《Hero aiming to be the next Demon Lord concurrent》 Chapter 1 Do you know about summoning hero ? You know when someone''s transfered as a Hero. In a world with magic and fantasy. In a world with where golbins, werewolves, orcs, trolls and such monsters exist. In a world without high technology, but magics tools instead. In a world where Xiao Feng our protagonist has been transferred. "Huh?" "Where is this...?" Xiao Feng muttered,just a few minutes ago, he was still sleeping in his bed. He noticed that he was no longer in his bed, but standing here in a large palace. For some reason, a bunch of guys in robes were staring right at me. "What the...?" He shifted his attention toward this new voice, and realized he was surrounded by knights. Xiao Feng tilted my head in confusion. What the hell was going on? Wasn''t he just in his bedroom not a long ago? No matter which direction Xiao Feng looked, massive stone walls loomed over him. Or maybe they were brick? He couldn''t tell. At any rate, he definitely never been in a building like this before in his entire life. Beneath Xiao Fengwas an altar, with a strange pattern drawn on it in glowing paint. It looked like a magic circle you''d see in an anime or something. "Wait, more importantly... when did I get this sword?" "So, are you guys going to tell us where I am?" Xiao Fengcalled out to one of the robed men. And in response... "Oh, honorable Hero! Please, save our world!" "Don''t tell me..." Seeking for informations, he asked. "What do you mean by that?" This way this conversation was heading felt strangely familiar. Something Xiao Fenghave read many timesbefore in novels. "You must have many questions, but time is short. You are the chosen Hero, summoned here by an ancient ritual." "Summoned...?" Right. Okay. Obviously Xiao Fengcouldn''t wrap hishead around that one, but hefigured it was probably best to just go along with it and hear him out. "Currently, this world is teetering on the edge of destruction. We pray of you, please, lend us your power!" The robed man bowed. Xiao Feng thought,if this was actually real, and he had really been transported to another world... well, it feelslike a dream comingtrue. But that was all the more reason to pay attention, right? But he was still upset to be summoned and ordered around like a dog fighting for a country he doesn''t even know. "Don''t you guys have any shame at all, suddenly dragging me here without mypermission?" Xiao Feng complainedwhile looking at the robed man. The guy with the bow voiced his agreement with a glare. "You knowwhere I''m coming from, right? Keep in mind that depending on your answer Imight have to become your enemies." Xiao Feng actually didnt'' really wanted to be something called "Hero". It was his right to confirm the situation, and whether or not he''d be rewarded for his efforts. Still, to raise his weapons like that... Even though he learned martial arts all around china, He never do something for free or something too much troublesome. ''Give and take, but refuse it when it too much troublesomes.''That was his way to life. "P-Please, at least have an audience with the king before you do anything rash. You can discuss the details of your compensation there." One of the robed men opened a heavy-looking door and gestured himinside. "Well, I guess listening is fine." With that, Xiao Feng followed behind him, so as not to be left behind. Compared to the dark room he''d started out in, the stone hallway was bright and lively. ...The air here smelled sweet. He wasn''t really sure how else to describe it. On top of that, the scenery Xiao Feng could see through the row of windows lining the walls was positively breathtaking. Clear blue sky, far as the eye could see, hung over a townscape straight from medieval Europe. However, he didn''t have long to marvel at the spectacle before him, he was ushered through the hall into a large audience chamber. "Oh? So this is the summoned Hero?" A self-important old man was looking down at himwith an appraising gaze. He couldn''t put his finger on it, but something about him made Xiao Feng uneasy. If he had to guess... it was his eyes. There''s no way he could ever like somebody that looked at other people like that. "I am the emperorof this empire called Wushu, I, Mu Lithe 2nd authorize you to raise your head, Hero." Xiao Feng resisted the urge to not turned around and leave, he had his head lowered. He wasn''t an expert on courtly manner, but at the very least he knewthat it wasn''t a good idea to leave right now.This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. "Now, I shall explain the current situation. This empir- No, the world is leading on the path of ruin." Basically, it was like this: A prophecy existed which predicted the end of the world. It spoke of a demon lord regaining strength which woulddestroyed the lands. If nothing was done, the world itself would fall into ruin. And, the year of the prophecy had finally come. According to legend, the demon lordwas supposed to givea monthly warning announce for the demons army invasions. At first the people had written it off as mere superstition. However, disaster struck the instant the warning was announced, just as the legend said. A dimensional gate appeared over the Wushi empire, and a vast horde of monsters spilled out from within. Though the country''s knights and adventurers just barely managed to subdue them, the next wave was expected to be even stronger. There was no way they would be able to stop the invasion a second time. And so, the leaders of the country decided to enact the ancient summoning of Heroes, in hopes that they might be saved. ...By the way, the ability to communicate with the people of this world was apparently a boon granted by the summoning. "...So, you expect me to just work for free, then? That''s sure convenient for you...It really is selfish, you know. Dragging me into a problem that doesn''t have anything to do with me." Xiao Feng obviously wasn''t really upset. So why he was speaking so arrogantly? It was probablybecause he feels lies though the emperor''s eyes. "Urgh..." The emperor shot a glance toward one of his retainers. "Of course, it goes without saying that we were planning to richly compensate you for your efforts." Xiao Feng sighed. Since he couldn''tjust say ''Don''t want to, too much troublesome.'' Then the emperor spoke again. "Besides that, we could also prepare discretionary funds to support you on your journey. It''s a small price to pay to ensure your cooperation in saving our world." "Oh? But well I don''t need your funds, instead give me a soldiers onlyfemales knights." Xiao Feng since he wasn''t interested in money, he preferred to get a woman that could obey and become his sex toy. Xiao Feng lust was stronger than his greed, in his former world Xiao Feng''s father was the president of a bank company. Since he was going to innert from his father''s company, business wasn''t a problem for him, instead of money right now, what he really needed was informations and a new tool to play with. "Understood, then instead of funds, we will give you best knightsavailable." "Don''t think that means you own me, though. We''re just cooperating for as long as you stay on my good side." "Ugh...That''s right." "Yeah." Xiao Feng didn''t mind making the whole empire as an enemy, even though its the absolute worst thing he could do right now. If that happened, the little progress he''d made in this negotiation so far would totally fall apart! "Now then, Hero. Tell me your name." "My name is Xiao Feng, age 17. I''m a high-schooler." Xiao Feng was actually a cute and awesome young boy. Hisheight is around 172cm (approximately), with delicate, sincere features. In fact, he was so pretty you might even mistake him for a girl if he dressed up in drag. His hair was short, with black streaks. With his beautifulambereyes and light skin, he was the very image of a cool and braveswordsman. The king stared at me, contempt in his eyes. "Now, can you please confirm your status?" "How?" Status? So this is like a virtual rpg like. "Umm... how do we do that, exactly?"Xiao Fengasked the emperor for help. "What, you guys didn''t notice it the moment you got here?" "There''s a sort of icon in the corner your vision, right?" He was right. Xiao Feng hadn''t noticed it before, but there really was a strange mark floating there. "Just focus your consciousness on that." He focused his consciousness as the emperor said. Few seconds later a sound rang inside his mind. ...Ting! The icon suddenly expanded into a browser-like window that filled my entire field of vision. ========================================================================== ========================================================================== Within it, various data was presented in an easy to digest manner. So this was a "status", huh? It was just like something out of a game!''What was with this game-like explanation.''Xiao Feng thought.It was like he had really fallen into the world of a game. At any rate, it was nice know that the legendary weapons came with a user''s manual. "I''m only level one? ...What a pain in the ass." "Do you not have status magic in your world, Hero? Here, it is something that anybody can use." Apparently the ability to quantify and observe their actual physical parameters was considered normal in this world. "Anyway, what should I do from here on out? Being such a low level is making me uneasy." "Ah, about that. We would like you to go on a journey to polish your skills and strengthen your legendary weapons." "Strengthen my weapon? That is alegendary weapon right? Shouldn''t it be strong from the start?" "I am simply relating the contents of the legend. It is written that ''the summoned Heroes will grow and strengthen the legendary weapons.''" "Again with the legends. So until then, I need to strengthen this weapon strong enough to be useful?" "Correct. For now, Youshould just focus on getting stronger like we asked." Being summoned as a Hero in another world... On Top of that, the emperor is arrogant and this empire seems boring.''Better leaving when I still have the possibility.''Xiao Feng thought. "Well then, can you show the knights that are available to me?" "Yes, please wait a moment Hero.We aregathering the knights that are available for you -the best of the best, have no worries. However, the day grows late. For now, rest yourselves and gather your strength. Your journey begins tomorrow." "Hum... Okay,thank you." Leaving behind words of gratitude, he relocated to the guest quarters prepared for himby the emperor. Chapter 2 Once he arrived in the guest quarters, he sprawled out on the extravagant beds that had been prepared for him, and went to work studying the Help menu for his weapon. At some point, the sun completely disappeared below the horizon, but he was so much absorbed in reading that he didn''t even notice. On the plus side, he was able to find out a lot of useful information. Apparently, the legendary weapon were almighty tools that didn''t require maintenance. On top of that, if their owner diligently leveled up and fused materials into it, new forms would unlock, which were recorded in something called the "Weapon TalentsTree". That sounded interesting, so hedecided to try pulling it up. ''Swooosh'' The screen that appeared was filled with icons that extended well beyond its borders, all marked as "Locked". Amazing... It looked like hecould develop hislegendary weapon through various branching paths. It was just like a skill tree from an online game. And in order to learn theskills, heneeded to unlock the power sleeping in the weapon...? "This gonna be fun, Shall I kill the demon lord and become one instead?" Hespoke up suddenly, but no one could really heard, he was in his personal chamber after all. While he certainly thought this world seemed game-ish, it didn''t remind him of any virtual games in particular that he was playing.Xiao Feng was a realexpert on online games, it would be strange for him to have such a glaring gap in his game knowledge...He kept absentmindedly rubbing his head as he remembered today''s events. Personally Hethought it was pretty clich¨¦, saving the world, becoming a legendary hero, then returned back to China. "Anyway, before I knew it I was here." He laughed off about this weird setting put on him. But, even though he didn''t wanted to become a Hero, that was fine. "If I really want freedom, then I need to leave this empire." Hecouldn''t leave the castle until now,but hegot the feeling that in the castle, people were looking down on him. He feels that this empire was already rotten from the beggining. Few minutes later, when he was still looking the legendary weapon''s guide, someone knock his door. A maid entered then said. "Honorable Hero, we have prepared a meal for you." Oh? Apparently it was time to eat dinner. He left his room, and the maid escorted himto the knight corps'' dining hall. It was like a scene from a fantasy movie. Rows of tables were packed with food, like an all-you-can-eat buffet. "Please help yourselfto whatever you like." "Seriously? I have to eat at the same time as the knights?" The Maid shook his head then explained. "After you''ve had your fill, the food here will be used at your introduction." Hmm? As Hetooka closer look at the dining hall, he realized that the boisterous throngs of people filling the room were all cooks. So this was what they called "preferential treatment", huh? Apparently they intended to introduce meto the knights when we finished. "I see, thanks for the food." And so, Xiao Fengindulged in the cuisine of another world. It was a bit bland for my tastes, but there wasn''t anything hecouldn''t eat. Though, a lot of it was bizarre.After he was done eating, he returned to his room. "I hope there is a bathroom in my chamber." He took his shower and went to sleep. Tomorrow his journey finally started, so he needed to be mentally and physically at best conditions. ======= Xiao Feng''s PoV: The next morning. After breakfast, I eagerly waited to be summoned by the emperor.But of course, nothing was going to happen so early in the morning. Judging from the position of the sun, it must have been around ten o''clock when they finally came to get me. I left my room and headed to the audience chamber. "Welcome, Hero." Inside the audience chamber, twelve womens dressed like adventurers had been gathered. There were even a few that looked like honest-to-goodness knights. The emperor''s assistance was really amazing... I bowed in greeting. "As promised, we have gathered companions to follow you on your journey. They are all eager to make your acquaintance." This was actually better than I thought. There were just only beautifulfemales knights lined up. "Now, future hero of this empire. Choose 3 retainers thatyou wish." I can really choose anyone I want? That was surprising, but the more I thought about it, the more I thought that all these females knights are probably also spies. Letting the hero wondering around the world without any report was stupid. Obviously they would favor their own citizens over a bunch of strangers, so most of them must have high loyalty to their emperor. "You''ll be the first." I pointed a girl amongst the females knights. She was a lovely young woman who''s probably aroundher early 20''s with shoulder-lengthred hair. Actually, more than that, she was stunning, wasn''t she? Her features were a bit childish, but even so she was only a little shorter than me. "You." The young girlwasn¡¯t more than 17 years old. Although her beauty wasn¡¯timmediately evident, her long blue navy hair and blue eyes beaufitully shined though the room, her small childish face combined with her innocence captured the attention of the audience. "Last... You." Another young girl in her early 20''swas in front of him. She had delicate features, her eyes clear as spring. Her small mouth bloomed into a smile that was as gentle and refined as flowing water. Her lustrous blondehair was pulled up high into a bun, barely decorated with a single golden hairpin, simple and elegant but yet still stylish. Looking at her as a whole, her expression seemed to appear even more beautiful and full of wisdom. Adorned in a sky blue gown and a jade bracelet on her wrist that was hugging the small girl, she was a sight forthe entire audience, one would said that she was the one standing the most amongst them. Just then, a robed man whispered something to the emperor. "Oh? Are you sure?" "Yes." The king breathed a sigh of regret. "Very well. Xiao Feng, from this point on you are the hero of our empire, and you shall fight only for the empire until death coming to your door.I will make a special exception just this once and increase your aid for the month."The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. "Yes,Your Majesty!" It was a sound judgment. For now, let''s just fake our alliegance, then I just had to go out and find some people more worthy. "Then, I shall distribute the funds." At the emperor''ssignal, I was presented with aheavy, jangling moneybags. As promised. "I hereby bequeath 800 silver coinsto theHero. Use it to equip yourselves, and then begin your journey!" "Yes!" And so, my audience with the emperor finallyended. Everybody filed out into the hall, and began their self-introductions. "Nice to meet you all, my name is Lu Miling. Let''s do our best together, okay?" The first womanto spoke was the red haired woman. She introduced herself, this one seems intelligent and devoted.''She probably gonnabe problematic,if she cannot betray her emperor,I''ll just kill her anyway.'' Ithought. "Ai... Nice to meet you all, my name is Nuan Yun." The young girl with blue navy hair was the second one to introduced herself, she seems to be shy, that was a good choice, she seems inexperienced and young, after torturing her, she would most likely obey every orders. When thinking about such things, the last woman introduced herself. "I''m called Feng Ai hope we can get along together." This last woman will be most likely the most easierone to handle with, her eyes reflected the same as my father, someone who''s always scheming plan, someone who always take the less dangerous risk encounter, someone who can betray anyone if the situation become dangerous. Well, whatever even if she betrayed me, she won''t be able to escape alive. No one actually succeeded to escape from me in my former world. Someone who has the gut to run away from me deserves more praise than anything, but still get punished though. Once she finished introducing herself, the 3 retainers looked at me,waiting for me to introduce myself. "Xiao Feng, I''ll cut anyone who doesn''t listen to my order. Let''s go!" Everyonenodded without saying anything, the glared Isent actually make them silent.''Is he really a Hero?'' they thought. ======= The spectacle that greeted us when we crossed the drawbridge from the castle into the town nearly blew me away. Though I had caught a glimpse of it through the window yesterday, seeing it up close really drilled in the fact that I had come to another world. Wooden signboards hung over stone streets and storefronts, and delicious smells wafted through the air. It really made quite an impression. "What should we do now?" "First I want to find a shop that sells weapons and armor. We should definitely be able to buy something decent with this much money." Right. Since I only had a sword, the first thing I needed was a defensive gear. Without that, I would never be able to fight monsters and catching up to those guys (3 retainers)would be next to impossible. On the other hand, they all had scratch weapons. If I couldget stronger fast, it won''t be a problem once we crossed the border. "In that case, I know of a great little shop I can take you to." "Better be a good one." "Of course! We''re partners, aren''t we?" Maybe this is your thought, but not mine. Lu Miling guided us through the streets with a skip in her step. Then, after about ten minutes she suddenly came to a stop. We were in front of a shop with a conspicuously huge sign, emblazoned with nothing but a sword. "Here it is." "Woah..." Peeking in through the door, wecould see that the walls were covered with weapons from floor to ceiling. Without a doubt, this was an honest-to-god weapon shop! And not only that, it looked like they also dealt in armor and useful tools for adventurers. "Welcome!" The shopkeeper bellowed out a greeting as we entered. His enormous, muscular frame was exactly what you''d expect from the owner of a weapon shop. But that was great! I would have been a little disappointed if he had ended up being some sleazy ball of grease. This really was another world, huh? "So this is a weapon shop...?" "Ah, a new customer! The fact that you came in means you must have an eye for quality!" "Actually this girl here recommended you." I pointed at Lu Miling, who gave a quick wave to the shopkeeper. "Well, thanks for that missy." "Oh, don''t worry about it. Your shop is famous around these parts, that''s all." "You flatter me! Anyway, this strangely dressed fellow is the so called ''Hero'', I presume?" That''s right. To the people of this world, my clothes must have seemed otherworldly. Anybody judging me by my appearance alone would think I was a total weirdo. "Yes you''re right, we need to buy protectives gear for him." "I see, what do you prefer to wear? I recommend you plate armor." The shopkeeper stared at me for what seemed like an eternity. "Do you have clothes like mine, I prefer something light for moving easily." "Yes, we have clothes created with magic threads but itare you really sure? It can only protect you from magic, nothing else." "I don''t mind. That''s my goal." Xiao Feng didn''t knew how strong the magic of this world was, so he prefered to take counter mesures against mage instead having heavy plate armor. "What''s your budget? "Let''s see..." Lu Miling looked me over like she was appraising my value. "I''d say... 250 silver coins, or thereabouts." 250 of my 800 silver coins...? I wondered if she was figuring in the cost of recruiting allies and paying for lodgings. "Understood! Wait there moment." The shopkeeper left the counter and wandered around a bit, before finally returning with a pile of weapons from various sections of the shop. "So, kiddo. Do you have a preference for any particular style type?" "Make it black and white that should be fine." "In that case, I''d recommendthis set of clothes." He lined up a selection of clotheson the counter in front of me "All of these come with a coating of magic thread already applied." "I''ll take this." "Would you like to wear it out?" "Sure." A message popped once I wear the clothes. "Good choice, it suits you." This clothes is more confortable than I thought, no wonder why it was so costy, well I don''t mind it was worth buying it. "Yeah, okay. That sounds good." "How much does it cost?" Lu Milingaddressed the shopkeeper. "For you? I''ll knock it down to 120 silver coins." "Do you do buybacks?" "Hmm? Well, I guess if you brought it back in good shape I''d be willing to pay 100 silver coins for it." "What''s going on?" "Oh, Hero. I was just asking him how much we could make back on this armor once you outgrow it." Ah, of course. That made sense. Right now I was only level one, but as I grew stronger it stood to reason that I''d be able to equip more powerful equipment as well. This clothe wasjust the best thing I could equip at the moment. "Okay, I''ll take it." "Wonderful! I''ll even throw in the innerwear for free!" The shopkeeper''s generosity rendered me speechless. I handed him the 120 silver coins for the clothes. "Well then, Hero. Shall we head out and start our travel?" "Yeah, nothing more to do here, let''s go." I was in high spirits as I left the shop with Lu Miling. She was really useful, I wonder what would happens if I told her that I''m going to desert this empire. Afterward, we walked toward the edge of town and exited through the castle gates. The guards posted as lookouts acknowledged our presence with a nod, and I waved them in return. My adventure in this new world finally started. Chapter 3 We are heading towards Xyanhuan, the nearest town of the empire''s capital. It is also because in the empire''s capital, slaves selling are forbidden. The distance from the empire''s capital to Xyanhuan is fives day by walking. At this rate, we''re still having a long way to go. Suddenly, twentygoblinscame out from a bush inside the forest and surround us. Very interesting, let''s see what those 3 retainers skills.I immediately unsheathed my sword and so did the 3 other after noticing the goblins. "I watch you fight, I won''t help even if you die, you better not slacking off." They were shocked from mywords, but seing that my eyes he wasn''t lying, so they gulped but before they could organize their formations, six goblins attacked them simultaneously, Feng Ai cutted one of the goblin''s head while parrying 2 goblin''s masses. Meanwhile Nuan Yun casted a frostbolt on a goblin attacking at the side of Feng Ai. the 2 remainings, charging at Lu Miling, get both of their heads cutted by an invisible air slash from Lu Miling. ''Hmm... Not bad but for their levels, this is literally pitiful. 6 goblins, but still couldn''t finish them all, sadly pitiful.''WhileXiao Feng was thinking such thought he was slicing the remaining goblins attacking at him and dodging all their pitiful attacks, since the goblins movements were way too slow to match his speed, he could kill all the remaining goblins before the others could finish the two last one. What? my level has rose quite fast, well since I got all the exps it should be normal, but why I have learn goblins language and magic? I only saw them, could it be that I can learn spell from watching? Or that since they are in my party, every spell casted will be learned? Either is the first or second one, that''s a gain for me so whatever. Let''s slaughter every monsters we encounter, that''s a plus for me. Since I can also learn language of monsters that I killed, maybe I can make them alliegance toward me and started my recruitment in order to become a demon lord. "We''re keep going, you should not be exhausted after such weak monsters." That''s sad to see those 3 totally exhausted on the ground after only such pitiful monsters. I have only two choices remaining for them, harsh training, or killing them since it''s a waste of time. They standed and followed me behind. ======= During these 5 days, we encounter all kinds of monsters and beasts,goblins, kobolts, wolves, slimes and even 2 meters tall bears. I leveled up quite a lots since then and now my level is 30. I have learned allof thoses monstersbut I also learned fire magic, earth magic, lightning magic and even taming skill from a tamer that we had encountered in the forest. We finally arrived at Xyanhuanafter five days, and then we went to the market forfood supplies to the town. While searching where I could find a slave trader, someone called me. A strange man wearing a coat and a hat, which looks to be made of silk, stopped me. This weird gentleman was wearing,how should I say this? Apair of big round sunglasses. He really is a weird guy. He left the impression that deviated away from the medieval theme. It''s best to simply ignore him. ButThat man swiftly came closer and asked. "A slave,are you interested?" Bingo, I found my slave trader. I didn''t expect to be this weird guy thought. The 3 retainers was shocked hearing those words but whatever, it''s also time to decide their fate so. But before that. "Don''t get too close to me! It''s disgusting." "Fu fu fu, I like the look inyour eyes. I maybe fall for you!" A real disgusting weird man. But that''s unexpected unlike the 3 womens shaking after watching my murder intent, that man didn''t even flinch. "What''s your reply?" "Lead me the way, let''s see what you got." We walked through the town for a while, then finally stoppedinto a dark, hidden side street, we came across what looked like a circus tent. "Right this way, Sir Hero." "Hmm? How do you know that I''m the Hero?"The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Ididn''t remember telling him. "You are accompanied with the 3 famous females knight from the empire, Lu Miling, Nuan Yan, and Feng Ai, how can I even not recognize you." I see. Those womens are surely troublesome, should I kill them after passing the border after all? When thinking about that the slave trader led me inside. The interior was dimly lit with a faintly necrotic odor hanging in the air. Because of the strong, beastly smell, I could easily tell that the environment wasn''t clean. Within the numerous cages, humanoid shadows wriggled and squirmed. We walked through the cage-filled tent for several minutes, passing the chaotic area into one which was less noisy. I turned my gaze and saw both decrepit youths and the elderly with forlorn faces. After walking a bit more, the slave trader stopped. "Now, these one from here aremy recommendation." The first one was a bunny-eared womanaround the age of 20 with a strong murder intent. The second was a cat girl around the age of 10 with cat-like ears and a strangely long blacktail, shuddering and coughing in fear. The third was a blind lizard man. He radiated a strangely evil aura, however, he looked much too human to be a lizard man. "From the left to right, we have a rabbit species,a cat species and a beastman lizard man." "What''s the price, by the way?" "From the left: 570, 500 and 610 silver coins." "And their level?" "150, 10 and 210." Looking at the current standings, the beastman lizard man seemed to be the best. But he was very thin and morever, a boy. Although the rabbit womenshould be fine. I don''t like the useless murder intent, more when she''s level 150, that''s dangerous even thought I don''t think level reflect abilities. "Speaking of which, they''re very quiet." "They''ll be punished if they make noise." "I see." Either they were well trained, or the trader didn''t show me the untamed ones. The lizard man was probably useful in battle, but not for anything else 610 silver coins is too much. "Why the girl cost so much instead of being level 10?" Although she was skinny but young. Well trained she can become way stronger than thoses 3 stupids retainers. Moreover she seems suitable to become my future sex toys. "Well, her skin is perfect, she didn''t received much scars on her and morever she''s from the cat species that make noble wanted to buy them as toys." "I see, for sexual course." "Yes." Not suited for labor compared to the other two. Her level was the lowest as well. But whatever she looks fine. Looking her with lustedeyes, I can feel the intense desire to dominate her.It''s good to imagine her as if I enslaved that girl. "Then I''ll buy that slave in the middle." "Your immensely wicked smirk is very gratifying to see." The slave holder took out the key, let the cat girl out of the cage, and chained her to a leash. "Hee!?!" Looking at thegirl, I felt extremely satisfied.What a nice feeling to imagine that girl making ''that''face. Dragging the girl along, the slave trader returned and called someone from inside the semi-opened circus tent to retrieve a vase. Then, he poured some ink into a small saucer and directed it towards me. "Mr Hero, please share some of your blood. Then the ritual process will be complete, and this slave shall become yours." "I see." Iused a knife to slightly cut open a finger. If someone else tried to stab me, the sword would respond. I waited for blood to ooze out, then dripped several drops into the saucer. The slave trader used a brush to soak up the ink, then he tore the slave''s clothes down to her waist and painted the stigma on her body. "GYAAAAAAAAAAA!!" The slave stigma started to glow, and an icon appeared in my status window. A message with terms of service agreement appeared. Numerous terms and conditions are listed.I skimmed through it and set the punishment for betrayal to extreme pain. I checked the companion icon next to the slave entry. Since her name was unknown, ''Slave A'' was written in there. It seemed like I can change the specifications however I wanted. I''ll read it closely later. "Before paying the paiment, I wanted to ask my 3 retainers something." "Yeah, I don''t mind about it." I turned towards the 3 womens and with my murderous eyes and killing intent said. "You have two choices awaiting you now." Hearing my words, they could only gulped and waited the two choices incoming. Since during the 5 days of travel they already aknowledge my strength, they knew themselves that they can''t kill me even if they tried to. "First one, die here by my hands, since I get my slave, you''re not useful anymore for me." They could only showed a fearful face once I said those words. Their legs were shaking. After a long pause I said. "Second one, to pledge allegiance for me and become enemy of the humanity, since my aim is to become the next demon lord once I killed the previous one." They stared at each others for a while then asked. "Is that possible to have a chat be-" "No." I stopped her before finishing. Its should be your own choice to pledge alliegance to me, if you don''t you''ll die thats all. After hesitating for around ten minutes, the first women to step was Feng Ai. "There''s no choice anyway, after choosing me at the palace, I had a bad feeling until now so that was the reason... I don''t really have any thing against the empire or the humanity, but since its my only choice surviving, I''ll pledge allegiance to you." The 2 others looked at each others then look at Feng Ai again and was about to say something. "You! Traitor! You dares to-" Before she could finish her sentence, without even noticing it, her head sent flying and blood squirted all over the place. "What about you? Since I prove you that I will kill anyone who don''t pledge to me, what will you do?" She was still on the shock and couldn''t say anything, then few seconds later, regain sense and finally said. "...I pl-pl-pledg-ge al-ll-lieg-gence to you." Well, I understood what she said so whatever, but only wet herself when her friend just died in front of her... I wonder if she''ll be really worth it...Whatever... "You pass." Then again,The slave trader used a brush to soak up the ink, wait for the womens to pick up their sleevesand painted the stigma on their wrists. "Now this slave is yours, Sir Elderly Hero. Please complete your purchase." handed over 610silver coins. Since the enslaving service was 50 silver coins per people. "There''s 10 extra." "It''s for the ceremony service. You were going to demand it anyways, weren''t you?" "... You know me quite well." If I pay the service in advance, he can''t complain about it later either. "We''re looking forward to your next visit." "...sure." ======= I commanded the slave to follow and left the circus tent with the 2 remaining. The slave trailed behind me with a dark expression. "Tell me your name." "...Xi..Xiu..Mei." "Xiu Mei? Okay, let''s go." Chapter 4 TLN: Sorry for posting it only now, couldn''t get the time to write it with school tests. Inside the audience chamber was now wrapped in a strange mood. The emperor will soon judged the hero in this place. By the petitionof the nobleswho had gained distinguished service in the last war, the right to judge him had been taken from the deliberation committee. It wasn¡¯t a commendable act, but forced by the nobles faction. That was why the emperor was now judging theright course of action. The basic arrangement of people was not too different from the last audience. The emperor was seated at the seat of honor in a rather elegant chair, even though it¡¯s not the throne. Standing to his left and right was Algwynn and Vermouth¡¯s position. Inevitably, because they stood next to the emperor who had everyone¡¯s attention, the stares also fell onto them. And at the position of the people requesting audience, was the former Marshal of the Air Force Wu Siand his daughter Wu Nuan, kneeling with their hands tied behind them. They seemed to have utterly resolved themselves for this, and was kneeling with their backs straight. On either side of them stood Prime Minister Chen Fen and Duchess Chen Huan, facing each other. Chen Fen would be prosecutingthe hero''scrimes, while Duchess Chen Huan would be pleading for his defense. In a normal trial, the prosecutor and defense would argue over whether there was a crime, but here, the crimes of the herohad already been established. It will be conducted with the prosecutor Chen Fengiving a recommended sentence, continued by the defense Duchess Chen Huan advocating for a reduction in penalties. If the advocacy was approved, then the penalty will be reduced, if it wasn¡¯t then they will receive the sentence just as prime minister had proposed. There would be no pleading innocence Then, there were fourteen nobles sat in a line next to each other on the long edge of a table, auditing the trial. The emperor will be asking their opinions as the trial proceeds. The nobles looked to be whispering among themselves There had been cases here in the country where judgement rights had been taken from the deliberation committee, though not many of them, but in those cases it was normal for the Emperor to arbitrarily pass judgement without any room for objections. So, a trial court such as this had no precedent in history. ¡°Now, let¡¯s conduct the trial for the hero, shall we¡± The emperor said in a quiet voice, and the prime minister came up first to read the charges against the two ¡°The hero, despite having plegded alliegance to the emperor, had rebelled against his majesty, he raised his sword against the Royal Spy Team Squad. This is a Crime of Treason, and thus is subject to Capital Punisment.¡± That suppose to be expected, the prime minister request the death penalty on him. It was a matter of course, treason is a crime that implicated one¡¯s family to the third degree and is punishable by death. That was why Duchess Chen Huan only nodded. Then, Duchess Chen Huanalso held defense, pleading for a reduction in their penalties. Furthermore, she had consulted beforehand to offer ¡°Still we can''t kill him, we still need his power.¡± but was refused. "The hero decision to resist against the emperor was not made out of wanting to supplant him, but of freedom. He had no designs on the throne. Of course, since Only one spy died,therefore plead that he may have just his life spared¡± Duchess Chen Huan, seeking a reduction in penalties. The emperor just silently listened to what she had to say. His face did not look as agonized as it was before. In fact, he looked expressionless, as if he was thinking about something. He was probably hiding it Having heard the prosecutor and defense, the emperor opened his mouth ¡°Anything else to say?¡± ¡°None¡± Said Duchess Chen Huanclearly. ¡°¡­ Is that so¡± Still with his hands tied, Duchess Chen Huan lowered his head, brushing the ground. However, the emperor, still with an expressionless face, sighed and said ¡°Don¡¯t do something so selfish¡± ¡°I heard that the hero was leading toward the border. I couldn¡¯t possibly let go of a person like that. He should''ve thought about it when he ran away, thus the squad 4,5 and 8 are pursuing him right now as we speak.¡± The noblesbit the corner of their mouths, but theydidn¡¯t say anything more. Next, Emperor turned to Duchess Chen Huan. ¡°Duchess Chen Huan. Do you really think this is the best method available?¡± "I do.¡± Duchess Chen Huan nodded her head. ¡°Will that be all? Are you sure you have nothing to say?¡± ¡°¡­ Then just one thing, I apologize for not knowing my place. But without the hero''s power I doubt we can lead an defensive forces against the demon lord''s invasion.¡± Duchess Chen Huan said as she hung her head. ¡°¡­ I see¡± The emperor took no more look at her. He turned to the nobles behind them and said ¡°Now then, I would like to ask the gentlemen gathered here for your opinions. Though ill-advised, they did commit treason against the current emperor, that is me. What judgement do you think is appropriate for this fool? Please speak your thoughts freely on the matter¡± The emperor said that with a look that even scared me a little. That moment, I felt something was slightly amiss. The way he said it is as if he weren¡¯t giving them any avenues of escape. While asking for their opinions, he was threatening them as if saying, ¡°None of you are defending the hero, right?¡± One of the nobles then stood up and raised his voice ¡°Your Majesty! Aren¡¯t you making it sound like hiscrimes had already been decided!¡± The one who raised his voice was a blonde haired young man. He was probably about the same age as the hero, but he had an image of earnestness instead ¡°This is?¡± ¡°The current head of the House ofTang. Tang Wu." The prime minister answered the emperor¡¯s question. Tang Wu then saidThe genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. ¡°I understand that this is the place to discuss the importance of the crime. If, if your Majesty is going to press your own intentions down on him, there is no meaning to this court!¡± ¡°Gah hah ha ha! Well said of you, young LordTang!¡± Then another noble stood up. A man with his grey hair swept back, a similarly grey moustache, and strong muscles despite his advanced age. The prime minister narrowed his eyes and announced his name ¡°The current head of the House of Yu. Lord Yu Mo!¡± ¡°His Majesty. That Lord Tang over there had from a hundred years ago, from before we were born, continued to defend this country. Though there is his mental rawness as a young boy, his heart that wants to protect this country should still be the same. To begin with, he did not turn his sword against your Majestyfor his own ends, but because he wanted the heroto defend the country, that is what I think¡± ¡°Are you saying it can¡¯t be helped since he''s young?¡± Seeing the prime minister glare at him, Lu Mo shook his head, saying ¡°not at all¡± ¡°That is not what I¡¯m saying. I¡¯m merely saying that the herois quick tempered as Lord Tang Wu. His crime is also not something pardonable. However, I¡¯m still thinking, it might bee to heavy to also take his life.¡± ¡°Then you¡¯re saying to forgive the traitor?¡± ¡°¡­ I find it regrettable, as an old man. the hero still had two, three hundred more years of active service left in him. I don¡¯t think there¡¯s anyone in this country now who could protect the country more than the hero.¡± ¡°Your Highness! I think you should just kill them for trahison! Those fellow are protecting a traitor, they only seeking death! This hero is already damned. The probability of him helping us is less than 5%.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Listening to the three of them, The emperor closed his eyes for a while, then ordered ¡°Bring the hero alive. Punishment will be received after then. Does anyone have anything else to say?¡± After the Emperor words,the audience fell into silence. Nobody dared to breathe or say a word. The emperor cut through the mood ========= Test subject number 358. When I opened my eyes, it was inside a dark room. What, it¡¯s still night? It doesn¡¯t feel like a nightmare either. Oh well if it¡¯s still dark, I¡¯ll go back to sleep then. As I was thinking about going back to sleep, a feeling of discomfort wrapped my body. For some reasons, my body felt sore. No that was not the case. The bed I was lying on was hard that every time I roll over I feel sore. No way I¡¯d be sleeping on something hard. What, did I fall off my bed or something? If so, then this is the first time in my life¡­ I was thinking about returning back into the bed and tried to get up¨D¨D my body would not moved.I realized that my whole body was paralyzed andI could not even lift the tip of my finger.Is this what people called a sleep paralysis? First time experiencing such condition, I wish it happenedwhen I was still in my bed instead. Reason is because since I can not moved my body at all, I can only feel the cold floor. As I was puzzled of my own situation, my eyes were getting used to the darkness and slowly noticed my surrounding. ¡­where am I? I realized I was not in my room for the first time. I was still in sleep paralysis state, so I could not even move my neck but I could move my eyes so Isurveyed around me. It was a room with no organic matters. I think I was sleeping on a table in the middle of the room. The room was 6-tatami large, without nothing else inside. As far as I could see, there was no door.Maybe I am trapped inside a space without a single gap; such vague fear crossed my mind. What is this? Seriously where am I? And why is this happening to me? ¡®I¡¯m inside a nightmare¡¯ was what I wanted to believe but I was already wide-awake and the feeling of unable to move my own body was strong that I had no choice but to accept the reality. Ok let¡¯s try to remember¨D¨D I wasn¡¯t supposed to be sleeping in my room, I¡¯m sure I was my father''s work. Then my father guided me to a white room. In that white room,I was alone with my father. I think that was about that time I got that serious headache¡­ and later lost consciousness. The memory of myself suffering the pain in my head and fallen on the ground slowly returned back to me. That was one hell of pains I suffered. I surely made my father worried. Now that I think of it, where is my father? Maybe he selled me to an religious sect or something like this? If its him, that''s probably possible but... I think its just my imagination is running out of control here. No way such thing would happen... Seriously, under what circumstances am I sleeping in a place like this? Maybe, I got kidnapped? Of course, my family is just a normal family you can find anywhere else, my dad is a public worker and my mom is a housewife. I do not think that maybe my parents were actually from a distinguished family or some kind of royalties from certain country. They are just normal parent without such grand background. Maybe this is some kind of mistake¨D¨D my thought went into a sudden stop. Whoa, it¡¯s bright!! Bright light suddenly filled the room. With such sudden change in brightness, my eyes stopped functioning for an instant. However, as my eyes were gradually getting used to the brightness, I did not see any change within the room itself. I felt a human presence. Not just presence, the sounds of people walking on a hard floor entered my ears. The fact that someone is coming proving that I was not trapped in some space of no gap. But, that sense of relief vanished in a matter of seconds. Figures of people entered my sight and I was shocked by their erratic appearance. They were wearing white mantle and covering with hood. It was still fine if it stopped right there. But, they were also wearing white mask, and with one look at them my heart¡¯s alertness level went up to maximum. It was not a mask made of glass, but more like a mask that a mysterious phantom of opera would used, a simple but abnormal-looking mask that covered up the whole face. Oh no. I¡¯m pretty damn sure they are not good guys. I could see 3 figures in front of me, all wearing the same white mask. Are they followers of some kind of weird cult? However the paralyzed me who could not even lift a finger, let alone letting out voice, could only move my eyeballs around watching. Cold sweat was running on my cheeks. I felt like I am in a life-or-death situation. ¡°*"%?*&&&*&?*"*?¡± Suddenly, one of the masked men had spoken. ¡°%*?%*%%*%"*%.¡± The other one replied. I who was on the brink of despair, had fallen down into further despair. I could not understand a single word that the masked men were saying. At least, they were not English or Chinese or any other foreign language that I had heard of. Maybe, it was only me, who only scored an average mark in English test, unable to keep on with a strong accent English. At least, I did not think that they understand Japanese. The masked men continued to talk amongthemselves, without paying attention to me who was already in a state of panic and confusion. Their conversation then came to a stop, one of the masked men pulled out white ring out of nowhere. It looked like a round fluorescent lamp but I did not think that it is a fluorescent lamp. However, the fact that I have no idea what that standing out thing is remained unchanged. As I was wondering about what they were going to use that object I have never seen before for, a few tiny needles came out from the inner side of the ring. 7 needles in total, came out with a sharp sound. ¡®Such a dangerous thing¡¯ is what came into my mind and at the same time I had a very bad feeling about it. Then, the needles suddenly went back inside the ring and it became like a normal ring again. The masked man who was holding the ring walked towards the direction of my head¨D¨D Whoa hold it, hold it right there! Don¡¯t put such dangerous looking thing on people¡¯s head, no, stop, nooooooooo!!! My body would not move, my voice would not come out, All I could do was only watching them without any reaction against it. The masked man without any trouble, put on the ring-shaped object around my head. Seriously stop it, please. What if the needles suddenly came out? Considering the length, they will surely reach and poke my brain. Not mentioning, seven of them. I¡¯d die. I¡¯d die for real. A sudden fear of dying struck me, but I could not do anything to resist, not even helplessly crying or screaming. After a few seconds, the ring-shaped object was set around my head. Stop, please stop¨D¨D Words did not come out from my mouth but the ring on my head made a cruel-kashun-sound. After that, I blackened out. TLN: this is how mc got twisted personality and knowledge about torture. ========= Xiao Feng woke up in the middle of the night. Sweats all over his body, his expression was dark and totally frightened. "Damn I had that stupid dream again..." He look around the surroundings and noticed that he was in the inn of Xyanhuan. "This is my new world... No matter what happened in my former life, just forget it." Xiao Feng layed down again on the bed and went back to sleep.