Primordial Villain with a Slave Harem

Chapter 1218: Letting Go

Feng gave her a long, flat stare. She disengaged from the hug and crossed her arms over her chest.

"Didn’t you fail like all your classes?"

Felicity waved dismissively, puffing her cheeks.

"Academics do not equate intellect! That’s what Father always told me when I cried after failing a class. Some people who are great at studying are dumb in real life! I’m the exact opposite of that. Hmph."

Feng sighed and shook her head. A small, helpless smile tugged at her lips.

Quinlan, however, didn’t smile.

He watched the princess with a furrowed brow, and his expression darkened subtly as her words sank in.

Felicity was younger than Feng, a youthful adolescent. What’s more, she’d lived a sheltered, privileged life where danger had always been distant and abstract.

She had no idea what true cruelty looked like.

No idea what people would do when given the opportunity.

And worst of all, Quinlan had promised Alexios that he’d protect her as if she were his own daughter.

"I’ll have you know, I spent YEARS in the trial!! I followed Morgana as she faced dangers in her youth, and I was killed hundreds of times! I know how fragile my body is, and I know the many dangers that lurk outside!" Felicity decreed after seeing Quinlan’s reluctance.

She then grinned smugly and turned toward the oriental teen. The princess pointed at her chest with a thumb and decreed, "I’m basically an adult now! Little Jiai, you’re to call me Big Sis Felicity from now on!"

"..." Feng looked entirely unamused. Not because she didn’t necessarily believe her claim, but because she still acted like a haughty girl with too big a mouth on her.

Then a sound came.

A distant rumble of footsteps and agitated voices approached.

Quinlan’s head turned toward the edge of the crater.

Two figures came into view, Ayame and Iris, bickering as usual. The two looked ready to tear each other apart.

Ayame’s ponytail, a new hairstyle she was trying, swayed sharply in the air as she gestured many unladylike things with her fingers mid-argument.

Iris, the raven-haired Child of Reckoning, replied without holding anything back. Her fists were clenched and trembling with restraint, visibly aching to beat the oriental beauty to a pulp.

Perched on Ayame’s shoulder, Rosie the dryad dangled her little legs with glee, watching the verbal sparring like it was theater.

But the two women came to an abrupt halt when they spotted the group in their crater.

Ayame’s expression brightened instantly. "Quinnie..." she greeted with a smug grin. "Don’t tell me you’re using our pit to beat up children..."

Quinlan gave her a flat stare. "We’re training."

Ayame tilted her head skeptically, eyes flicking toward Felicity’s messy hair and the faint scorch marks on her sleeves. "... Uh-huh. Training. Sure."

Before he could answer, however, Iris’s scoff sounded. "Our pit is occupied. We have to find another location so I can correct the Goddess’s mistake. Your existence."

As always, the tension between them was palpable. These two had turned their rivalry into a sport. It was clear they’d come here for another of their infamous ’sparring’ matches.

But before the two could start going at it, Feng spoke up suddenly.

"Iris," she said, turning toward the dark-haired warrior, "don’t you want to come with us?"

That earned everyone’s attention.

"We’re planning to go on a dangerous adventure. Without Quinlan’s [Subjugation] being there to protect us. No omnipresent safety net, no guaranteed rescues. Just us, surrounded by danger and the unknown."

For a moment, Iris was still. Then, incredible hunger materialized in her eyes. Her lips curved upwards. "I am ready to depart."

Ayame sighed tiredly. "You just came back from war. What do you mean by ’ready to depart’? You’re going to kill yourself."

Iris didn’t even hesitate. "So be it. I’d rather die than admit defeat to a woman who grows stronger by being a semen gobbler."

Ayame froze. Then her eyes darkened instantly, and her voice dropped low. "Break a leg out there, bitch."

Iris didn’t dignify it with a response. Her smirk was victory enough. In her mind, the argument was already won.

Her gaze shifted back to Feng and Felicity. She studied them carefully, noticing the sword at Feng’s hip, the wand in Felicity’s hand.

However, her eyes lingered longer on Feng. The oriental girl understood the question. "I do plan to use a blade in combat, but I’m also a spell caster."

"I see," Iris nodded. "A hybrid, a mage, and a warrior."

She thought inwardly for a moment before declaring, "Our group could use an addition. Ideally, a tanker. That would allow me to focus on killing instead of protecting you two."

"Let’s ask Lyra!" Felicity chirped. Her eyes were sparkling. "She’s so pretty! And she seems really nice! I would like to get to know her better on a shared adventure!"

Feng gave her the look again, the tired, flat one she’d perfected over time that was spent dealing with Felicity’s logic.

Still, she had to admit... Lyra was competent, reliable, and fierce when needed. Exactly the mindset an ideal tanker should have. Any group would be lucky to have her.

...

It didn’t take long.

Lyra stood before them with her pink hair glinting in the light. She looked composed as always; her armor was polished and cleaned right after she returned from war. Her expression was calm, eyes steady.

Quinlan faced the four of them: Feng, Felicity, Iris, and Lyra. His expression was unreadable. Inside, though, the weight of the moment was heavy.

"I don’t really like this. You two should stay for a few weeks at least to explore your classes," he said.

But Feng had already prepared her answer before he even said this, knowing full well it would come up. "Tell me, Quin, when you get a new class, do you spend weeks practicing on training dummies or do you hunt for live practice?"

"..."

Feng sighed theatrically. "Rules for thee but not for me, is it?"

"... I’m a grown adult with a myriad of backup classes."

"..."

It was Feng’s turn to stay silent.

But then, surprisingly, it was Iris who came to the rescue. "The forests in the vicinity are teeming with monsters. We’ve hunted there for three months while you two were in Zhenwu. I know where to start. Lyra and I will ensure you can get used to your classes before facing true danger."

Lyra nodded with determination in her eyes. "I will not let harm befall you."

Feng’s eyes lit up. She was grateful for the two travelling companions she got blessed with, even if the third one seemed to be a haughty brat with an attitude issue.

The oriental teen looked at Quinlan with sparkly eyes. "That’s right! We can go to Miri Town, which is only a few hundred miles from here. Then restock there and decide what to do next!"

Quinlan watched the girl for some time, then the rest of the three women. He saw it; they were all excited about the journey and the challenge, even Lyra.

They had chosen this path. And he respected that.

He reached within and released the [Subjugation] one after another.

[You have freed your [Subjugated] slave, Iris Ravenclaw.]

[You have freed your [Subjugated] slave, Lyra.]

[You have freed your [Subjugated] slave, Felicity Primrose Amabelle Valorian.]

The notifications soon faded from his mind, leaving him with silence.

Feng waved gently, her smile serene.

Felicity waved both hands wildly, bouncing in excitement.

Iris merely nodded, poised and disciplined.

Until she flipped Ayame off, a gesture that the oriental beauty happily reciprocated.

And, lastly, Lyra bowed deeply.

Quinlan’s eyes lingered on them as they turned toward the forest path.

Four silhouettes walking side by side into danger, into growth, into the unknown.

He didn’t call out. He didn’t stop them.

He simply watched with a weary heart.

Because sometimes... letting go was the right decision.

Sometimes, the only way to protect someone was to trust them, to let them stumble, fall, and rise again without your hand holding theirs.

Ayame reached out to hold his hand tenderly as she looked up into his eyes, sensing his train of thought. "That’s right... Letting go is right. I’m proud of you, Quin."

"It is. Letting go is indeed right..." Quinlan exhaled as he watched the four of them leave his sight. Then his gaze hardened.

"But not this time."

"What?!" the gorgeous samurai gasped.

"Rosie."

"Yes, Daddy?"

"Follow them."

...

Author: None of the four women who departed have been taken out of the story in any capacity.