Chapter 118 The Daughter Of Fire And Steel

At the sound of flesh violently exploding Hiro looked at his slaves admiring their work.

- Alert: Five Tailed Terror Scorpion Lvl 43 has been defeated by Party Member 1573 exp gained! -

'Hmm, I like the exp, but none of them can operate without sleeping yet. We will need to rush till they reach 80 INT and 40 STR, then the real grind begins.'

Hiro then walked towards the shining stone on the ground and picked it up. Geo and the rest came to Hiro expecting to get complimented only for the latter to start cutting apart the scorpion carapace.

"Wasteful, there is hardly any piece of use. I suppose not dying is an achievement." Hiro then turned around and addressed the three waiting on his words like pets.

"My name is Hiroto Musashi, I choose you three to be servants for my family. I have one rule and one warning. Rule 1: My word is law. As for the warning."

He then walked forward and grabbed all three by their collars and hoisted them up. If earlier Spirit was the only pressure, Hach and the others felt, now the San-Baka were walloped by the immense crushing weight of all three calibers.

"My wives are mine if you fuckers even look at them funny. I will chop you assholes into confetti. You three will serve as their servants and guard. For every wound on their bodies, I will carve up yours five times. Your lives are tied to theirs do I make myself clear?"

Overwhelmed by the pressure all three nodded their heads franticly like bobbleheads. Hiro then let go of them and added.

"You now have tasted how I roll. You come with me fights like this will be your daily routine. When I return to my family you will guard them every time I am not with them. As for everything else. I don't care what you do.

"I care not of your circumstances nor would I ask. I can promise you one thing. I will give you power in the shortest time possible. However, you need to give it your all or you will die. If you do not wish for such a life tell me now and I will pick another slave."

Geo then stepped forward and ask. "Master, we are fugitives who have a disagreement with a big-shot crime boss. We voluntarily became slaves to hide from them.

"If we come under your wing, it may put you at odds with them. It may even endanger your wives will you take us even then?"

Aurum noticeably started to fidget as Geo talked, while Lars remained stoic. Hiro who heard the plight of the three smiled as he answered.

"I plan to kill the princess, so I will be challenging the entire continent anyway. What's a crime boss compared to that? That is fine."

Lars interrupted at this moment to clarify. "You intend to kill the Saint of the Dominii? Are you not aware of her reputation?"

Hiro then started storing the useful bits of the remains of the scorpion as he answered. "I am aware, and it makes no consequence, Rhyne and I can no longer exist under the same sky. When I gain enough power. I will take her head. It's not a matter of If but when.'

Aurum then regained his vitality as he cheerfully remarked. "Then it seems the oracle I received proved correct. The savior they said really existed."

The butcher then turned around and asked. "What nonsense are you talking about?" Unaffected by Hiro's manner of speaking. Aurum comically slapped his forehead as he replied.

"Where are my manners, I am a disgraced noble master. And I actually opposed the corruption of the nobility in my empire and got driven out for it. I went to the church of Eternity and paid good money for guidance."

"Church of Eternity?" inquired Hiro.

"Ah, it's the dominant religion in the kingdom we come from, formerly part of the Valorious empire. They worship the Eternity sisters or Fairy Saviors. Anyway, the oracle went, 'Find your purpose in the forest of frozen dew.'

"Geo is a fellow noble also in dire straights while Lars is a friend I helped get off the streets. I am the reason we desperately journey all the way here."

Lars then interrupted the story to clarify Aurum's words. "Aurum saved me from a life of evil. I tried to assassinate him when I was eight. He helped me get away from the [Convent of Shadows] and employed me as his aide, been with him ever since."

"And?" urged the butcher, by this time he stored the entire beast in his inventory.

Geo then asked what Hiro's words meant. "What do you mean and?"

Hiro then faced them again and answered in impatience. "And. As in and what difference does telling me all of this make? Should I give you all a cookie for arriving here? I told you already. I don't give a damn about your sob stories. I asked only one thing, and need only one answer. Will you follow me or not?"

Aurum wryly smiled as he answered for all three of them. "We will follow you, master. We vow to live and die protecting your wives. All we ask for is the strength you offer."

The Butcher then smiled as he again snapped his fingers, this time three balls made from solidified Aura fell from the skies in different directions in the same manner. "Wonderful. Then let the fun continue. I got three this time. One for each of you, try to keep the organs intact."

Before the youths could ask what he meant, a chorus of unintelligent sounds echoed all around them. The Caravan which didn't actually go anywhere started to sweat bullets at the sounds of giant footsteps coming for them.

Alan who already had a haggard appearance asked in a panic. "Ugh, Musashi-sama will your slaves be the ones doing the fighting again?" Hiro nonchalantly answered. "I will protect you and the Caravan personally. All the beasts we encounter will be handled by the three of them.

"You are free to the corpses aside from the Magic stones and hearts. Hach and his men are free to join, but I will not be responsible for any death."

When the merchant heard such a powerful warrior guarantee his safety he began to feel a lot better. Hach on the other hand looked like he stepped on shit.

The mercenary has been on Alan's security detail for as long as he can remember. Thus he knew well the abilities of the three slaves taken in by Hiro.

His entire team would die if they encountered such a powerful scorpion. Yet, to see it being manhandled by the weakest slaves in Alan's merchandise left a bad taste in his mouth.

'I wonder if there is a way to come under his wing, the power he granted to those three would have been something else. Can I change jobs?'

Eventually, three Five tailed terror scorpions gallivanted into the vicinity of the caravan. Alan and the rest looked in horror as even just one of these beasts could wipe them out. But Hiro shouted for all of them to hear.

"Show me what you got! Anything goes. I want all three dead in fifteen minutes. Take a second longer and we will leave you behind."