A new day began in the great forest. A fresh air felt through the trees and plants, carried by the wind a new wave of life moved all around. The small village of demi humans was quiet. They celebrated the victory of their saviors last night.
After returning with the body of the Elemental Lion, they were showered in praise and applause. The chief was so happy and grateful that he ordered a feast in honor of Thanatos, Lia, and Neo.
They ate and drank to the music until the moon hid behind the mountains. Now everyone was sleeping peacefully. There was not a single sound of work or people moving, but someone was already awake. A woman with brown skin and orange hair walked out of the village's walls, looking for something. It was Neo, searching for a spot where she left the remains of the defeated creature.
"[Raise the dead]" She arrived just in time to hear the words and see the beast that almost killed her return to life. The head was reattached with the power of magic, but it still had the rest of the wounds from the battle yesterday. Thanatos was beside the undead creature, inspecting him.
"You woke up early. What's the hurry? The body is not going to disappear around this part of the forest?" She asked him with curiosity.
"Oh, good morning, Neo. I felt my mana returning, so I decided to use it quickly to see if I could revive the lion."
"That's strange. Why do you need to confirm? Should the body be enough for that?"
"Yes, I have been thinking about that. I have mostly revived animals with my powers, but even this has been enough to learn something. There seems to be a limit to the creatures I can revive." He said this while looking at his hand, imagining an invisible object in it.
"I'm not sure if there is a limit to the number I can have under my control or a limit based on the strength of the creature, or maybe it is both of those things. Whatever may be the case, I can feel my powers increasing just now by reviving this lion."
[Level obtained: Lord of darkness 3]
[Level obtained: Necromancer 3]
Thanatos knew for certain that the battle against the Elemental Lion and using his powers to make him his servant had made him stronger. But what was the limit of that strength? Could he grow indefinitely, or was there some sort of limit he could never pass? It was a funny thing; the stronger he got, the more impressive Zek seemed. The necromancer that almost destroyed the continent. How strong were you really? And who managed to defeat you, Zek?
"I'm more worried that you're moving with your wounds barely healed. You almost lost your stomach yesterday, but only after a couple of spells from our doctor. You're basically healthy again. Seriously, what kind of monster are you?"
"Sorry, that is something I will keep secret for as long as I can." He smiled without a care in the world. "Also, Neo. Thank you for yesterday."
"You said it yourself, we needed to work together. Don't go thanking me now."
"Not the fight, but after that, when you told us to be honest, I'm pretty sure Lia also wants to thank you later, so I'm doing my part now."
"Ah shut up. I don't want you guys to put me in the middle of your weird relationship. I have enough for a lifetime." Neo walked away without giving him a chance to reply.
Neo had wasted her only chance of keeping Thanatos away from her tribe. The promise they made: She would keep his secret love and he would leave the tribe and not contact them again. Thanks to her outburst, she told them to confess and now that promise was invalid. She would have to see the monster going back and forth from the village, doing his shady business or whatever else he had planned.
In the middle of her thoughts, she ended up wandering back to the village. The smell of something cooking caught her attention. Following the aroma of meat and vegetables, she reached the middle of the village and saw Lia cooking.
"You too woke up early too. Why are you cooking?"
"Hi Neo, I was just preparing breakfast for everyone. Do you want some?"
"Yeah, I see you cooking, but why? We had a feast last night. You're a hero to the tribe. You don't need to do any cooking."
"Oh, I know, but this is my way of expressing thanks to all of you who helped Thanatos and me when we needed it the most. And also, this may be the last time we see each other in a while."
"Eh, what do you mean, aren't you going to accompany Thanatos when he comes to do business here?"
"Oh… the thing is... Thanatos told me last night that we wouldn't be coming back to the village. He doesn't seem interested in making business or deals in this place."
"What? You are too naive. He is just saying that to sound busy. I know you love him, but you need to be a little more skeptical. "There's no way he'll pass up an opportunity like this." Neo said, refusing to believe Lia's words.
"Really, because he told me he promised you to not interfere with the tribe anymore."
"AAAAAAAUGHHHHH…" Neo almost choked on the food. "He told you that? Well, that promise is useless now, so you can see the truth. Both of you confess your feelings. There's nothing else. He's just playing hard to get. He's probably waiting to the last moment to say something like, 'If you insist, I can make an offer' or something like that."
"By the way, Neo, thank you for telling me to confess my feelings."
"Ah not you too, please, I'm eating." Neo didn't want any more drama.
"I hope you're right and we get to see each other more, because I'm going to miss you." Lia smiled.
"Uff... I guess seeing you more often wouldn't be so bad." After finishing breakfast, Neo got up and walked into the forest to think a bit.
It was a strange feeling, but she didn't mind hanging around Lia. Even now, her instincts were telling her to not get close to Thanatos, but after the battle, something inside her had changed. She couldn't see him as a simple monster anymore. What was this feeling? If she had to give it a name, what would it be?
A couple of hours passed, and she returned to the village. Everyone was gathered at the entrance. They were saying goodbye to Lia and Thanatos. She moved to the front where Thanatos and the Chief were speaking.
"Thank you for your help, Thanatos. If there is something we can do to help, don't hesitate to ask us." The Chief said while grabbing Thanatos in a handshake.
"Don't worry. You have already helped us enough. I can't ask for more."
What? What are you talking about, idiot? This is your chance to suggest a deal or some kind of trade. Why are you leaving this behind? Neo tried to think of the refusal of Thanatos. There wasn't any logical reason. Until the words of Lia emerged from her mind. Are you really doing this to keep the promise we made? But you already confess, you don't have to do this... I'm nothing to you, I'm....
Thanatos and Lia said their goodbyes in front of everyone, and, along with the undead lion, they began to leave the village. Neo was looking at the image of their backs, which were firm. She could sense they weren't coming back. In an instant, she ran to them and with her fist, smacked Thanatos's head.
"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING STUPID GIRL?" A normal reaction after being punched.
"I… I…" She couldn't speak. Now she was the one with fear in her chest. Afraid to ask the question. She realized what these two meant to her: Friends
Neo thought of them as friends. She wanted to be around them, talk to them, laugh with them. Her instincts were still screaming about the danger of Thanatos, but her heart told her: If you don't go with them, you're going to regret it for the rest of your life.
"I want to go with you guys. I don't care where…" She looked down and blushed. Neo couldn't remember the last time she felt so embarrassed.
"Sure, I don't have any problem. You neither, right Lia?"
"Of course not. I'm happy. You're our friend, Neo."
Neo looked up and saw both with a big smile on their faces. It was an honest response, they were friends. She took them by their wrists and dragged them back to the Chief. "Then stop being stupid and make an offer to the tribe. You wanted ingredients. Wasn't that the reason you came to the forest?"
They were surprised by the way Neo was acting, but they understood she was sincere. After going back and making a trade with the Chief, they finally left to return to the city of Raind. This time with a new ally.
Adel and Eric were a bit surprised when their Master and Lia returned. Not by the enormous quantity of ingredients they had gathered, but by the woman covered in hair who was eating right on the table beside them.
"I… I see, your trip was hard but also very fruitful. I'm glad, Master." Adel was processing the information that Thanatos told him.
"I am still a bit confused about something, Boss." Eric raised his hand to ask. "What was the reason this woman joined you?" He pointed to a Neo who was stuffing her face with cake.
"Mmmm It's so goood. Lia, you should have told me you could make something so delicious." Neo was too busy eating cakes for the first time to pay attention to the other men at the table.
"Well, like I said, she wanted to come along. She asked permission from the chief of her village. Since we made an arrangement, she's going to go back and forth between the village and our base. You guys can trust her, she's very strong." Thanatos said while drinking a hot cup of tea after being in the wilderness for so long. He felt relaxed after being back at his base.
"Don't worry, Eric. Neo is a kind person, so you guys will get along great." Lia said as she brought another cake for Neo.
"Hey, don't talk about me like that; these guys are going to think I'm soft." Neo looked at Eric and Adel for a moment. She squinted her eyes. "These two seem a bit weak. You should be thanking me that I decided to tag along with you. Without my help, your whole business would probably collapse in a week. Come on, you can praise me if you want."
Adel and Eric were irritated by Neo's confident boast.
"You seemed a bit too confident for someone that doesn't even know what a Syndicate is."
"Oi, girl. Who do you're calling weak huh? I'm the third in command here, and soon to be the right hand of the Boss." Eric made a strange face trying to intimidate her.
"You, the right-hand man of the Master? If that were to happen, this syndicate wouldn't have any future." Adel laughed when he said that.
"Bastard, don't push your luck."
"So, you're also dumb. I'm impressed you guys haven't set this place on fire or something like that." Neo sighed at the poor men.
Before things got into more arguments, Thanatos spoke. "Just leave her be, guys, you get used to it."
"Very well, Master since your brilliant plan has rendered the tramp of the army useless. What should be the next focus of the syndicate?" Adel asked, and everyone else fell silent. Only Lia knew the next step.
"We're going to deal with an enslaver problem."