The manager's eyes narrowed as he kept staring down at me. Silence stretched for what felt like minutes before he finally spoke.
"Follow me," he said.
That was it. He turned and started walking back the way we came. Just like that, I was right back where I started. Freedom had been within reach, just a step away, and now it was gone. It was frustrating, sure, but I was still alive. If I could prove I was useful to him, maybe I'd get another chance.
As we walked, I could feel the frustrated glares from the remaining guards. Some of their eyes burned with confusion, too.
Why is he still alive?
I didn't have any answers either. I was just as clueless as they were.
The quieter the manager remained, the faster my heart pounded in my chest.
We stopped near the same chair where I had been told to sit earlier. This time, he took the seat, dismissing the guards with just a glance.
"You. What's your full name?" he asked, his tone flat, his eyes blunt and unreadable.
I hesitated without meaning to.
"Hm?"
I didn't know what to say. I didn't even know my name. Asuka was just an alias now, at least as per the system.
But what was this body's name?
If I gave him some made-up name, there was a good chance he'd know. People at his level, above grandmaster, practically had godlike senses.
So I just decided to be honest. Whatever he might think, I said, "I don't know."
His expression shifted slightly, a flicker of concern passing through his eyes.
What the hell?
"As I thought," he murmured, standing up and pacing forward a few steps. "You know, only vampires are supposed to be able to use blood manipulation. That's common knowledge." He took a small pause, "But there was one family… the Stevenhearts. They could somehow control blood just like the vampires do."
"..."
I was caught up in the story, hanging on his every word. This was the detail that even I who had read the novel didn't know, but then he suddenly stopped, as if debating something in his mind.
Maybe it was too early for me to know,
Finally, he turned back to me, his voice soft, filled with a strange concern. "You and I… we're from the same family. We're basically brothers."
What??
That escalated way too fast.
One moment, he was about to kill me, and now we're brothers?
He was still talking, but my brain had gone hang, trying to process this absurd twist. Anyone would say I was overreacting, but being in my shoes, you'd get it. I was about to die a second ago. I was a slave under this guy.
"Hey, can you hear me?"
He softly tapped my face, snapping me back to reality.
"Ah, yeah," I stammered. "So, you're a blood magus too?" I asked in reflex to get me processing time.
"Yeah right, at that time you were already on run, maybe you probably missed it." As he spoke, he extended two fingers, conjuring a blood sphere—small, like mine, but the raw energy radiating from it made the air tremble.
Gulp.
My heart skipped a beat as he brought the sphere closer to me. "Oh, brother… so, uh, am I going to live?" I asked with a nervous laugh.
He smirked and dismissed the sphere with a flick of his wrist. "I was just getting to that." Leaning back, he added, "Let me reintroduce myself. I'm Arc Stevenheart, grandson of the ninth guardian of the Stevenheart family. So, what name would you like to go by?"
I paused for a second, then shrugged. "Asuka, maybe?"
"An eastern name, huh? Well, alright. From now on, you're Asuka Stevenheart." He nodded. "Now, here's the thing: in the Stevenheart family, there's an iron rule. We're not allowed to kill each other if we share the family name. The older or stronger members are supposed to look after the younger."
He finished by patting my head like I was some kid.
That definitely wasn't necessary, and it gave me the creeps. But honestly, I didn't care. If it wasn't for my passive skill, I would have been running and jumping around.
This whole conversation just could be translated to: In the wait of golden finger, encountered the diamond.
I tried to calm myself, but just then his tone shifted, turning firm. "But first, you have to take an oath. If you find any other Stevenheart who needs your help, you'll do everything in your power to assist them. And you will dedicate your life to restoring the Stevenheart family to its former glory."
Huh?
Wait, what?
The first part I could deal with—it seemed fair enough—but the second? That sounded like signing myself up for slavery all over again.
With a reluctant nod, I accepted.
Like I had a choice. I could complain all I wanted inside my head, but in reality, I was powerless.
For now, I just had to play along. Survival first, everything else later.
"So, what do I have to do?" I asked.
Arc frowned slightly, probably at how clueless I looked. "You're an intermediate realm mage, and you still don't know how to take an oath? Just repeat after me…"
I repeated the words he spoke: "I, Asuka Stevenheart, pledge upon my mana heart that I will dedicate my remaining life to reforming the Stevenheart family. If I encounter any junior who shares my blood, I will do all in my power to aid them. If I fail, my mana heart shall shatter on the spot."
What the hell is this? Is this oath real? Will I actually die if I don't follow it?
"Good job, my brother," Manager—no, Brother Arc—laughed heartily, a mix of satisfaction and excitement in his voice.
Maybe I was the first person he'd encountered from the same bloodline.
Stevenheart.
I'd read that entire garbage novel intently, and I had never come across the name Stevenheart. Even once.
Is this even the same world?
I didn't know how things were going to turn out, but one thing was clear: I had to survive.