. Tell the medics to bring Pasiphae to my office once she has been healed.”

…

Martel followed the maid through the large double doors to reveal the meeting room of the Coliseum owner. Two large couches surrounded a table in the middle that had tea and pastries on. The Coliseum owner sat on one of the couches while the now spotless Pasiphae stood respectively behind.

“Nice to meet you.” The owner said as he stood up and extended his hand. “My name is Titus.”

Oh, where are my manners.” Martel said as he removed his mask and shook his hand. “My name is Martel.”

Titus’s eyes flinched before he smiled. “Well, I can rest assured with the Talent you have shown, Shield Hero,” Titus said as he motioned for Martel to sit down across from him.

Martel smiled as he sat down but didn’t respond. It wasn’t surprising for Titus to know who he was as he was from a wealthy and powerful family, much less an independently wealthy individual. Anyone with his level of ability would quickly identify who the heroes were. They would want to prevent offending them and be able to flatter them should the opportunity arise. After all, they would become powerful figures in the future. From Shiba’s memories, Martel recalled that Titus had liberally used his wealth selflessly and was trustworthy.

“I was informed that there are some additional conditions to taking Pasiphae outside of the initial bet. However, I was not informed of what those conditions were,” Martel said with a smile as he accepted tea from the maid.

“You’ll have to forgive him,” Titus said as he also accepted the cup of tea. “It isn’t extremely uncommon for rich fools to challenge her, and he got tired of explaining all the conditions when they had no chance of winning.”

“Yes, given her abilities, I can understand why. Tell me, how did she come under your service?”

“Quite simply. You see, there aren’t many places where minotaurs can be found. The first is the small territory they have in the Holy Beastman Empire, while the second is the minotaur farms in Essex.”

“They are treated as livestock?”

“Yes and no. You see, the males have muscles for brains, and they can quickly become violent. The females are intelligent, peaceful, and simple, with the most notable feature being their milk, which all species enjoy. The combination of these two factors and their severe population decline during the war against Lilith and the labyrinth caused them to be persecuted. The males would be enslaved for the physical prowess, while the females would be enslaved for their milk, amongst other things. Luckily for them, several of the heroes intervened to prevent this from occurring. To further protect them, they brought a decent amount of the population to Essex, where there unique attributes and skills could still be utilized.”

Martel’s brow scrunched up. “It doesn’t sound like much of a difference.”

“Instead of absolute slavery, it is used solely along the lines of conditions. It keeps the males from rampaging and the females from being exploited as they are treated as employees while protecting them.”

Martel smiled but did not retort as he continued to drink tea. “So, what are the conditions?”

“Before I tell you the conditions, know that if you cannot accept them, I will reasonably compensate you.”

“You won’t arbitrarily change the conditions to those which I cannot accept so that you won’t lose her?”

“No,” Titus said with a chuckle as he shook his head. “The conditions are completely her own. Besides, given your identity, I believe she would be a better asset protecting the world than making me a little extra money. As for the conditions, I will let Pasiphae tell you.” He said as he nodded to Pasiphae.

Martel nodded for her to speak as he slowly sipped tea.

Pasiphae made a slight grunt before she began to speak. “The first condition is that my owner must defeat me in a fair fight.”

“Owner? I thought minotaurs were not considered slaves?”

“In my case, it is different. I… I found myself in an unfortunate situation in my youth that made me an actual slave. However, I still have some conditions attached to it.”

“Is that so?” Martel asked as he looked towards Titus.

“Don’t look at me. I tricked the previous owner and paid off her debt, which she has paid off. The main reason why she is still a slave is of her own will for security. Still, I have always treated her as an invaluable employee.”

“Fine,” Martel said before he turned back to Pasiphae. “So if someone beats you, or me, will they all become your new owners?”

“No. The only way to give up my ownership is to violate any of the normal or additional conditions. Doing so will give me my freedom. Or you can decide to transfer my ownership to someone stronger than me in a fair fight, and I agree.”

Martel cocked an eyebrow. “Your agreement? Doesn’t that seem arbitrary?”

“The condition is in case that person is morally bankrupt,” Pasiphae replied, stoically as ever.

Martel wanted to retort but decided not to. “The other conditions?”

“You must provide conditions of which I can fight and strengthen myself.”

Martel nodded as he sipped some tea.

“You need to milk me regularly.”

“*Cough Cough* Can you *Cough* run that by me again? *Cough*.”

“I need to be milked in the morning and evening by you.”

Martel gently sets the teacup down, ignoring the grin coming from Titus. Even Martel found himself embarrassed by the direction the conversation was going, especially with her bluntness. “How are you currently being ‘milked’?”

“I am doing so myself.”

“Can you not continue to do so?”

“That is, I…” Pasiphae began before a little fluster appeared on her face. However, she quickly calmed down as she glanced over to Titus.

From the very beginning, Martel knew that the awkward pause in their conversation was because Titus used magic to communicate with her mentally.

Pasiphae’s stoic face changed with a subtle amount of confusion and contemplation as her vision glanced between Martel and Titus. “It is extremely difficult for me to do so, given my angle and the size of my hands,” Pasiphae said as she extended her hands. Her slightly callused hands were large, even for her proportions, and there was some truth in what she said.

Martel still appeared a bit hesitant but decided to let her continue.

Pasiphae seemed to relax slightly at his apparent consent before she continued. “My final condition is that you must give me a strong child while I am still able.”

Martel was happy that he had put down the tea. “Does the child have to be mine?”

A trace of confusion appeared on Pasiphae’s face as she and Titus began to communicate again. She seemed to hesitate for a moment before she continued to speak. “So long as you find someone I approve of and is stronger than me, then that is acceptable.”

Martel hesitated for a moment before he sighed. “So long as you don’t tell someone that I am ‘milking you,’ then that’s fine.”

“That’s good.” Titus said with a notable sigh of relief as he brought out a Contract Paper and finalized the exchange.

Pasiphae glanced at Martel after the magical slave collar disappeared. “How should I address you?”

So long as it’s reasonable, as you like.”

“… Is it all right to call you by name?”

Martel nodded.

“All right then. Martel, can you do me a favor and remove my nose ring?”

Martel nodded and did so before he attempted to hand it to her.

“Can you… Can you continue to hold that for me?” Pasiphae asked with a hint of hope in her voice.

Martel was momentarily confused but began to suspect that he had just done a more significant act to her than expected. Still, he didn’t dwell on such things. “Just let me know when you want it,” Martel replied as he placed the nose ring in his inventory.

“Pasiphae, why don’t you get your things,” Titus said. “Martel is a busy man, and I’m sure he would appreciate haste.”

Pasiphae nodded and left the room to get her things.

“You have to forgive her, Martel, she’s a bit socially awkward.”

Martel shrugged. “I noticed.”

Titus gave him a mysterious smile. “I wonder.” He said before a knock came at the door. Titus answered and was handed a storage bag, which he handed to Martel. “Your earnings.”

Martel glanced over the amount and found nothing missing. “Everything appears to be in order.”

“That’s good. You wouldn’t happen to be associated with the Red Dragon Trading Company, would you?”

“I am.”

“Are you able to represent them from a business standpoint?”

“What do you have in mind?”

Well, there are several things I can think of…”

…

“Martel, what’s wrong?” Pasiphae asked after she had come back and found him notably frowning.

Titus was excitedly going over some paperwork in his adjacent office due to his conversation with Martel, whom he had left alone.

“Pasiphae, are you ready for combat?” He replied.

“Any time.” She affirmed.

“Good, then get ready for a fight.” He said as a purple magic circle appeared beneath their feet, and they disappeared, leaving the surprised Titus behind.

“When is Master coming back?” Laelynn impatiently asked.

Hestia sighed as a trace of impatience flashed in her eyes. “For the fifth time, at any point before dinner. It’s barely even the afternoon, so he could still be gone for several hours.”

A notable pout appeared on Laelynn’s face.

“Laelynn, instead of wondering when he will come back, why don’t you focus on the task he gave us?” Arachne interjected. “If we clear a lot of ground, I’m sure he will praise you.”

“Do you think so? Then let’s do our best.” Laelynn replied with renewed vigor.

Arachne glanced at the helpless looking Hestia. “Girls like her are simpleminded. So long as you cater to her thinking, you can-” she began before her vision focused completely on the little spider she had attached to Asuka, who was performing reconnaissance above. The little spider spat out as much web as it could in an attempt to intercept the arrow barreling towards the unsuspecting Asuka, but it seemed futile. The arrow came with such force that the attempt only slightly altered its direction.

With a flash of blood and scream of pain, Asuka began to tumble into the woods below.

“Enemy attack!” Arachne shouted as she and the others quickly got into formation.

“You lost the bet. A glancing blow doesn’t count.” A voice suddenly sounded.

“The bet was if I would hit, not how well or poorly.” Another disgruntled voice rang out.

You two fools shut up!” A feminine voice suddenly sounded. “Someone is ahead of us.

The girls waited with bated breath as a group of six well-armed people appeared.

“Haha.” A man with the bow laughed. “It seems that the circus is in town.” He said as he looked over the girls in a manner which they were displeased by.

“The weird ones notwithstanding, there’s a Dhampir, an elf, a dwarf, and a centaur. It looks like we hit the motherload, boss.” Another man said as he looked towards the only woman in the group.

The woman looked around the group before her eyes landed on Kogane before she broke out into a smile. “Seems like we are in luck. Even excluding the other ones, if this Kitsune sells for half as much as the other one, we might be able to retire early.” She said as her eyes narrowed.

“You-you found another Kitsune?” Kogane impulsively asked, unable to hide her hope.

The woman’s eyes seemed to smile as she noted the emotional response. One of the men gave a creepy grin. “Yes, an older Kitsune with white fur. She sold very well. Did you know her?”

“You sold my mama!?” Kogane asked with anger and incredulity as she readied a spell.

The woman smiled as they all took defensive stances.

However, before Kogane could fire off her spell, Hestia, who had anticipated Kogane’s response, blocked her view. “Kogane, don’t.”

The woman clicked her tongue. “It figures that the Dhampir would be the smart one in the group.”

“Don’t underestimate them. If my guess is right, they are adventurers from the Port of Sin, the port city associated with Sin City. They’re trying to get you to attack first so they can validly claim self-defense in case our backing is too strong.”

“How smart of you. We are indeed adventurers from the Port of Sin.”

“Did I say adventurers? I meant bandits.”

The woman’s expression became dark for a moment before she smiled. “Well, since you won’t make a move, I suppose I’ll be on our way.” She said as she began to turn away. However, when she was half-turned, the archer next to her shot towards Laelynn’s legs as she had let down her guard due to her inexperience.

However, Laelynn managed to create a thin earthen wall to protect yourself in time. However, the battle soon began as the bandits rushed them. Laelynn managed to quickly build another wall around them to help protect this could share the party members as there weren’t enough male units to protect everyone. While this was effective, it soon became clear that there was an overwhelming difference in strength. Each one of them was at least twice as strong as everyone in the party, and it was quickly beginning to show.

The woman, equipped with a dagger and whip, was primarily harassing the party to control their movements. The moment Kogane was no longer protected and focused on spellcasting against another bandit, the woman quickly rushed in. With a flick of the wrist, she attempted to tie Kogane up with her whip that possessed a surreal aura. Given her prior experiences, taking a hostage was often very effective.

Kogane finally noticed the woman’s attack too late to defend, but she did not have to. With a flash of gold, a shield suddenly appeared in front of her. From that shield, a light blue sphere protruded, which made contact with the whip. As if possessed, the whip suddenly doubled back towards the attacker and autonomously bound itself around the woman more efficiently then she had ever done.

“Who!” The woman shouted as she and the other bandits took a step back and glanced at the direction that the shield had come from. It was then that several of the men suddenly recoiled with a flash of terror on their faces as the contents of their nightmares charged at them.

Pasiphae, who was fully engaged in her charge, menacingly sped across the ground towards them.

“Shit, it’s that crazy bull!” The man shouted as the others began to falter.

“Focus, you idiots!” The woman, tied up on the ground, suddenly shouted. “This is not the arena, so you are stronger than her!”

The five men, who had subconsciously begun to retreat, snapped back into focus solely towards Pasiphae, but that only led to their defeat.

Pasiphae bullishly charged at the closest man who just managed to regain his stance and swung to intercept Pasiphae’s great ax with his greatsword. The two weapons met for the briefest moment with the sound of colliding metal. The man’s face greatly changed as Pasiphae’s muscles visibly flexed and strained. With a deep and guttural growl, Pasiphae brute-forced the rest of her swing. The man’s expression quickly reeled back into fear as he was thrown off balance, which also allowed him to dodge the swing, but Pasiphae was relentless. Using the forward momentum of her swing, she pivoted on her front hoof as her body twisted, and she sent a kick straight towards the man’s chest.

Accompanied by the crunch of collapsing metal armor was the crackle of breaking bone. The man’s jaw clenched in fear and pain as he briefly hung upon Pasiphae’s hoof before he shot out and impacted a tree. The other men, who are preparing to charge Pasiphae, froze.

Suddenly, the bound woman’s eyes shot open. “You idiots! Look-”

“That’s enough out of you,” Martel said as he suddenly and unceremoniously appeared on and smashed his foot down the back of the woman’s head.

Thanks to the distraction of Pasiphae’s appearance and her ability to draw hatred, the other girls had managed to reorient themselves and had launched a fervent retaliatory attack.

Disoriented from the sudden chain of events, none of the attackers noticed the needles, coated in a green liquid, between Martel’s fingers. Martel seemed still as a statue with only the occasional wrist flick that resulted in one less held needle. Within seconds, his hands were empty, and everyone ceased to move; the girls out of confusion at the men who could barely move. The poison smeared on the needles was a week, fast-acting paralytic poison. However, it was the position where the needles were that had caused the most immediate damage. Even the smallest of movements were difficult or excruciatingly painful.

“Arachne,” Martel said.

Arachne’s eight eyes blinked twice before she inferred what he wanted and began to bind the men with her silk.

Martel grabbed one of the men and began to drag him and the woman away before he paused. “No reason to take prisoners. Those of you who haven’t killed before should get some practice.”

Martel roughly threw down the tide man and bound woman a short way away from the rest of the party.

The woman groaned. “That’s no way to treat a lady.” The woman said as coquettishly as possible.

Martel ignored the woman as he moved to remove the webbing, binding the man’s mouth.

“Hey, you wouldn’t leave this poor weak woman all bound up-” *bang!* The woman began before her breath was forcibly expelled from the kick Martel sent into her stomach that sent her flying into a nearby tree. “Would you shut up,” Martel said coldly. “Just because I don’t like hitting women doesn’t mean I’m not willing to step on a few snakes.”

The woman bit her lower lip from her frustration and fear at his coldness until she drew blood. Given his party’s composition, she was betting that he was a lecherous man, but she was wrong. She could see it in his eyes and hear it in his voice; he wouldn’t hesitate to kill her.

Martel finally got webbing out of the man’s mouth. “Now, I’m going to ask you some questions,” Martel said.

In response, the man spat bloody snot towards Martel, but it stopped in midair and shot back, impacting the man’s face.

Martel sighed. “Well, I tried to be civil.” He said as he removed one of his black gloves and reached out to touch the man. “Oh well, I want to try this out anyway.”

The man tried to say something, but could no longer as soon as Martel touched him. His entire body tensed up, and he felt as if his entire being was being pulled up towards his head.

The woman watched with indignation, which became confusion, then astonishment, then fear, then terror, and she let out a scream.

The girls looked at the four remaining captives as Martel’s parting words sunk into their minds.

Kogane walked up and pressed a knife against the throat of the man who addressed her previously. “Where did you see my mama?” She asked coldly, different from our normal bubbly personality, as she tore off the webbing on his mouth.

“I’ll tell you if you let me go.” The man said, hoping to play to her naïveté.

“You tell me or I’ll… I’ll kill you.” She replied in a manner that was not very convincing.

Noticing this, the man smiled. “If you kill me, you’ll never find out where your mama is.”

Kogane’s face flashed with different emotions as she tried to figure out what to do.

Seeing Kogane’s indecisiveness, Arachne sighed. Without saying a word, she walked up to one of the other men and deftly smashed one of her legs into the man’s throat. She stood there motionless for the few seconds it took for his life to drain out of his eyes before she turned back around, ignoring the shocked face of everyone. She had not killed anyone previously thanks to the convenience of her contract magic, which could prevent others from acting against her. However, as a drider, she was predatory, so it didn’t bother her in the slightest.

It was then, a feminine shout of terror echoed nearby, snapping everyone out of the shock.

“Kogane, I’m sure that Patriarch is doing what he can to get the information, so I don’t see a reason to keep him alive.”

Kogane’s eyes flickered with decisiveness.

“Wait, if you kill me-” the man began, but couldn’t finish as Kogane’s dagger slid through his throat. He looked at the little girl in horror before he lifelessly collapsed.

Kogane stood there motionless, looking over him as her body slightly shivered. She had previously been sheltered from such acts, but the First Wave result toughened her resolve.

Arachne looked at Hestia. “Your turn?”

Hestia shook her head. “That will not be necessary. I have killed before.” She replied, unaffected by the sight.

“How about the new girl?”

“My name is Pasiphae.” She huffed back. “While it was never intentional, I have killed before and come to terms with it, which is why Martel wanted us to do this.” She replied.

“Then, I’ll do it,” Perenelle said with a toothy smile. The man she walked up to begin to panic but didn’t panic for long as Perenelle quickly dispatched him. While she hadn’t killed before, growing up with goblins desensitized her to death,

“I… I suppose I should go next,” Laelynn said after a couple of seconds of silence as she tentatively took her knife and walked up to the last mercenary.

The man, who slowly reeled back from her, noticed her hesitation and the innocence on her face, so he created the most pitiful expression possible. Seeing this, Laelynn faltered. “I… I don’t think I can do this.” She said as the dagger in her hand shook.

Hestia frowned when she saw Laekynn’s reaction. Then, she remembered what Arachne had said earlier. “Laelynn, I’m sure that Sir would be happy and praise you if you did so.”

“Really!?”

The relaxed expression the man had when Laelynn initially backed off didn’t have time to change before Laelynn’s dagger swiftly sliced through his neck. Only the light of incredulity briefly showed in his eyes before he passed on.

The girls all looked dumbfounded at the smiling Laelynn, who held a bloody dagger in her hand.

“Master will praise me now.” She said with glee.

Several of the girls couldn’t help but gulp.

“I think she’s the scariest person I’ve ever seen,” Pasiphae said in a whisper, which prompted several of the other girls to nod vigorously in agreement.

Martel wore an expression as if he had swallowed a fly. He had just tried his improved ability on a human and regretted it. The benefits were high in potential, but he hardly gained anything due to how weak this person was. Additionally, having the memory of such a debauched person disgusted him. Luckily he could wipe his memory, or else he would never use this ability.

After he had come to his bearings, he looked back at the pile of dust. “Now that I think about it, that would’ve been an appropriate time to snap my fingers.” He mumbled to himself before he turned to look at the woman who was doing everything she could to get away from him short of running away. The smell of urine pervaded the air as Martel slowly approached her.

“Don’t kill me. Don’t kill me. Don’t kill me.” The woman mumbled over and over as tears and snot ran down her face.

“The thing is, I don’t see a reason to keep you alive.”

“Wait, wait, you’re looking for a Kitsune, right? I know about her!” The woman enthusiastically said as she grasped a straw.

“I already know,” Martel replied emotionlessly.

“I know a lot of things! A lot of secrets! I’ll tell you if you spare me.”

“I’m sure you do, and I’ll find them out.” He said as he reached towards her.

“Please, please.”

“Don’t worry. You won’t feel a thing.” He said as he touched her forehead.

The woman’s eyes rolled back into her head, and she passed out never to awaken.

The complex light flashed through Martel’s eyes. “Ashes to ashes, dust to dust.”

…

Martel walked back to the other girls with the now ownerless whip as he brushed the complex emotion out of his mind. Even with his life as Shiba, he wasn’t comfortable with what he just did. However, he was able to let go of those emotions. While he was partial to women, he also believed in equality. Given that the woman’s crimes had committed just as bad as the other mercenaries, there was no reason to let her go. This was only further confirmed after he had obtained her memories and found her to be quite the cruel person.

Shaking his head and forever banishing those thoughts, Martel turned his attention back to the whip. His interest in the whip was twofold. The first was that it was enchanted with the magic, Bind. This was the reason why it had so efficiently held her captive. Additionally, Reflect had sent the attack back with double the strength and increased the effectiveness of the Bind by a factor of two. This meant that Reflect doubled comprehensively, which could end up quite useful.

Martel walked back to the girls and was surprised by what he saw. Even though what he said was somewhat cryptic, he was slightly surprised that they had gone through with it.

Arachne raised four eyebrows as Mark held to glance towards her bloodied limb. Perenelle didn’t even notice that he looked her way as she cheerfully cleaned her dagger.

Martel’s attention quickly turned to Kogane and Laelynn.

“Master, did I do well?” Laelynn asked with a white face and a trembling body. The weight of what she had done had sunk in as the adrenaline faded.

Martel gently took her hand and removed the dagger from it. “Yes. Just remember, only kill bad people, and you don’t have to if you are strong enough to subdue them.”

Laelynn nodded but did not verbally respond.

Kogane tugged at Martel sleeve. “Papa, did you find where Mama is?”

Martel gave her a gentle smile as he picked her up into his arms. “It may take a little time, but I will get her.”

“Really?”

“Yes. Don’t worry. She is safe. Right now, you just have to worry about getting stronger.”

End of Day 87