The dwarfs' newly built royal capital stood upon the former site of the City of Alchemy. It occupied a vaster expanse, grander and visibly more prosperous, yet the dwarven nobles who had relocated there had already packed it to capacity.
Many locals of the City of Alchemy still had no choice but to dwell outside the royal capital, establishing their own manors and keeps out in the wilderness. These became satellite settlements to the Dwarven Royal Capital, serving as an outer defensive ring around it.
Raul was one of them, though he was quite content with his lot.
Two years ago, he had been nothing more than a freeman scraping by under a lord, with the only thing he could call property being a dilapidated wooden shack of less than ten square meters. To support his younger sister's study of alchemy, Raul had truly sold everything he had.
Yet an economic crisis had ended up turning both brother and sister into runaway slaves.
Whenever he recalled the past, Raul cherished his current life all the more.
Ever since he ventured into the slave trade, he had transformed from an impoverished wretch into a wealthy man. He had purchased a sizeable domain—larger than the Porcupine Knight's had ever been. He possessed many servants, far more than that knight had ever owned.
If only his sister could see things just as clearly.
At the thought of Isabel's stubborn, unyielding defiance, Raul felt a surge of rage. He threw back the wine in his goblet, gulping it down, and smashed the cup against the floor in anger.
Following the clatter, Raul's door opened, and a voluptuous woman who could scarcely be described as dressed walked in.
"Master, are you sulking over your sister again?"
Her name was Ivy. Originally a slave Raul had bought, her looks were so enticing that he had made her his own woman. Not only was she pleasing in bed, but she also proved quite adept at breaking and training slaves, helping Raul expand his business further and further.
Such a woman was naturally someone Raul adored.
Yet it was also because Ivy constantly whispered complaints about Isabel into his ear that the siblings' relationship had deteriorated so badly.
Still, Raul had to admit Ivy made a great deal of sense.
The reason he had been able to establish himself as a slave master here was largely due to the Alchemy Association's backing. And the only reason the association lent a hand was because of Isabel.
After Isabel repeatedly spurned the association's olive branch, Raul had clearly felt his business hit rough waters. Where doors had once opened effortlessly, every turn was now met with friction and obstruction.
If nothing else, potions for treating various ailments had become hard to procure. Where he used to get easy discounts, vendors now claimed they were out of stock no matter how much he asked, refusing to sell unless he paid extortionate markups.
Many high-end slaves required these remedies, without which they could hardly fetch a good price.
Raul knew where the problem lay; it was just that Isabel refused to make the slightest sacrifice for him.
"That lich is already dead! I truly don't understand what Isabel is thinking! Does she really believe she can survive in this world on her own?! Back when we had no one to turn to, didn't she witness firsthand just how sinister this world can be? How can she still be so naive after all this time?!"
Raul could not comprehend her stubborn persistence. Isabel had already done more than enough while the lich was alive. Surely she wasn't actually planning to dedicate the rest of her life to a benefactor who was already dead and gone, was she?
Ivy nestled into Raul's embrace, tracing circles on his chest with her finger, and murmured softly, "Master, if you ask me, that sister of yours isn't foolish, nor is she some paragon of virtue. You raised her as her older brother—surely your kindness outweighs that lich master's, doesn't it? Why does she only repay an undead creature and never repay you?"
Raul, reeking of alcohol, asked, "Then why do you think she does it?"
"What other reason could there be? Your sister has other feelings for that lich. Only a woman truly understands how deeply engraved an unrequited, hopeless love can be. That's why, even though that lich is dead, she still hasn't let go."
"Impossible. Utterly impossible! That was an undead!"
Raul's initial reaction was that this sounded absurd, but upon reflection, he seemed to recall seeing Isabel lost in a daze. She hadn't been conducting research back then; instead, she had just stared blankly at things left behind by the lich.
Raul said in fury, "Has she lost her mind?! Falling in love with a lich?!"
Ivy giggled. "What's so strange about that? What young girl doesn't fancy a tale of a hero rescuing a maiden in distress?"
"Then what should we do? I can't just watch her throw away her entire life."
Raul had genuinely never considered this possibility. No wonder she had cast aside her own brother—a woman trapped in love was blind. But that lich was dead. How could Raul let Isabel stay trapped in that memory forever?
Ivy seemed prepared for this. Wrapping her body tightly around Raul like a python, she whispered in his ear, "Find her a man, of course. It's nothing more than a little girl's fantasy. Once she has a man and tastes what that's like, she'll naturally forget about someone who isn't even around anymore. As it happens, I know plenty of nobles who are quite interested in this prodigy alchemist. Quite a few of them are members of the Alchemy Association, too. As long as we arrange this, won't all our problems be solved?"
Raul hesitated. "This... she was so adamant before. Would she agree?"
Blowing warm breath into Raul's ear, Ivy murmured, "Don't you know what I'm capable of? As long as you give the nod, Master, I naturally have ways to make her agree. Women... I know them all too well. They always say no at first, but once they're married off, it's all the same."
Raul's brows knitted tightly. He knew full well what methods Ivy meant; he was all too familiar with the tactics used on slaves. Was he really going to offer up his own sister to those nobles?
Seeing no reaction from Raul, Ivy asked in confusion, "What is it, Master? Are you reluctant? You truly are a good brother, aren't you? Though when your sister turned you down, she certainly didn't care that you were her flesh and blood."
Rage surfaced on Raul's face. Ivy thought she had successfully swayed the slaver, but Raul shoved her off him violently, roaring, "Regardless of whether she sees me as her brother, she is still my sister! Stow those vile tricks of yours, or I'll turn you back into a slave!"
Ivy quickly lowered her head, panicking. "Calm your anger, Master! I was only trying to ease your burdens! If you are unwilling, I wouldn't dare act rashly. You rescued me, Master; everything I have belongs to you. My loyalty to you is absolute!"
Her words were humble, but her face twisted with venomous spite. Yet with her head bowed low, Raul could not see it at all.
Hearing her groveling, Raul said irritably, "Get out. I don't want to see you again tonight."
Just as Ivy swayed her hips to leave, an alarm suddenly blared across the manor.
Startled, Raul paid the woman no more heed and hurried outside to investigate.
Standing atop the high keep, Raul saw a bizarre figure standing outside the manor's perimeter wall.
Illuminated by torchlight, the figure was tall and broad, clad in black armor, resembling a formidable knight. Yet he had no mount, nor was any weapon in sight.
In the dead of night, what was this strange knight doing at his manor?
As if sensing Raul's gaze, the black knight raised his head and looked directly toward him.
A second later, the black knight bellowed, "Raul, get down here yourself! Don't make me use force! My master commanded me to bring you back—dead or alive!"
Raul felt a surge of rage shoot straight to his skull. His face flushed red. Ever since becoming a slaver, 'master' had been a title others used to address him with deference. What kind of idiot was this black knight, daring to provoke him alone?!
Raul roared orders in fury, "Tie him up! Add an extra auction tomorrow—he'll be our grand finale slave!"
Raul's command was quickly relayed. A large crowd of soldiers instantly lined the manor walls, hurling fist-sized stones down at the black knight.
Anyone who had fought in a battle knew that bow and arrow were largely useless against plate armor of such thickness, unless shot with armor-piercing arrowheads by archers of monstrous strength. For ordinary men facing a heavy-armored knight, hurling stones was far more effective.
With a frantic clatter of clangs and thuds, the black knight—seeming sluggish in his movements—was immediately struck by more than a dozen stones.
Just as these mercenaries were convincing themselves that the black knight was truly a fool, they witnessed a sight they would never forget.
Two dazzling jets of flame erupted from the black knight's back. The tremendous thrust propelled him toward the perimeter wall at blinding speed—faster even than a warhorse at full gallop!
A deafening crash rang out. The perimeter wall, reinforced by two to three layers of wooden palisades, was obliterated on impact. Numerous mercenaries atop the wall were sent flying, crashing to the ground with shattered bones and ruptured sinews.
Trailing two plumes of fire, the black knight charged straight toward Raul's keep. Nothing along his path—be it soldiers or structures—could withstand his ferocious charge. The cutthroats and mercenaries Raul had paid handsomely to hire couldn't slow him down in the slightest; those who reacted too slowly were pulverized into minced flesh.
Only when he reached the foot of the small keep's walls did the black knight grind to a halt.
Just as Raul was thinking this monster couldn't possibly bash through the stone walls of the keep, the creature raised his right hand. A glob of silvery-white liquid flowed from within his body, wrapping around his fist before shaping itself into an enormous flail.
The black knight swung the silver flail, its shrill whistling piercing the ears. After two rotations, the flail slammed violently into the wall of the keep.
Even the thick stone wall could not withstand such terrifying force; a gaping hole was blasted straight through it.
Only then did the black knight retract the flail and stride purposefully into the keep.
Once again, the black knight's voice echoed in Raul's ears:
"It will take me two minutes at most to reach the top of this keep. Raul, if you haven't surrendered before I reach you, I'll have no choice but to bring back your corpse. Master said—dead or alive!"
Chapter 577