Maron’s face turned pale as he watched Shennong pull out a small vial filled with an ominous-looking clear liquid. His unease only deepened when he glanced toward his wife, who was drinking sothing with a pleased expression. His heart pounded as he rushed forward.
"What are you drinking? Elise!" Maron demanded, his voice tense.
Shennong rely smiled, unfazed. "Relax, Sir Maron. Just as you requested, I brought the finest sweets to surprise your daughter." He gestured toward the table, where an unfamiliar golden-brown loaf rested. "This is called a cake, a new product from our company, which I hope will beco a tradition for birthdays. And the drink? A sweet beverage extracted from a rare plant called Sugary Dew."
Maron’s wife bead. "It’s delicious, darling! Our daughter will love this."
Maron forced a nod, though his face remained pale. He turned to his wife. "Why don’t you take our daughter and get ready? After this surprise, we’ll head to our planned dinner."
His wife smiled brightly, oblivious to his unease, and left the room. The mont the door closed behind her, Shennong let out a soft chuckle. "A wise decision."
Maron’s patience snapped. His sword was out in an instant, pointed directly at Shennong’s throat. "Enough gas. Tell what that vial contains."
Shennong raised an eyebrow, then casually held up the vial. "Oh, this? Just a poison that activates on my command."
Maron’s grip on his sword tightened. "No such thing exists."
Shennong’s smile widened. "You sure about that? Care to gamble?"
Maron’s hand trembled slightly. His rational mind told him Shennong was bluffing, but the eerie confidence in his voice planted doubt.
Maron gritted his teeth. "What do you want?" He slowly lowered his sword, though his stance remained wary.
Shennong leaned back lazily. "That’s more like it. Let’s sit down, shall we?"
Reluctantly, Maron sat, though his body remained tense. "Who are you? And what do you want from ?"
Shennong’s expression darkened slightly. "That blood sample you sent won’t reach the capital. I can’t have you digging too deep about things that you’re not supposed to know."
Maron’s eyes narrowed. "You knew?"
"Of course." Shennong sighed dramatically. "You’ve been poking around, asking too many questions about . Even harming people connected to . I don’t appreciate that." His voice remained calm, but there was a weight behind his words.
Maron clenched his fists. "I protect my people. I won’t be ordered around by soone who works with the devil."
Shennong chuckled. "Devil? How dramatic. Tell , Sir Maron, do you eat at?"
Maron frowned. "What does that have to do with anything?"
"Answer the question."
"Yes, I do."
"And where does that at co from?"
"Hunters bring it from the wild."
Shennong’s smirk returned. "And do those animals not value their lives? Why is it acceptable for humans to kill them?"
Maron frowned, trying to understand his angle. "Their lives have aning, but—"
"But humans kill them anyway." Shennong leaned forward. "So tell , who are humans to decide that devils and monsters deserve to die? Did soone grant you ownership of this land, declaring that only humans can live here? I heard your religion claims so, but if that’s the case, why were these monsters created?"
Maron scowled. "Because monsters attack humans."
Shennong tilted his head. "And humans attack monsters. So what makes humans any better?"
"Monsters are mindless, without culture or reason and they are lesser beings."
Shennong laughed. "Ah, so intelligence justifies killing? How convenient. You humans love your hypocrisy but...I do love so hypocrisy."
Maron stiffened as Shennong’s expression grew sharper. "Humans and monsters will always fight. It’s just how the world works," Shennong continued. "And I’m fine with that. But..." His voice lowered. "It’s not fun when soone I know gets hard. I guess it is always like that. You won’t know the pain until it happens to you."
Maron finally understood. Shennong was talking about the devil he had wounded.
He expected anger, but to his surprise, Shennong rely smiled. "I’ll forgive you this ti."
Maron blinked. "What?"
"Humans make mistakes. But they can also learn." Shennong’s eyes glead. "So let’s pretend none of this ever happened. You do what you always do, and in return, you don’t ntion or my ’so-called devils’ to anyone."
Maron gritted his teeth. "Don’t try to order , devil. The capital will co for you."
Shennong’s expression darkened. "Are you stupid?"
A chill ran down Maron’s spine. Before he could react, he felt sothing behind him. Instinct scread at him to move—he leaped from his chair just as it shattered into pieces. He whirled around, eyes widening.
A woman stood there, wings unfurled, horns curling from her head. Her dress clung to her form, exuding an unnatural allure. She hadn’t been there a mont ago—how did she get so close without him noticing?
Shennong’s voice cut through the silence. "Listen, human."
Maron turned back to him, still gripping his sword.
"Your family is at my rcy. I could kill you anyti I wanted. I am not bluffing."
Maron’s pulse pounded in his ears. He tightened his grip, but his instincts scread that he wouldn’t win this fight.
Shennong sighed. "You think you’re so kind of hotshot because you managed to graze one of my friends?" He scoffed. "That was just a scratch. You, a second-rate knight sent to this backwater because of your lack of skill, are no match for ."
Maron’s eyes widened. How much did he know?
"What do you want?" he asked, voice low.
Shennong leaned forward, propping his chin on his hand. "Just what I said before. You do your job, protect your little barony, and stop ddling in things beyond you."
Maron gritted his teeth but remained silent.
Shennong smirked. "Good. Then we’re done here." He stood, stretching as if this was nothing more than a casual conversation. "Oh, and for your daughter’s next birthday? Maybe I’ll bring a real gift and also...eat that cake, it is not poisoned. It is rather tasty."
Maron clenched his fists, anger boiling beneath his skin, but he knew he was trapped. For now, all he could do was endure.
Shennong smiled, pleased. "See? That wasn’t so hard."
As he turned to leave, the horned woman cast Maron a knowing smirk before vanishing like a shadow. And just like that, the nightmare was over... for now.
***
Yenissa walked a few steps behind Shennong, her eyes locked onto his broad back as he led the way through the dimly lit dungeon corridors. A dreamy sigh escaped her lips as she clasped her hands together, swaying slightly from side to side, a lovestruck smile on her face. If anyone saw her now, they would never believe she was the sa ruthless, battle-hardened woman who had nearly killed the commander of this barony. But right now, she wasn’t thinking about bloodshed or conquest.
She was thinking about last night—the most pleasurable and special night of her life.
A deep blush blood across her cheeks, and she wiggled slightly in place, covering her mouth with both hands. ’Kyaah, it’s too embarrassing!’ she thought, resisting the urge to squeal. Her golden eyes sparkled as she hugged herself, montarily lost in her own world, replaying those monts over and over.
Shennong suddenly glanced over his shoulder, a knowing smirk tugging at his lips.
Yenissa stiffened. She quickly cleared her throat, shook her head to regain composure, and then crossed her arms. "Ahem... You were cool back there."
Shennong chuckled, facing forward again. "It’s because of you."
Yenissa blinked. "Huh?"
"I can only be cool in front of my enemies because I have you backing up." His voice was steady, confident, as if stating an undeniable fact. Then, with a slight pause, he added, "Soday, even without you supporting , I’ll still be cool."
Yenissa’s heart clenched. Her fingers tightened around her sleeves as she lowered her gaze. She didn’t want to think about that. A future where she wasn’t standing beside him? A day when he wouldn’t need her anymore?
’That day better never co,’ she thought bitterly. She stepped closer to him, reaching out but stopping just short of touching him. "...I want to stay beside you forever."
Shennong didn’t stop walking, but his tone softened. "I know."
A mont of silence passed between them before Yenissa broke it with a sharp question. "Why didn’t we kill that human, Maron?"
Shennong exhaled through his nose, as if he had anticipated the question. "It’s inconvenient."
"Inconvenient?" Yenissa narrowed her eyes. "That man dared to—"
"If Maron dies, news will reach the capital," Shennong interrupted, his voice calm and collected. "And then they’ll send a team to investigate. That would be rather annoying... especially now that we’re developing the first floor of our dungeon."
Yenissa clicked her tongue but didn’t argue. She understood the logic, even if it frustrated her. "Tch. Fine. But what do you plan to do with him, then?"
Shennong’s smirk deepened. "He’s bait."
Yenissa tilted her head, intrigued. "Bait?"
"I’ll use him to catch even bigger prey."
A slow smile spread across Yenissa’s lips. She liked the sound of that.
She cast a glance at the grand stone corridors around them, the dark walls still blooming with flora as the dungeon steadily took shape under Shennong’s influence. The progress was faster than she had expected. "I never thought you’d capture the barony this quickly."
"I had no reason to wait."
Yenissa chuckled. "Fair enough." Then, her expression shifted to one of curiosity. "When are you going to let Cassandra et us?"
Shennong gave a nonchalant shrug. "Probably tomorrow."
Yenissa frowned slightly. "Are you sure that woman is loyal to you?"
He didn’t hesitate. "Yes."
Yenissa narrowed her eyes. "If not, I can teach her a lesson on how to be loyal."
Shennong laughed under his breath. "That won’t be necessary."
"And why not?"
His erald eyes glowed faintly in the dim torchlight as he gave her a side glance. "Because to Cassandra, I’m like a drug now."
Yenissa’s expression twisted into sothing between irritation and amusent. "You really like that woman, don’t you?"
Shennong smirked but didn’t answer directly. Instead, he simply continued walking, leaving Yenissa to huff in mild frustration.
Even so, a smile played on her lips. Because no matter what, she knew one thing for sure—Shennong belonged to her first.
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