Chapter 180 The Faithful Servant

Click—

As the woman entered the room, my eyes were drawn to her striking appearance. She had a sun-kissed complexion, which complemented her silver swirl eyes and short, silky black hair that fell in loose waves around her face.

Her pointed ears were a clear indication that she was not human.

She was dressed in an assassin-style black suit that fit her toned and well-balanced physique perfectly. The sleek fabric hugged her curves and accentuated her athletic build, giving her an air of confidence and poise.

Two deadly-looking daggers hung on either side of her hips, adding to her dangerous aura.

And of course, I immediately recognized who she was.

She slowly approached me and knelt before me with an emotionless expression and greeted me respectfully, "Master, Meira greets you."

I couldn't help but notice a change in her demeanor, and it piqued my interest.

"I see you've finally arrived, Meira," I said, a grin on my face.

Meira nodded in acknowledgment but remained silent for a few moments before speaking again.

"As promised, I have completed my revenge and returned to you, my master," she stated.

I raised an eyebrow, intrigued by her words.

"So, what are your plans from now on?" I asked, curious about her response.

"I have no other wish to fulfill; now I have only one goal," she said, pausing for a moment.

"And that is?"

"My only goal now is... to be by your side and protect you until the end of my life," Meira said, her voice resolute.

I couldn't help but smile at her words.

"You know... being by my side won't be easy. My cause is not a heroic one, and there will be times when my actions may seem cruel."

As I spoke, I held her chin and made her meet my gaze.

"I knew what I was getting into when I signed that contract, and as I have previously stated, I don't care even if you are a devil yourself," Meira said determinedly, her eyes locked on me.

I moved closer to her and gently pressed my lips against hers. She responded without hesitation, returning the kiss with equal tenderness.

"That was very pleasant to hear!" I said after I pulled back.

***

When Irethiel heard Meira's response, she was reminded of the demon lords. What made the demon lords more terrifying was their loyal followers who didn't care about their demonic nature as long as their wishes were fulfilled. And the followers showed absolute loyalty in return.

The scene in front of her was no different, and as she stared at Ares, she was reminded of "her," an unpleasant memory of one of the demon lords she had encountered.

Seeing Ares's wicked grin, she began to imagine the other half of Ares's face as that of the demon lord she hated the most.

The mere thought of the two of them facing off against each other made her shudder in terror and excitement.

'If it's him...perhaps he can contend against her!' she thought. However, when she saw Ares kiss Meira, her face contorted for some unknown reason to her.

***

"Tell me, where is this place?" Ares asked Meira, surveying the unfamiliar surroundings.

"This is the place I recently bought in the countryside of Khaldor Kingdom after I escaped from the Elven Empire with the money I got from that destroyed pharmacy," Meira explained, her eyes shifting uneasily.

"Why didn't you immediately return to me?" Ares questioned.

"...I was being followed. I tried my best to not leave any traces, but they were using some type of tracking artifact to chase me," Meira replied.

As Ares listened to Meira, he walked toward the window and peered outside. He saw a large crop field surrounding the mansion with no other residents in sight.

"And how did you know I was in that dungeon?" Ares asked, turning back to Meira.

"I... don't really know how. There was suddenly some type of emotion that filled me, indicating you were in danger, and I just followed my instincts, which brought me to that dungeon," Meira said, her voice uncertain.

Ares looked over at Irethiel, wondering if she had any insight, but he noticed that she was staring at Meira with a peculiar expression.

"...."

However, as soon as Irethiel felt Ares's gaze on her, her expression instantly returned to normal as she replied to his question.

"Our lives are now connected to you, and if something happens to you, it will affect all of us. The contract binds us together, and it sent Meira a signal about you being in danger, guiding her to your location." Irethiel replied with a straight expression.

"...I see," Ares muttered, processing the information.

Suddenly, Meira's expression became one of confusion when she heard Irethiel mention "us" instead of her name. She quickly came to the conclusion that Irethiel is also one of Ares's servants.

If her conclusion is correct, then Meira couldn't comprehend Irethiel's demeanor in front of their master.

***

I had a smile on my face when I noticed Meira's confused expression as she remained on one knee, seemingly awaiting my orders to get up.

"So you are confused about who she is?" I asked, to which Meira nodded in reply.

"Her name is Irethiel. She is my first servant," I explained, turning to look at Irethiel.

"Why don't you show your true form to her, Irethiel? She will also be by my side from now on, so there is no need to hide it from her," I suggested.

Irethiel hesitated for a moment before speaking. "Tch, I don't want to," she said, folding her hands and turning her head away from me.

Swish—

However, as soon as Irethiel said that, Meira suddenly disappeared into a black shadow at her feet, which slithered like a snake toward Irethiel.

In the blink of an eye, Meira emerged from the shadow in front of Irethiel, her dagger aimed at Irethiel's neck.

SHINK—

As Meira attacked Irethiel with her dagger, Irethiel blocked her blow with her nails that grew large claw-like and made a metallic sound on impact.

"Do you have a death wish, brat?" Her eyes glowed furiously as she asked, confused by the sudden attack.

Despite Irethiel's intimidating gaze, Meira remained unaffected, displaying an emotionless face. As a former gladiatrix, she was used to facing death every day which made her very much immune to the killing intents.

Without a word, Meira pulled out her second dagger and attacked again with more force, her face still devoid of any emotion.

I wasn't sure why Meira was suddenly attacking Irethiel, but I chose not to intervene and instead sat on a chair, watching them closely.

"Is she insane?" Irethiel asked, annoyed, as she blocked Meira's attack again.

SHINK—

"Why are you disobeying master's orders?" Meira asked seriously, as she took a two-daggered stance, similar to that of Claude and Erina's, but with a rogue-like flair.

!?

"What?" Irethiel uttered perplexed hearing her.

When I heard Meira, I couldn't help but inwardly chuckle at the situation. While I was used to Irethiel's disobedient behavior, knowing her past as a mighty demoness, I also knew that it wouldn't be easy for her to adapt to her new role as my servant.

I didn't push her too hard, knowing that she would eventually come to acknowledge her new position.

Meira, on the other hand, had a different background. She was accustomed to hearing orders as a former announcer of the gladiator games and had direct experience with the master-servant relationship, although from a different perspective than Irethiel.

While Irethiel was not a servant to any demon lords, she still stood out due to her strength and independence, distinguishing herself from those who were bound to serve.

As the two continued to clash, Irethiel asked, "Why don't you just mind your own fucking business, brat?" in an irritated tone when she heard the reason for Meira's attack.

"If you are a servant, then behave like one," Meira responded seriously as the intensity of her attacks increased.

Despite the commotion, I remained calm and didn't intervene.

"Huh? You've really pissed me off now!" Irethiel exclaimed, her voice laced with anger and her aura becoming more threatening.

Meira, however, remained unfazed and calmly countered the aura with her own.

"Is that all you've got?" Meira asked with a smirk.

Irethiel glared at Meira, impressed by her calm demeanor in the face of such power.

"You're strong," Irethiel admitted. "But you won't be able to take me down so easily."

Meira's smirk grew wider as she readied herself for a fight.

"We'll see about that," she replied, her eyes glittering with excitement.

As I watched Meira, I couldn't help but feel impressed by how far she had come in just a few short months.

Her growth was incredible, far surpassing what I had read in the novel. It was only after she had joined Lucas's party that she truly began to flourish and reach her full potential.

While journeying with Ziona, a fellow member of Lucas's party, Meira had numerous sparring sessions that helped her grow stronger. Their mutual love for battle and friendly competitiveness made them fast friends.

"Alright, that's enough from both of you," I intervened, my aura flaring up to its fullest potential. Meira quickly retracted her aura and sheathed her daggers, but Irethiel seemed reluctant to back down.

"Why are you getting in the way? She attacked me first, and I can't let her get away with it," Irethiel said irritably, also retracting her aura.

"I'm not stopping your fight, just asking you not to fight inside the mansion. We don't want it to be destroyed, do we?" I suggested with a smile.

They both gazed at me with wide eyes.

"Why don't you two take it outside and fight it out in the open field?" I continued.

My curiosity was piqued to see just how much Meira had grown and whether she was now able to harness her constellation powers. By engaging in combat with a formidable opponent such as Irethiel, Meira would have the opportunity to unleash her full potential.

***