Lord: Starting with Contract Half-Elf Twins

"Waaaaah..."

Solina gently stroked Viola, who was lying on her body crying. Here, only the sisters could rely on each other.

During the time they were sold and transported by slave traders, they had witnessed far too many tragedies.

Those who shared the same background as them were subjected to inhuman torture and humiliation right before their eyes.

The only reason they're still alive is that they haven't met the right buyer yet.

According to slave traders, twins were worth several times more than other "goods," and being beautiful was an even greater bargaining chip.

Until yesterday, a black-robed wizard living in the wilderness bought them and locked them in a dungeon.

They knew that this was probably the end of their lives.

"Are we going to die?"

In Solina's arms, Viola's voice was very faint, muffled by increasingly weak sobs.

The wizard seemed to be in a hurry to do something, and after locking them in the dungeon, he didn't even leave them any food or water.

Both of them are now so weak that they can no longer even shed tears.

"Definitely not."

Although Solina's voice was hoarse, it remained steady.

She was the older sister, even though she was only born a few minutes earlier than Viola.

Therefore, she had to take good care of her younger sister, and even though she was locked up in this prison, she had to remain calm.

If she panicked, Viola probably wouldn't even dare to cry.

However, all Solina could do was gently pat her sister's back.

There was nothing else she could do.

"Click—click..."

A faint sound arose.

Their half-elf bloodline gave them a pair of pointed ears, allowing them to hear, even through thick stone walls, the sounds of a beast chewing its prey.

"Gurgle..."

Hearing the sounds of eating, Viola's stomach betrayed her and growled.

"Ugh... Solina, I'm so hungry..."

Solina gently touched her stomach; she was also starving.

The black-robed wizard left them no food.

Fortunately, the chewing sounds coming from next door stopped soon, relieving them of their suffering.

The cell returned to silence.

"Do you need food?"

Suddenly, an unfamiliar voice rang in their minds, and the two of them sat up abruptly and looked at each other.

Thanks to their tacit understanding, they knew that this was not a hallucination caused by hunger and thirst; they had both heard the same voice.

……

Allen stopped chewing.

He heard the faint sounds of conversation from the next cell.

"Sorina... Viola..."

Allen then looked at the follower interface on the Lord's Handbook.

Isn't this the kind of follower recruited by the Lord's Handbook?

It was in the cell next door?

Allen quickly grasped the rules regarding the recruitment of followers after his transmigration.

Does the so-called "recruitment" mean that you use yourself as the center and search for potential targets nearby to add to the follower interface?

So it is...

Wouldn't these three followers most likely end up in jail just like me?

No wonder they all have negative states; this explains it...

"This is really bad..."

Allen frowned deeply again, but then relaxed.

Certain information is always better than unknown speculation.

After thinking for a while, Allen decided to choose the half-elf twins as his first followers.

Since all three may be in a state of inability to move, Gemini being the closest to oneself is a major advantage.

No matter what kind of abilities you develop later, it will be easier for you to apply them.

Confirmed recruitment of followers: [Sorina Starchaser & Viola Starchaser].

[Achievement: The First Steps!]

[Reward: 1 Crystals]

The familiar achievement pop-up appeared, and Allen breathed a sigh of relief.

The process of acquiring the first follower is similar to a game's tutorial, making it easy for players to obtain subsequent achievement rewards.

After the follower interface was confirmed, Allen had a sudden thought. He felt as if a part of his consciousness had passed through the thick stone wall and clearly "perceived" the scene in the next cell in an indescribable way.

—A pair of half-elf sisters, weak from hunger and thirst, embracing each other in a corner of their cell.

He could sense the fear that permeated their hearts.

The feeling was wonderful and direct, not from actually seeing or hearing, but from some kind of more essential, almost intuitive connection.

He tried to concentrate and communicate with the other end of the connection:

"Do you need food?"

The next second, Allen "saw" that Solina and Viola in the cell suddenly sat up and looked at each other in surprise.

He could even vaguely catch that fleeting, Gemini-like emotional stirring.

efficient!

After selecting followers, Allen established a higher-level, one-way connection with them.

Although it's not quite at the level of mind reading, it can perceive their emotions to some extent.

However, this connection prevents him from directly controlling the actions of his followers as he would in a game.

He needs a more "practical" way to build trust with them and "direct" their actions.

Allen spoke again, this time attempting to convey more information—a simple promise:

"I can help you escape from here. But don't speak; answer me in your mind."

After a brief, almost frozen silence, two thoughts, trembling with obvious disbelief, cautiously touched each other like startled little animals.

"Who...are you?"

"Can you really...help us? Are you some kind of great being?"

The two thoughts arrived almost simultaneously; Viola's thought was filled with fear and helplessness.

However, after the initial shock, Solina's consciousness quickly calmed down.

Two voices clearly emerged in Allen's consciousness.

"No, I am not some great being, at least not yet. I am right next door to you."

"I have a way to escape from here, but I need some of yours..."

Allen carefully considered the words: "Dedication."

"..."

A brief silence fell on the other end of the thought.

"Sorina... what do we do?"

Viola didn't speak; she was afraid the "mysterious being" next door could hear her.

She simply gave Solina a look; they were inseparable twins, understanding each other without needing to speak.

Solina pursed her dry lips.

Both she and Viola understood the meaning of "dedication".

In legends, the demons that tempt mortals to fall, the beings that devour mortal souls, often imbue such "sacred" words with blasphemous meanings.

Is there a monster in the cell next door?

A guess quickly formed in Solina's mind.

It was imprisoned here by the dark wizard and was trying to escape, so it came to make a deal with them.

It "may" have a way to escape with the two of them, or create the possibility of escape.

This method requires their "sacrifice".

The offerings might be things like the legendary hands, feet, eyes, or even... the most important part of a mortal's soul.

Then it will use this as a sacrifice to unleash forbidden magic belonging to monsters.

There are countless such examples in legends.

But at least this is a possibility.

A possibility to save them from being tortured, experimented on, and modified by the dark wizard.

During her time as a captive of slave traders, Solina had witnessed far too many hellish tragedies.

Let her and Viola bear it all... perhaps being dragged into hell by the real devil would be a better outcome.

and so……

"Don't worry, leave it to me," Solina reassured her sister with her eyes.

Then, she actively echoed her thoughts in her mind, responding to that unknown existence.

"Oh, great being! If only my sister Viola could escape this hellish place..."

Solina turned her head away, looking at the dungeon wall that separated the two sides, afraid that Viola would see through her thoughts in her eyes.

If you want to make a deal with the devil, she's all you need.

Therefore, she is willing to pay a higher price, as long as she can protect Viola.

"I am willing to give you everything," Solina took a barely audible breath, "—including my soul."

"...Deal reached."

Whether it was because she had responded or not, Solina even felt that she had become more closely connected with that being.

Inexplicably, she even felt a vague desire to get closer to them.