Primordial Villain with a Slave Harem

Chapter 1202: Deaf Old Man

"... What?" The king gasped.

"Are you hard of hearing, old man?"

There was a stunned pause.

Then Rosie leaned in close to the necklace, puffing her cheeks. "Get your ears cleaned out, Gramps!"

The sound of sharp inhales followed from the other end of the link. Quinlan could sense the heat of outrage building around the king’s position. The Aegis Vanguard, his personal guard, stirred like a nest of hornets ready to sting.

No one, no one, spoke to the King of Vraven like that.

If Quinlan and Rosie were present while uttering such blasphemy, they would’ve already been executed for their words.

But before they could so much as exchange angry glances among one another, a single finger rose into the air.

"Enough," Alexios demanded.

The air froze as his royal hounds, held on a tight leash, obeyed.

He exhaled, a long, measured breath.

"You’re still a rude bastard, I see. Or rather, even more so..."

The king had to note that Quinlan was never quite respectful - save for when he was still in a far too delicate situation playing his Lord Black persona - but it got worse.

It seemed that alongside the mask of Devil, he also dropped the last of his pretenses.

Alexios couldn’t help but feel that Quinlan was speaking to him as if they were equals... It was not something he was used to. For many, many centuries, no one questioned.

Save for his wife’s few comments, but they did not interact much. She was always busy with research and whatnot.

However, despite himself, despite knowing he should feel outraged, the king was fighting back a small smile. The air between Quinlan and his daughter was something that nearly forced the king to smile.

"But... It’s good to hear a father having such a bond with his daughter. Family is to be treasured."

Quinlan leaned back in his chair and patted Rosie’s head, eliciting happy hums from the girl. "You didn’t live a millennium for nothing, it seems. You learned some wisdom."

A vein bulged on Alexios’s temple. ’Learned some wisdom,’ he says... To the man widely recognized as the wisest human alive.

This man was utterly shameless, Alexios had to note.

The king pinched the bridge of his nose. "So back to the topic... You’re saying you’re evolving Felicity’s class through some... ’secret method’ of yours. I assume that means something more than just a fancy training regimen."

Quinlan’s grin widened. "Oh, it’s much more. But I’m not handing out free meals right now, so that’s all I’ll say."

Quinlan’s grin lingered for just a second more, then his eyes sharpened. His tone sank, turning dark, hostile.

"Let me ask a question as well. Why did you sign away my Ayame to a life of eternal slavery, old bastard? She might be a cheeky girl who needed my husbandly attitude corrections from time to time, but she’s one of the sweetest souls I know. She did not deserve the cruel fate you and your cronies gave her."

Indeed. After Kaede beat Ayame in a duel, which only occurred because she had been poisoned beforehand, Kaede sold her into slavery. But that wasn’t all.

To ensure she had no claim to the Fujimori throne even if by some miracle she became freed, she somehow got Alexios to sign her away into eternal slavery.

This was not a magical spell in its nature, but one that ensured that she had no legitimacy.

Basically, good old paperwork.

The king’s jaw tightened. ’Another headache to add to the pile. It’s as if fate itself wants us to be enemies...’ he muttered inwardly before sighing. "I apologize if it comes off as rude, but I am not going to discuss state matters with you."

Quinlan smirked. "Touché. I thought you might be more open to friendly relations after learning who I truly am."

Alexios’s brow furrowed. "I’ve always been ready..." he grumbled. "I was even ready to give you my daughter’s hand in marriage, damned bastard! And you have the gall to act like I did nothing..."

"Yeah, and chain me while doing so. Maybe you found it reasonable back when I was just ’Devil,’ a promising criminal upstart. But do you really think I’d accept your terms now that you know more about me?"

He glanced at Rosie, then back at the artifact. "And, just for your information, I think Felicity’s an awesome young lady. But I don’t do political marriages. I’m a hopeless romantic who refuses to sell his heart or body for gains. The mere idea of forcing a young girl to grow up knowing she’s going to marry a grown-ass man disgusts me to my core."

Silence.

For a few seconds, the line stayed quiet except for the faint hiss of static.

Then the king sighed. His tone, when it came, was quieter. "You think I like it either? I don’t. Of course I don’t. The last thing I want to do is give my precious daughter to a criminal like you. Yet I was ready to do it, despite the weariness in my heart. I have heard of your kind in legends; you’re a primordial, aren’t you? Just like the name, almost no one knows... The first human, Malakar."

"Hoh?" Quinlan was impressed. Thus far, only Black Fang and, very strangely, Ayame recognized him. Though, to be fair, Ayame did so only after Quinlan showed her his status window. All she knew was that primordials were some unique race. Black Fang, meanwhile, recognized what he was just by watching him.

Alexios did not care to explain how he knew what a primordial was. Instead, he said, "Maybe life works differently for you primordials, but us men need to make sacrifices... The life of royalty isn’t one of freedom. It’s duty. Burden. Expectation."

As he spoke, the weight of centuries was audibly pressing into his voice. "A young princess like Felicity has her royal duty, which is to do what’s needed. We live in palaces, command hundreds of millions... but that power doesn’t come cheap. The price is sometimes very, very steep."

Quinlan’s gaze softened.

"The burden of royalty, hmm..." He sighed. Although Quinlan couldn’t ever imagine selling his daughter’s hand for political gains, he was not such a hypocrite as not to realize that Alexios was not given much of a choice. If he wanted to continue the legacy of his bloodline, then he had to accept some sacrifices.

Quinlan did not doubt for one second that Alexios would’ve done everything in his power to ensure Felicity was treated as if she were the gem of her husband’s life.

He could even imagine having frequent visits from his would-be father-in-law, as he randomly appears uninvited to check if she’s still being treated well.

Alexios’s tone lost its edge. "Although I know your name and your three titles... I don’t really understand either of the three. But especially the last one..."

He tilted his head on his throne. "’Godslayer,’ was it?"

Quinlan’s eyes suddenly shone with a glint. So did Rosie’s.

"Tell me," the king continued, unaware of the change in the duo’s expressions.

"What is a god exactly? I’m only aware of the Goddess. The name sounds similar to hers. Are they her servants whom I’m not aware of? Is that a different name for the Arch Priests?"

A predatory grin emerged on the daughter-father duo’s lips.