A couple weeks had passed since the previous incident. Shu continued to give Tess battle advice whenever they stopped traveling for the night. It was not as though she was a bad fighter. The lazy swordsman was just more skilled. Time flew by and they eventually found themselves in Vludon, the capital city of The Veldhoven.
The first thing Shu noticed was the massive castle built into the side of a mountain. It was unknown what materials made up the structure, but it seemed pretty grand. The carriage took them through the main roads.
For the most part, everything seemed peaceful. That was until he saw the slaves. Most of them were either humans or elves. A high tech collar wrapped around their neck, while magic chains were attached. The other end of the chain was connected with their owner's crest, which sat on the back of their hand.
Many of them were being abused in broad daylight. Citizens paid it no mind and carried on with their day. Slaves weren't anything new in this world. It was only Valsir that didn't have them. Every other kingdom played a part in the trade. Seeing where Shu was looking, Tess smiled.
"Don't worry about that. As long as you are my fiance, nobody will even think of touching you. You belong to me and only me. Hmm…maybe I should get a nice collar for you. One with my family's name on it." She thought out loud. Shu rolled his eyes.
"Don't even think about a collar. I will die before that happens." He promised.
What did she think a husband was? A glorified slave?! What the hell was her family teaching her?
"Alright, alright. Relax." She scoffed.
Only half an hour had passed and they were already entering the nobles district. The surroundings were now extremely luxurious. It seemed that normal civilians didn't get these benefits. Bloodline and ancestry was more important than the amount of money one had.
"We're here." She announced.
The carriage had stopped. At some point after entering Vludon, the other carriages had gone their own ways. The caravan was disbanded. Whatever mission she had was complete. Both of them left the vehicle and stood before a royal manor. A plethora of demihuman and beastkin maids bowed at the entrance.
"Welcome back, young mistress!" They all exclaimed in sync.
Tess ignored them and strolled into the building. Shu followed closely behind. The interior was very spacious, with paintings all over the walls. The lioness brought him all the way to a large door. Her hand raised to the dark material and knocked.
KNOCK KNOCK
"Enter." A deep voice resounded.
She opened the door and dragged Shu in by the wrist. A lion beastkin sat in front of a desk full of papers. He was dressed in noble attire. His golden mane went from his ears all the way to his chest. Sharp teeth were visible through his snout. The beast man looked up to see Tess and Shu. His eyes narrowed.
"Father, I've done it!" She exclaimed while marching up to the desk.
"What have you done this time, my troublesome daughter?"
"I picked up a husband! I've succeeded!" She exclaimed.
The man's expression turned to one of surprise. He couldn't help but hug her tightly, lifting her off the ground. A wide…smile adorned his face. At least it looked like a smile.
"Hahaha! My ruffian daughter has found her betrothed! Unbelievable. I thought you would be single your entire life! Hahahahaha!" He spoke. Tess frowned.
"Father! How could you say that?!"
The humanoid lion put her down and walked over to Shu. He was extremely tall and muscular. An aura of low tier Supreme radiated from his body. This guy was quite strong.
"So you are the poor soul- ahem, I mean the lucky man to have my daughter? My name is Borug. You…you're an Oni? Hmmm…that could be a problem."
"He's an exile, Father. He doesn't have any authority!" Tess spoke. The man narrowed his eyes.
"An exile? I see. Young man, the Lyon Clan prefers their significant others to have no influence. That way, they can have full control over you. Since Tessvulin is still in school, you will go as her attendant. You should thank your lucky stars that she took a liking to you. A second chance at a good life has been granted to you."
"...Mnnn." Shu nodded. None of it mattered to him anyways. Once he found his target, he'd be going straight back to Valsir.
"Aright, you both can leave now. I have a lot of work to get through."
Hearing the lion's words, they left the room. Tess happily brought him to a guest room. It was incredibly spacious. As he looked around the place, a hand pressed his back. The lioness had immediately pushed him onto the bed.
"This will be your room. School break isn't over until next week, so we have time." She announced while loosening her armored gown.
"...Why are you getting undressed?"
"What do you mean why? I'm going to have my way with you right now. I want to mate." She declared.
"I thought you said we could start as friends."
"We ARE starting as friends. But you still belong to me! If I want to scratch an itch, I will."
"Tess, you aren't strong enough to force yourself on me."
"Tch." She clicked her tongue. It was as if she had forgotten.
After walking toward the door, she stopped. The fierce woman looked at him once more with a predatory gaze. Her expression was serious.
"I will play nice for now. Don't reject me for too long, Shu. If I grow tired of waiting, I'll have my father get some powerful guards to hold you down. Then I will have my way." She threatened before leaving. The sleepy man sighed.
'The Lyon Clan huh? Hell no…This family is way too barbaric for me.' He thought.
…
…
…
The next day, Shu could be seen in Croydon. It was located on the outskirts of the capital. This entire area was known as the slums. Escaped slaves and poor folk resided here. Those who were down on their luck. Those who had no future.
He was back to his normal colors of black and dark blue, his kimono rustling in the breeze. A grey obi wrapped around his waist. Thin armor could be seen peeking from under the clothing. The sandals were a mainstay with the addition of black shin guards and socks. Now that he was focused on his goal, it was time to get serious. Bright colors would make him too noticeable.
Shu began his trek through the poor city grounds. The smell was unbearable, and half dead citizens littered the side of the road. Their bodies were malnourished and extremely skinny. A lot of them were sick.
This place was extremely large. He knew that he wouldn't be able to spend the whole day searching the place. For now he would just scope out a portion of the place. As he was walking, a young boy with raccoon ears bumped into him.
"Oh. My bad." He muttered and kept walking.
"......" Shu smirked.
After letting the kid walk a good distance, he followed. Time passed as he watched the boy bump into several people. An hour and a half later, the kid ran into an alleyway. One of the walls quietly opened up and revealed a dark room. Several shady people were inside. Upon seeing the rough looking boy, they approached.
"How much did you make today?" One of the figures asked.
The boy pulled out several pouches of Gil. One of them was Shu's. The suspicious figures weighed the bags before frowning.
"This isn't enough. Boys, show him what happens when he misses his quota."
Several more people approached the kid. They cracked their knuckles, while some grinned eerily. Right before they attacked him, Shu walked inside. His entrance caused the others to pause.
"Who are you?" One of them questioned.
"...Where is Gibril? " The samurai responded with a question.