Primordial Villain with a Slave Harem

Chapter 1317  The Cold Truth

If that cutie pie, that utmost sweetheart, asked this, then she could only imagine the thoughts of the rest of his lovers.

Quinlan leaned back on the plush, dark sofa with his infuriating grin not receding one bit. "My maids knew it too. They told me the whole thing was doomed. Emily, Cecile, and Ilde begged me not to let what happened to them in that goblin cavern happen to you."

Feng stared at him, speechless.

Quinlan looked her dead in the eyes and announced, "My girls and servants aren't 'superior existences' compared to you Feng. They've just been through more. I've made my share of mistakes too, as I already told you. I hope you won't think that I'm speaking from a perfect position when I say that on the continent of Iskaris, only four people seemed optimistic about your chances. And their names are…"

He lifted a hand, tapping his fingers one by one.

"Feng."

"Felicity."

"Iris."

"Lyra."

"That's it."

He let his hand fall back to the armrest.

"That's why I let them go with you."

Feng's eyes snapped wide. "What?!"

Quinlan didn't even pause. He lifted his hand and began counting on his fingers.

"One, the oriental brat from another world. We already discussed your case."

His index finger pointed at her with infuriating arrogance before curling back down.

"Two, the naive princess who dreamed of grandiose things just because she got a strong class."

His middle finger lifted next. "Three, the girl born into slavery, her entire life decided for her, her decisions made for her."

Feng wanted to say something, but Quinlan was already ahead of her. "Yes, after I became Lyra's master, she received freedom. But in our group, she didn't need to make decisions; she only needed to do her duty as a tanker. To take the hurt for her companions, so we came out victorious."

"But on a journey with a very competent but traumatized woman and two young girls? Without my peerless elven healer and human priestess at her back, ready to heal her so she can continue fighting?"

He tilted his head.

"Doing her tanker duties was not enough. She needed to think outside the box to protect you, while also taking the least amount of damage possible so she did not lose consciousness, leaving you defenseless. She faced so many new experiences that I believe will help her ascend and become the true Juggernaut, the true protector of our group."

He lifted his fourth finger.

"Four. Then, lastly, Miss PTSD herself. Iris grew up tortured in a little cage in her father's basement, physically and emotionally tortured day by day."

Feng parted her lips, inhaling sharply, ready to argue. Quinlan caught the motion instantly and, once again, did not let her interject.

"Yes, she escaped in her early teens, more than a decade ago. But after that, she wandered around for a bit, lost, then joined the army, where, again, everything was decided for her. She was a soldier, following orders."

He straightened his spine, lifted his hand again, and extended all four fingers toward her.

"Four ambitious girls who overestimated the danger. Four different circumstances. Some naive, some too innocent, some dealing with trauma and a thirst for revenge."

His fingers stayed raised as he held Feng's gaze. The swirl of elements drifting through his irises sharpened for a moment, a subtle ripple of light and motion that made the teen pause without realizing why. It wasn't intimidation, she realized. It was the quiet certainty behind it.

"All of you needed this dangerous but fruitful experience to grow."

Feng sat frozen, shoulders pulled tight, fingers pressing into her knees until her knuckles paled. The shock of these revelations remained visible on her face. Her breath caught halfway in her throat, stuck between disbelief and understanding as her eyes stayed fixed on the four fingers in front of her.

Quinlan lowered his hand and set it on the armrest in a slow, casual slide.

"And that," he murmured, "is why I let them go with you."

Then, a smirk curved across his mouth.

"Furthermore… I knew your destination."

"Hm?" Feng gasped. "We had no destination when we set off!"

 Quinlan returned her question with an infuriatingly confident expression. "Is that so? But with Iris at the helm, it was only a matter of time before she used the opportunity of being out there with no one telling her what to do to investigate the Ravenshade Duchy, trying to find clues about the people responsible for her brother's horrible demise. As I said; 'some dealing with trauma and a thirst for revenge.'"

He then added, "Now, don't get me wrong. Iris didn't join you so she could use your group for her own devices. She did so because she didn't want you and Felicity risking yourselves alone. Especially since she had such an rough childhood herself, and wouldn't want anyone to go through that. But as the days passed and you made your way through the monster-riddled forests of Greenvale, her heart began pulling her in one certain direction.

Feng's breath hitched hard. The realization hit her all at once, and she finished the thought for him.

"And from your time in the beastkin lands, you knew the Alliance of Elvardia and the Covenant of Eternity were in cahoots… planning to invade the kingdom at any moment."

Her skin drained of color. The words shaking out of her mouth felt scraped raw.

"You used us to gather information on this development without committing your own time to it… The Consortium-Greenvale conflict was already at full swing back then, too… Did you…?"

Quinlan leaned back on the plush sofa once again. The cushions dipped under his weight. His eyes stayed locked on hers, the four elements inside them turning in slow, deliberate motion, with glints of light rolling over each other, tiny sparks of color shifting with thought.

He didn't confirm a thing.

However, he didn't deny it either.

But with the visible curve of his lips, the way his eyes shone… He didn't need to speak. Every tiny detail of his expression said enough. He let them go because he saw an opportunity. Because the danger they walked into could pay dividends for not just the four of them but him as well. Because he decided that the potential gains outweighed the risks.

Feng's heart twisted at the truth forming between them. Yet as she stared at him, something inside her loosened. The tight weight she had been carrying since the day she left, and especially since they were captured… finally shifted. Finally breathed.

Somehow, the realization made her chest feel lighter.

She exhaled slowly.

"Thank you, Quinlan."

That was all the girl said, but it was an extremely meaningful sentence, which was not lost on the man. He nodded and patted her head again.

This time, with a cheeky grin, Feng swatted his hand away.

Her heart beat rapidly, freely, as she smiled brightly and flipped him off with both hands.

"And fuck you."

A devilish grin welcomed her words.

…

Not far away, a group was on the move.

Stocky, broad-shouldered warriors with braided beards.

Lithe rangers with layered leather.

And they were heading straight for this location.