The forest was quiet, save for the sizzling of the Troll's corpse. Lux stood with the crumpled letter from Baron K in one hand and his scythe in the other.
"Baron K," Lux muttered. "He wants to erase the Greylock mistake."
"We should strike tonight," Elara suggested, her blood still hot from the battle. "I can infiltrate his manor. He will not wake up."
"No," Lux shook his head. "Assassination is messy. If the Baron dies mysteriously, the Capital sends an investigator. But if the Baron is exposed for corruption and I claim my rightful place... then we win everything."
As he spoke, a golden chime resonated in his skull—deeper and more majestic than the usual alerts.
[System Update Complete.]
[Feature Unlocked: Harem Management (Tier 1)]
"Finally," Lux grinned. "Let's see what we're working with."
He waved his hand, and a new interface sprawled across his vision. It looked like a chessboard or a strategy game menu.
[The Harem Court]
* Slot 1 (The Queen/Knight): Elara Vance
* Role: DPS / Assassin
* Bond: Devotion (100%)
* Buff: Shadow Step (Host gains +10 Agility when near her).
* Status: Healthy.
* Slot 2 (Locked): Requires [Bonded Partner].
* Slot 3 (Locked): Requires [Bonded Partner].
[Passive Effect: The King's Aura]
For every bonded member, the Host gains +5% All Stats.
"Useful," Lux mused. "But empty slots are wasted potential."
[Radar Scan Initiated...]
[Scanning Oakhaven Region...]
A 3D map of the nearby area appeared. A pulsing pink light beaconed from the center of the village of Oakhaven, about three miles south.
[High-Potential Target Detected]
[Archetype: The Fallen Saintess]
[Rank Potential: S]
[Current Status: Critical / Suppressed]
[Hint: "She heals others, but cannot heal herself."]
Lux raised an eyebrow. "A healer? We definitely need one. You're a glass cannon, Elara. If you get hit, we're in trouble. A healer keeps us in the fight."
Elara peered at the invisible screen she couldn't see, but she sensed his intent. "A healer... Oakhaven has a small chapel. But the priest is a drunkard. I haven't heard of a Saintess."
"The System calls her 'Fallen'," Lux noted. "Which means she's probably not in the church anymore. Let's go find her."
The Village of Oakhaven
Two hours later, the forest thinned out, revealing the muddy roads and thatched roofs of Oakhaven.
It was a depressing sight. The villagers looked gaunt, pulling carts of timber with heads bowed low. Guards in red tabards—Baron K's men—patrolled the streets, kicking over fruit stalls and laughing.
Lux had cleaned off the troll blood, but he still wore his torn noble clothes. He carried the massive scythe wrapped in a cloth on his back, looking like a wandering mercenary. Elara wore a heavy hooded cloak to hide her distinctive features (and her striking beauty).
"Keep your head down," Lux whispered. "We find the girl, we get intel, then we deal with the Baron."
They walked past the tavern. The smell of stale ale wafted out.
They passed the Guild Hall.
Then, the System Radar pinged loudly.
[Target Nearby: 50 Meters.]
It wasn't pointing to the church.
It was pointing to a dilapidated wooden shack at the edge of the slums. A faded sign hung above the door: "Herbalist & Apothecary - Cheap Cures."
A line of sick-looking villagers waited outside. They were coughing, nursing injuries, or shivering with fever.
"Get in line, scum!" a voice shouted.
Lux and Elara stopped.
Standing at the door of the shack were two thugs—not guards, but local gang members. They were blocking the entrance.
"Entrance fee is 5 silver!" one thug sneered at an old woman holding a sick child.
"Please..." the woman wept. "Lady Seraphina said she treats the poor for free!"
"Lady Seraphina don't run this street. The Black-Tooth Gang does. Pay up or die in the gutter."
The thug shoved the old woman. She stumbled, clutching her baby.
Before she hit the mud, a flash of white movement caught her.
The door of the shack burst open. A young woman rushed out and caught the old lady.
"Stop it!"
Lux's eyes narrowed. [System Analysis: Target Found.]
Name: Seraphina Lightsworn
Race: Human (???)
Class: Life Cleric (Cursed)
Rank: B (Suppressed to F)
Appearance: Platinum blonde hair tied in a messy braid, pale skin, wearing a stained white apron over a simple grey dress. She looked exhausted, with dark circles under her golden eyes.
The Hook: A collar of black iron was locked tight around her slender neck. It hummed with a suppression spell.
"You brutes!" Seraphina shouted, her voice trembling but fierce. "I told you to leave my patients alone! I gave you my earnings this week!"
The thug laughed, looming over her. "That was for protection, sweetheart. This is the entrance fee. Unless... you want to pay with something else?"
He reached out, grabbing a handful of her blonde hair.
"The Baron likes blondes. Maybe we sell you to him instead."
Seraphina winced, tears forming in her eyes, but she didn't fight back. She couldn't. The collar flared red every time she tried to summon mana.
"Let go of her," Lux said.
The street went silent.
The thug turned around. "Who the hell are—"
He didn't finish.
Lux didn't bother with the scythe. He just used [Flash Step].
One moment, he was ten feet away.
The next, he was in the thug's face.
CRACK.
Lux didn't punch him. He open-palm slapped him.
With Level 9 Strength (35 points), the slap had the force of a sledgehammer.
The thug spun 360 degrees in the air, teeth flying out like confetti, before face-planting into the mud. Out cold.
The second thug stared, terrified. He went for his dagger.
"Don't," Elara whispered from directly behind him. The tip of a black ice dagger pricked his kidney.
The thug dropped his weapon and ran, leaving his friend in the mud.
Lux turned to Seraphina. She was staring at him with wide, golden eyes, clutching the old woman to her chest.
"Are you okay?" Lux asked, offering a hand.
Seraphina hesitated. She looked at his hand, then at the unconscious thug.
"You... you shouldn't have done that," she whispered, fear replacing gratitude. "The Black-Tooth Gang... they work for the Baron. They'll come back with soldiers."
"Let them come," Lux shrugged. "I'm Lux. And I think you and I can help each other, Seraphina."
[Interaction Event Triggered]
[Target Seraphina is wary but desperate.]
[Mission: Remove the Suppression Collar.]
[Reward: Recruitment of the Healer.]
Seraphina looked at his hand again. Then, she saw the faint, confident smile on his face. For the first time in months, she felt a flicker of hope.
"I... I have tea inside," she murmured. "If you aren't afraid of the Baron... please, come in."