"Hello there... How about we have a bet?

"

The girl looked up to see who was speaking to her before her smile froze.

'Isn't this Lilith? The Demon?' She thought while her mouth twitched. However, she did not let her guard down and immediately had her weapon in hand, ready to be used the moment I did anything that might cause harm to her.

"Lilith?

" She voiced questionably. She was supposed to meet her guild master here, not this demon.

However, a few seconds later her eyes landed on an elegantly sat woman who watched on with a satisfied gleam in her smirk.

'Don't tell me' She looked at me before looking at Rose again. A realization appeared in her mind making her mouth become agape in shock and dissatisfaction.

'I, an A rank mercenary, have to do a mission with this C rank rookie? She is barely in the Imperial Knight rank and you want me to do a mission with her?' She stared at Rose like she was crazy. She could not accept this! She was way too strong to just submit!

Submitting was for the weak, and of course, she was far from being weak, right?

Before complaints could leave her mouth though, my voice echoes in her ear and the following words made her smile from ear to ear.

"Take this toxic neutralizer...

" I stretched out my hand that held a yellow potion within it before continuing

"And let us have a duel. The one who can drink the most wins. If I win, you have to do a mission with me.

" I smiled behind the mask.

A smile appeared on her face as she puffed out her Size B chest before patting it in pride

"I accept your challenge! However, what do I get if I lose?

" She narrowed her eyes after the last word.

After contemplating for a bit, I replied

"How about this. I'll become your slave for 3 months. Does that sound fair?

"

Her eyes lit up.

She had needed a servant for a long time, but she didn't want to pay. And since slavery was morally considered to be wrong by most people while also being illegal, she could not do that. But of course, if someone was willingly submitting themselves to become her slave, she would not decline.

"I agree

" She replied with happiness and joy exploding out from her.

After making sure the potion I gave her was real and not a poison, she drank it and sobered up almost instantly as she once washed her .red face turned back to a healthy color.

She gazed deep into my eyes as if trying to decipher something, but after a bit of time passing, she turned away with an audible

"Hmph

"

'W-what... What did I do?' I shouted inwardly

We both looked at each other until the bartender finally decided to allow us to start.

'Idiot' I chuckled inwardly

***

Uladian Forest

A man with pale blind hair and an athletic physique walked through the forest until he reached a tightly populated area, that being the white wolf tribe of course.

He was currently wearing his worn-out military attire which made his usually casual aura become more domineering in front of most people, yet generally just humans.

Beasts barely, if not completely do not care about people ranking in societal things. To them, humans created hierarchies out of hierarchies even though it should be obvious that the person on top should be the most powerful person in the country. Badges of 'honor' or suits that identified someone as a part of a group did not mean anything to the beasts, and to the very few that knew anything about human culture, it did not matter.

Anyone who knew about human culture to such a degree was strong enough for this information not to matter to them, and one of those beings actually situated themselves in this small tribe.

"Deros! It is good to see you again

" An old and slightly wise voice entered the ears of my father, making him look back with a mild smile on his face.

"It is good to see you again, Juilam. How have you been?

" He nodded

"My understanding is that you have not come here to chat with me about how I am, so let us get straight to the point. Pandora, as you call her, has not come back yet and from my guess, she probably will not be coming back for a long, long time.

" Juilam sat down

Wolves around them took glances at the guest, but since the two-legged creature was talking to Juilam, they did not mind.

There were only two humans that the wolves did not mind, and those were me, Pandora, and Olivia who stayed with me for over 2 years. Eventually, over time, they grew fond of her too the same way they grew fond of me, even though mine was a lot faster than the grueling process they had made her go through.

"How long do you think she will be gone?

" Asked Deros while looking intently into the eyes of Juilam.

"At first I had thought she would be gone for a few months at most, but now I believe she might be gone for a year or two,

" Juilam replied, making my father nod understandingly.

"Can you tell me where she went?

" My father asked with hope in his eyes.

"I was specifically told to not tell anyone. This was mainly done so no one follows her

" Juilam closed his eyes.

Letting out a sigh, a complicated expression passed through my father's face before he finally muttered

"Did you know?

"

"Depends on what you are talking about. Sorry, but I cannot read minds

" Juilam chuckled followed by a light chuckle from my father before he returned to being serious

"Did you know about my daughter having the light element?

" My father looked up. There was a hint of betrayal within his soul, yet, Juilam could feel it. Juilam was an expert when it came to souls after all.

"What would you do if I said yes?

" Asked Juilam while opening a single eye slightly.

"I don't know... While I feel slightly betrayed, at the same time, I cannot help but blame myself. Am I really that untrustworthy? Did she really think I could not keep a secret? Was she scared I was going to get angry at her?

" My father felt a deep pain in his heart area.

This was not a physical injury, this was a mental one....