章 42: Chapter 42: Fishiness
I froze, my brain churned incessantly, trying to avoid being roped into a slave-deal. If there's one thing I treasure more than life, it would be free will. No way in hell I can accept spending my entire life being trapped inside my own body. What's the point of surviving if you're not actually 'living'?
And there's her promise to give me some freedom "from time to time". How long is from "time to time" anyway? Every year? Every decade? You see there? Vagueness.
All in all, it's a deal I will not accept no matter what.
"So, what would it be?" Adelrinthia smirked, thinking that she'd scared me stiff.
Seeing her smug expression, my fear subsided, replaced with anger. Call it dumb pride or whatever, but if anybody threatens me, they'd best be prepared to face the consequences. Besides, there's probably no way for me to get out of this unscathed. I balled my fist and grit my teeth, my eyes staring at her intently. Might as well go with the decision that irritates her the most.
"No," my voice didn't sound as fierce as I'd wanted.
Her expression turned livid, the rumbling of the ground intensified like something was about to erupt. I cringed, calling out my soulblade in a futile attempt to fight.
"I'm sorry I couldn't fulfill my promise to you," I muttered internally to Ellariel.
She shook her head. "It's alright, my host. I've already accepted the possibility of myself being suppressed and used as her instrument the moment she proposed her terms. But contrary to my expectations, you refused to yield despite facing an enemy far superior than yourself. At least this way, I didn't have to face the shame of being a second-hand tool. Your decision, albeit courageous and honorable, has condemned us both to oblivion. But even so, I wouldn't have it any other way," she said solemnly.
I snorted, not expecting her to make my suicidal act sound like a glorified deed. Still, I felt the guild that has been bogging me down washed away. I had previously forgotten to consider Ellariel's opinion when ragingly rejecting Adelrinthia's absurd request. It's a good thing that we were on the same page.
I re-focused on Adelrinthia, "You heard me. I refused. What you're gonna do about it?" I barked.
"You…" she growled.
I tightened my grip and my soulblade and went to my battle-stance. I sucked the stagnant air and prepared to resist with every ounce of life I had.
But as I stood my ground stubbornly, Adelrinthia suddenly closed her eyes, grimacing silently.
I didn't let my guard down for a moment, anticipating any dirty tricks she might have under her sleeve. She eventually opened her eyes, and with a defeated look said, "Fine. Your terms. I will accept it."
"Say what?" I blinked in surprise. Did my ears deceive me?
"It is as I said, I will accept your terms of the contract," she uttered painfully.
I whispered internally to Ellariel, "Oy, can her words be trusted?"
I sensed her nod, being as shocked as I am. Did I just accidentally called out Adelrinthia's bluff? I grinned victoriously, my prior intuition turning out to be correct. She needed to inhabit my body, no matter the cost. But then again, why me? Why not coerce Rando, Sigrid, or even Lia instead? What motive does she even have for desperately needing to relocate to my body? Didn't she already had another vessel that's fully under her control? I frowned as I racked my brain for possible reasons. The scent of fishiness once again returned to my nose.
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