My gaze fell on the butler and his heavy hand on my shoulder. Realizing that I couldn't go against the will of the servants, Light resigned himself to his initial objective, trying a more peaceful approach.
"How much do you want to let me go?" He thought that everything here was about money and would quickly buy off the mansion's servants, then buy a new residence to live a life of luxury with his lover.
"I want you to be less fragile. When there is at least some strength in you, I'll let you go."
"I am strong; I just have no mana at the moment. Otherwise, I could give even a disciple some trouble. In fact, I've already sent one to his grave."
"I fear your achievements are hollow, my lord. After all, for you to have defeated one, it must have been the weakest disciple in history, not to mention a very naive and unprepared one." Both fights against Ekichar were with the support of much stronger others; he had only delivered the finishing blow, but his pride would never allow him to say that.
"So what's your plan? To trap me here for centuries, in a place where I have no opportunity to evolve?" He tried to point out the obvious contradiction. He would never leave this place if there were no opportunities to grow, not to mention the imminent attack from an apostle if he wasn't released within a month.
"My lord, you are quite evasive and conspiratorial. Your intentions are obvious to the eyes of this old man; words won't get you out of this situation, much less one of the apostles. If they wish, they can try to bring down the Red Chess Mansion. Many have tried, and they always leave empty-handed and teary-eyed. Your plans overlook that we are servants of the great Ito, the greatest servants in all of Aegon."
Dominic seemed to be able to read Light's thoughts and intentions—they were as clear and vivid as a bonfire at night. But one impressive quality stood out: he seemed to have foreseen Light's future ideas. He was going to question their strength, but Dominic answered even before he asked about it or even thought of it.
"We, the servants of Ito, have a duty to make you a strong and powerful man who will rule over all the peoples of the land, just as the great Ito did. We will feed you properly and train you to become stronger. I can sense that you wish to rely on rituals to acquire a new variety of skills, but you don't even master the basics of your mana, which is one of the most versatile energies." Light's gaze sharpened more and more as he listened. Despite his flaws, he certainly wasn't weak, and, moreover, this was one of the fastest ways to gain strength...
"Very well, now eat. After lunch, I will show you how weak you are compared to what you will face. If you manage to pass the challenge, I can promise you your freedom." Light quickly fell silent and began eating.
"And me?" Lara was still confused about her current situation. She wasn't the heir, and although she was close to Light, willing to follow him anywhere, she wasn't married to him, so she had no responsibility or duty here.
"You slept in the same bed as him without even questioning it. If you're already lovers, you must go through the same hell together!" Her ears visibly dropped as a tear formed. She wanted to be taught by someone gentle like her knight, but this butler gave her chills and seemed more than willing to kill her if she didn't meet the minimum requirements.
She had been in similar situations before. It wasn't the first time someone had tried to trap her. She analyzed the surroundings even more while pretending to be distracted by the pile of meat. She couldn't properly assess the strength of her opponents like her savior, but living on the streets for so long had given her the sense to know who she could mess with and who she couldn't.
'All the people around are dangerous… But most of them have their guard down… If Light has access to his mana, he could use his fast dash to get us out of here before they react. Once outside the mansion, the city police should get involved and prevent the pursuers from causing more trouble.' She continued to devise plans. Although the servants knew everything and found it somewhat amusing, they thought it was brilliant that she was still trying to stay calm and come up with a plan.In fact, several of the servants were around with their eyes closed, but did they really need eyes to see? This alone revealed the fact that their seemingly low guard couldn't be higher.
Both were oblivious to the true strength of their captors. In fact, they measured it through the system and their own physical senses, which were based on the enemy's mana. They had never encountered enemies so versatile in this art before.
"Mr. Dominic, I must remind you that Light is without mana and needs some artifacts to recover it." Lara was starting to put the plan into action. She had also come up with a Plan B, having noticed that the gentleman had the habit of placing his hand on the side of his belly, possibly indicating a poorly healed past injury. Dominic simply touched his hand near Light's, at which point he began to convulse violently.
[Forced Mana Insertion in Progress!]
[Warning: Very Risky and Painful Process]
[Mana Is Already at Its Limit!]
[Warning: Mana Is Breaking Its Limits in a Painful and Forced Way!]
"Control the excess, my lord, or else you might die right here." Light barely understood the words spoken and just focused on trying to control and release that mana. The vessels in his sclera were red, his veins exposed and bleeding, his nose and ears the same, his throat with exposed veins roaring against the tremendous pain, fighting for his life.
Dominic ignored Light's suffering as he walked toward Lara, who sensed danger and tried to escape, but some servants grabbed her by the arms. She tried everything to break free. Dominic extended his hand to her; her veins soon became apparent, her body arching backward, contorting unnaturally.Blood spreading all over the place.