{Argus's POV}
Argus notice that there is a purple crown like mark on Ying Zhu's dorsam part of his right hand.
'It's his Unique Mark? A purple crown, huh. Are you a part of a royalty or something.'
Argus mused, but soon after the dismissed it.
"Return to my shadow for a while. I'll introduce you to my other Soulbound tomorrow. I just want to rest for now. Goodnight."(Argus)
Argus said, his voice heavy with exhaustion.
Without waiting for Yǐng Zhǔ's reaction, Argus lay down and closed his eyes. Today had been overwhelming, with so much happening all at once. His body was tired, but more than that, his soul felt worn out from all the battles and new bonds formed. All he wanted now was to rest and recover from the long day.
Zhuan also unknowingly transform into a pair of pajamas including a night cap and socks.
'You're very helpful Zhuan.'
He thought before his consciousness was taken to the dream world.
As the room grew quiet, Yǐng Zhǔ silently retreated into Argus's shadow, respecting his master's need for rest.
***
The next morning…
Argus was woken up by a knock from Astrea. He slowly got up, still feeling the lingering weakness in his soul. His body felt rested, but his soul had not fully recovered.
'I guess one day of rest wasn't enough for my soul to return to its peak strength.'(Argus)
He thought as he stretched a little. Argus walked over to the door and opened it.
"Good morning, Master! Did you rest well? Have you recovered?"(Astrea)
Astrea greeted him with her usual bright energy as she stepped inside the room. Of course while hugging him.
"Yes, I've recovered, though not completely. My body feels fine, but my soul is still tired. It won't affect me much, except for using the assimilation skill. That's the only thing I can't use for now. Oh, and before I forget—come out, Sylvan. You too, Yǐng Zhǔ."(Argus)
With a small gesture, Argus summoned Sylvan through a magic circle, which glowed briefly before the young tree appeared. At the same time, his shadow began to shift and wiggle, and Yǐng Zhǔ, the dark skeleton, emerged from it.
"Alright."(Argus)
Glancing at the three.
"Meet the new member of the family, Yǐng Zhǔ. You three should get to know each other for now. I'll go wash myself and be right back."
Without waiting for a response, Argus turned and headed toward the bathroom, ready to freshen up. As the door closed behind him, the three in the room—Astrea, Sylvan, and Yǐng Zhǔ—began to exchange looks. Sylvan swayed gently, and Yǐng Zhǔ stood still, his dark eyes glowing faintly with light purple soul fire. The three began to communicate in their own way.
"Hmm... So you are the one who followed us through Master's shadow. I didn't think that you would become Master's Soulbound. Anyway, nice to meet you. I'm Astrea, the first Soulbound. You can call me First Sister or Sister Astrea."(Astrea)
She said, her tone carrying a sense of dignity.
Astrea introduced herself with pride. Sylvan, standing beside her, swayed gently, as if acknowledging her introduction. Ying Zhu, the dark skeleton, nodded in agreement, acknowledging both of them in return.
Astrea then carefully picked up Sylvan in her arms.
"This creature here is Sylvan, the Second Soulbound. As you can see, neither of you can communicate with words yet, but we have our soul connection to speak to each other. You can call him Second Brother or Brother Sylvan. It's your turn to introduce yourself."(Astrea)
Sylvan swayed as if saying hello.
Astrea and Sylvan turned their gaze toward the dark skeleton. Ying Zhu paused for a moment, then spoke through the soul connection.
'I am Ying Zhu. I am an undead skeleton, as you already know. I just became the Third Soulbound of our Master. It's nice to meet you, Sister Astrea, and Brother Sylvan.'(Ying Zhu)
He said respectfully, bowing his head.
Astrea and Sylvan both returned the gesture, bowing their heads slightly in acknowledgment of the introduction.
"Alright, that's enough with the formalities," Astrea said with a smile.
"We're all part of the same family now, the Orpheus Family. So, let me ask—what made you decide to follow our Master?"(Astrea)
Astrea's curiosity got the better of her as she asked the question. Although she had a guess—Argus's charisma was one of the reasons for sure you can't really observe his charisma with just one interaction—she couldn't quite figure out the other part. She wanted to know what drove Ying Zhu to make the decision to bind himself to Argus.
Ying Zhu stood silently for a moment before answering, leaving Astrea to wonder what the true reason behind his decision might be.
'I followed Master first of all because he freed me from that cage. He also killed the one who caught me and the one who stole the most important thing to me. And he is very strong!' (Ying Zhu)
Ying Zhu said, his bony hand gently caressing the large butcher blade hanging on his back. His hollow eyes then turned toward his new "siblings."
'I also do not have a place that I can return to as I was already...' (Ying Zhu)
He paused, staring down at his skeletal hands as if lost in thought.
'Anyway, at first, I just dove into Master's shadow because I felt safe there, and I had a sense that I could escape from that horrible place. I already knew that he noticed me the moment I entered his shadow, but he didn't seem to mind. He let me stay, and for that, I'm grateful. If I had been left on my own during that chaotic situation, the other undead would have killed me immediately.' (Ying Zhu)
His words were slow, reflective, as he seemed to recall the events that led him here.
'I never thought about what would happen next after that. I just kept following you both in Master's shadow until you two reached this place. And then... I decided to show myself to him. He didn't even flinch or react, as if he had been expecting me all along.' (Ying Zhu)
He paused again, recalling the moment he revealed himself to Argus the previous night.
'After that, I felt this sudden urge to follow Master. I don't know why, but the idea came to me, and I liked it. So, I knelt before him, trying to convey that I wanted to follow him. He told me the consequences of following him and even asked my permission before accepting me. Then, he gave me the name Ying Zhu, which I really like.' (Ying Zhu)
Astrea and Sylvan listened quietly. Astrea did not have a consciousness during their fusion with her Master, so she did not know that her Master saved Ying Zhu.
'That is how I became the Third Soulbound.' (Ying Zhu)
Ying Zhu bowed. Sylvan started swaying as if telling him that he was happy to meet him. Astrea also nodded as a sign of approval.
"I was also saved by the Master. Like you, he also freed me from a cage. As for Sylvan here, we found him in a treasure chest in one of the dungeons we cleared as the only reward... Yes, yes, you are a very Unique Reward." (Astrea)
Astrea said while looking at Sylvan. Ying Zhu also nodded as a gesture of agreement to her story.
After that, Astrea was about to tell the start of her adventure with Argus, but Argus had already returned after washing.
"Hmm? Looks like you three are getting along." (Argus)
Argus thought for a while, then he brought out a cloak, mask, cap, and shoes.
"Wear this for now, Ying Zhu. Since you're not releasing any decaying smell or death aura, you can wear these things so you can go out with us. There's currently a festival being held here. Go change; we'll wait for you." (Argus)
Argus didn't even wait for him and walked out of the inn.
"Fufufu... Master really is a very kind person. He's trying to hide it, which is very cute." (Astrea)
She said while gazing at Argus's back. Argus heard her, causing his shoulder to flinch for a second, but he didn't stop walking. Astrea and Sylvan saw it, and they both laughed.
"Fufufu... Ying Zhu, wear this so we both can enjoy the festival. I can't wait to eat delicious foods!" (Astrea)
Astrea said as she followed Argus while holding Sylvan. Ying Zhu didn't know how to react at first. He then looked at the things Argus gave him, then at Argus's back.
'I'm glad that I followed a kind Master. No, from now on, he is My Liege. I will serve him with all of my heart.' (Ying Zhu)
This was the day that the strongest Knight of Argus was born. That is of course for the future.
***
Argus, Astrea, and Sylvan didn't have to wait long before Ying Zhu came out wearing the clothes Argus had given him. From his perspective, he looked like a normal human under the cloak, which made Argus nod approvingly.
"That is perfect! If I didn't know what was inside this cloak, I would just think you were a human." (Astrea)
Astrea praised Ying Zhu with a smile.
"Let's go, Master! We haven't eaten breakfast yet! I'm already hungry." (Astrea)
Astrea hurried toward the inn's dining area, and Argus just shrugged his shoulders, following her.
"Let's go. I'm starving too. I know you undead don't need to eat, and I'm not sure if you have taste buds or anything, but if you want to try, you can eat as well." (Argus)
Argus said casually without looking back at Ying Zhu, as he also followed Astrea to the dining room. Ying Zhu also followed after his Liege.