The country road stretched out before me, trees whipping past as I rode the horse-type spirit beast Sakura had provided.
It's been a week and a half since I left.
And honestly?
It's been a long time since I felt this free.
This is what I needed. What I wanted.
The push I needed to go further—and faster.
I've only risen by three levels in the past year at Shrek. That's way too slow.
I can't make the same mistake Qian Renxue did. I won't allow distractions to pull me from cultivation again.
The agents I trained are more than capable of recruiting for our faction without me hovering over their shoulders. They don't need babysitting—not after everything I've done to prepare them.
I trust Sakura. She'll send the best to assist me. After I take care of a few pressing matters, I'll enter closed-door cultivation and stay there until I hit Rank 50.
Still, that's a ways off.
The scenery was growing familiar. I'm close. Maybe a day out.
I'll have to camp here and wait for Yamigan's first team to arrive. I won't take the risk of entering the capital alone. The strongest operative we have is barely a Spirit King—around my level. Not much, but better than nothing.
As I began setting up camp, my thoughts drifted to my strongest agent. My right hand.
Dahlia.
I sighed.
Even if I saved her, the way she acts… it's not like someone trying to repay a debt. It's more like someone serving a god.
I'm 90% sure her faith lies with me, not Master Jashin.
I saved her from slave traders because I felt something from her—something I'd only felt from Hongjun before, though less intense:
Resonance.
The kind needed to perform a Martial Spirit Fusion Skill.
I wanted to confirm it. So I slaughtered the slavers and took her in.
She's three years older than me, but back then, she was catatonic—unmoving, unresponsive. I thought she'd stay that way.
Then I gave her warm food.
She transformed instantly into an obedient puppy. A trait I later discovered was tied to her deep love of her stomach.
She also later revealed that she was acting in case I was another slave trader, thinking that if she acted broken, I would not care about her but it doesn't matter much now, does it?
She told me her story: an illegitimate daughter of House Lin, sold off by her own father in the name of political gain.
It was then I made a decision.
Even if she wasn't talented, I would still take care of her.
Because even if I'm heir to the Evil God, I don't support slavery.
I'm still human. And my old world morals haven't been completely erased.
Luckily for me, she turned out to be a miracle.
Death Flower Scythe.
A weapon-type martial spirit, bearing both death and life/plant attributes.
Level 7 innate spirit power. Not amazing, but enough.
I helped her improve. Changed her martial spirit. Used my Evil attribute and the sliver of divinity in Fafnir to enhance the death aspect of her spirit—a rare feat, only possible because of our innate resonance.
Now?
Her spirit had evolved and I renamed it into the Sinful Rose Scythe.
And with her enhanced talent, she had become someone on par with those that awakened with innate level 9 spirit power.
I haven't tried a Martial Spirit Fusion Skill with her yet…
But I can feel it. I know it'll be strong. I'm sure of it.
She's not just my right hand. She's my trump card.
She's the Alfred to my Bruce Wayne.
The Pepper to my Tony Stark
Every great figure needs one after all.
Ah… Speak of the devil.
"I can sense you, Dahlia," I said, reclining against the beast I rode in on.
"Ohhh. No fair, Master," came her pouting voice from the trees.
Sigh.
"Just come out already. Are you alone?"
She suddenly appeared before me, almost as if teleporting.
"Yes, Master. I left the others behind and came running when I saw traces of you."
"You can't just abandon your squad like that, Dahlia. You're their leader. We've talked about this and why are you tracking me?"
"But they know what to do. I wanted to see youuuuu. I missed you, Master."
I rubbed my temples.
"…I missed you too, Dahlia. But that's no excuse. Whatever. Come sit."
She beamed at the invitation and shrugged off her black robe, revealing a white sleeveless button-up shirt with a soft pink bowtie, and grey pants that matched her silver eyes. She laid the robe down and used it as a blanket before sitting beside me.
"How have you been, Lia?" I asked as she leaned back, mirroring my posture.
"Good, Master Sieg. It's been boring in Suotuo, but Lady Sakura gave me missions to keep me busy."
"Hm. You remember what to do once we reach the capital?"
"Of course! I'm your best," she said, pride creeping into her tone. "I'll scout it out at dawn and make sure it's safe. Don't worry."
"…Sorry. I just want things to go smoothly."
"I know, Master. I know." She scooted closer.
I turned to her, hesitating.
She felt something for me. Something I didn't return.
"Dahlia—"
A finger pressed gently to my lips.
"I know that too, Master. Don't worry. I won't let my feelings get in the way of your ambition. I'll always be here. No matter what."
Her honesty startled me.
I hadn't expected her to say it so plainly. But she did.
I lowered my head, hiding my expression.
The first half of her words were fine… but that last part?
That part hurt.
Knowing how much she's willing to give—knowing I can't give her what she wants in return—it stung.
She pulled me into a soft side-hug, her voice barely a whisper.
"Go to sleep, Sieg. I'll be here if you need me. Always. Rest, okay?"
And I let her lull me to sleep.
My eyes grew heavy.
But before I drifted off, I muttered the only thing I could think to say:
"Thank you, Lia. You're the best I could've asked for."
"I know."
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"We can head in, Master," Dahlia reported.
We'd woken up early to the arrival of the other two members—along with their exasperation toward their absent leader, who only then looked even remotely embarrassed.
Her tactic to dodge the scolding?
Throw herself into the mission and run straight to the capital to scout ahead.
"Alright. Thank you, Dahlia. A quick report would be appreciated," I said as I mounted my beast.
"Of course, Master~~" she answered in a sing-song tone before snapping back to business.
"The imperial family's investigation ended half a week ago. The inspections into and out of the capital are still tight—likely in case the assassin tries to escape—but the guards seem tired. They won't catch the finer details. Also, several key figures like Sect Master Ning and Yu are currently staying in the upper echelons of the city."
"Good. We came at the right time then. They won't pay attention to us, so we can do everything we need to without drawing too much attention. Good job as always, Dahlia."
"Of course, Master. I live to serve," she said with a smirk and an exaggerated bow.
I simply chuckled at her usual theatrics and gestured for her to mount her own spirit beast before leading the way forward.
My objectives are already set:
Recruit additional forces for Yamigan
Recruit the Strength Clan
Get the Immortal Herbs
Yanyan… Lingling…It's been years, hasn't it?
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Author's note:
Hey guys, new chapter! A bit shorter than usual this time around.
First off, I want to apologize for the late update. No, I'm not dropping this fic, I just had two tests to study for, and on top of that, I hit a bit of writer's block. I knew exactly what I wanted to do, but I couldn't figure out how to write it properly. That's cleared up now, and updates will continue on Monday. After that, we'll be back on schedule.
For those curious about my Danmachi fic, it will be released on Tuesday, so stay tuned for that.
Now onto the actual chapter.
As you probably noticed, this chapter served as an introduction to the MC's right hand and most trusted subordinate, Dahlia, a recurring OC alongside Sakura. There will likely be two more important OCs introduced later on, but beyond that, the cast will remain focused.
Now, I want to clarify something, especially because of the scene between Dahlia and Sieg:
She is NOT a love interest.
Or rather, she's not a female lead.
I'm aiming for realism in this story. And if we're being realistic, it makes sense that Dahlia would fall in love with someone who saved her and helped her grow stronger. I'll expand on that in a second. But just because she feels that way doesn't mean those feelings need to be reciprocated. People get rejected. It's normal.
Right now, Sieg isn't focused on romance. He sees Dahlia more like a younger sister, despite her being older, because he was the one who took care of her, trained her, and brought her out of that catatonic state, even if it barely lasted.
As for the talent part, this ties into something I mentioned way earlier about Fafnir. Since Fafnir has its own divinity, even if just a sliver of it, the MC can enhance someone's talent or help evolve their martial spirit if their attribute is close to the Evil attribute and they resonate with Fafnir. Think of it like how Ah Yin heals faster in the place where the Immortal Herbs grow because she's a plant spirit beast.
That's why Hongjun can be improved too since he has the Evil Fire. The reason the MC didn't help him grow sooner was simply because he didn't trust him yet. And once that trust started forming, Sieg had to leave. So, that's the full explanation.
Anyway, that's all for now—and again, sorry for disappearing for a bit.
See you in the next chapter!