One of the reasons Elish let Astra stay to watch this was to show her the reality of things.
Yes, he went out of his way for her, like buying her wings for a ridiculously high amount of money, but that was merely because she would be more useful to him with it. The same applied to the other things he had given her: clothes, accessories, and so on.
In the end, she was merely a pawn in his game.
The one thing Elish liked about Astra was that she was aware of that fact, unlike the bratty shifter before him.
'However, as someone who dislikes wasting resources, I refuse to just throw this one away.' He smiled as he watched the bloodied body of the slave.
Since he bought him, he might as well refine and transform him into the image he wanted him to be.
'Maybe a little further…'
Elish used his summoned sword to pierce the slave from his face.
~SWOOOSH!~
The sword passed through his skull, past his temple, and finally exited, appearing on the other side.
"Gurghkh," The fatally wounded shapeshifter coughed out blood and fell to the ground as he slowly felt all life drain from his body.
He groaned and moved around a bit before dying due to the loss of too much blood and the extreme pain appearing all at once.
He finally breathed his last after a few seconds, leaving behind his dead and lifeless body.
However...
"[HEX #53: Conceptual Reversal]," Elish whispered.
Immediately, the slave began to rise from where he fell. The blood he lost started reentering his body, and within a few seconds, he was fully healed and standing as Elish had first met him when he entered the room.
"Y-You. I, but I died just now. What is happening?" He asked in utter confusion.
"Let's try this again, one more time," Elish said, ignoring his questions.
The moment Elish said this, the slave looked away. Was it out of fear… or something else?
"Kneel."
With his legs shaking, and his pride alongside his ego broken, he knelt before Elish. Tears rolled down his eyes, and his lips trembled.
"See? It wasn't so hard."
His entire wounds and pain had been reversed by Elish's Hex, but not his mind. He still remembered every pain he had felt, every drop of blood he had lost.
And seeing as Elish was able to return him to his original state, it was always an option to restart the process again from scratch.
At least he had enough sense to do the needful and bow down before his new master.
********
Since he had obtained both of his goods, Elish decided that it was finally time to leave.
Judging by the time the auction started and the time spent, it should have been night already. Elish really wanted to go back to the hotel and enjoy himself, especially after having to endure such a boring event.
"Stand. We're leaving," he said, turning away from the slave he had just purchased.
He walked towards the entrance, and Astra immediately left her corner and joined him. The slave he had bought stood slowly and hesitantly. He walked toward Astra and Elish, uncertainty in his steps and caution in his movement, finally deciding to walk behind them as they left the vault.
Elish saw Julius waiting for them by the entrance.
"Are you done, sir?" He asked with a tone of courtesy.
"Yes. We'll be heading back now."
"Oh, it's gotten pretty late though, might I advise you to stay here for the night? Although it may not be as good as your current hotel, Scylla auction house provides high-quality accommodation and reception," Julius offered.
"No thanks," Elish responded flatly, though he gave a nice smile to show how much he appreciated the gesture.
"B-But, it's unwise to leave an auction so late and walk the dark streets, especially with the kind of item you purchased,"
'This guy, he's pretty smart.' Upon hearing Julius' appeal, Elish smiled.
He was sure Julius had intentionally set up the time of the auction to begin in the evening, ensuring they would finish in the night. Elish was even certain that most of the participants were currently lodged in the Scylla accommodation, for exorbitant prices no doubt.
'That's a good strategy for business, however it won't work on me.'
"That's not a problem. Besides, no one knows I'm the one who bought the wings," Elish answered warmly.
"But they can identify your slave. As long as they see him with you, they'll be able to tell," Julius argued.
'True. While my identity was hidden from everyone, everyone knows that the same person who bought the shape-shifter is the one who bought the wings.'
Since the shape-shifter's face had been seen by everyone, merely walking with him would give Elish away. But...
"I can just have him transform into something or someone else," Elish smiled.
That was his slave's specialty, after all.
Julius was lost for words at this point. He didn't expect that comeback.
Elish knew he was well aware of th ridiculous amount he bid on Astra's wings, so must have thought that Elish didn't care about how he spent money since he had so much.
'That is partly true. Money was never really a problem for me for the most part.'
However, he despised being manipulated.
'Well, I only have to put up with this for a while longer.' Elish smiled to himself. 'It won't be long now before everything falls into place.'
The three of them eventually left the auction house and decided to walk after being unable to get any cart or carriage for transportation.
Elish had the shape-shifter change his appearance, allowing them to blend in with the people that remained on the streets..
While it was really dark out, there were still a considerable amount of people all around. The night market seemed lively as well.
It seemed that the city never slept; however, there was no doubt that the night had very few people compared to the day.
Elish thought about certain things as they walked, including the way forward in a way that would include his new servants.
'It seems I've begun to enjoy walking more and more since my reincarnation.'
It helped to clear the mind and afforded time for productive thought, though Elish still thought flying was better.
~WHOOOSH!~
Suddenly, he saw a silhouette dash behind him.
He looked back, and then another one passed where he was previously facing. The shadows were fast; they didn't seem to be amateurs.
"Master, what's the problem?" Astra asked curiously while trying to look in the same direction as him.
"It's nothing. I just thought I heard something."
Elish decided to snap out of his thoughts and concentrate on his senses.
It turned out that he was right; they were being followed. The shape-shifter remained silent, not saying anything.
They kept walking until Elish couldn't stand it anymore.
'This had to end.'
He intentionally took an alternate route, and they ended up in an abandoned construction area. The woods creaked, and the smell of fresh concrete was in the air.
'This should do it.' Elish stopped walking, and so did Astra and slave number two.
"That's enough. Come out," Elish said, looking towards the direction he sensed that his enemies were hiding.
No one answered.
"I said come out." He repeated himself.
There was still no response.
'Well, I've been reasonable enough…' Elish sighed to himself.
"[HEX #77 Spatial Interference]."
Instantly, all the hidden enemies appeared right in front of him, while still having the same position as when they were hiding.
Their eyes widened and looked surprised by what Elish had done.
They were all dressed in black, having thick masks as covering for their faces, swords on their right side, and daggers on their left.
"You've been following me since I left the auction. What do you want?" Elish asked them calmly.
Despite his query, he could already guess their desires.
"The wings. Give them up!"
He could only smile as they made their demands. There seemed to be something about today that made fools defy him constantly.
'Looks like this is bound to be one bloody night.'
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[A/N]
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