Chapter 18: Brolu returns to the academy.
Swish! Swish! Swish!
As Reyas lost herself in battle, Brolu ended his strife as the victor! It was far easier to use his ultimate ability on the guards while the slaves were unwilling to fight from the very beginning. They weren't giving their all, so it meant that Reya's slave related rune wasn't that good.
Those strongest slaves were also the reason for the influence to be weak. Their strength was the closest to Reyas, so its influence was weaker! She also had many slaves in her shop, so this played a huge role too!
Nonetheless, Brolu was surprised, "Since when did this merchant become that good?" His eyes then glued to the non-stop moving merchant whose hands were parrying the pipe with precision.
His hand didn't really aim to take the weapon! It was confirmed by Brolu's keen eyes! The knight counted at least ten chances to take this weapon from her, but Tetsuya didn't go for these at all.
It might be inexperience as Tetsuya was the merchant, but his hands were also careful to not break the pipe.
This couldn't be a coincidence, so Brolu felt like something happened between the red-haired merchant and Tetsuya. "How does he plan to end this battle?" A curiosity piqued within his heart then.
As the battle, which was more like dodgeball with Tetsuya dodging, continued to last for a few more minutes, Tetsuya finally decided to end it.
There was an important saying that he followed 'Too much is always bad'. This meant that he wouldn't go all out with Reyas until she got thoroughly satisfied and just stopped from the exhaustion.
When the perfect chance happened, Tetsuya closed up the distance. It was the first time he did in a while, so Reyas flinched from the surprise. "Look." Then, she felt her cheeks being grasped by his bigger hands!
He turned her head to the side and showed off the sight of the young knight watching their battle with the bodyguards and slaves laying down around him. This sight made Reyas all pale and she began to lose her strength from the shock.
"So… fast?" Her lips barely uttered those two words!
In the next moment, Tetsuya's fist strongly hit her stomach causing the red-haired merchant to lose her consciousness. She fell into his arms, then Tetsuya made another order! An order that satisfied the bandits and Brolu!
"We are leaving. Take the slaves to the carriage fast." He then left the building first with Reyas in his arms.
"Yes, Tetsuya Boss!" The bandits shouted in tandem, then each took two, and even sometimes three slaves with their big arms and wide backs. All these slaves were exhausted from the battle, so they easily fell into their claws.
Then, the carriage happened to be so comfy and nice they fell asleep on the stop!
It's been a while since they had such a great sleep!
-
"It's been a great time here, but I have to reunite with my sister and continue to grow in strength! Thank you, Tetsuya." Brolu bowed like a good knight after hitting his armor around his chest. He then raised his face and smiled broadly at Tetsuya.
It was a small-time for both of them, but the trial got completed and both of them changed a little thanks to their common experience.
"It was fun, Brolu," Tetsuya answered with a faint smile, his eyes on Brolu then a few slaves around him. Those slaves chose to bet on Brolu's lost title and try the hard path by being his attendants.
Not like it will be an easy path, but the game rune rewarded their choice with many stats and quests!
Of course, those slaves were no longer slaves, but Brolu's close attendants and friends!
"Before you leave I have the last thing to say and give you." Tetsuya then took out the folded paper and passed it to the young knight. "Open this when you reach your home."
A different kind of smile flashed briefly, then Tetsuya continued, "You have the potential to be a strong noble and return the glory to your surname, but do you actually believe in yourself? A loyalty rune is a unique rune that sees everything."
"I believe in myself. If I didn't, then…" Brolu wanted to refute, but he suddenly lost himself in thought. Nonetheless, Tetsuya was like the best friend right now, so he just patted his shoulder and awakened him from the inward thoughts.
"You can think about it on your way. We will surely meet in the future, so see you then." Tetsuya then pushed Brolu and turned around without getting an answer. It was a pity to lose such a strong player as the game rune's influence would be lost soon, but Tetsuya was content with this connection anyway.
He learned enough stuff thanks to the young knight!
A few days passed by then.
At the end of his road, Brolu unfolded the paper.
The young knight was shocked by what was written here! He, who was already without the game rune's system.
[I am the game master. Tell your sister that you've met a strong man and tell her everything about me. No need to hide or sugarcoat anything.]
The young knight clenched the paper, then let out a burst of loud laughter! "This bastard! Haha!"
-
After Brolu left, Tetsuya returned to the carriage.
There were no more slaves except Reyas whose voluptuous body was only covered by a low-quality piece of cloth. It covered her sensitive areas which were the same as how she treated her slaves in the past.
Her treatment was better as Tetsuya's carriage was different from the usual cage, though.
As for other slave merchants, Tetsuya and Brolu swept through them later on. It was unusual for someone to be bold like that, but not many people tried to help slave merchants except the guards as it was still a legal business.
Nonetheless, Tetsuya and his gang had no casualties at all and it was easy to work. Those slave merchants were the new slaves in the Tetsuya Gang. Everyone could use these slaves however they wanted except Reyas as she was a woman.
And it wasn't like those bandits just would go for the crime after their purification.
There was still no mercy for the slave merchants who became the slaves.
"Where is our tea?! I told you I want tea for my dinner!" The former bandit boss screamed! He was the one who used the new slave right now! All those slaves were grown-up men around their forties, so no one felt any repulsion from such an act.
"I am sorry, master!" The former slave merchant wailed as he apologized.
"Master?" A new master narrowed his eyes and then…
"The strongest and promising master!"
"Good."
There were four slaves in the Tetsuya Gang and the game masters had already experimented with the slave rune. Their game system classified this rune as 'Mixtra Simplified and broken rune' that was completely different from how Reyas called it. This rune was used for Reyas and the other slave merchants caught up in Tetsuya's plan. But both Ashley and Tetsuya couldn't use this rune, but research on it and prepare mental measures.
So what happened was simple; Reyas became the player and got the quests to turn herself and others into slaves.
She was basically forced by Tetsuya, but this player had a unique role too which was a moderator. Because this role gave her higher status than anyone else and the hope for a better future, Reyas bet on this.
But it didn't change her treatment at all.
"You are a strong ego tank and the game master. Our job is to spread the game rune and its influence!" Ashley's voice rang out from within as she cheered Tetsuya who wasn't liking the fact that this rune couldn't be used by him.
He cursed the whole world for betraying him, though.
"People around me always had it better. If anything was bad… then I did my best to help. I guess guiding people is the path of a game master." Tetsuya got reminded of his mother after she lost her husband. His words were different due to this memory! As his voice changed to a more serious and little lonely one, Ashley stopped herself from saying anything out loud.
Then, Tetsuya muttered, "Now that I use this game rune and fight against the betraying world with everything I got, I shall take the whole control of it and then leave this place to my homeworld."
"Homeworld…" Ashley also lost her family, but she has been suppressing all of this within herself all this time. She used the new game rune, bloodline, and her yearning for knowledge to forget about everything, but it became impossible with Tetsuya speaking about his home.
Her cries began to escape this inward world within Tetsuya's mind, "I miss… mom too."
A long silence ensued then.
No one felt like talking, but when Tetsuya entered the carriage, his eyes spotted Reyas looking at him with her red eyes. She just cleaned the carriage and was about to throw away the wet wiping cloth.
Despite him looking different than before, Reyas didn't say anything as she was the slave bound with a unique game system…
But she wanted to know what exactly happened to this nonstop smiling guy.
Has the world suddenly split up to spit out some bullshit at him back? Reyas thought like that then the sound of him jumping onto his bed rang out.
"You looked familiar to someone I know." She then let out these words and left the carriage which was a good move. All alone in this carriage, Tetsuya suddenly called out Ashley.
"You will be a mom in the future too." He then closed his eyes as if trying to find her crying self within himself.
"I know… I will make sure to spend as much time as possible with my children." Ashley then said while wiping her soul tears.
"You were that much of a bookworm?" Tetsuya then said while rolling to the side.
"Yes…"
"And what did your mom think about it?" Tetsuya then guided the conversation in a way that helped Ashley the best. She stopped thinking about the hole that just got opened within her heart and unconsciously filled it one by one as she spoke about her times with her mother.
As her voice began to turn better and then finally returned to what Tetsuya liked the most, he opened his eyes and said, "Our world began to move a little too fast. Let's take a step back and focus on this area and find the path that this betraying world is not aware of."
"Stop it, idiot. Just say it clearly that you can't face The Red Rose Woman or others stronger than us people. It's fine, you know? I won't tell anyone."
"..." Tetsuya just smiled without saying anything.
"Okay, so what's the plan now? It's sad that Brolu left as I can't raise my stats now!" Ashley poked Tetsuya as she also wanted to raise her power!
He felt some touch on his cheek, then answered, "We will go with a cruel route now. I was all nice with Brolu and couldn't get the full loyalty rune to our system. All we have is a loyalty system created on it, but to enhance it further and make it absolute we would need to get more of these."
Ashley understood this, "Brolu is weak, so it wouldn't enhance it much anyway. It's fine to let his strength grow, but I understand that we need victims. So who will be… our first victim?"
"Gorilla," Tetsuya answered quickly and Ashley quickly fell into confusion.