บท 6: Oath in the Name of the Goddess of Wishes

"I require three hundred slaves, twenty sturdy horses, three ironclad beasts, thirty sets of fine armor along with matching longswords, five thousand kilograms of food, and a barrel of Redknight wine from the elf capital,"

Leo Vickery stated calmly in the guest hall.

Rain Vickery instantly stood up, slamming his fist onto the long table, leaving a clear imprint.

"You're dreaming!" he shouted angrily.

Leo remained unflustered, speaking evenly,

"As I understand, even an apprentice magus can earn tens of thousands of gold coins a year through magic. Once you become a magus, and considering you're the second prince of the kingdom, you can increase this income tenfold."

"What I'm asking for is insignificant in comparison."

"If you're unwilling, I believe Horn Vickery would be interested. Besides, he's a divine knight and probably much more generous than you."

Leo looked at Rain with a sly smile, not worried about a refusal.

Often, it's not friends but enemies who understand a person best.

He knew Rain's ambition well.

So, Rain sat back down.

"What you ask for is too much; I need time to gather it all. Also, Redknight wine from the elf capital is a rare elven specialty, hard to obtain, considering the tense relations between elves and humans."

"One month. I'll give you one month," Leo replied.

After a moment's thought, Rain nodded, "Agreed."

"But what about your promise?" he countered.

Leo was prepared for this.

He presented a cup of dark brown liquid to Rain.

This was the second brew made from the herbs provided by Conrad, containing the essence of the ingredients, but with an incredibly bitter taste that was hard to swallow.

"This is the Marvel Potion, capable of bestowing magic talent upon a person," Leo explained.

"You can try it first."

Using his strong perception as an advanced knight, Rain could tell that the liquid wasn't harmful to the body, which slightly reassured him.

He bravely gulped down the unknown brew, immediately overwhelmed by its repulsive bitterness.

Just as he was about to spit it out, he heard Leo's warning, "This Marvel Potion is extremely valuable. If you spit it out, I won't prepare a second cup for you."

Rain forcibly suppressed the urge to vomit and swallowed the potion.

At the same time, Leo silently made his wish for the day.

"I possess a negligible magic talent, targeting my enemy Rain Vickery."

A mysterious force activated, fulfilling the wish.

Simultaneously, Rain, who had just ingested the bitter liquid, felt something unusual.

He seemed to sense a certain power flowing within his body.

Remembering a basic magical incantation he had once seen in the royal library, he instinctively cast it, and a small ball of flame appeared in his hand.

Magic! This was the power of magic!

Rain Vickery was exhilarated.

Then, looking at Leo, he burst into a surge of murderous intent.

"The Marvel Potion can't immediately grant you magic talent; you need to take it regularly. And only I know how to prepare it. If I die, you'll never become a magus in your lifetime."

Rain's demeanor cooled at Leo's words. Smiling, he said, "Leo, we are brothers, how could I let you die?"

Leo shook his head.

"Sorry, Rain, but I don't consider us brothers. So, for our deal to go through smoothly and for you to acquire magic talent, it's best we draft an oath and invite a deity to witness it. Otherwise, our deal might not be feasible."

"No problem," Rain agreed through gritted teeth.

An oath drafted in the name of a deity held powerful binding force.

Such oaths required a special scroll, and as the second prince of Lionara, Rain had no shortage of these.

He called for Basilo and retrieved an oath scroll from his luggage.

Leo drafted the oath, and after Rain reviewed it to find no tampering and that it reflected their agreed terms, he solemnly signed his name.

However, the deity chosen to witness the oath struck him as odd.

"Why is the Goddess of Wishes the witness to this oath?"

Rain asked curiously.

Leo replied calmly,

"Because the Goddess of Wishes is a beautiful deity, and I am her faithful follower. If she were to witness this oath, it would surely be the most wonderful thing under the heavens."

Rain didn't believe Leo's reasoning.

But since the oath was as agreed and he had acquired magic talent, he didn't press further.

Thus, with Leo's farewell, Rain left the guest hall.

As they parted, their interaction resembled that of long-separated brothers, their warmth almost unbelievable.

"Did you see that?"

In the guest hall, Leo, having sent Rain off, propped his feet on the long table and teasingly asked Lilith, who had just walked in.

With her head lowered and ears red, Lilith was embarrassed.

She had lost the wager, which meant...

The thought of the humiliating consequences made her entire body burn with shame.

She couldn't bring herself to look directly at Leo Vickery, until his strong hands suddenly enveloped her.

"So, Lilith, are you ready?" he asked.

She trembled, remaining silent.

...

Rain Vickery's visit was brief.

He had planned to stay in Stoneton for half a month, intending to record all of Leo's actions and, if necessary, fabricate some incidents to deepen Leo's sins.

But now, the situation had changed.

Leo possessed a potion capable of granting magic talent, something Rain urgently needed.

He was completely immersed in the world of magic, keenly aware of the flow of mana in the air and in his body.

This newfound power, different from that of a knight, was intoxicating.

Therefore, to pursue magic, Leo needed to continue ruling Stoneton.

This too was within Leo's calculations.

"Your Highness, are we really returning now? And what about the assessment of Lord Leo?" Basilo entered the tent, voicing his confusion to Rain.

Rain, somewhat impatiently, responded offhandedly,

"Just give any evaluation; it doesn't matter. No one cares about a place like Stoneton. And I don't want to hear today's events from anyone else. You understand, Basilo?"

"Yes, Prince Rain!"

Basilo assured him promptly, though he couldn't help but wonder, "What exactly did Prince Rain and Lord Leo agree upon?"

…

Elsewhere in Stoneton, as darkness enveloped the sky and the moon and stars emerged, eerie and frightening calls echoed from the distant Sunset Forest.

In the courtyard at the town's center, lights shone brightly, and the sound of flowing water could be heard.

"Lilith, relax. You're going to enjoy this," Leo Vickery said with a smile, observing the girl clad only in a bathrobe.

Beneath the bathrobe, the contours of her body were striking.

Her porcelain shoulders tinged with a hint of pink, and her face, flushed and on the verge of tears, stirred a protective urge, yet also a desire to tear away the robe and ravage her without restraint.

"Your Highness..." Lilith had resigned to her fate.

Before she could finish, she felt the only garment covering her being pulled away, leaving her completely exposed.

A sense of vulnerability washed over her, and she closed her eyes, bracing for the inevitable.

She had heard that a girl's first time would be unbearably painful.

Adding to her humiliation, Leo kept commenting, "Such a perfect body, truly mesmerizing. Oh, and I heard you have a sister, Vivian, as beautiful as you."

"Don't!" Lilith suddenly opened her eyes, shouting.

But she found herself alone at the edge of the bath.

"Don't what?" The voice came from behind her.

Leo, also in a bathrobe, held a brush and a small basin filled with a black, sticky liquid.

Uncertain of what he intended, but recalling her sister, Lilith pleaded,

"Please, Your Highness, spare my sister Vivian. She has remarkable magic talent and a bright future. If you leave her alone, I'll do anything you ask."

"Really? Well, now I can't possibly let her go," Leo replied with a laugh, offering no promise.

To Lilith, his smile was chillingly sinister.