Lord: Starting with Contract Half-Elf Twins

Seeing the boy's outstretched hand, Solina hesitated instinctively.

The handshake is common among humans, but what matters is the intention of this "mysterious being".

But after only a moment's hesitation, Solina grasped the hand.

Having given her soul, she had nothing left to worry about losing, as long as she could get Viola out of this hellhole before her life burned out.

"So you are..."

Before Solina could ask a question, the boy interrupted her.

"I know you have a lot of questions, but this isn't the place for idle chatter. Let's talk about it after we escape from here."

"OK."

Solina understood this as well and agreed with the boy's statement.

Although Viola didn't know what the deal between Solina and Allen was, seeing that Solina had already agreed, she had no objections and waited quietly to the side.

The process of reaching an agreement with Solina was accomplished in just one sentence, without much further discussion, which greatly relieved Allen.

Not afraid of god-like opponents, but afraid of pig-like teammates.

In such a critical moment, having a clear-headed and obedient helper is invaluable.

"This is some dried meat left behind by that wizard. Let's replenish our strength first."

Solina took the jerky Allen offered, tore off a small piece that was covered in dust, wiped it clean, and put it directly into her mouth to chew. She then gave the rest to Viola.

Viola took the jerky and put it in her mouth. There was no need for formalities between her and Solina. She could sense that Solina's physical condition was much better than hers after gaining magic.

Therefore, she must recover her strength as soon as possible so as not to hold them back during the subsequent escape.

However, her teeth were much weaker than those of Solina, who had been modified by dragon blood. Her long-weak body also lacked strength, and she grimaced as she chewed the dry, hard jerky.

Allen glanced around at the surroundings outside the cell. The dungeon wasn't large, with only four cells, arranged in pairs facing each other.

My cell and the twins' cells were next to each other, and opposite these two cells were two other wooden doors.

The prisoners inside are, without a doubt, the other two followers shown in the [Recruitment] interface.

A thief and a mage apprentice.

Given that the black-robed wizard Obitus had to personally draw blood, it's likely that he, living alone in the wilderness, wouldn't have the energy to imprison a large number of prisoners.

The enemy of my enemy is my friend, so naturally the more friends I have, the better.

Moreover, even if they can't help, if they face the worst-case scenario—Obitus discovers them—then one more person will be another meat shield.

"Solina, open these two wooden doors. The more companions we can escape with, the better. I'm going to check the dungeon exit."

"good!"

Without saying a word, Solina turned around and quickly started burning the wooden door.

Having learned from her first experience, she was able to control the flames much faster.

Allen then quickly ran to the other side of the passageway. There had been a full day and night between the two blood draws by Orbitus.

Judging from the terrible condition on his panel, he must be urgently conducting some kind of experiment with his blood.

Optimistically speaking, perhaps he is very focused, so he still has a day and a night to escape.

Pessimistically speaking, perhaps he has already noticed the slight noise coming from the dungeon and is coming down to investigate.

Allen always prepares for the worst.

As he jogged briskly, Allen glanced at his attribute panel.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Name: Allen

Race: Human

Age: 13

[Character Template: Hero]

[Rank: Dragon Vein Warlock Lv2]

[Faction: Absolutely Neutral]

Status: Normal

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

My level has increased to lv2, and I have obtained the new class [Dragon Vein Warlock].

The combined cost of the power from followers shouldn't be this high.

The reason is that the [Red Dragon Blood Guardian] modification performed on Solina itself originated from the red dragon bloodline hidden within Allen's body.

When Solina's transformation was completed, the power of the same origin fed back through the [Followers] unsurprisingly activated Allen's own red dragon bloodline.

Therefore, most of this power belongs to Eren himself.

Allen felt a sense of peace as he felt the magic coursing through his veins.

Although level 2 is nothing compared to level 18 black-robed wizards, the feeling of this power is incredibly clear now, unlike the virtual experience in the game.

Like a well-trained muscle, it is as easy to use as an arm and as reliable as a finger.

The passageway wasn't long. Allen climbed the stone steps at the end and soon saw a rusty iron gate.

Through the prison door, one could see a courtyard filled with ruins.

In the original owner's memories, when he was brought here by the slave caravan, he saw the appearance of ancient ruins along the way. Most of them were just dilapidated rocks, and there were very few intact buildings.

The black-robed wizard's laboratory should be located in one of the complete buildings, or perhaps underground.

In any case, as long as they don't run into the black-robed wizard, they have a good chance of escaping.

Allen carefully examined the cell door in front of him. This was the last cell door leading out of the dungeon. Although it was rusty, it was not something that could be destroyed by fire.

—At least his flames aren't good enough.

Moreover, he could vaguely sense that this prison door was different from the wooden door below, and a faint magical aura emanated from it when locked.

Was it a spell set up by the black-robed wizard?

Or is it the magic inherent in this ancient ruin?

"Allen!"

A sound of footsteps came from behind. Allen turned around and saw that the half-elf sisters had caught up.

Behind them followed a pale-faced young man in a gray short robe and a woman who looked extremely tired and wore a half-body leather armor.

These were the other two people Allen had seen on the follower interface.

Wizard apprentice Grimm Kingston and thief Tasha Lillard.

"They have agreed to cooperate."

Solina spoke to Allen.

Allen nodded and turned his gaze to the two newcomers.

"Our cooperation is limited to escaping the boundaries of this ancient ruin; after that, we'll go our separate ways!"

Tasha, the female thief, had obvious wariness in her eyes. It was a professional habit of hers; even when she was being rescued, she would not blindly trust anyone.

"If you can get me out of here, I will definitely pay you a generous reward!"

The wizard apprentice, Green, immediately made his stance clear, showing far more cooperation than the female thief.

There was no time for introductions, and everyone understood that time was of the essence, so they spoke very quickly.

"No problem, let's work together before we escape."

Allen stepped aside from the iron gate behind him:

"This iron gate can't be opened with fire, and it seems to be enchanted. Do you have any way to open it?"

"You in robes, magic is your domain."

Tasha immediately looked at Green. Although she was skilled at picking locks, she had ended up here because she had accidentally touched a magical object within the ancient ruins while exploring them. Now, she would never want to touch anything magical again.

Allen and the half-elf sisters also set their sights on the young wizard apprentices.

"I know that those of you in robes possess magic that can unlock locks."

Faced with the gazes of the crowd, the wizard apprentice hesitated for a moment before shaking his head and saying helplessly, "When I was captured, all my magic was drained by the black-robed wizard, so I can't use lock-picking magic now."

Upon hearing this, everyone felt a little regretful.

If a wizard skilled in magic were to unlock the lock, the effects of unknown magic could be effectively eliminated, making it a more reliable option.

Allen had seen Green's panel and knew that he was indeed in a state of mana depletion, and that he wasn't lying.

"What a piece of trash! Get out of the way!"

The female thief made no attempt to hide her disdain for the spellcaster, shoving Green aside and quickly walking to the iron gate.

Since we can't count on those wearing robes, we have to do it ourselves now.

Tasha took out her lock-picking tools, looked at the rusty keyhole on the iron gate, and took a deep breath.

"That old bastard didn't strip me naked. Is it because I'm not attractive enough, or is it because he's just too weak?"

Tasha silently mocked the black-robed wizard's arrogance, then steeled herself and inserted the key to unlock the keyhole.

No electricity, no flame...

While remaining vigilant against the possibility of magic being triggered at any moment, Tasha quickly and skillfully manipulated the lock cylinder.

"Click!"

After a not-so-crisp sound, the iron gate slowly opened.

Nothing happened.

The group exchanged incredulous glances.

The door just... opened like that?

"Wait, look at that leaf!"

Tasha suddenly pointed to the gap in the iron gate.

A withered yellow leaf drifted through the crack in the iron gate and came to rest there.

It wasn't stuck in a gap, but rather firmly anchored in mid-air, without any sign of shaking.

Just then, another withered leaf drifted by.

This time, before even touching the iron gate, it stopped about a finger's width away from the gate.

At the same time, the grass blades near the iron gate on the ground stopped swaying, and the area affected was gradually expanding.

"Run!" The female thief was the first to rush out, with Green close behind.

Allen grabbed the weakened Viola and carried her on his back. Under Solina's grateful gaze, the three of them followed.