“Please wait, great sir.” The voice of the demi-human I should’ve killed comes from behind me.

Dude, the fuck? Since when could weaklings come back to life? This is absolute bullshit, you’re too weak to have resurrection treasures. I am certain that such things are not easy to come by. The fact that this little bitch (dictionary definition) is even alive at this moment goes against the will of common sense. I mean, common sense dictates that such a weak little bastard cannot have any good treasures. I mean, they’d just get stolen. What the fuck is this?

“Why. The fuck. Are you. Still alive?” I ask the bitch (dictionary definition).

“My clan gave me a one-time use life saving treasure. It activated automatically when I died, and since it activated immediately, I was able to come back completely.”

“Okay… But why do you have such a thing in the first place?”

“I am the son of the clan chief, and was blessed with great talents. I am sure that I will be of use to you, should you decide to make use of me.”

What the fuck prompted this change? I don’t understand his thought process. I killed him, so he wants to serve me? Okay, he can admit that I’m stronger than him, but why doesn’t he just play dead until I leave? I thought he was a heaven’s proud son, one who could influence the world with just a word. So, who the fuck is this?

{Nicten Terminus, successor to the house of Terminus, a first-rate power.}

Yeah, really helpful. Just the time when I need better information too…

“So let me get this straight,” I ask Nicten. “You try to kill me, I take jabs at your pride, you get angry and insult me, I kill you, you come back to life, you got brain damage during your time dead and suddenly you want to serve me. Am I correct?”

“I don’t believe that my brain has received any damage, but other than that, you are.” He replies with a straight face.

“Hmm… Hmm… Then what made you want to serve me?”

“Your strength. Your techniques alone surpass anything I’ve ever seen, and although your swordsmanship lacks something, it is still very powerful. In fact, I believe most Vanquish Tribulation Realm experts could not match up to your achievements in the sword.”

Now I know that I have some talent in the sword, but can a self-made technique really take me this far? No, I’m not being arrogant, I really do have some talent in the sword. Do you really think that someone with no talent could really kill a person who has gone through multiple battles? Talking about you Muscle. Now that I have his reason, I need to pry a bit deeper. After all, there’s no way he’s this ready to become my retainer.

“So? Just because I’m strong doesn’t mean that you’d jump at the chance to serve me. If you really do have all the talent that you claim to have, then you shouldn’t be so ready to serve me. In fact, you have a clan behind you as well. Why do you need me?” Seriously, it makes no sense.

“Ah...” Nicten looked to the side while clenching his fists. “One of my clan’s elders incurred the wrath of a senior at the level of Star Lighting Realm. Since the strongest of us are only at the Spirit Sub-Realm, we were not able to withstand his anger for long. The seniors of the clan sent us of the younger generation away, me included. However, the others forced me out, and I was unable to return to the clan.”

Aah… A traumatic past character huh? I think I remember some anime where the main character was a total pussy because he had a trauma of… some sort of weapon. However, this seems to have not been a trauma for him? I must say, for a silkpants young master, he has pretty good strength of heart. After all, he was turned away from the darker side of humanity -or, demi-humanity in his case- for his entire life and survived this event without giving up.

“I see,” I say. “Don’t think of yourself as special, things like this happen often. It happened to your clan, but in the grand scheme of things, it’s one of many insignificant events that happen over the course of years.”

It’s true. I can remember something like that happening many times over the course of this life.

“...” Nicten had nothing to say.

“Well, I only have one more question for you.” I tell him.

“Pray tell, great one.”

“If you really are of a noble house, how come your face is so simple?”

“...”

Yes, I’m rather curious. Do tell, young one.

“… I-It’s…” Nicten seems like he doesn’t want to say it.

“It’s alright, just say it.” I tell him comfortingly.

“I-I’m sure that when I reach a higher Realm, I’ll be more handsome.”

Oh. So he doesn’t want to say, and avoided the topic. That’s actually rather funny. First time I’ve seen someone act like this in a long time.

“Alright, that’s all I need for now. You want to become my retainer? I’ll need you to swear on the Heavenly Dao.” I tell him seriously.

An oath on the Heavenly Dao is the highest form of oaths I can use as of this moment. There are other ones, like a Primal Oath, which means that you swear an oath that is regulated by the will of Primalcore. However, that one needs a certain treasure, often held by sects that span multiple planets. Since I don’t have such a thing, I decided to use an oath of the Heavenly Dao, which can be used by anyone, as long as they are a cultivator. Thankfully, this way of swearing an oath is know on Nephila, so I don’t have to explain it.

“Oath on the Heavenly Dao?” Nicten looks at me.

“What? Do you not know it? Or are you unwilling?” I ask him.

“No, I simply didn’t know that we could swear one at our current level.”

“Yes, as long as a person is a cultivator that has stepped into an actual Realm, they can swear an oath to the Heavenly Dao.”

“Then, I have qualms with this arrangement.”

“Good. Shall we get started then?”

“Yes.”

“Then, you start.”

“Alright. I, Nicten Terminus, swear upon the Heavenly Dao to serve...”

Aah, he doesn’t know my name. Even though I don’t have a last name, it doesn’t matter as long as I recognize the name I give him as mine.

“Ardven.” I tell him.

“… Ardven wholeheartedly and with all my power. To never betray him or submit to another master. To obey all commands he gives me and carry them out with ardor. Should I break this oath, may the Heavenly Dao carry out my punishment.” He finishes his side of the oath.

“I, Ardven, swear upon the Heavenly Dao to accept Nicten Terminus as my retainer. To not treat him unjustly and to never give him immoral and unreasonable orders. To hold the right to release him from his duties at any time I see fit. Should I break this oath, may the Heavenly Dao carry out my punishment.”

““We swear upon the Heavenly Dao!”” We swear at the same time, finishing the oath.

A boom of thunder resounds in the distance, followed by the feeling of my qi boiling. This means that the Heavenly Dao has accepted the oath, and that the oath has taken effect. Now neither of us can break the oath without suffering the consequences. Should we break it, the lightest punishment is death, the heaviest is the destruction of your soul.

“With this, the oath has been made.” I say.

“You are now my master.” Nicten kneels before me. “I hope you will make use of me.”

“I will. Now rise.”

“Yes, master.”

I really like acting like a king in situations like this. It feels good to tell a person to rise from a kneeling position. I feel like a god! Hahahaha!

Wait, aren’t I something like a god of this planet already?