Being dragged by the arm, Lothar scowled at Elora, who continued to guide him through the winding passageways of the hollow tree. Every now and then, an elf or two passed by the duo and gave Lothar a sidelong glance filled with either fear or contempt.
Lothar glared back at the elves who were staring at him, which prompted the other elves to look away and continue on with their lives. The guards, who were usually posted in specific areas, now lined the halls as they kept a close eye on the human being restrained by their guard captain.
Lothar said nothing as he glared at all the elves passing by; the same elves he glared at glaring back at him.
The trek was made in silence, the winding halls turning into well-lit corridors that exuded the grace and prestige royalty would have had inside their homes.
As they went deeper, elf guards posted here and there began to get an upgrade in equipment. No longer were they in silk shirts, leather pants, and cuirass with an iron sword hanging at their waist. Instead, they wore full-plated armor using materials Lothar had never seen before in his entire life, even in the games.
As he stared back at the guards, his rage forgotten for a moment due to his wonder at their equipment, Lothar and Elora arrived in front of a door decorated with golden linings and a carving of an eagle flying over a forest.
"Lady Millana, it's Elora. I've brought Lothar with me." Elora knocked on the door as she held onto Lothar's wrist, her grip still going strong after the minutes of pulling the human along.
"Come in." Millana's voice echoed through the door, and Elora wasted no time in entering the room while dragging Lothar along. The human snarled all the while, his rage resurfacing at the thought of seeing the elf who forced him into servitude.
Once inside, Elora let go of Lothar's wrist, and Lothar forcefully retracted his arm, his other hand grabbing the aching wrist as he soothed the pain.
Lothar then glared at Millana, who was calmly sitting on a chair as she sipped some tea.
"Lothar, please, sit." She looked at Lothar with pleading eyes, and Lothar, in his rage, didn't see the guilt plaguing the mind of the elf girl in the form of a little girl.
"No. Why would I?" Lothar raised his branded hand and showed it to Millana, who looked even guiltier than before. "You placed this on me. I remember what you said back in that throne hall. You made me your direct subordinate, without any consent from me, turning me into something like a glorified slave. Is that what you saw me when we met back in that forest?"
Lothar snarled as he approached Millana with crazed eyes, his teeth gritted and his arms held high, ready to pounce upon the girl. Elora, seeing the danger, quickly brandished her sword and held it over Lothar's neck.
Feeling the cold blade of the sword on his throat, Lothar looked at Elora with a scowl before his memories of the void flashed in his eyes, making him wince and back off from Millana.
Seeing that Lothar wasn't anywhere near Millana anymore, she lowered her blade, but kept it unsheathed in case Lothar decided to pounce once more.
"Lothar… I know I have wronged you. I have broken the trust you placed in me in guiding you somewhere safe, but please allow me to explain." Millana pleaded as she stared into Lothar's eyes, her hands now resting on her lap. "Please, take a seat, and I'll explain everything."
Lothar glared at the elf for a moment before turning his gaze back to Elora, who was wielding the blade. Looking back at Millana, Lothar scowled, then sighed before moving towards the provided and plopping his ass on the soft cushion.
As he sat, Lothar still kept on staring daggers at Millana, and she accepted the hate within the human for the mess she had caused him.
"First off… What I did to you is inexcusable, but I have mulled it over the past few days on whether or not I should do it." While Millana kept on talking, Lothar focused his attention on the girl, his anger slowly subsiding as he listened. "The only way for you to be safe is to be under my tutelage. You staying in the forest and encountering somebody else other than us would prove dreadful."
"… Why…?" Lothar's eyes narrowed at the elf. "Why go all the way to brand me as your subordinate in some… glorified ritual…?"
"Because," Millana glanced out the window, sunlight filtering through the binds and back at Lothar, "If I didn't, my people, at least those who are extremely wary of humans, would try and kill you in your sleep. That includes some of the guards guarding The Hollow."
Lothar glared at Millana, then sighed. He was beginning to understand his position now.
'Basically, I'm not welcome here… I knew I should've left the moment I saw the elves looking at me funny.' Lothar opened his eyes and looked at Millana neutrally.
"Can you release me from this bond?" Lothar lifted his hand, marked with the brand. "Once you do, I'm leaving."
"… I'm afraid to say that it's impossible." Millana winced when Lothar stood up with a yell.
"What!?" Lothar smacked the table, prompting Elora to move at once with her blade ready to smite the human. Noticing her action, Millana quickly raised her hand.
"Stand down, Elora." Elora heard her lady's command and stopped her action hesitantly.
Millana then looked back to Lothar with an apologetic gaze. "I'm sorry, but the bond will only be released when either of us dies."
Lothar snarled as he felt the urge to kill the elf in front of him, consequences be damned.
"I did not come here to be a slave!" Lothar smacked the table once more.
"And you won't." Millana was quick to refute Lothar's words. "I promised you I'd teach you magic, and I shall. I've only taken this precaution to ensure your safety."
Lothar calmed down slightly at her words, but remained distrustful overall. Millana sighed as she leaned back on her chair, the soft cushion on the backrest soothing her tiny back.
"I won't treat you like a slave, nor are you one. You will have your freedom, but I will admit, I have some sort of power over your actions." Her words once again got Lothar's guard up. "But… I will not abuse this power over you. I will only use it when necessary, such as not approaching a certain group of elves from now on. Your actions earlier have caused some… grievances with my people. As such, I can't allow you to head outside for the time being. Otherwise, you risk having your life threatened."
Lothar gritted his teeth again as he plopped back down on the chair, the soft cushion his only consolation in this shit-fest of a predicament.
"So on top of being on house-arrest, I'm wanted dead by the very people living in this village… Great…" Lothar sighed deeply and accepted his situation. 'Not much I can do now… Why not make the most of it…? I did not agree to come here to be a slave, but at least this is better than roaming about lost in the forest and encountering something worse than this…'
Palming his face, Lothar laid his elbows on the table, only to hear clunking in front of him.
"Tea?" Millana held out a cupful of tea, and Lothar shrugged and took the tea cup, quickly downing the liquid inside.
"Gah! Hot!" Regretting his decision, Lothar blew out the air from his mouth to get rid of the stinging pain inside his neck.
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"A human?"
"Yes. The last of the royal line has brought a human from who knows where into their village."
"… Interesting… Didn't humans go extinct on this continent a few months ago?"
"Indeed. The Beastman High Council had made sure of that."
"… It seems the board is once again filled with new pieces. Go back and continue with your assignment, and add in spying on the human as a bonus objective."
"Understood."