Free Web NovelChapter 20: Ch 20: Promise
’So much noise, ugh.’
The faint chitter chatter from every direction caused an irritation that Enzo couldn’t ignore. Suddenly his eyes snapped open as he fully regained his consciousness.
"Where am-"
The sounds of rattling chains gave him a pause as he looked at his hands. They were cuffed with metallic chains that pressed against his skin and bones, causing a sharp pain to ignite.
He tried to gulp but soon realised a weight on his throat that shouldn’t be there.
He reached upwards but with the chains restricting his hands, he wasn’t able to do so. With a clearly displeased face, he bent his head downwards as his hands touched the area surrounding his throat.
Or more specifically, at the metallic collar that was clasped on his throat as if he was a dog. The humiliation in the gesture was bone-biting.
Understanding what had happened, he sighed and leaned back on the wooden wall. His eyes, now unfocused, looked around him. Taking a note of where he was.
He found himself inside a caravan, sitting just beside the open door. Outside, soldiers in armours bearing the Windsor sigil hurried about as their capitains shouted out orders. freeωebnovēl.c૦m
Some of them looked into the preparations for their return journey. They checked their supplies, repaired the several caravans and scouted out their surroundings and the path they were to take.
The others were bringing in caputured Hermanns, shoving them harshly and putting the metallic collars on their necks before tying them and throwing them into different caravans. Just like how merchants would throw lifestocks in their carts.
"You made me a slave..."
Enzo whispered in a low voice, still reeling from the shock he had received moments ago after waking up.
He still remembered that deep, unsettling smile on her face as she had whispered him words before striking him down.
’Is this what you meant by keeping me safe?’ He thought bitterly as he touched his slave collar, a newfound burden now resting on his neck.
It wasn’t like he didn’t know the bad reputation of the Windsor Empire for encouraging and actively indulging in slavery. Foreign invaders, citizens of conquered places, criminals, people falling in debts...each of them were made into the lifelong slaves of the Windsor Empire.
The collar that held them was no ordinary item either. They were specially made and enchanted for this very task - slavery.
Once put on someone, they would never be able to harm any nobles or rebel against the Empire. In other words, they would become lapdogs for the Empire, to be trampled upon and to be used as they pleased.
Enzo knew all of this and yet, didn’t consider this possibility of being enslaved. In the beginning when he first saw her, he had thought about it but later on, he had thrown that thought away.
And especially, after coming to know she was the mysterious Eighth aspirant - the one who awakened her Unique Mana Core few months before him.
’And if the timeline was right, she is supposed to be at the Expert stage with an E-ranked mana core. Meaning, she formed her soul core in a few months only. That’s a monstrous level of talent...’
He opened a familiar screen, his eyes weaving through the long chats in the group. Lilith in particular, had mentioned him a few times. Asking some rather obnoxious questions.
[Hey hey, do you have a girlfriend?]
[Perhaps you are married...wait, could you possibly have a harem of your own? My, my~]
[What does Enzo even mean?]
[Enzo is definitely meeting some new girl out there. Be careful, I have heard few of them can scam you and the next thing you know, you are in chains.]
[...]
...
Enzo looked at his wrists, his lips twitching despite himself. He sighed deeply, attracting the attention of the others present in his caravan.
’Are relationships the only thing in her mind?’ But then he saw her name and a second thought appeared in his mind.
But he ignored those silly thoughts as he scrolled further, looking for few specific texts. Or rather, someone’s texts.
And just when he thought he wouldn’t be finding anything, he stumbled upon a section of the chats.
[Eighth Aspirant: We have a new guy? Welcome, Enzo. I hope you are doing fine wherever you are.]
[Leomord: How are you though? It’s so rare to see you make an appearance here. Almost non-existent.]
[Eighth Aspirant: Just happy that I am not longer the youngest.]
[Lilith: Or maybe you are happy now that someone of your age and a guy on top of that has appeared here? Hmm? Hmmmm?]
There were no more texts from the so called Eighth Aspirant after that, having chosen to ignore the nonsense Lilith had written.
Enzo closed the group chat as he looked outside. His thoughts were churning as he tried to understand Valerie’s intentions.
His eyes widened a little as he remembered something. Quickly opening the group chat again, he went to the members’ page and scrolled below.
At first, he changed the username "Eighth Aspirant" to Valerie before scrolling upwards.
Afterall, there was something he had been meaning to check out before but had been distracted by the appearance of the F-ranked Gate.
[Second Aspirant]
The name slashed in blood. Meaning either a former member...or dead.
He remembered how Leomord had named everyone except for the Second aspirant. And so, he quickly typed out in the group.
[Who is this Second Aspirant? The name is slashed out as well?]
He saw Lilith instantly coming online. The others were all offline though.
’Gods forbid social media from being introduced in this world or else Lilith shall definitely become a chronologically online netizen right away.’
He waited for her clarification but it never came. Rather she went offline a few seconds later.
The action perplexed him a little bit. Though attributing it to her being busy, he didn’t pay it any more mind and closed the groupchat again. He would check later, surely by then someone shall have texted.
He looked out again, only for a new surprise to appear in front of him.
Thorgar, now bound in chains, was being dragged away just like the others. Enzo silently watched him become a slave and then being pushed into one of the other caravans.
’The plot changed but he wasn’t able to escape his fate huh? How ironic.’
Enzo already knew what awaited the main character after this. The Northern Isikolo, where he would rise up to be one of the strongest Sihapis in existence.
Being a Blessed of Two Faced Janus, every misfortune Thorgar suffers now would keep on adding up and soon, they would get converted into good luck.
Thorgar would eventually be able to escape from the slave collar and then...
Enzo stopped his thoughts from going any further. Even though Valerie was the very reason he was in this situation right now, a part of him didn’t want her dead.
Afterall, she had also saved him. Maybe she had her own intentions as well...but still, Enzo was reluctant on deciding his future course of actions revolving her until he got to hear her reasoning from her own mouth.
’Is this how a biased person looks like? A man in chains suppose?’ He thought inwardly with a chuckle.
Nevertheless, there was one thing he was dead set on: removing the shackles of his slavery.
His nails clawed against the metallic surface of the collar as he promised himself he would find a way. Sooner or later.
Afterall, there was no such thing as a perfect enchantment.
