Aslan glared at Tiyalmisof, and most of the traveling party looked at Aslan with astonished expressions.
It was partly due to Ereta’s reaction and also because Aslan’s gaze toward Test Subject 13 had been misinterpreted.
But the ultimate cause was the relationships Aslan had shared with most of the women in the group.
Since then, there had been no mutual adjustment or discussion, so the looks directed at Aslan were mostly ones demanding an explanation.
A room filled with beds.
A large guestroom that Aslan strongly insisted on for the group’s rest.
Inside, Aslan was sweating under the gazes of the traveling party.
Ereta seemed to feel a sense of betrayal.
No, she actually felt betrayed.
She wanted to ask if the love they shared was merely fleeting.
Though she couldn’t actually do it.
If she asked and received a confirming answer?
Ereta imagined such a future and closed her mouth out of her own despair.
Seeing her sorrowful expression, Aslan wasn’t completely heartless but didn’t know how to console her either. It wasn’t yet his turn to speak.
Lumel stood with crossed arms and a troubled expression.
She already knew about Angie but hadn’t expected Ereta too.
A reasonable inference since if Ereta, who lacked worldly knowledge, had gone that far with Aslan, it must have been led by him.
And indeed, Aslan had succumbed to temptation first.
“Hmm.”
Lewena only quietly smiled, seemingly surprised that another name had been added without her knowing.
Inwardly, however, this smile came from her unwavering confidence that she was still the favorite.
Angie had a similar expression but more overtly smug, occasionally glancing at Aslan with a proud smile.
Aslan wanted to escape this suffocating atmosphere.
Of course, clarification and explanation were necessary.
But how?
What needed explaining? What required clarification?
Aslan struggled with these questions.
Answers like “I just gave in to temptation” wouldn’t suffice.
Already, Angie and Lewena believed themselves to be Aslan’s top priority, while Lumel thought herself prioritized despite knowing the relationship.
Ereta appeared saddened simply by the fact that she wasn’t unique.
She would likely soon align with Lumel or join Lewena’s category.
Phey sat stiffly in the back, somehow wearing a chilling smile.
Meanwhile, Richard stepped back with a bewildered look.
Aslan needed time to think and an opportunity to do so.
Thus, when a sudden knock came at the door, he sighed in relief.
Before anyone else could open it, Aslan approached and did so himself.
No one objected to this natural action.
Only Tiamat subtly turned her head toward the door.
When the door opened, a woman stood there.
Her long, wavy hair was a pale sky blue, reminiscent of a winter day’s clear and soft light.
Partially revealed beneath her hood, it cascaded down.
Her bangs flowed from her forehead to the bridge of her nose, and through the covering of her hood, her pointed ears were faintly visible—ears akin to those of Green.
With uniquely dragon-like vertical pupils embedded in her eyes and youthful, rosy cheeks, Aslan sensed something distinctive about the woman.
He didn’t know her name.
All he knew was that she was called Test Subject 13.
The great master of magic, Test Subject 13.
This young woman, barely out of girlhood, looked up at Aslan.
“…Test Subject 13?”
At Aslan’s puzzled voice, the group turned their sharp gazes to her.
Despite having justified seeing her as useful to the team, their gazes remained critical.
The woman shrank back under those stares, yet her eyes consistently stayed fixed on Aslan.
Then she spoke.
“Use.”
Her voice was soft.
Yet it wasn’t the raspy voice of a sick person.
Rather, it was calming to the listener.
It reminded one of the sound of rolling jade beads, a description often associated with Aslan’s past as Lee Hyun-woo.
However, what startled Aslan wasn’t her voice but her manner of speaking.
Test Subject 13’s vocabulary use was distant from ordinary speech patterns.
Word to word, there was no basic sentence structure connecting them.
Was it intentional? Or…
Aslan paused momentarily, leaving her standing there, causing 13 to reveal her discomfort through expressive features.
Her pale blue eyebrows and eyelashes furrowed, and she hesitantly fidgeted with her lips.
She then grabbed the edge of her robe.
The impending action was obvious.
Lifting the robe would reveal something predictable.
Thus, Aslan understood what “use” implied.
Reaching out, Aslan caught the woman’s wrist, and behind him, Lewena let out an exclamation of “Wow.”
Lumel, recognizing the misunderstanding, hardened her expression but indulged in further speculation, though it wasn’t immediately crucial to Aslan.
Aslan saw this as an opportunity.
Regardless of the reason for her arrival, he considered her a means to involve her even if the alliance fell apart. Though chased by Tiyalmisof for twelve years, this didn’t seem overly threatening.
Pulling the fragile wrist towards him, Aslan brought Test Subject 13 inside.
She moved silently to the center of the room, showing no resistance, as if devoid of the will or energy to resist.
“Uh, mage…”
Angie finally recognized Test Subject 13, and Tiamat raised her body from the bed to observe.
The others, who had been standing and looking at Aslan, naturally shifted their gaze to 13.
Under these scrutinizing eyes, Test Subject 13 reacted as if choking.
She pressed her hood tightly with a pale face and shrunk her shoulders.
It was a natural response.
Test Subject 13 was a mage who had blocked Aslan’s sword strike and possibly a potential enemy created by a priest.
Caution was understandable.
For the inexperienced pseudo-master, this caution was burdensome.
Thick hostility and readiness for violence radiated from the travelers’ experienced prowess.
Even the greatest sorcerer in history could not withstand the pressure of this environment.
Here, Test Subject 13 trembled and gripped her robe.
“I am… incompetent… Test Subject 13 is inexperienced. Guidance requested.”
Attempting to lift her robe again,
Fortunately, Aslan noticed and managed to press it down.
“Aslan… really…?”
Ereta voiced her sorrowful misunderstanding.
An exasperating misunderstanding that made Aslan sigh.
“No.”
“But…”
“No, really no.”
Ereta silenced at Aslan’s firm denial, and the group wore expressions asking why she was brought in.
The hostility dissipated, caution eased. Only questions lingered towards Aslan.
Relieved, Test Subject 13 muttered emotionlessly.
“Tiyalmisof’s order…”
Though incomplete, its meaning was easy to infer.
Tiyalmisof’s order meant Aslan should ‘use’ Test Subject 13.
Aslan frowned at the extremely passive attitude of Test Subject 13.
After all, given her appearance, this behavior was predictable.
She was an artificial life form.
A chimera made of Green, human, dragon, and elf.
Even if fundamentally human, modifications might have obscured her essence.
To such a woman, Tiyalmisof, her creator, would be an absolute figure.
Disobeying such a being’s command would be beyond her programming.
The perplexed magician blinked thick lashes, resembling Aslan.
After observing her for a moment, Aslan spoke.
“What exactly is Tiyalmisof’s order?”
Test Subject 13’s expression relaxed. She looked up at Aslan and replied.
“Assisting Aslan. Using my body—”
“If I give you an order, will you follow it?”
“Affirmative.”
Without any hint of discomfort upon interruption, Test Subject 13 nodded.
In the apparent lack of emotion in her blank expression, Aslan found some relief.
Although the group sent various looks upon hearing the word “order,”
“Forget Tiyalmisof’s orders. Don’t follow what Tiyalmisof tells you; act based on your own thoughts. That’s my order.”
These consecutive commands ceased.
“Irrational. Contradictory.”
Whether understanding or not, Test Subject 13 ambiguously nodded.
Aslan released her wrist, and Test Subject 13 glanced around the group with a confused expression.
Thankfully, she showed no signs of lifting her robe again.
Finally, the group’s eyes left Test Subject 13 and returned to Aslan.
“…So what’s going on here?”
Angie asked, continuing.
“Why is she here? Shouldn’t you have just sent her away?”
Despite the subject being right in front of her, Angie spoke decisively.
She still perceived her as an adversary.
Perhaps due to blocking Aslan’s blade, Angie watched Test Subject 13 cautiously after a brief glance.
“You’re planning to recruit her.”
Angie turned her head as someone answered, and a few companions glanced toward the bed where Tiamat lay sprawled.
‘So Tiamat figured it out.’
Aslan nodded at Tiamat’s insight, who smirked dismissively in response.
“Hmph. How many times have I covered for you? Your thoughts are obvious. You guys should consider it too.”
Unlike the confused Test Subject 13, the group understood Tiamat’s words.
Even without a single word of explanation from Aslan, their experiences together allowed them to deduce the answer.
Especially considering the combat experience of the others except Angie, it was inevitable.
Right before them stood a grand master of magic.
One inherently skilled in wide-scale destruction magic, possessing vast mana.
Exactly what the group lacked.
An ability temporarily usable only by Aslan, Lewena, and Tiamat.
Veteran fighters, they had often regretted lacking this capability during battles.
Fighting against the Sword of Supreme Divinity, facing waves of martial artists, battling the tyrant alongside dragons, enduring relentless assaults from Abyssal armies.
They keenly felt the absence of a mage.
Moreover, they realized how much easier fights would become with that absence filled.
Thus, whether this alliance succeeded or failed,
Having Test Subject 13 join the group was most advantageous.
Of course, being crafted by a Priest of Predators introduced uncertainties, but solutions were available.
They could rely on Lewena’s illusions if need be.
When Lewena emitted an “Ah-ha” and flashed a sly smile, the group grasped Aslan’s intent.
Aslan was attempting to woo the grand master Test Subject 13 in his own way.
Not sexually, but persuading her that staying with the group would be better.
Still, the task ahead was clear.
Teammates capable of precise coordination exchanged glances, understanding their roles.
The sharp gazes differed from earlier hostility but were irrelevant to Test Subject 13 at the center.
“Test Subject 13, wishes to return…”
She shrank back like a frightened animal, trembling delicately.
Especially under Phey’s cold stare.
