Primordial Villain with a Slave Harem

Chapter 1322  Old Friend

The man's lips curved upward as his unique eyes shone with four different colors all at once, utterly mesmerizing.

"Why don't we invade the Vraven Kingdom together?"

"…"

For a long moment, no one moved.

Not Thorga, not Serelis, nor their ninety-eight elites.

Every pair of eyes held the same stunned question.

This was not what they came for. After seeing the defeated undead - their allies - both team leaders were getting prepared for a battle, not the twist thrown their way.

Thorga's gaze slid to Black Fang. The Venomborne Terror stood near the seated man with the same steady posture a dwarf might have when deliberating which mug of ale they should devour next. There was no twitch of her eyebrows, no shift in her posture, no hint that she disagreed with the proposal the man had just tossed at them.

Serelis, meanwhile, had locked onto Sylvaris.

The leader of the Vaelorith clan met her stare with that serene calm she was known for, with her bare feet resting lightly on the carriage roof as if she were standing on a riverbank instead of a monument built from undead remains.

Neither woman showed the slightest flicker of objection to what they heard.

"Invade together…?" Thorga muttered.

Serelis's brows drew together. As her brain realized that a clash might not be imminent, she began thinking about the information they'd been delivered about the human lands and their politics.

Her voice lowered, thoughtful. "The reports said the Vesper Consortium was being pushed into a corner. They should be close to collapse."

Thorga's eyes lit up as the pieces fell together for both of them. "Right. That man, Quinlan Elysiar, is tied to the consortium. Supposedly, he's Black Fang's subordinate. She's his sponsor or something like that."

Indeed, when one became a Vesper Phenom - a rookie with incredible potential the Consortium wanted to invest in - they were given to one of the seven heads who were expected to help expedite their growth with resources, advice, protection, and more.

Quinlan had long since outgrown this rank, even though he had more than nine years left before the rank became invalid, as it only lasted for a decade, after which new youngsters would become the Phenoms and the old ones would join the Consortium's common ranks.

Right now, with Quinlan's strength, he should already be a Veil Walker; should the rank be taken away, and he still had more than nine years to grow!

Serelis stared at the seated man again. He appeared calm and confident, adorned by the skulls of two dead lich-lieutenants in his palms. "… I'm confused by their hierarchy," Serelis whispered. "It looks like she's following her own subordinate's lead."

Thorga shrugged. "She's always been one odd creature. From what I heard, most of the time she lets the flower girl handle decisions in her stead, so she was never much of a leader anyway."

A sharp pressure washed over them.

Thorga stiffened.

The hairs on her arms rose.

Her instincts shoved one message through her skull: danger.

Black Fang had heard every word.

Of course, she had.

'What a freak… Is she some wild beast with incredible senses or a human woman?!' Thorga exhaled through her nose.

But then she decided to shamelessly ignore the threat.

"You want to invade your fellow humans with us?"

"Yes," Quinlan answered with a nod.

He pointed at them. "You."

He pointed at the group behind him. "Us."

Then he angled his thumb behind his back. "And the skellies."

Serelis squinted at the horizon.

Thorga already had an artifact lens raised to her eye.

Both paused as the shapes came into focus.

A massive formation marched toward them from far beyond the clearing. Their steps were organized. Their speed was high. Their energy was unmistakably Covenant.

A full squad.

"… They're coming straight toward us," Serelis murmured.

Thorga lowered the lens. "They must've been alerted when their entourage was attacked."

Both leaders stared at the approaching undead line for several seconds before the realization settled.

Those reinforcements were closing in fast, which meant that the confident man sitting on the unmoving carriage was about to be caught between two forces, with elves and dwarves in front and Covenant undead behind.

Thorga exchanged a look with Serelis. The same thought passed through both their minds.

He's in a pinch.

Even if he hid it behind a mask of unbothered confidence, he should be panicking incredibly badly right now. He had seconds left before he was surrounded.

"Excuse me, Villain," Serelis called out politely, as elves were known for, though her tone did gain a bit of bite. "But it appears your organization needs our help, not the other way around."

"Yeah," Thorga added. "Tell us why we should let you join our efforts and risk getting stabbed in the back. Neither you nor Black Fang has the sort of reputation we're looking for in our potential allies."

Quinlan tilted his head as if someone asked whether the sky was blue. "Hmm. How about this: if you agree, the king won't know a thing about your plans."

Serelis stared. "What?"

"You think you can run back while trapped between us and the skellies and tell the king?" Thorga's eyebrow lifted. "And aren't you a highly wanted criminal? Why would he listen to you instead of just chopping your head off?"

Quinlan chuckled at the phrase "'Run back?' Why would I do that?" The sound was low and edged with something that made both women feel a warning ripple run through their skin.

"When I can just…" He pulled out a necklace from his pocket ring and tapped it. A communication spell flared to life.

A man's voice answered immediately. "What do you want, you shameless bastard? Are you ready for talks now that you have no good location to attack?"

Serelis and Thorga exchanged another look. They didn't recognize the voice, but something in its weight made their stomachs tighten.

"Alexios, my old friend," Quinlan said, sounding amused. "Haven't we known each other long enough for you to stop acting like this?"

"Friend…? You?!"