n

n

nI glanced in Lumia's direction. She had been silent for some time now, looking downcast as her expression seemed morbid.

n

"Something on your mind?

" I asked, drawing near her.

nUpon hearing my voice, her body slightly jumped as she looked up to meet my eyes.

n

"What's the matter, Lumia?

"

nMy voice was calm and soothing, yet the artificial goddess did not seem relieved to see me.

n

"Why...

" Her low voice trailed.

nI paused, allowing her to speak.

n

"Why did you kill them...?

" She mumbled.

nHer question sounded similar to what Talia used to ask me. I didn't want to go through the trouble of explaining my reasoning to her.

nBesides, they hadn't even died. All of the townsfolk were alive within Lust, though I was pretty sure they would wish they were dead.

n

"Why do you ask? Are you somehow feeling bad for the death of those humans?

" I asked, giving her a casual smile.

n

"No... that's not it...

" She mumbled.

nSince she was a god, it wasn't easy for me to read her mind the way I did for everyone else. Unless I really exerted my power, I could never know what was going on in Lumia's head.

n'I don't want to go through the hassle, though. So just do me a favor and spill it, Lumia...'

n

"You killed them without even considering my presence? Why didn't you include me?!

" She suddenly raised her voice in protest.

nHer reaction shocked me, and despite my huge composure, I could not stop myself from uttering the word of surprise.

n

"... Eh?!

"

nShe truly appeared sincere, having a hurt and annoyed expression for leaving her out of everything.

n

"You just ignored me and did what you liked. It's like I was invisible or something. Even since the beginning of our journey together, you've been ignoring me. I hardly contribute anything, except follow your lead. You remember what you promised me, don't you?

"

nNow that I was hearing this, I understood her perspective a little more.

n

"Of course, I do, Lumia,

" I responded.

n

"Then have you fulfilled it? No! I said I wanted to know more about Hexarion, yet you've ignored me all this while. I feel so left out, you know? Like I'm not even needed here. At least... at least... I want to be considered too, you know...

" Her voice trailed.

n'What a spoiled baby.' A smile formed on my face as I gave her words some thought.

nIt wasn't as though I could fault her for her reaction so far. She wasn't wrong in the fact that I wasn't considering her in any way.

n'I suppose I have gotten used to having overly subservient subordinates like Shamac and Ana who depend on me for nearly everything...' I mused.

nNow that I was with a more sophisticated squad, I had to show them more consideration and endow them with responsibility.

n'After all, I can't do everything alone...'

n

"You make a fair point, Lumia. Very well, I hear you.

" I smiled at her, patting her on her shoulders.

nShe gave a relieved look to this, donning an excited expression on her face.

n

"Really? You mean it?

" She asked.

n

"Yeah, I do.

"

nShe squeaked in excitement, temporarily abandoning the prestigious image she usually had.

n

"Now that your concern has been addressed, it's time to proceed to the next phase,

" I said, looking also at Wrath and Lust who gathered before me.

n

"Which General are we going after now?

" Wrath asked.

n

"Please let it not be Pride!

" Lust closed her eyes, dreading the name she mentioned.

nWell, Pride was not a General I would have to retrieve. When the time came, he would be the one to find me. The General next on my list, and one who would be most strategic to my plan at the moment would have to be...

n

"Greed!

"

nLust and Wrath both grinned as soon as I mentioned his name. Exchanging knowing glances, they nodded their heads in agreement.

nUnlike both of them, Greed had a personality that made nearly every member of the sin get along well with him.

n

"Greed. Member Of The Seven Deadly Sins, and ranked 3rd in terms of combat prowess. This is the record given to me in my memory about him. What kind of General is he?

" Lumia asked, a curious glow was well lit on her face awaiting my response.

n

"Well, in simple terms... let's just say he's not one to be bound in a place like the Dungeon.

"

n

"W-wha-? Then where could he be?

" Lumia asked, a little surprised.

nSo far, I had retrieved both my Generals from their respective Dungeons. However, for Greed, knowing him well, he was going to be...

n

"We'll find him in the central territory of this continent.

"

n

"H-how are you so certain?

"

nLumia's questions made her nearly identical to Talia. However, I was a little obligated to answer her since that was our deal from the beginning.

n

"Hmmn, I wonder... In any case, this is where we part ways temporarily.

" I said.

nEveryone reacted in surprise, not knowing what I was trying to insinuate with my statement.

n

"What do you mean, Lord Hexarion?

" Wrath spoke with concern.

n

"B-but, I just reunited with Master...

" Lust grumbled.

n

"You're not just gonna abandon me after saying you'll pay more attention to my needs, are you?

" Lumia complained.

nTheir expressions indicated a stubborn desire to stick with me, but I found it unnecessary.

n

"This is something I should do alone. Plus, I have my reasons...

"

nI had no intention of explaining every rationale behind my actions to them. Besides, it would ruin the whole thing if I did.

nUpon hearing my words the three of them bowed in respect to my wishes. Even the whiny Lust and curious Lumia. They knew their place well, and my intentions were always beneficial once all became revealed.

n

"Good. Then, I'll be taking my leave. Do not leave here, no matter what.

"

nAfter giving my last instructions, I teleported away from the abandoned town and headed to my next destination.

nAs I transversed through space, I couldn't help but smile in amusement. My subordinates whose trust was solely on me had no idea what was awaiting them.

n

"Hopefully you're all in one piece when I return. You're strong, after all.

"

nMy mind trailed to my other slaves whom I left back in Lamar.

n'Rio must be taking care of things smoothly. He should have realized what he is at this point. As for the other two... well, let's just hope they make good use of what I gave them...'

nAfter the entire mishap in the Dungeon, I realized two major things. The first was that my subordinates were extremely weak. If nothing was done, they would never be able to survive the coming threats.

nPlus, it didn't really tell well of me as their master if my slaves were so pitifully weak.

nAs for the second realization... I held them too tightly in leashes. In the coming times, they were going to have to act independently. Such was the true definition of the freedom I longed for.

n'I would be a hypocrite to behave in the same way those fools do.'

nRuth, Shamac, Rio, Wrath, Lust, Lumia, and the others... I was going to make them free in the true sense.

nTo make sure that came to fruition, I needed to solve the first problem as well.

n'Only the weak are bound. The strong are free.'

nTo taste liberty, the solution is simply to become more powerful than the chains holding you down. The same applies to me.

nAnd so, I granted them power before I left.

nRio, Ruth, and Shamac... at the current state they were in, no Apostle could stop them.

n

"That should suffice... for now!

"

n*********************************

nCity Of Lamar, Western Empire

n{Some Moments Ago}

nAries gritted his teeth in annoyance after hearing Virgo's admonishment of warning to him.

n'That woman is underestimating me, isn't she?' He thought.

n~I'll take care of it how I see fit. Make sure to settle things on your end too. I'll contact you after I'm done taking care of the two. Aries out.~

nHe didn't allow her to respond before cutting off the connection in their channel.

n

"That woman... just you wait. After this mission is over, let's see if you can maintain your seat of 5th on the table!

" He growled.

nAries' eyes darted around him as he spread his senses to detect the two strangers who were trailing him. Of course, he only delt the presence of one, since the other was undetectable by his Extrasensory Perception for some reason.

n

"I found you...

" He grinned.

nIn a flash, he vanished from his position, appearing where two figures stood.

nIt was in an abandoned area, the outskirts of the city. Since it was one of the places badly affected by the Dungeon outbreak, no one could be seen around for a great distance.

nEchoes of the wind could be heard throughout the area filled with destroyed properties. The team of spies didn't appear flustered even though they had been caught.

n'Time to unwind a little!' Aries grinned to himself sadistically.

n