Outside the tower, a person, who seemed to be of important status, appeared. Unlike the treatment Ed got, the guard there was extremely careful not to offend the person.
"Miss, you've finally arrived." As the guard was doing his best to stall the lady, an elderly man with a long mustache appeared. His eyes seemed to be closed at all times, which made him seem asleep. If one did not seem him talk, they wouldn't bother to try and converse with him.
"It was an important summon from you, uncle. And please don't call me Miss, just my name is enough." The women spoke politely as she waved both of her hands in front of her.
"Ho ho ho. Still quite the lovable little Jillian. Still, my thanks for coming. The tower has been the greatest attraction of this little continent, without it, our government would lose quite the big part of our budget." The old man was, in fact, a living myth. He was the head of the Central government and had been for over 100 years. He was an Immortal Establishment, but he was no good at fighting.
So, to avoid fights, he created a government centered on himself and got many powerful backers to invest in it. It turned out to be the best choice of his life, as no one dared to cross him now.
"Like I said no need for a 'thanks'. You're an important friend of my father, and he wouldn't allow you to suffer for so long. If not for the current state of the world, he would have sent me months before. I can only offer my apologies on his and my behalf."
Jillian was a young lady no older than 25 years old. She had beautiful red flowy hair that seemed like burning fire each time the sunlight hit it. Her eyes were golden, which complimented her eyes, making her seem like a phoenix. Despite her young age, she had a high cultivation of Immortal Establishment level 5. On top of that, she was the third daughter of the strongest family in the Central Continent. This was the reason why no one dared to provoke her.
"I won't allow you to say such words again! Your father and I go way back. Neither of us could have survived without the help of the other. I know that your oldest brother was sent to the Bloody war. If not for that, he would have helped me much sooner. We all still mourn his loss…" Both the old man and Jillian hung their heads, as a moment of silence passed.
"Still, who could have thought that the monstrous Harald would lose? It seems that the fate of the world now rests in the hands of, not only Blood sect but Glory sect as well." The old man quickly returned to his previous attitude. Surprisingly, Jillian did as well.
"His loss, as well as my brothers, was his own fault. Neither I nor my father is looking for revenge. Instead, I hope that I would be able to meet the person that managed to slay all five great commanders of the blood army." A mischievous smile appeared on Jillian's face as she scratched her chin.
Just as she said that everyone felt the earth and the air shake. On top of the tower, twelve figures appeared. The twelve figures descended to the ground, standing right next to the guard, Jillian, and the old man. The three of them shuddered. The old man had gotten a report about someone entering the tower with no regards for the rules. As well as another report about the problem of the tower being the boss of the ninth floor, a serpent.
Right now, both of those reports collided. Even though they had no way to make sure that the serpent coiling around Ed's neck was the same as the floor boss, they believed it to be true. Another thing the Jillian and the old man noticed was Ed's appearance. As well as the monsters accompanying him. It was exactly the same as the one about the hero of the blood war, the slayer of the five commanders.
"You bastard!" Once Jillian made the connection between them, she withdrew a two-meter-long greatsword from her spatial ring. She prepared her attack while closing in on Ed, and in an instant, she slashed down. Yet, much to the surprise of everyone, Ed didn't even lift a single finger. Emilia had intervened and blocked the great sword. She went a step further, as she froze both the sword and the two arms of Jillian.
"Something like this!" Jillian muttered and she lit up like a candle. Her already fiery hair turned into actual flames. Then, gradually, her whole body burst into flames. The flames melted the ice on her arms and freed her great sword. But, before she could retreat, a black figure shout out of Ed and coiled around Jillian like a black bolt of lightning.
"Eng, Humph!" Jillian found herself being unable to move a single cm of her whole body. Mehen managed to subdue her in less than an instant, binding her arms, legs, and coiling around her whole body. His head was positioned near her throat with his fangs ready to strike at any moment.
"Please wait, sir Avalon!" The old man finally managed to react to the current situation. He wanted to save Jillian, and the best way to do so was to negotiate with Ed.
"Why should we wait? We only descended down from the tower, and yet this barbaric lady decided to attack us."
As Ed muttered 'Barbaric lady', Jillian noticed it and looked towards him. "Mmm! Mhmhm! Hmph!" Since Mehen closed her as well with his body, she couldn't say anything.
"See. Even now, she's trying to get me." Ed pointed at her while looking at the man with a face that said, 'Do you see what I mean?'
"Still, please let her go. This old man will do anything. It is my fault that she was summoned here in the first place. If she is killed, I won't be able to show my face to her father. Plus, you killed her brother, which is why she was so impulsive." The old man's eyes finally appeared. Inside of them was a glint of cunningness.
Ed noticed that glint, but was too stuck in thinking about her brother. 'Which one is it now…' Ed was trying to find a connection between Jillian's face and someone that he killed before.
"It is Letif, one of the five commanders of the Blood sect army." The old man clarified.
Hello everyone! I'm sorry for missing a release yesterday, my laptop stopped working for no reason and I couldn't turn it on at all. Since i'm still in the dorm I couldn't really get it fixed. I managed to make it work today, but I don't know if this will happen again. I'm looking to replace it soon, but I can't afford a new one currently. Sorry for the inconviniece.
"So? You don't expect me to spare her, just because I fought her brother before, right?" Ed shot an inquisitive look at the old man. The last war was a tragedy that affected many people's lives. The fact that it couldn't be avoided made it even harder on the hearts of those that mourned. Ed and all those present understood that no one could be blamed. Yet, it wasn't easy to look past what happened during the war, which was why Jillian attacked Ed.
"If you mean to tell me, that I should let myself be killed because I caused the death of Letif. Then I should kill her because of the deaths he caused." Ed wouldn't budge from his position. Jillian wasn't the only victim of the tragedies of the war, and he wouldn't back down just because she felt that way.
"That's not what I meant!" The old man raised his voice but retreated back after noticing the killing intent protruding out of the eyes of Ed's companions. "That's not what I meant…" The old man repeated his words, softly this time, as he clenched his hands.
"Her father, and her older brother; Letif. The only reason this continent managed to escape the wrath of Blood sect was thanks to them…" the eyes of the old man could be seen, and regret filled them. "Thanks to Letif joining Blood sect as a commander, and thanks to Adalrik's family giving away all of their precious treasures, Blood sect turned a blind eye on us. All I ask of you is to allow the Adalrik family to live without losing any more. I've already caused them much sorrow just by making them into a backer…"
The old man's eyes became cloudy with tears. Jillian noticed this and struggled to try and say something, but only a muffled voice escaped.
"Mehen…" Ed called out to his companion while sticking his right hand out. In an instant, Mehen let go of Jillian's body, letting her out of his clutches, and wrapped himself around Ed.
"Cough! Cough!" Jillian dropped down to her knees and started coughing. Although someone at her level could go without air for as much as hours, the fact that Mehen's muscles tightened around her lungs caused her to gasp for air. She could only hold on while he was constricting her body, but when he let go, she could feel the damage he caused.
"Thank you for your benevolence!" The old man bowed his head while thanking Ed. He believed that Jillian was now safe.
"You seem to misunderstand something, old man." Ed's words dropped, like a bomb, on the old man's ears. He stood up and looked bewildered at Ed.
"The fact that they sacrificed so much, the fact that Letif was forced into joining Blood sect. None of them matter to me. What matters is the fact that at that moment, the moment when I stood in front of him, I was attacked. Much similar to how this lady just attacked me." Ed, before anyone knew it, had Shusui pointing at Jillian's neck. "If you want to save her, you need to offer something that weighs as much as her life."
Ed was, in fact, already willing to let Jillian go. From her previous attack, he could tell that she didn't plan to kill him. It was, simply, the anger of seeing her brother's murderer in front of her eyes. However! That didn't change the fact that she attacked him. He wasn't as soft-hearted as to let a potential enemy live for no reason.
"Since you seem to be in a whirlpool of self-doubt, let me help you," said Ed as he gazed upon the sweaty face of the old man. "I need you to become a subordinate of Avalon kingdom."
The old man's face turned grave as he heard Ed. He could clearly tell that Ed wasn't referring to him when he said "you". Instead, he meant the whole continent. Ed only found out about the old man's position after he called the Adalrick family 'Backers'. As such, he decided to use it as a bargaining chip and win himself a continent.
"I cannot decide such a thing on my own…I may be the highest figure of the Central Government, there are still other prominent families that need convincing. I-I…" The old man seemed to be stuck right now. He held the key to saving Jillian, but it weighed too much. He thought about lying and deceiving Ed, but he could tell that it wouldn't work.
"Didn't you just mention how her family saved and helped you, and your continent? And yet, you can't offer your assistance to save just one member of that family? I only said that you would become a subordinate, not a slave. If you need to convince someone, then now is the time. You don't need to worry about Blood sect intervening since they suffered such a huge blow lately by losing our continent. I can understand how the Adalrick family is in a weak position due to the sacrifices, but there's no need for you to worry either."
The old man listened to Ed's words, as he waited for a way to weasel out of this situation. Still, the sight of Jillian being held by a sword didn't allow him to focus.
"You don't need to worry, you have the Avalon family as your back-up. You should be rejoicing. With our help, you'll pay back your debt to the Adalrick family, and take back the continent to yourself. So, what will it be?" With no way out, the old man couldn't help but consider taking up Ed's offer.
With Ed's serious demeanor and his Haggling skill, he didn't budge a single inch from his offer. This was a business trade to him, and nothing more. He had nothing to lose from it, unlike his opponents, so he held the higher ground.
"If you will spare her life…If you will help this ailing continent, then I yield." The old man got on one knee while bowing his head towards Ed.
"I see. Then, the partnership is official." Ed said as he withdrew his Shusui. Jillian stood up while looking at the old man and muttered, "Uncle…".
"It's a bit earlier than planned, but we'll head back to Avalon for a sec. Mister guard, you are not to say a single word of what happened today to anyone. Otherwise, something bad will happen to you! Remember, I have ways to know!" Ed spoke to the guard, who felt so out of place that he started imagining birds flying around his head, as he teleported everyone out of that place.
No one remained there except the daydreaming guard.
Hello everyone! As you may have guessed, my pc broke down again yesterday. I wrote this chapter using my sister's laptop, while I left my own to be fixed. I'll be going back to the dorm tomorrow(I left only so I could get my lappy fixed). If the laptop is not fixed by then, I won't have any way to post chapters. I hope that's not the case.
Enjoy the chapter!
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