“Sense allows me to be able to tell when someone is around me, on unusual occasions I can also sense monsters…”
“Interesting, quite interesting.”
Ellis raised his brows. “I’m sorry, sir but there’s nothing interesting about this ability. All I can do is check out some information, it’s not even useful battle-wise.”
“And you think being able to check out some information is not cool enough? You could become a scout? I don’t even understand, why are you not a scout right now? Why are you not an integral part of the party leaders.”
Ellis shook his head somberly and looked away.
Observing his features, Northern could guess… “…you didn’t tell them?”
Ellis looked down, “No, I didn’t.”
“Why?” freewebnvel.coɱ
Ellis spent a couple of seconds in silence again.
‘The hell, why is he so reluctant?’
Northern looked at Dark Terror, immediately the devil took a step closer.
“Wait! Wait! Wait!”
“I’m listening…”
“They’ll only use me and discard… I don’t know the details but my parents were scouts like me, they warned me not to reveal my abilities under any circumstances, I’m just trying to follow their instructions.”
“I see…” he was voiceless for a second then his voice rolled out again, “why did you now tell me?”
“Eh?” Ellis was dumbfounded, “I told you? You threatened to torture me!!”
“Oh, did I? Ah, I see, I guess I did uh.”
Ellis’ brows furrowed as he burrowed into Northern, ‘What manner of creation is this person? Is he playing with me?’
Northern clapped, jacking Ellis out of his head.
“Okay then, no problem! Ellis, let me offer you a contract.”
Ellis raised his head to look at Northern’s face.
“A contract?”
“Yes.”
Northern smiled and moved closer to him, then he crouched.
“I want to offer you a chance to save yourself. You accept this contract and Dark Terror will become your shadow, practically.”
Ellis shivered and looked at the menacing devil standing like a statue.
He then gulped and returned his eyes to Northern.
“Really?”
Northern nodded, “Yes, really.”
“What do I have to do in this contract?”
“It’s simple, I want to open a bazaar.” Northern grabbed both Ellis’s hands, helping him up as he too stood.
“A bazaar? Like a shop?”
“Yes.” Northern looked into his eyes with the ghost of a smile and added. “For enlisting Dark Terror’s protection and my help to pull this matter from its root, you’ll be helping me sell some items.”
Ellis frowned and took a step back, “I’m not going to repeat the same mistake.”
“I’m also not forcing you to do anything. If you accept my proposal, you are not repeating any mistake, I’m not promising to give you any soul cores like they did, I need them too. And my precious items are going to be bound to your soul since you’ll be selling them.”
Ellis’s eyes widened, “You trust me that much?”
Northern blinked for a couple of heartbeats, then he exploded a loud burst of laughter, almost staggering back.
As his laughter receded, he shot a glare at Ellis.
“Me? Trust you? Am I insane? There’s no level of insanity that’ll be enough to make me trust anyone. You try shit with me, you die, I said Dark Terror will be your shadow, what were you deaf to that part.”
Ellis licked his dry lips and responded to Northern, nodding his head diligently.
“Yes sir, yes sir, I understand, I can’t do anything sir.”
“Of course, since you look like someone that loves his life so much, I’m sure you wouldn’t want to lose it,” Northern looked at him and scoffed.
“Yes sir.”
Northern looked at him as he stood composed with his head bowed.
‘This is good… this way I can keep him around.’
While Northern’s plan was to use Ellis to sell the items he had, to gain some soul cores, he also wanted to make sure Ellis was around his side, so when he was ready to copy his skill, the poor guy would be accessible.
Northern turned around.
“We can return to the mansion for now, we’ll talk when we get there…”
He stopped and looked back over his shoulder.
“And remember to walk closely beside me the moment we enter that mansion. If you are behind by more than two steps, I can’t guarantee your safety.”
“My s–s–safety? Why?”
“Why else? There’s a monster inside the mansion.” Northern dismissed with a wave and gestured with his hand, “Let’s go.”
Ellis shrank back immediately.
“Eh? Go? Go where? You said there’s a monster there? Why are we still going, we should be going to where you stay.”
Northern let out a sigh and turned, “Exactly, which is why we are going to the mansion.”
“You said there’s a monster there now?”
“I live there, the monster is the tenant…” Northern paused for a moment and thought aloud, “or is it the landlord? I don’t know, whichever way, we live together.”
Ellis’ face grew pale, beads of sweat were forming all over his timid features.
“Wh–what do you mean now? What are you saying? How can you be living with a monster?”
“Well, this and that led to that and this and now we both have to put up with each other. Don’t worry, you won’t be in the weird dynamic. I’ll find a room for you somewhere and make Dark Terror guard you,” Northern smiled politely.
“What? I’m going to be living there?”
“Sure, why not? Do you plan to return to the castle where you’ll be caught by your enemies? I don’t even care but my items will be in your possession, I don’t want to hear excuses like you were forced. I’ll just kill everyone in that castle,” he thought about it and nodded, “I guess that will be a better solution, they won’t have to worry about going back home.”
Ellis’s eyes widened, “Are you that strong?”
“Of course not, it was only a joke. Now let’s go.”
Northern turned and began walking away.
“If you don’t walk closer to me, I can’t guarantee your safety in the forest too.”
“Ah! Yes sir!!”
Immediately, Ellis ran and caught up to him.