Sam got dressed and was about to come out, but he was greeted by a bunch of women standing at the door with trays in their hands.
"What is this?"
"Everyone knows that you like eating good food. So, all the clans sent over the best chefs. They made a very nutrient rich meal as soon as they found that you are sleeping in exhaustion. Please have it."
Sandhya said with a smile.
Sam thought for a moment and shrugged.
He was indeed about to go out and find some food. It is a good thing that some was sent to him directly. He sat down at the table and waited for them to serve it. After the ladies placed the dishes on the table, Sandhya gestured them to leave.
Even though the women were reluctant, there is little they could do when Sandhya herself has ordered. She took over the serving duty from them. Sam was a bit surprised.
"Seems like you are off your high horse today. What's up with the sudden change?"
Sam asked as he took a bite of the juicy meat.
"Nothing much, there is something I would like to ask you."
"What is it?"
"Can I follow you from now on?" Sandhya asked directly.
Sam stopped eating and looked at her with a frown.
Sandhya pursed her lips and acted unlike her usual self. There is a tinge of embarassement and blush on her face.
"I admire your prowess and I admire you as a person. I would like to follow you and if we like each other, I would like to be with you. This is just infatuation now, but who is to say that an infatuation cannot develop into something meaningful? Even if it doesn't work out, we can still be friends…"
"Wait a second. Don't you think you are getting a head of yourself?"
Sam stopped her immediately. He felt amused and exhausted at the same time. It is not like there are no women who admire him. Jyon who was Giyon's sister admired him once, but she only knew him as the broken musical genius.
He doesn't like when someone just believes him to be a certain person and admired that certain person.
They can keep that admiration to themselves.
Now Sandhya is doing the same. And unlike Jyon, she is much bolder. She wants to follow him around.
"Do you even know what I do outside of this planet? Do you have any idea of what my life is? Asking to follow me around? Do you even know what the consequences of that are? Of course, that is assuming that I allow you to follow me."
"What consequences would there be? I am sure you have an organization of your own. There is no way, you developed all by yourself. And I am sure, there is a point where you had a team that follows your around.
It would be the same. Its just instead of one team, you will have one person."
"Do you really think it is that simple?"
"How complicated would it be?"
Sam chuckled at how simple minded Sandhya really is. He shook his head and his eyes landed on a bowl of piping hot soup. He took a sniff of it and chuckled.
He then took out a herb that has amazing vitality.
"Do you know who made this soup?"
Sandhya was caught off guard by the sudden change of topic, but she took a look at the soup and shook her head. Sam nodded and continued.
"This soup is made with the blood of the most poisonous creature that your planet could possibly have and it is seasoned with the most poisonous flora your planet has to offer."
Sandhya widened her eyes in shock as she almost yelled on top her lungs. But Sam gestured her to stop and calmed her down.
"Don't make a scene. Just take a look."
He put his finger in the soup and let one drop drip on the herb.
Right in front of Sandhya's eyes, Sam's finger turned purple and the herb lost all of its vitality in a second before dying in front of her eyes.
His finger bulged a bit and it is apparent how effective the poison is.
"We need to treat you immediately.."
"No. I am not done yet."
Sam stood up with the bowl of soup in his one hand and held Sandhya's hand with another.
"You want to follow me, right? Just don't leave my hands for the next half an hour, no matter what happens."
Sandhya is still puzzled over what is happening, but she looked at Sam's finger that was dipped in poison. The purple color disappeared. She didn't know if he was cured or not, but her heart told her to just follow along.
She nodded and tightened her grip on his arm.
Sam smiled and walked out with her. They are in the middle of the estate and all the other clans' heads and other important members are located within the surrounding rooms.
Sam sat in the middle of the estate and made Sandhya sit straight in front of him. He looked her in the eyes with that smile and spoke in a loud voice.
"I don't know who poisoned this soup, but I am pretty sure that you are part of the ten clans that I saved.
So, you know what exactly is in my hands. Just to fill in the remaining people. This bowl in my hands has a soup made by the concentrated blood of Purple Blooded Frog as well as the most poisonous herbs available in your planet.
I am already exhausted from the last night's fight and I haven't even recovered half my strength. There is also another poison filled dish in my room, that I just finished eating.
I don't know who it is that wanted to kill me, and why you want to do it, but I want to test the loyalty of your planet's members with this incident. I had risked my life and wealth to save you guys from the gods, I wonder if you would do the same for me."
As he spoke, he started gulping down the soup.
He took it all in just a couple of swigs and threw the bowl to the side. The residue of the soup fell on the grass and it killed a patch of it in an instant.
Sam's skin turned slightly purple as soon as he drank. He appeared weak and he looked like he lost all of his energy.
Sandhya looked at him with her eyes wide open. In horror. She was about to stand up and take him away, but Sam didn't budge.
"Don't move."
Sandhya pursed her lips and sat down while still holding his hand.
"Mother, please save him."
She yelled on top of her lungs. Priestess who is not too far away, is standing on a balcony and saw the whole spectacle, but she didn't make a move. She knew more about Sam than her daughter, so she is no worried.
Sandhya yelled a couple more times, but there is no response. All she saw was Sam's purple shade turning darker and darker.
At this moment, she noticed that there are dozens of gazes locked on her and Sam. They are ominous and hostile. She had a very bad feeling and as if to prove, dozens of people jumped out of the rooms and charged at Sam with their weapons.
They are all aiming for him at the same time and in process they even took each other down. But primary target remained Sam himself.
When one of the young masters who was closest to them made his way first, he looked at Sam and Sandhya cruelly.
"I am sorry, Sandhya and sorry to you too Sam. I am grateful for your help. So, I will live my life and let my family continue their legacy. Every generation will pay homage to you, but you should die for that to happen."
He swung his blade.
Sandhya waved her hand and a water spear lodged into the abdomen of that young master, taking him away from there.
But that was just one attacker gone, that was replaced by two and then two became four, four became eight.
Sandhya fought off people hurriedly and because of her presence and these attackers being youngsters mostly, they didn't dare make very dangerous moves.
But after five minutes, Sam coughed a large mouthful of blood. The blood has turned black and he collapsed with his face first, but he still didn't let go of Sandhya's hand. She wanted to pick him up and run away.
Only she couldn't move him no matter what.
Watching this scene, the clan leaders couldn't hold back anymore and they jumped in with the elders. The youngsters left.
"Lady Sandhya, this has nothing to do with the Mountain temple. You better leave now. If you don't, the don't blame us for what is about to happen. Even your mother is not strong enough to kill all ten clans together.
We already established that before."
Sandhya looked at them and then at Sam.