"Master Eric. Aha ha ha ha. Why don't we talk about things first? Don't kill her. I spent a lot of gold buying her. Isn't she a beauty?" Mikel chuckled.

"Oh, is that so? Interesting. Interesting. Where did you buy her?" The old man smiled, grooming his beard.

"Hmmm… Can't say I remember… In one of the slave markets…? I saw her and had to have her. Ha Ha Ha. Women are alluring creatures aren't they?" Mikel lazily leaned on a pillar.

Meanwhile, Sylvia was struggling like a fish out of water. 

She kicked her legs, she swung her hands madly, holding her throat, trying to free herself but she was not even able to move an inch from where she floated. All she could do was struggle in vain.

"Master Eric. Seriously, put her down. I don't want her to die." Mikel reminded him as the old man squinted his eyes and continued looking at Sylvia as if he was enjoying her suffering.

"You seem to be a little too interested in the lady, Mikel?" Eric smiled, the ends of his lips curling upwards and the man's expression saying a thousand words.

"Of course. I am interested. I haven't fucked her enough. I was going to make her my mistress, but the little bitch showed attitude and talked back to the Queen."

"So I am sending her back to my castle. I intend to punish her as I please when I return back." Mikel shrugged. "Please don't ruin my entertainment."

The man's eyes held no pity or mercy as he leisurely continued chatting with the elder. 

Eric was one of the high council mages, someone who held the foremost authority in the entire mainland, not to mention in the Kingdom.

Mikel had never once expected such an important figure to show up here. If only he had known about this… 

His entire insides twisted and turned as the woman he loved dearly suffocated right in front of his eyes. 

However, all he did was simply stand around, smile, and chat as if he couldn't care less about her. This was it. This was his only card. Otherwise…

Heh. The elder chuckled and looked at Mikel for a minute, his cunning eyes scrutinizing every small reaction on the man's body.

Even then he appeared unconvinced… 

He looked at Sylvia and then at Mikel again, before finally sighing and walking towards Mikel, wrapping an arm around him to pat his back. "Let's go inside and talk."

"Oh? Did something happen?" Mikel murmured. "Is this concerning our prisoner?"

Eric looked at him and calmly smiled before answering his question. "In a way… yes…"

"Alright. Let's head inside and discuss." The corner of his eyes landed on Sylvia only for an instant as he noticed that she had lost her consciousness.

Mikel's heart sank but he continued walking in with the elder. "Oh and belated congratulations. I heard you got engaged." The elder looked at Mikel again, as if he was watching and waiting for him to slip up.

"Thanks, Master Eric. But let's come to the point. You have made me very curious. What's happening here? Is there anything wrong?" Mikel asked, to which the old man smiled and nodded.

"Aha ha ha ha. Alright. Alright. I won't hold back from you anymore. After all, this is joyous news. That girl you have got there is one of them." Eric muttered, his words shattering every little bit of hope that Mikel had left.

"One of them?" Mikel asked, barely able to control his emotions any longer. They knew. 

They somehow knew… which means… Sylvia was good as dead already…

Despite his best efforts, he couldn't help but tremble slightly which didn't escape the old man's eyes. "It seems that you have already guessed," Eric muttered, patting Mikel on the back.

"You have good eyes, boy. I had to go far and wide to hunt for one, that too a half-ling, but here you are… in possession of a ripe young spirit beast. Aha ha ha. This is such good news!!!"

"If we fuck her and absorb her essence every day, there would be no limit to how much we can grow."

"I am not sure what your father has gifted you so far, but just for this contribution alone, you deserve to be the next King." He chuckled loudly and patted Mikel on his back.

The old man was already planning the future in his mind and didn't notice the vicious glint that flitted across Mikel's eyes.

As they continued walking back to the castle, Sylvia's unconscious body roughly dragged on the floor behind them, the previously dimly lit corridors were now as bright as day. 

And once they crossed the kitchen quarters, Mikel saw his father and his four brothers all standing, fully awake and excitement etched on their faces.

Next to them, Gabriel was also standing, making Mikel wonder how he was allowed to remain here.

And then suddenly everything was clear to him. 

This person… probably this person was the one who had noticed something different about Sylvia and triggered everything, not to mention the woman who was his sister.

I should have strangled him when I had the chance. Mikel raged inside but he knew that things had now gone far beyond his control.

For the first time in his life, he regretted everything.

"My son! You have made me proud!!" The King, Lucious Zaharia walked forward and patted Mikel, his face full of joy. 

Because of this unexpected living and breathing treasure amidst them, they were only going to be rewarded wildly. 

It was inevitable that the mage high council shower riches and wealth onto their Kingdom.

"Congratulations are in order, brother." The Crown Prince, Denault Zaharia also walked over to Mikel and shook his hand.

All though they were all one by one congratulating him, there was no doubt that every single one of them had their eye on the girl, lying defenselessly unconscious on the ground behind him.